Forever a Family chapter 21
Declaration of War
Hi everybody! It's that time a week again, so here's chapter 21 for your enjoyment. As usual, thanks goes to KamiHandanShinryu for correcting the numerous mistakes throughout this chapter. Enough babbling. Go ahead and read!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.
Three days following Master Makarov's departure, The Fairy Tail guild was almost completely empty. Only Reedus, Gildarts, and Happy still laughed and chatted at the guild hall, with Kinana being the only employee. Mirajane and Elfman were both waiting at the train station to give Natsu and Lisanna a piece of their minds when they arrived back.
Of course, it wasn't because members had quit. Far from it.
When Gildarts informed them that Makarov would be leaving, those members that remained quickly made what they considered to be the ultimate sacrifice to honor their master. Setting aside their dislike for the idea, they unanimously decided to train for the Grand Magic Games in the hopes that they could reclaim their title at the top.
"It's been three days." Gildarts notes to Happy, who was sitting nearby eating a plate of fish, "When do you think that they'll be back?"
"Well, Lisanna didn't know." Happy sighs before ripping off the flesh of the fish, "All she said was that when Natsu came back, he'd be stronger than anyone could imagine."
"I'd believe it, after seeing what she did." the master nods, "I haven't a clue who her mystery teacher is, but anyone that can take the little girl I used to know and teach her magic strong enough to overwhelm Mirajane at full power is something else. That was the best fight I'd ever seen, and I watched all of the old Erza vs. Mirajane fights."
"Yeah..." Happy mumbles, "But Mira almost won at the end."
"Mira was on the verge of a comeback, I admit." Gildarts says, looking back on the fight, "I was actually about to call the fight when Lisanna won. Still, the fact that she had that in reserve is something to consider. How skilled is she with that Iron Dragon magic?"
"Well, probably a bit weaker than Gajeel." the cat tells him, "She's been training with it a lot, but last year she decided that she wasn't going to get any better and started working more on combinations."
"For someone like Lisanna, that's probably the best thing for her to do." Gildarts says wisely, "She doesn't have Natsu or Mirajane's destructive power. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that even Elfman's surpassed her in that regard. Her talent lies in speed and technique, and the fight against Mira proved to me that she more than earned her rank. Combining Take Over magic with Dragon Slayer is hard enough, but sustaining that combination, during an intense battle, against an enemy that could overwhelm her if she wavered for even a second? That takes almost superhuman levels of skill and concentration."
"And training." Happy adds, "Lisanna's hardly stopped training the entire time you guys were gone."
"Geez... she and Natsu are two of a kind." Gildarts sighs happily, "I'm really proud of him, growing up the way he did."
"Aye." Happy agrees, finishing the fish on the plate, "But now I'm out of fish..."
Gildarts laughs wildly, finishing his beer, "Kinana! More beer and a plate of fish for the cat."
"Coming up!" she calls from the kitchen.
Behind the two, the doors to the guild hall open and both turn their heads expectantly. Unfortunately, they were disappointed.
"Why aren't they back?" Mira huffs, throwing herself onto one of the stools hard enough to shake the entire guild, "It's been three days!"
"and there's still three months before the tournament." Gildarts answers her, "A training trip could easily take two and a half months. Probably more given that we're talking about Natsu here."
"I don't like it." Mira growls, looking at Happy with her most evil face, "Where are they, Happy?"
"I-I-I..." Happy stutters, trying feebly to get away from Mirajane, even at the cost of the fish Kinana was about to bring him. Thankfully, it was Gildarts to the rescue.
"That's enough, Mira." he says calmly, "Believe me, I'm starting to get worried too. I got the impression that Lisanna didn't think it would be a very long journey. However, it's only been three days, and I'm sure we would have heard something if they'd been injured."
"It only takes one day to get killed in the wilderness." Mira counters.
Gildarts doesn't miss a beat, "Maybe so, but if there was a creature that could take down those two, I'm sure we'd have heard about it by now. And I'm sure that Lisanna wouldn't go anywhere that dangerous without a plan." Standing up, Gildarts looks down at the white haired she-devil and says slowly, "Mira, you seem to be forgetting that in the last seven years, she's grown up. Not only physically or magically, but mentally as well. The little girl you knew is gone, and in her place is a fine young woman that has a very legitimate claim to the title of strongest female mage in the guild! She's not a child that needs you to hold her hand through everything she does. She's a member of this guild that has long since left your shadow, and if the fight four days ago didn't drive that point home, then fine. I'm sure that we'll make good money off of round two."
"M-Mira..." Elfman stutters, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder, "Now's not the time to be-"
"That's all I'm saying on the subject." Gildarts says without acknowledging Elfman's attempt to make peace, "Lisanna will be back in time, and she'll be stronger than ever. If you want to baby her like you did before, than train yourself until you've closed the gap between you." With a deathly serious look, he adds, "Until Lucifer soul has been completely suppressed by your power."
"Master, that's-" Elfman shouts angrily, and Gildarts switches his attention to him, making Elfman recoil in fright.
"I'm well aware of the risks involved." Gildarts says to him, "Don't forget who it was that took her to obtain it. Master Makarov banned its use because it was too powerful, and Mira's control was lacking. Left unchecked for even an instant, she could be overcome by the destructive nature of the demon within. The ultimate sword she gained with the intention of protecting the family she held so dearly would become the instrument of their deaths. Take Over: Lucifer Soul is truly the most dangerous Take Over the world has ever known. There is not a single doubt in my mind of that fact. The problem isn't with the magic. It's with the wielder. Mira, the choice is yours."
Mira, who hadn't said a word since he began lecturing her, stared at him with a look that was somewhere between anger and possibly fear.
"But the master banned it!" Elfman protests despite his sister's lack of answer.
"And for good reason." Gildarts nods, "That is the soul of Lucifer, who lead an army of a thousand demons through the gates of Hades with the intent to declare war upon the world. When Mirajane captured his soul, his demon army was cast into purgatory for all eternity. Unless she learns to control that power, she could inadvertently set the army loose with no way to stop them. Entire cities would be destroyed before they could be stopped. If they could be stopped."
Accepting the beer from Kinana, Gildarts adds, "Mirajane, as you were nine years ago, you could never master Lucifer Soul. You didn't have the capacity for love that could restrain the murderous hate of the demon king. Seven years ago, you didn't have the power to activate it, until you were pushed too far by Grimoire Heart, and even then only by rely on the power of the Tenrou Tree. And despite that, despite having next to no magic power to hold back the flood of Lucifer's hate, you retained your mind. That day, Erza was fully prepared to die. The demons sealed away would have ripped her soul apart within seconds of being released. But you did the impossible and not only held on to the transformation, but used it in combat."
"It was a fluke, nothing more." she replies coldly, "I can't control that power."
"You're Mirajane the Demon." Gildarts smirks, "Not only that, but you're also Mirajane of Fairy Tail. I don't think that there's anyone else who can control that power. I'm not ordering you to master it. It's your call to make. However, unless you can make that power your own, protecting Lisanna will be nothing but a fantasy."
"You ask the impossible." Mira glares, "You realize that if I used it, I could destroy the entire town without even realizing it!?"
"I do." He answers, "And I also know that you care too much about them to let that happen. If you doubt yourself, then I'll help you. I held back the entire army before. Kicking a few of their asses won't even be a warm up."
"Gildarts..."
"Wonderful sentiments, Fifth Master of Fairy Tail." A new voice says from the door way. The hairs on the back of Mirajane's neck stand on end, and her hands remember the power that ran through them at the moment she ended this man's life.
A tall and very muscular man stood at the doorway. His dark brown hair had grown out since they last met, and on his chest he bore a huge scar, jet black against his tanned skin. His left eye was concealed behind his hair, but Mirajane could tell that it was also covered by an eye patch. Otherwise, he was identical to when they fought before.
"You..!" she gasps, and seeing her face, Gildarts instantly went on the defensive. "I killed you..."
"You did." he admits without hesitation, pointing to the scar on his chest, "A demonic wound such as this will never truly heal. I can still feel the pain of your final magnificent attack. You were wonderful, Demon Mirajane."
"Who is this guy?" Gildarts asks Mira.
The man overhears him and smiles, "My name is Azuma, formerly a member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. And I'm here to declare war."
Natsu opens his eyes with a splitting headache. He was in a dark and unfamiliar room, with dark blue walls and a single window that opened to the night sky outside. The only light came from underneath the lone door in the room. Through the open window, he heard the usual chatter of cities streets, but much softer than he was used to. In Magnolia, even in the early evening, there were crowds of people in the market place, chatting with friends and bartering for new and sometimes exotic magic.
"Where am I?" he says to himself, rubbing his head in a vain attempt to get rid of the headache. As expected, there was no answer, and he lazily tried to get out of bed. It took him several tries to keep his balance. It wasn't just that his headache was affecting his equilibrium or that his legs were weak from disuse. It was almost like his entire center of gravity had shifted. After a few timid steps, he decided that he wasn't likely to fall on his face and walked over to the door.
It wasn't locked, and lead into a well lit hallway. Looking in both directions for some kind of sign, he found nothing. While mentally considering which way to go, the choice was made for him. His stomach growled loudly as he smell some of the most wonderful scents ever coming from the path to the right.
Hurriedly, he went down the hallway and down the stairs, following the delicious smell the whole way. At the bottom of the stairs, he went into the first door on the left.
An old woman with pale blue hair was a humming a simple tune as she cooked in the kitchen. The scent Natsu had gotten was from the table in the dining room that was packed with a huge assortment of food. Everything from fruit to meat, pastas and salad, and more different rolls than Natsu had ever seen in his life.
Naturally, his first instinct was to cry out in joy and run over to stuff his face, but even he had some manners.
"Ummm..." he says loudly, making the woman gasps and turn around.
Her eyes widened for just a second when she saw him, but then she smiles kindly, "You're Natsu, right?"
"Yes ma'am." he replies, "What happened?"
"Lisanna brought you here a few days ago." she answers him, "She said that something happened while you two were training. But enough of that. I'm sure you must be starving after so long with nothing to eat."
Natsu opens his mouth to reply, but his stomach did it for him. With a volume that could have passed for a Fire Dragon's roar, Natsu blushes sheepishly. The woman laughs sweetly, "Please, sit down and help yourself. I'll be right back. Lisanna asked me to let her know when you woke up."
"Thank you, ma'am." Natsu says, eagerly running over to the delicious buffet.
"There's no need to call me 'ma'am'." she tells him, hanging up her apron, "It's Sarah."
"Thanks, Sarah." he corrects himself as she walks out the door.
For the first time in his life, he was at a complete loss for what to eat first. Everything looked so good, he couldn't decide. Finally, he decided to just take a little of everything, and started to eat. Every bite was as good or better than the last, and he could confidently say that it was the best meal he'd ever had. Just as he was about halfway through his fist plate, the door opened again.
Sarah walked back in, along with a old man with short white hair, a thick mustache and a short, trimmed beard. Right behind him was Lisanna, who had big smile on her face and a new scarf almost identical to his own, except hers was pink.
"Natsu!" she cries, rushing over to him. Standing up, he runs over to her as well, and she embraces him tightly, "I'm glad you're awake." she sighs, "I've been worried about you."
"Sorry..." he says quickly, "I didn't mean to make you worry."
"It's not your fault." she replies, shaking her head, "It's-" she cut off, looking back at the couple at the door.
"Whoops." Sarah smiles, "Al, we forgot to lock the store."
"Are you su-" the man starts to ask before being dragged away.
When the door shut behind them, Lisanna smiles again, "You had nothing to do with it. It was Igneel. And even that's in the past. I'm just so relieved that you're alright. How are you feeling? Are you in pain or anything?"
"I feel great!" he grins, before adding to Lisanna's suspicious look, "Maybe a bit of a headache. Nothing to worry about." at this point, Natsu notices something's off, "Lisanna, did you get shorter?"
"No." she tells him, "You just got taller."
"How'd that happen?"
"Later." she replies as the other two walk back in, "We'll talk tomorrow, alright?"
"Are you going back to training already, Lisanna?" Sarah asks, sitting down at the table.
Lisanna nods, sitting down next to her, "Yeah. We've only got three months to get ready for the Games this time, so we need to make the most of it."
"You sure that Natsu doesn't need a little while to recover?" The man, Al, asks, sitting at the head of the table next to Sarah.
"I'm fine." Natsu replies, "A bit of a headache, but that's all. It'll be gone by morning, then it's back to hard training!"
"Well, make sure you're home in time for dinner tomorrow." Sarah tells them, and before Lisanna could say anything, she adds, "It's no bother, Lisanna. To be honest, Al and I both enjoy having you around. Reminds us of the days when our own children were still around. And besides, the customers love you."
"But really, we can camp out-" Lisanna starts before being interrupted by Al, "Maybe so, Lisanna. But That could hinder your training, couldn't it? Now, I used to be a mage a good number of year ago, and I remember doing some training of my own. To train effectively, you need a full stomach and a good night's rest. You won't find either of those in the wild. And take a break every now and then. Training for three months straight will end up doing more harm than good in the tournament. You're both welcome to stay as long as you like."
"Thank you both." Lisanna smiles, and both of them return the gesture.
"So, with that matter out of the way, let's do the introductions." Sarah says happily as everyone else dishes themselves up some food.
"Right." Lisanna says, pointing to Natsu, "This is Natsu Dragneel. He's a fellow member of Fairy Tail, and a very close friend."
"A pleasure to meet you both." Natsu says to the couple.
"And it's a pleasure for us to meet the Natsu Dragneel." Al smirks, "Why, scarcely a day went by that Lisanna didn't talk fondly about you." With a mischievous grin, he adds in a low voice so only Natsu could hear him, "I think she might have a little thing for you."
"A word of warning." Lisanna says with a blush as she cuts her rolls, "Dragon Slayers have very sensitive hearing."
"Point Taken." Al says, cowering in fear for a few seconds before returning to his meal.
Lisanna next points to Sarah, "This is Sarah, and he's her husband Al. They own a small bakery in the village, and were among the first people to look after me when I was training before."
"Just offered a helping hand." Al shrugs, "You'll find that a lot of the people around here would have done the same thing."
"Well, I still appreciate it." she tells him, "They were also kind enough to take us in while you were recovering."
"Thanks a lot, both of you." Natsu bows to them.
"No need for thanks." Al says easily, "We couldn't very well turn Lisanna away when she was carrying you unconscious on her back. Besides, we've got too many rooms since the kids moved out. Having a few of them occupied won't make too much difference."
"We're just happy that you're alright." Sarah adds, "Although, I swear you've grown a few inches at least since Lisanna brought you in."
"Yeah..." Lisanna grins, "And he's looking a lot more muscular too."
"I am?" Natsu asks stupidly.
"A bit. " Lisanna shrugs, "We'll have to see if it makes a difference tomorrow. We're sparring first thing in the morning. After taking out some vulcans anyway."
"Sounds great!" Natsu replies, digging back into his food, "Usually, the only ones I can spar with are the stripper and Erza, so it'll be nice to spar with someone new. And besides, we use the same magic, so we can't really hurt each other."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. "Lisanna glares playfully, "Because unlike you, I've got two more magics."
"No fair!" Natsu protests, "You can't use those against me while we're sparring!"
"You want to get better?" She asks him, "Than you've got to beat me at my best. Don't worry. I won't hurt you too badly."
As the two talk about their training, Sarah smiles and whispers to Al, "Those two are perfect for each other."
"I'd say." He replies quietly, "It's nice to see the old guild is still prospering."
"So what are you thinking?" she asks him firmly.
"That Makarov must have been a wonderful master to have children like them." he smiles, "And I wonder just how much stronger they'll be when it comes time for the games. I can't see them losing to anyone." Looking away, he adds in a low whisper that not even his wife overheard, "Not after what that dragon gave them."
Far to the south, in the dead of night, a figure in a long black cloak left the castle that served as the Headquarters of the Dark Guild Phantom Lord. The figure moved silently through the darkness, evading the watchful eyes of the sentries and vanishing into the forest behind the castle.
For twenty minutes, he moved through the trees without leaving a trace until he arrived at the clearing in the center of the forest.
Removing his hood, the blue haired man says calmly, "I'm here."
"Jellal." a voice replies from the other side, and his compatriot Ultear steps in, "How's it going?
"Master Jose is going to war with Fairy Tail." he tells her, and she looks visibly shocked even in the darkness, "I'm hoping that the chaos they'll inevitably bring to the battlefield will give me a chance to eliminate Jose."
"Is there no other way?" she asks, "Jellal, surely for you, Jose would be an easy opponent-"
"I'm afraid not." Jellal shakes his head, "When he was one of the ten Wizard Saints, he was ranked above me. I might not have had access to my full power, but the fact is that he's at least as strong as me. If push comes to shove, I think I could pull out a victory, but there's no question it would be a long and drawn out battle that would likely cost me my life. Yours too, since you would need to keep the Element four off of me. And we've already decided not to die until Zeref has been brought to Justice."
"I know, but.."
"You worry too much." Jellal smiles, "I know that you're worried about Meredy getting drawn into this, but she'll have Fairy Tail behind her. We've both learned firsthand how easily they can wreck even the best plans."
"I know that." she sighs, "But still..."
"Listen, Fairy Tail's likely going to launch a massive attack on Phantom Lord in a few days." Jellal continues, "During those few days, Master Jose is recruiting a number of high profile dark guilds to bluster Phantom's numbers. When the attack comes, it will be our best chance to bring down both Phantom, and the many dark guilds that join forces with them."
"Right." Ultear mutters to herself.
"And that means that you'll be able to protect her." He finishes, "After all, there's no threat to her if there's no enemies in her way."
"Right." Ultear says firmly, "Then I'll be getting ready."
"I'd better be getting back too." Jellal says, putting his hood back on, "This will probably be the last time we'll have to meet like this. Jose won't want me leaving the castle again, and if I sneak out too many times he'll get suspicious."
"Right." Ultear replies for the last time, turning and disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
Jellal likewise turns and follows the same path back to the castle.
Slipping past the guards, he removes his cloak once inside.
"So, you've been to see her again." A voice says from the room just to the right of the entrance.
"Of course." Jellal smirks, hanging up his cloak an walking into the side room. Phantom Lord's Master was sitting calmly at the desk in the center, two glass in front of him. "She'd get suspicious if I didn't make our meeting, and we wouldn't want that, Master Jose."
"No, we wouldn't." Jose admits, pouring wine into both glasses and taking a sip, "I must say, Jellal, your talent for manipulation is truly extraordinary. That woman doesn't even realize that you've been following my orders this whole time. All those guilds she crushed for the sake of stopping Zeref were simply rivals of Phantom Lord that got what they deserved."
"Well, I do owe you that much." Jellal smiles, "After all, it's because of you that I recovered my memories. Without you, I'd be some goody two-shoes patiently awaiting my death for my crimes."
"It would be a waste." Jose nods, "After all, men of our power are hard to come by. But thanks to you, I'm confident that Fairy Tail will be no trouble. After they're dead and gone, Kill the woman."
"Naturally." Jellal says with a sadistic grin, "I've grown tired of pretending to care about Zeref. From now on, I'll do what I like, and that bitch can burn in hell for all I care."
"Well said!" Jose laughs, handing Jellal a glass of wine, "Than I purpose a toast. To snuffing out Fairy Tail!"
"I'll drink to that." Jellal nods, "But Salamander is mine."
"Agreed." Jose nods, "I know that you've got your own business to settle with him."
"Just you wait, Natsu Dragneel." Jellal says after draining his glass, "This time, I'm going to rip you apart!" With his magic flowing off of him, the cup in his hand exploded, showering the office with dust sized particles.
Oh no! Evil Jellal is back, and Asuma didn't die properly! Can Fairy Tail withstand two Wizard Saints and a member of the Seven Kin at the same time? That's for me to know and you to find out. As always, feel free to rage about Jellal, or Asuma, or just my annoying habit of only posting one chapter a week.