A/N: Man it's just one Arctic punch after another. First the blistering cold and now another snowstorm, guess Winter is being a cold hearted bitch before it's time for her to leave. Which makes me appreciate Spring a whole lot more, honestly.
Anyway, this is the newest chapter of The Hellfire Dragon Slayer. I would like to say thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing, for not only sticking with me, but also for deal with my petty ass. I seem to have been complaining a lot this last week, and that's mostly because my Internet is still down, and it's making my writing a lot harder. I'm halfway through Edolas, and I'm sort of forcing myself to do it, just so I can be done with it. Like I said, I have more ideas for Tenrou than I do for Edolas. I'm not even sure there's gonna be an original arc in between them, I'm just really freaking stressed, but I'm still writing, and I'm not gonna give up.
As such, when you all start reading Edolas, it's most likely gonna be different than what you'll be expecting, all I can say is, no flames please. I've tried my best, but right now it's quickly becoming my most hated arc to write. Whatever the case, I'll let you be the judge of that.
So, without further stalling, I shall leave you with this chapter, which will be a two parter. I hope you enjoy it.
From Kitten to Fairy
Chapter 34
Silver Skies I
It was a beautiful day in the city of Sea Brooke. The sun was shining, and the wind was blowing softly. The seaside city was simply alluring, especially since it was early summer in Fiore. The skies were bright and not a single cloud was around to blemish it. The birds and gulls were cawing and chirping loudly, singing their beautiful songs of summer. Children were running around, water guns and water balloons in hand, while the adults were watching, enjoying the good weather. Walking through town was a young woman, making her way back toward the nearby guildhall.
Sea Brooke was the home of the wizard guild Mermaid Heel, one of the few female only guilds in Fiore. It was known for having strong mages and the hottest fashion models around. In fact most of the models the Sorcerer Magazine had were from Mermaid Heel. It was something that attracted a lot of people to the seaside resort town, though it was mostly from the male populous. The girl sighed, flicking a strand of hair over her shoulder. She passed by a shop, looking at the dresses on sale. Seeing her reflection, she scowled, snapping her head in another direction.
She of course wasn't a girl at all, but rather a guy. This was Aiden Flame, the Son of the mighty Atlas Flame, but now had been reduced to wearing a disguise. He had just come out of a small desert region in Fiore, finally having reached the easternmost city in the country. When he got to this city, he had seen a lot of promise in both himself and the guild, but being reduced to nothing more than a boy in disguise, it really annoyed him. But since Mermaid Heel was an all female guild, he had to swallow it. The cat calls from other boys really didn't make him feel any better. The mark of Mermaid Heel sat proudly on his bicep, in a light pink color. Walking around with that color on his skin made him feel even worse, but he couldn't complain, after all he needed the money.
"Hey Aiden...I mean Aiko, can you buy me some cookies?"
He turned to face his partner, a young orange exceed named Phoebe. He had found her egg a few years prior and the two of them had been traveling around since. She had grown a lot in that short period of time, and had developed a massive sweet tooth too. He sighed, giving her a frown.
"Phoebe, I told you we don't have the money to buy that sort of stuff." he replied. He still wasn't used to his new voice. He had been wearing a choker with a voice changing lacrima, so he would sound feminine. It had of course been disguised as a brooch which had been attached to his choker. It still drove him nuts.
"I know, but they aren't that expensive. Only three hundred jewels." she said. He sighed, digging his hand into his skirt. He pulled out three one hundred Jewel coins and handed them to her. She grinned and flew off, most likely back to the store she had just been at. He sighed and walked away from the dress shop, having lost interest in whatever he had been looking at.
He had just come back from a mission, though it had been a little challenging. The monsters he had faced were rather resilient, so it took a bit more magic than he had intended on wasting. He felt a lot more tired than he wanted too, but his pockets were filled with cash and he couldn't complain. He placed his hands behind his head, absently walking through town. He heard soft flaps beside him, along with the sound of a packet being opened.
"So, what are we gonna do now?" Phoebe asked, shoving a cookie in her mouth. He shrugged, his blue eyes scanning the city.
"I dunno. I don't really feel like going back to the guild hall. This whole guild mage thing is so freaking weird. Do people seriously trust mages they don't know who might possess destructive magic to do their work for them?" he asked.
"Well the only one who has destructive magic is you." she said.
"True...but it isn't my fault that 99% of everything around us is flammable." he replied.
"I know, why don't we go to the beach? You promised me you would take me." Phoebe said. He shook his head.
"You know I can't do that. If I go to the beach, I'll have to change into a swimsuit, and I can't risk blowing my cover." he said. She groaned, stuffing another cookie in her mouth.
"Alright fine...let's just go to the market and see what's on sale." she huffed. He nodded and followed her deeper into the city. The two of them reached the market not long after. They saw the usual vendors pedaling wares and other types of magic items. He greeted a few of the ones he knew, giving them a bright smile. As far he knew, all of them saw her as a girl, and that's how he wanted it. The last thing he needed was for everyone to know he was a guy. Then again, he remembered Jason of the Sorcerer Magazine had gotten a picture of him while he was changing into his outfit and had placed in an article, so it wouldn't be long until the world knew he was a Mermaid Heel mage.
As he walked, he kept his eyes peeled for something that would keep him distracted for awhile. He passed by a music store, which was having a sale. He looked at the window, seeing a cardboard cut out of a new idol, the name Yuna was written above it in bright red letters. He took a deep breath, grabbing the door handle.
"Let's go in here." he said, looking over his shoulder. Phoebe nodded, curious as to why her friend would be going into a music store.
His ears were assaulted by the sound of drums and a guitar riff. Apparently someone was playing heavy metal through the speakers. He earned a wave from the cashier as he walked deeper into the store. He looked around, not really finding anything of interest. He stopped in front of another cardboard cut out, which was of that idol Yuna. He saw several CDs stacked in a basket. It was apparently her debut album. He reached for it, looking at the bask of the case.
"Is my little Aiden interested in pop idols now?" Phoebe asked.
"Shush, and stop calling me that. My name is Aiko." he cried, earning an eye roll from her. She grabbed one of the CDs, looking it over. She read the songs, her nose scrounging up a bit.
"Faster than the speed of Love, Starbright, An Angel's Cry? Jeez these songs sound stupid." she said. Aiden of course ignored her, choosing to grab the headphones attached to the sound pod next to them. He put them on and pressed the play button.
His eyes widened a bit as the song started off. It was soft at first, but quickly speed up. He could tell this girl was young, a bit inexperienced, and even nervous. The her voice blended in with the melody perfectly, he found himself entranced. Phoebe waved her paw in front of his face a few times, but he just ignored her. Once the song was over, he just took the headset off, and set it back down. He didn't even say a word, just spun on his heel and walked toward the register.
"Um...Aiko?" Phoebe called out, floating after her friend. He stood in front of the cashier and set the CD down on the counter. He gave him a smirk.
"Man, a lot of little girls have been buying this lately. What do you even see in her?" the man asked.
"What's it to you? I'm not just another little girl, I'll burn your face off." Aiden snapped, igniting his hand. The young man stepped back, seeing the bright blue flames dancing on his fist.
"A-alright, just give me a second to run this through." he said, dialing the number. Aiden handed him his jewels and grabbed the CD, leaving the store. He pulled his sound pod from his Requip pocket and grabbed the CD from inside the case, pressing the Pod onto the disc, all of the songs were transferred to it automatically.
"Aiden...are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine...this Yuna girl...I think she's going to be a great singer in the future...I think I'm in love." he said, blushing a bit.
xxx
"Aiden, you're holding up the line." Wendy said, poking his arm. He shook his head a bit, noticing he hadn't moved at all. The path to Yuna's table was completely open. He ushered a few apologies to the people behind him and started walking forward. He swallowed hard when he finally got to the table. Yuna gave him a bright smile, which made him blush a bit.
"Hello."
"Um...hi...I'm Aiden, I've been a big fan since you released your Starbright album." he said.
"Oh you have? How sweet of you." she said.
"I...don't have anything to sign. Would you mind signing my arm? I wanna get it tattooed on." he said, holding his left arm out for her. Her eyes widened a bit.
"Seriously? Don't those hurt?"
"Eh, I've been through worse." he admitted, brushing it off as if it were nothing. Yuna was actually surprised with the young man. She shrugged, grabbing a black marker. She signed her name as neatly as she could on his arm. She capped the marker, giving him a smile.
"There you are. If you get it done, please send me a picture, I would love to see it." she said.
"Definitely." he said. She was about to say something when she focused on his guild mark. Her eyes widened a bit as she pointed to it.
"You're a Fairy Tail wizard?" she asked.
"Oh...yeah. I just joined last week...my girlfriend and I were actually part of another guild, but it disbanded. We decided to join up with our friends." he said.
"Is...is it fun?"
"Of course it is. We go on missions, beat the hell out of a lot of dark mages and most of all, we get to help people in need." he said.
"Helping people is the greatest thing about being in a guild. Some people only join for the fame or the money, honestly none of that matters to us. So long as we're together and we bring out the best in each other, we can reach new heights." Wendy added, taking a hold of his hand. For a second, Aiden saw a spark of jealousy in her eye, and a hint of sadness. She quickly replaced it with smile, as she signed another glossy picture for Wendy.
"I'm happy for you two. You get to have lot's of adventures, me...I guess this Idol gig is enough of an adventure for me." she said, handing Wendy the picture. She signed one for Phoebe and Happy.
"Are you sure you're happy? I've noticed your music changed. You aren't giving it your all anymore." he said. Her eyes widened a bit and she stood up from her seat.
"I need a break, thank you so much for your support." she said, giving them a smile. She hastily left, leaving behind a folded sheet of paper. Aiden swiped it before the security guard escorted them out of the line.
"Nice job Aiden, you upset her." Phoebe said, a hint of disappointment on her face.
"I just asked a question. I didn't do anything wrong."
"It must have been how you phrased it. She looked really sad when you talked about Fairy Tail." Wendy added. He sighed, giving her hand a small squeeze.
"Great, I've gone and upset my favorite idol. I gotta apologize to her." he said, glancing back at the stadium.
"Ha, as if that's going to happen. Come on, let's go find a tattoo parlor so you can get that shit inked." Phoebe said, taking the lead of the group. Aiden couldn't help but frown. He didn't know why, but felt something bad was going to happen, and Yuna would be right in the middle of it all.
xxx
Aiden sighed as he walked down the streets of Hargeon. He didn't know how late it was, most likely around midnight. Wendy and Phoebe had fallen asleep, leaving him and Happy as the only ones awake. Since Natsu, Gray and Erza were still out on their mission, the blue exceed had decided to hang around Aiden. Apparently he was similar to Natsu in how he acted, if a bit more mature than the older fire dragon. He also wanted to be near Phoebe who actually accepted his gifts. Aiden found it a bit odd, since the blue exceed had expressed an interest in Carla before, but now had changed to Phoebe. He found it sweet, and Phoebe actually liked his company, and he definitely liked having his face pressed in her chest.
He glanced at his arm where his new tattoo sat. Yuna's signature in bright black and red in. The artist had laughed at him when he said he wanted her autograph on his skin, but as soon as he saw his pissed off face and the mark of Fairy Tail, the man shut up and got to work. Wendy fainted as soon as she saw the needle, Aiden didn't even move. He said he had been through worse pain and he had indeed ignored it. The tattoo had been completed and sealed with magic so it wouldn't loose it's color, so now he was just content with walking down the empty streets of the port city.
"Aiden, you've been rather quiet. Is everything alright?" Happy asked curiously, floating a bit closer to the blue haired boy. He glanced over at the exceed, giving him a nod.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about Yuna, she looked so sad, and I feel awful for upsetting her. Then there's this note." he said, holding the folded paper in his hand.
"Note? Wait...did you grab that from the table?"
"I did."
"Aiden, it's not nice to take stuff from girls! What's it say?" he asked, contradicting himself. Aiden shrugged, opening the paper.
"I dunno. I didn't look at it, I wanted to give it back to her." he said, once it was fully open, he glanced at the paper, seeing it was song lyrics. He stopped in his tracks, eyes hovering over every word. His throat tightened a bit.
"No way...this can't be." he said, his shoulders shaking a bit.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a song...it's called Silver Sky, it was a lullaby my sister used to sing to me. Silver Sky, falls upon you and I. Another hope fades away into night. Distant melodies, a sweet lullaby, will lead me to you." he said. Happy's ears twitched, his tail standing straight.
"I remember that song too. Our friend Lisanna used to sing it to me when I was just a hatchling. It was a song from a long time ago, but most of it was lost through time." he said.
"That's what Kurumi said when I asked her about it. She only had that part and the part that comes after it. But Yuna ended up writing it into an entire song. I need to give this back to her." he said, breaking into a sprint. He ducked into an alleyway, deciding to cut across it. Happy trailed after him, struggling to keep up.
"Aiden, not so fast!" he cried, flapping his wings a bit harder.
"Sorry Happy, I just want to hurry." he said. He ran into the Rouge Plaza, one of the smaller areas of Hargeon. As he was about to leave, a thick wall of ice rose before him, making him slide to a stop.
"What the?" he asked. He spun around, only to see two more walls block the other exits. He quickly got into a stance, keeping his eyes peeled.
"Well well well, look at who I ran into, a little dragon, a little dragon that needs to get his wings clipped!" a voice said. Aiden stiffened, his eyes growing wide. He shook a bit, not just from the cold of the ice behind him, but because he recognized that voice. It had changed with age, but there was no doubt about who it belonged too. He grit his teeth, holding back his anger.
"Show yourself, Tomoki." he muttered angrily. Happy just floated there, completely confused. A swirling whirlwind of ice formed near the other side of the plaza, forming the shape of a human. They were wearing a long black and blue trench coat. With a flick of his wrist, the man lowered his hood. Aiden's eyes widened in shock.
The man's face looked different. For one, half of his face was frozen solid, the left side of his face resembled dragon scales and was white as snow, his eye was icy blue in color, his pupil being the darkest part of his eye. His hair was an icy blue, almost white color. He had a grin on his face. The most alarming thing was his arm. His trench coat was missing a sleeve, much like his own, but most of his arm was wrapped in gauze for some reason. On his bicep was a crimson mark, in the shape of a heart.
"G-Grimoire Heart." Happy studded, hiding behind Aiden.
"That's right flea bag, you're staring at one of the Eight Kin of Purgatory. I know I'm not supposed to deviate from the mission, but that doesn't mean I can't take personal time to visit family." he said, giving the teen a wide grin. Aiden noticed his fangs, which were sharp and glittered like the clearest ice in the world.
"So, you didn't have enough with killing our family, but you also became a second rate thug?" he asked.
"Second rate? I'll have you know, Grimoire Heart has done more things for me than those pathetic parents of ours. They saw our magical power, how great it was, but because they weren't mages, they didn't allow us to learn magic." he said.
"That's not true! Dad got all of us those magic books, how the hell else did Kurumi learn Ark of Space?" he snapped angrily.
"Ah right, that bitch. I'll have you know, I personally disposed of her body. It was so much fun, watching her flesh burn right off her bones. Too bad I didn't have my ice magic then. It would have been great to freeze her in time." he said, giving the teen a grin. Aiden sprung forward, his hand glowing a brilliant blue. He pulled his arm back, anger flowing through his body.
"Hellfire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he shouted, slamming his fist right into Brandon's face. The teen stood there as the fire burst around his body. He expelled a wave of cold steam, pushing Aiden back several feet. The temperature had lowered significantly. Enough for their breaths to be visible. Even though Aiden was a fire mage, and a Fire dragon at that, he was shivering.
"Do you feel it? The immense cold surrounding us. That's the cold that everyone feels during their dying hour. The realm of death is nothing but cold and empty darkness. But just you wait, the Grand Magic World will be ours, and I'll finally be able to use my power to crown myself the king of the world." he said, forming a ball of ice in his hand.
"Shut up! I don't know what drabble is pouring out of your mouth, but you aren't going to be a king! I won't let it! Fire Make: Explosion!" he shouted, throwing a giant ball of fire at the teen. It exploded, sending flaming tendrils and large chunks of rocks everywhere. The dust cleared, revealing Brandon, a smirk on his face.
"That didn't even phase him!" Happy cried.
"That was hot, but not nearly enough to melt my ice. Now I'll show you my power. Ice Dragon's Needles!" he chanted, willing the orb in his hand to explode. Aiden cried in pain as hundreds of needles stabbed through his skin. He increased his fire around him, but the ice was still cutting through. He stood up, glaring at Brandon.
"Happy, get outta here. Go get Wendy, now!" he said.
"But Aiden...I can't leave you here."
"I said go Happy!" he shouted, scaring the exceed. He shot off into the air, heading back to the hotel they were staying in. Aiden sighed, closing his eyes.
"Now that he's gone, I can go all out. Hellfire Dragon's Scales." he chanted. His body ignited, thick scales of fire forming over his skin.
"Don't you think this is ironic? The powerful older brother facing off against the weaker younger brother, both of them using the same type of magic. A battle of Ice and Fire." Brandon said, expelling a bit of cold steam.
"I'm going to burn your face off." Aiden said, racing forward. He slammed his hands together, throwing the magic to the floor.
"Fire Make: Launching Pad!" he cried, launching himself into the air. He swiped the air a few times, creating a large magic seal before him.
"Fire Make: Anchor Shot!" he shouted. A giant glittering anchor of flames burst from the circle, heading straight toward Brandon. He easily dodged it, jumping into the air. He slammed his hands together, a smirk on his face.
"Ice Make: Rosen Krone!" he shouted, throwing his spell forward. Aiden screamed, as the swirling mass of Roses slammed into him. Each sharpened spike dug deeper into his skin. He slammed into the ground, sliding around it for a few seconds.
"You like that? A friend of mine taught me it. She's been a great master, and an even better sister." He replied, giving Aiden a smirk. He stood up, slamming his fists together.
"I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face." he said, taking a deep breath.
"Oh please, do show me." Brandon replied, taking a deep breath himself.
"Hellfire Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice Dragon's Roar!"
Fire and Ice met in the middle, both attacks melded together creating a giant explosion of stream, sending shards of ice in all directions. Aiden looked around, keeping his guard up. He started jumping back when ice spikes started sprouting from the ground. He suddenly looked over his shoulder, seeing Brandon running right at him.
"Ice Dragon's Wing Scythe!" he chanted. He raced by Aiden, striking him with his arm, a large scythe of pure ice formed from his wrist. Aiden fell to his knees, blood bursting from his side. He clutched his side tightly, the crimson liquid soaking his hand. He looked at it, his hand shaking a bit.
"Oh man, this is so adorable. You ever see your own blood before? It's really fun, I personally saw my own thirteen times. It's fucking great!" he said. Aiden looked up at his brother, his hand bursting into flames. He seared his cut shut, stopping the bleeding.
"You know...you've really turned into a sadistic piece of shit. Or were you always like that?" He asked, his hair falling over his eyes.
"Oh wouldn't you like to know? You don't know what it feels like to be the ugly duckling in the family. It was always you and Kurumi who got the special treatment, Daddy's little man. Kurumi gets a book on lost magic and what do I get? A book on Earth magic. That was horse shit!"
"Seriously? You did all of this because of a stupid magic book? How fucking dare you? Don't you know how many lives you ruined?" Aiden shouted, standing back up. The man smirked, spreading his arms out, ice flowing from them.
"You mean how many lives I improved. Those guys at the Tower of Heaven came in clutch! An Ice Dragon lacrima all for the small price of killing an entire village. Why would it matter, my parents didn't love me, so it wasn't hard to kill them. Killing Kurumi was an added bonus."
"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Aiden shouted, racing at the man. He threw his hand forward, a massive plume of fire enveloping him. Brandon smirked, pulling his fist back.
"Ice Dragon's Iceberg!" he chanted, slamming his fist into Aiden's chin. He gasped in pain as he was frozen in a block of ice.
"That'll hold you for now." Brandon said. The ice suddenly cracked and the fire mage burst from it, kneeing the man in the jaw.
"Hellfire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he shouted, jumping at the man. Brandon howled in pain as the attack slammed into him. He was sent flying back into one of his own ice walls. Aiden ran at him, throwing a flaming punch at his face, though he quickly dodged it. Aiden's fist connected with the ice, shattering it into a million pieces. He grabbed his side, noticing the white lines extending from his injury.
"It's taking effect already." Brandon said.
"What?" Aiden hissed.
"That attack I threw at you, it's designed to freeze the body from the inside out. The attack was responsible for freezing hundreds of dragons in the past. It's also my favorite one to use when I freeze my victims." he said.
"You're sick, you know that." Aiden said firmly. Brandon chuckled, shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter, at least I'll have a statue to take back home. What an amazing addition to my collection, you'll be the first of many Fairies frozen in time. After I'm through with you, I'll go to your pathetic guild and freeze it over! That'll send you all a message, not to fuck with us." Aiden chuckled, increasing his magic power a bit. Brandon's eyes widened a bit, taking a step back. The heat was intense, so much so that he was actually starting to sweat, something he never did.
"So...all I have to do is kill you before I freeze over, that sounds like fun." he said.
"What...what is this power? Is this because of your blue fire?" Brandon asked, clearly stunned that a boy seven years younger than him was that strong already. Aiden grinned, standing up from his spot.
"It isn't about my blue fire at all. Didn't you know? Fairy Tail and Cait Shelter took those flunkies from Oracion Seis out of the picture. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now, I got their strength inside me. I'll be sure to send a message to your master. If you threaten my friends, then you'll have to deal with me. So take this back to your master, if Grimoire Heart fucks with Fairy Tail, they'll get turned into ash!" he shouted, slamming his hands together.
"Fire Make: Burning Ascalon!" he shouted, jumping at the man. A beautiful sword of fire burst from his hands. Aiden shouted in anger as he slashed at the man, striking him with all of the power he could muster. Brandon grit his teeth, slamming his hands together.
"Ice Make: Cold Winds of Truth!" he countered, throwing the spell forward. A powerful blizzard kicked up, sending large ice balls and cold gusts of wind at Aiden. He grit his teeth as his body was starting to freeze from the attack.
"No one escapes my ice. You'll be forever frozen in time!" he shouted.
"Metsuryu Ogi!" Aiden chanted, pulling his arms back. His body glowed a bright blue, the winds and ice started dying down a bit as his heat over powered the ice.
"No way." Brandon said. He grit his teeth, slamming his leg into the ground.
"Metsuryu Ogi!"
"You're too late! Guren Bakuenjin!" Aiden shouted, bursting forward. He grasped the strands of fire magic and slammed them into Brandon. The flames exploded outward, forming a brilliant sapphire phoenix that swallowed the ice mage whole. Aiden panted a bit, dropping to his knee in pain. Half of his chest was frozen now, his leg was starting to become numb. The fire instantly disappeared, showing a still standing Brandon, who looked like he didn't even have a scratch on his body. Aiden's eyes widened, shock written on his face.
"No...way...I hit him...with everything." he said. He felt immensely tired, his magic and life was being drained from him. He shivered a bit, the ice claiming a bit more of his body. Brandon smirked.
"This is the end for you. Glittering Frost: Ice Dragon's Glacier!" he said, slamming his hands into the ground. The ice magic shot outward, speeding toward Aiden. He could only watch as everything around him instantly froze. Even the air particles were freezing. He closed his eyes, feeling himself drift off a bit. A sudden explosion rung through the area, jolting him back awake. All he saw was black, nothing but black smoke and dust. Aiden's vision blurred a bit, but regained focus when the smoke started to clear. His eyes widened a bit.
Standing in front of him was the cloaked woman from before. The one he had seen back in Magnolia Town before his expedition to Fogbound Lake. She stood in front of him, three magic seals appearing in front of her. They were glowing a bright white, the center of them having odd markings on it. Brandon's eyes widened in shock as he took a step back.
"No...no...you're supposed to be dead!" he shouted.
"This is the first and only time I will ask you this. Leave this place right now, or I will not hesitate to end your life." the woman said firmly. Her magic seals disappeared, the area returning to normal.
"You actually think I'll do that? Hell, I'm going to do what I should have done seven years ago. You escaped me, but not this time!" Brandon shouted, flicking his arm back, giant ice scythe forming from his wrist. The woman snapped her fingers, several portals opening up around him. The sound of multiple weapons being cocked filled the area. From each portal stuck out a barrel of a gun, all of them aimed at Brandon.
"You move a single muscle, and I'll fire. You're life will end before you even take a step. Do not test me, Tomoki!" she said firmly. Aiden's eyes widened a bit. There were only two people who knew of that name.
"Kurumi?" he asked softly. The woman said nothing, her gaze firmly on the man in front of her.
"Tch...I don't have time for this. You are lucky this time." he said. Aiden groaned in pain, the ice was starting to freeze his other organs now. He fell over, loud cries coming from him. He pulled the zipper of his jacket down, eyes widening when he saw half of his chest was frozen. Brandon smirked.
"Well, I'll take my leave. Even if I didn't kill you, the ice surely will...don't you worry sister dear, I'll get you soon enough." he said. His body fractured, turning into nothing more than ice. It burst, disappearing in the wind. The woman turned around, kneeling before Aiden. Her eyes were scanning over his body. She held her hand to his chest, quickly pulling it back.
"This is bad." she muttered.
"Kurumi...is that really you?" he asked. The woman sighed, looking away from him.
"I am not your sister. She perished seven years ago." she said simply. She lowered her hood, finally revealing her face.
She had a light colored complexion, sunkissed and very well taken care of. Her right eye was a bright crimson color, while her left one was a bright green in color, with black markings in the center. She had long black hair, tied into twintails, reminiscent of how Kurumi had styled it in the past. To him, she looked just like his older sister, clearly having aged, but it was her.
"K-Kurumi...it's you. It-It really i-is you." he said, his teeth chattering a bit. She took a deep breath, shaking her head.
"I am not your sister. Like I said, the real Kurumi perished years ago, I am her clone." she said.
"C-clone?" he asked.
"Indeed, it seems in her dying moment, she was able to use an advanced technique. Arc of Self Preservation. It is an advanced Arc of Space technique. She was able to recreate herself entirely, however nothing can be created without it taking something else. This act took her life. The only mission in my memory is to guide Aiden Flame to the sacred crystals, it is the only way you'll be able to defeat the Dragon of the Apocalypse." she said.
"What...what are you talking about?" he asked. She held her hands over his chest, channeling some of her magic power into his body. However the ice held true, not even breaking or melting.
"You will understand in time. Sadly, I cannot do much else than this...I lack the power to heal people, but I can sense the presence of the Sky Dragon Slayer, she will assist you. This will be your next location, we shall meet again, Aiden Flame." she said, placing a rolled up paper in his hand. A white magic seal flashed behind her and she stepped into it, disappearing from sight.
"Kurumi! Don't Go!" he shouted, tears bursting from his eyes. He felt himself grow colder. He grit his teeth, looking up at the sky. They were swirling with clouds. He blinked again, seeing a swirling inferno around him, bright orange flames and ashes towered high into the air, the sound of crackling filling his ears. He shivered a bit, his lips twitching.
"Silver Skies...just like the ones from long ago." he said, finally passing out.
When he next awoke, he didn't know how much time it had been. All he knew was that he felt a lot better than before. He was in a hospital room, which was currently empty. He sat up, hissing a bit. His side burned a bit. He saw that he had gauze wrapped around his lower body. He felt the area where he had been sliced by Brandon. He shivered a bit, remembering what had happened. His vision focused a bit and he looked around the room. He didn't find a note this time, so it was most likely with someone.
Memories of that night drifted into his mind. He remembered his brother, his sister..the fight. It was all so vivid in his mind now. He still couldn't believe he lived through that. He grit his teeth, glaring at the wall. He was more confused then ever now.
"Brandon is an Ice Dragon Slayer, second generation by the looks of it. That means those bastards from the Tower of Heaven gave him that implant. But what about Kurumi, is she really just a clone?"
That question wouldn't stop bothering him. His sister was alive, or so he thought. The whole drabble about her being a clone was bullshit, at least to him. Kurumi was Kurumi, there's no doubt about it. She smelled like her, looked like her, and used her magic. There's no way some clone could copy that. He placed his hand on his forehead, feeling a throb in his head.
"Fuck, what the fuck is this shit!" he shouted in anger.
The door opened slowly, pulling his attention toward it. He saw a blue strand of hair, the person peeking in slightly. He glanced away from her, brow raised.
"You can come in Wendy, I knew you were there the whole time." he said. She walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She stepped up to the side of the bed, not saying anything. She just stood there, looking at the floor.,
"Well, are you gonna shout at me? Call me a dumb shit or ask about what happened?" he asked.
"I'm not gonna say anything. Just that I love you." she said. She grabbed his face, pulling him closer as she took his lips in a firm yet loving kiss. His eyes widened a bit in shock and surprise. All of the emotions that he had pent up burst like a damn. Tears ran down the sides of his face as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled away from her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Oh Wendy, you have no idea how much pain I'm in. My brother tried to kill me, my sister is alive, but somehow isn't her...I don't know what to do, I feel like my life is starting to fall apart."
"I didn't think it was him. When Happy came bounding into the room, telling us that you were being attacked, I rushed there as fast as I could. When I saw the walls of ice, the cold temperature...the ice walls. I knew it was him as soon as I saw them." she said firmly.
"Huh? You...knew?" he asked. She closed her eyes, looking away from him.
"There was this girl in Shirotsume, her name was Millianna. She was part of the kidnapped children that worked building the tower of heaven. She told me that Brandon had been there, and that he had been turned into an Ice Dragon Slayer with a lacrima implant. She told me that he was part of Grimoire Heart. I didn't want to believe it, hell I thought it was a coincidence that the names were the same, until she told me that his real name was Tomoki. That's when I knew." she said.
"You...knew this and didn't tell me? Why Wendy, why would you do that? Huh?" he asked, grabbing her arms. He forced her to face him, glaring right into her brown eyes. She narrowed her eyes in anger.
"What the hell were you gonna do if I did tell you? Go after him? Like that would ever happen. You can't strong enough to kill him, none of us are! Look at how he left you, heavily injured and slowly freezing. If I had told you this weeks ago, what the fuck would you have done?" she snapped angrily, pulling herself from his grasp.
"I would have...I would have.." he remained silent, not knowing what to do. He balled his hand up, clenching his fist tightly.
"There's nothing you could have done, other than get yourself killed. And if you die, I don't know what I would do with myself. We're too involved now. Take what you can, and give nothing back remember?" she asked, reminding him of the gesture they always did. He nodded, reaching for the corner of the sheets.
"I need to see Yuna." he said, pulling the sheets off himself. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, forcing himself to stand up.
"What? Why do you wanna see her?" Wendy asked, jealousy laced in her voice.
"Because, I have something belongs to her. Something that I need to hear." he said. He requipped his knapsack, pulling out a clean change of clothes. He jumped into his shorts, quickly buckling the belt. He put on his sleeveless shirt and grabbed his coat. It was a bit damaged from his fight with Brandon, the hole on the side had been patched up but the blood stain was still there. He placed it on his body, zipping it up half way.
"You missed the show, it's been a week already. She left for Crocus three days ago." Wendy said.
"Then I'll fucking go to Crocus. I need to bring that song back to her." he said. Her eyes widened a bit, and she dug into her shirt, pulling a folded piece of paper from her bra.
"You mean this?" she asked, holding the folded paper out to him. He took it from her hand, unfolding it. He noticed something written on the back, hastily drawn bars, along with musical notes. He looked at his girlfriend, a curious look on his face.
"You wrote a melody for it?" he asked.
"Yeah...I started reading it, and it was such a lovely song, I heard the music in my mind and I just had to write it down. I got some help from a woman in the local music store. She thought it was a beautiful song too. I don't know why Yuna hasn't sung it yet." she said.
"Well she's going too. We need to haul ass to Crocus before she leaves, fuck but we don't have tickets." he said.
"Who needs tickets? We're mages of Fairy Tail, we'll come up with something." she said. He smiled.
"Aye, that's true. Come on, call the cats while I handle the discharge stuff." he said, earning a nod from her. He was going to get this song to Yuna, even if it killed him.
xxx
Crocus stadium was packed tonight. This performance was going to be one of the last ones before it was demolished. The Domus Flau arena was already in the process of being built, and would replace this one. Ten thousand people were sitting and standing out there, facing the biggest stage in Fiore. And the star of the show was the Idol Yuna.
Said girl was sitting in her green room, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
She had heard the news of what happened to that boy from Fairy Tail, that he was attacked. The information was kept under wraps but she had heard rumors going around that it was a member of the dark guild Grimoire Heart. She had been worried, especially because she had been thinking a lot about his question. When she returned to her signing table, she noticed the paper she had left behind had gone missing, and she had only grown more depressed.
"Yuna, you're on in ten." the stage manager called out. She gave him a nod and stood up from her seat, reading herself for another three hour concert. Her manager Dennis walked into the room, holding a clipboard in his hands. He wasn't too happy with her, especially after her stunt during the last concert. She had told the masses that she was going to pursue her dreams and leave the Idol industry. The press release had been hell especially because she was told to say it had all been a joke. She gave him a glare to match his equally condescending one.
"Yuna, remember this concert has to make headlines. We need to cover up what happened last week in Hargeon." he said firmly.
"I'm not going to keep this up Dennis. My contract is up in a week and after that I am gone. So you can stop trying to kiss my ass." she said firmly.
"Listen here girlie. You don't decide when you quit, I do. I already wrote the contract for your next three years, and you are going to sign it." he said forcefully. Her eyes widened a bit.
"Is that so? Do you think intimidating me is going to make a difference. I've already made up my mind. I will follow my dream of being a wizard and you are not going to stop me." she said. He sighed, snapping his fingers. Several men flashed into the room, all of them holding magical lacrima. She looked at all of the men, who were dressed as ninja. She noticed a mark on one of their shoulders, a white S with a wolf head over it.
"You left me no choice, if you do not comply I will have to use force. These are my hired helpers. They will keep an eye on you, and if you don't do as I say, it will cost you dearly. You know what to do men." he said.
"You can't do this to me. Dennis you son of a bitch! This is extortion, an illegal act. You know the Princess is here tonight right? Along with the King and Queen?" she asked.
"Don't worry about them, they try to interfere and they will pay the price. Anyone tries to touch you and they will suffer dearly, this place is guarded by the top lieutenants of the Southern Wolves, and no one will get past them." he said.
"Two minutes Yuna." the stage manager called out, oblivious to what was going on. Yuna grit her teeth, giving the man the most hateful glare she could muster. There was nothing she could do, nothing except put on a mask and pretend everything was alright.