Chapter 34

Takeover siblings training

After all that had happened recently at fairy tail recently with the return of their core members and their fight with the twilight orge guild. The Fairy tail guild entered a time of peace for a while. With twilight orge no longer threatening them and master makarov now named the sixth guild master of fairy tail after Gildarts quit. The guild once again became it usual place of madness.

Yet for athos, times couldn't be better. With his narrow boat now undergoing repairs thanks to the town's people and his over due rent bill paid off. He sat at his usual place at the bar talking with mirajane as they did before the events of tenrou island.

"Ah it's so nice to be back." Athos said to mirajane happily relaxing on his bar stool. Mirajane couldn't argue with athos there. She had missed being in the guild serving people drinks and listening to the hustle and bustle of the guild. Still for both Athos and Mirajane there was still one matter they hadn't spoken to each about since they came back. The kiss they had shared back on tenrou island.

Of course being a gentlemen, athos thought it was not his place to bring up such a thing in-front of her and as for mirajane. She thought bringing it up might cause athos to change around her. After all, she had seen athos date other women while he was part of team thunder tribe and she didn't like to say it about him. But athos was a bit off a fool when he was dating someone. Athos didn't think straight and most of the time, he either spilt drinks over his date or caused such a scene that it was embarrassing to be around him.

"Still." Mirajane thought looking at athos relaxing on his bar stool. He has grown up a lot since then and he'd kept quiet about the kiss. So maybe he'll be different this time. Sadly though as mirajane went to say something about the kiss to athos, she froze. Her brain had started throwing stranger and stranger thoughts into her head causing her to review her decision to bring the kiss up.

Her first thoughts caused her to wonder if she really like him or was this something she would regret later? But then suddenly like a really bad movie, mirajane thoughts then shifted to what being married to athos would be like and what their children look like. Would they turn out be demon children who could morph into plants and tree? Or child who had plant shaped heads and turn into demons?

Mirajane felt a little overwhelm by her thoughts. "Oh why now? And why plant shaped head children?" She wondered getting flustered at the thoughts. Nothing like this had happened to her before and it only got worse when athos asked her if she was all right? Because all she got was a weird image of athos surrounded by roses saying in a smooth voice, "Your all right Mirajane."

At this she dashed off blushing leaving poor athos to wonder what had gotten into her? He only asked if she was all right. Athos didn't know what to think. But athos's mind on the other hand began to think about the kiss too. Expect in his mind, he saw Mirajane and himself running through a field of white flowers, dancing together as the petals fell around them. She looked at him with loving her blue ocean eyes and in her soft voice said to him," i love you athos".

Everything seemed to be great. Until suddenly Mirajane turned out to be elfman and asked athos for a kiss.

"Ah" Athos cried coming back to the real world from his thoughts. He never ever wanted to have that daydream again. Still what Mirajane did made him wonder if she was ill or something? He thought maybe about asking her later or perhaps asking around to see if anyone had noticed anything. But some bigger news got in the way.

For coming over to the bar, Marco and his son were arguing over something again.

"Romeo no. Even if we've got the guild back together it's a foolish thing to do." Marco told to his son, who immediately argued back with his father telling him that if fairy tail joined the grand magic games they could prove they were the best guild.

Hearing this athos had to wondered what they were talking about? Grand magic games? He had never heard of it. Was it an event where mages used their magic to complete sports like egg races? He didn't know. But soon from the second floor, a relaxing master makarov heard the two arguing and came down asking them both what the noise was about?

"Dad says fairy tail shouldn't enter the grand magic games because we'll lose." Romeo bubbled as the master took a seat on the bar in front of them. However Marco answered back that he didn't say that. He explained to the master that for the last few years the guild had entered the games. But they always lost because they couldn't complete against the other stronger guilds now in fiore.

Master makarov could see Marco's point. Fairy tail wasn't in the best of shape even with his grandson back in the guild. He wanted to renforice his idea into romeo's head yet with Romeo mentioning the prize money for winning the game being thirty million jewels. Tthe fairy tail guild master changed his attitude completely on the matter.

"Well if that's the case, everyone gather round, gathered round" He called out.

Now the master wanted fairy tail to enter these games and calling all the fairy tail mages together, he wanted a vote from them all to see if they should go or not.

The voting however turned out that most the mages who didn't disappear for seven-year didn't want to go to the as for those that had been away for seven-year that were eager to go. Amongst the voting mages was nastu, who had just voted to go without knowing what the vote was about. He then asked aloud what he was voting to go to?

"It's an event to find out who's deserves to be named the strongest guild in fiore and we have to enter." Romeo said answering the dragon slayer question excitedly.

Of course hearing this, nastu demanded the guild go now since their reputation as the strongest guild had gone down to the weakness one. The dragon slayer wanted a challenge and he wanted it now. Still keeping a cool head about the situation, makarov asked Romeo if he knew when the event took place. Excited by the master asking him this, Romeo replied three months leading to the fairy guild master then to announce that fairy tail would be entering the grand magic games.

Most of the mages cheered at this. However others didn't. As much as they believed in their guild, the games they knew from personally experience were not joke.

The event brought the best of the best mages from fiore who had trained for seven-year unlike their own mage leaving a large strength gap between them. It wasn't going to be easy to win the event. Yet master mavarok didn't seem to care. He ordered that anyone who wanted to take part to go away and train for the next three mouths and then return to the guild where he would select a team of mages to represent fairy tail.

"I wish you luck and will see you all in three months." Makarov said before returning up stairs to his work.

The rest of the fairy tail mages either got ready to go or stayed behind not caring. Team nastu along with team shadow gear were the first to leave that day. They were heading to the beach to train. They were followed next by Laxus and his thunder-god tribe. They didn't say where they were going. But before they left, Laxus told athos that he was welcome to come train with them.

However before athos could agree to go with laxus and his team. Lisanna came dashing over to him out of nowhere and told him he was coming with the takeover siblings to train. The bard didn't get have a chance to argue about this before Lisanna pulled him away wishing laxus and his team luck. Laxus laughed happily as he gestured his team to move out. He could guess why Lisanna had dragged athos away and knew that it was properly best place for athos. After all, he didn't want to upset mirjane plus he could tease athos later about it.

Yet for poor athos, he soon found out that neither Mirajane nor Elfman had agreed to train with him. Lisanna had presumed again that mirajane would want to work with athos. She apolyieses and yet for some reason, neither Mirajane or Elfman argued with her when she said it would be great training for them. Athos began to feel more like a punching bag then a training partner.

But with an agreement between them all. Athos agreed to join the takeover sibling training team for the grand magic game and with that they set out to find a training spot.

Mirajane suggested first that perhaps they all train on Mt. Hakobe. But the other disagreed. They wanted to train, not freeze to death. Elfman then suggested they go find a spot near Laxus's team. Causing Lisanna to tease him about he wanting to just be closer to Evergreen.

"Don't be silly, I...I just want some other team nearby so we can see how were doing in our training." Elfman explained trying to hide his embarrassment from his younger sister. She laughed before asking athos if he could think of a place to train?

"Well we could always try the east forest." Athos suggested. "It's not to cold and the deeper you go into the forest, the stronger the beasts become. So we can see how effective our training is by battle them and keep an idea of where we are in our training by how far we go into the forest."

The three takeover sibling had no problems with this idea and so with a yell of let's go from lisanna. They set off towards the east forest. Along the way however, Elfman had a quiet word with athos about how he expect athos to behaviour around his sisters.

The fairy tail bard quietly asked Elfman back that if he really thought he would behave any different? However the brother of mirajane and lisanna didn't give a straight answer back. Instead went off about being a man about the matter causing athos to drop the subject. He didn't want to be on the bad side of Elfman if they were going to train together. So athos decided he would try not to show interest in Mirajane while out here training. Instead he would aim to become stronger and help his fellow guild mates become stronger too.

However his plan didn't go so well. For with sun high in the sky most training days along with thier tough training. Mirajane and her sister began to train in less and less clothing to try and stay cool. Causing athos to become less focused on fighting and more on keeping himself from staring at Mirajane and her sister. He found himself more often than not training with Elfman, who too seemed to caught the undressing habit as now he trained without a shirt or trousers on.

Poor athos couldn't decide what was worse. The fact he had seen more of Elfman's body then mirajane's. Or the fact he too began to undress now fighting only in his trousers against Elfman. Surely this training couldn't get any werider. But it could. For one afternoon as the sun was setting and for once the four mages were fully dressed.

Lisanna suggested that for fun, athos should take on all the takeover siblings at once. Now athos instantly disagreed to this saying it would be more beneficial just to keep training as they were. But Elfman however thought it was a great idea and began to push athos into agreeing by saying.

"Ha, a real man never refuses a challenge. Are you a real man athos?"

The fairy tail bard felt a little outnumbered by the two. But lucky Mirajane came to his rescue saying that if athos didn't want to he didn't have too. After all it wasn't a competition. However at this Lisanna had a naughty idea pop into her head.

"OK then" She said standing up with a grin on her face. "Let's make it a fight with the prize being that the winner of the brawl gets to train with whoever they want for one day in their underwear!"

Elfman and Athos objected straight away to this. Athos knew he couldn't afford to accept as he was sure Elfman would break him in two for being a pervert and as for Elfman. He certainty didn't want to let athos see one of his sisters in their underwear or see them in their underwear himself. Yet Mirajane suddenly now agreed with her sister happily saying

"Oh well. I guess competition does help people get fired up."

Poor Athos couldn't help but feel the look of don't you dare win coming from Elfman as they got ready to battle. Their battlefield was a clearing in the forest surrounded by trees and near their camp. Athos could feel his confidence growing as he readied himself. He had trained in the forest for so long now it was like a second home to him.

He knew every tree and plant in this forest and felt comfortable here as the fight between him and the takeover siblings began. Lisanna and Elfman charged at athos first ready with their attacks of a double kicks. The bard dodges them both with a quick-side step before firing off a spell of a thousand roses. The two siblings maaged to avoid the storm by roll aside before bursting out their take over magic.

Lisanna attacked back using her take-over magic to turn her hands into cat claws. She began to take fast swipes at athos like an angry tiger at its foe. Athos only managed to dodge them all thanks to his acrobatic skill before knocking lisanna back with a vine spell. Elfman then appeared from nowehere in his full body takeover spell as a demon.

The large demon Elfman then attacked athos from his left side with a power left jab. But it didn't connect thanks to another vine spell pulling the jab away. It left demon elfman open to an fast jab to his chest from athos sending Demon elfman back into a tree from the force of the punch. He found himself entangled in the branches of the tree and Unable to escape from his tree prison Elfman was out of the battle. Leaving only lisanna and mirajane against Athos.

"Come sis, we can take him." Lisanna encouraged to a still standing mirajane as she transformed her arms and legs into bird wings and claws. However Mirajane didn't help her sister. Instead watching Mirajane saw athos avoid all of lisanna's attacks. He kept doing this before finally with lisanna now coming in close for a wing smack. Athos lept up into the air above her before kicking lisanna to the ground. Lisanna didn't get up meaning she too was eliminated from the battle. Athos then looked at Mirajane, who smiled kindly at him.

She could tell he hadn't been going full out against her brother and sister because of his promise back on island. Mirajane knew this fight hadn't been so far a challenge for athos after all his training with laxus as well as his s-class jobs. She knew she had to be one to give him a challenge and with that she transformed into her third and most power Satan soul: Sitri.

Athos couldn't believe the sight he saw before him. The once medium height Mirajane become taller and more massive with her facial features and expression changing accordingly and gaining an evil look. Mirajane sitri form also gave her much longer and scruffier hair, jutting outwards in many spiky, rounded tufts, with even her signature tied strand becoming longer. Athos knew he was in for it now. He'd only managed to beat Mirajane last form thanks to a lot of training and powerful spells and now he didn't know if he was ready to fight her.

The bard never got a chance to surrender for without giving him a chance, Mirajane released a fury of punches and kicks upon him. Lisanna and elfman could only watch from their positions as athos was knocked back and forth like a ping-pong ball by their sister's attacks punches and kicks. Lisanna began to worry that perhaps by forcing her sister into this fight she had created something between them. However that wasn't not the case. For finally allowing athos to fall to the ground after his beating. Demon mirajane devolped a smile on her face as her foe slowly got back on his feet wearing his usual determined look on his face saying.

"I should have known better than to challenge you mirajane. I almost forgot about this form. But then I guess really there's only one thing to do now."

Demon Mirajane watched Athos reach into his pocket and pull out a magic seed. She didn't stop him from eating the seed and not moving an inch to stop him his next move. Her foe's arms and hands skin began to change into iron wood giving him arms and hands made of the hardest wood in the world. Athos slammed his fists together making a wooden sound echo thought out the forest. Elfman couldn't believe athos was going to try to fight his sister in her most powerful form with a spell that turned his arms and hands skin into wood.

But to demon mirajane this battle was finally get interesting. For this spell she knew gave athos a massive boost in both power and defence whihc he used to defeat her second form. She readied herself o attack before gesturing athos to come at her. The two powered up s-class mages then clashed in battle of fists.

Their fists clashed head on over and over like bull fighting. But with the two mages attack power being equal. Their fist just bounced off each other leaving the two s-class mages no choice to break away for their fight and review their attack plans.

"I'll admit I never guessed your wood hands would be so hard." Demon Mirajane joked to her foe as they readied themself to clash again. Athos couldn't really praise her back since he was a little tired. It had taken a lot out of him to be able to keep the spell up and now it was wearing him out. For he knew in her form Mirajane's lust for battle reached it principal. It was typical for a demon to be excited about battle being creatures of darkness and yet seeing demon mirajane grin at him. Athos could only shiver in fear at the sight.

The two s-class mages then clashed again this time with thier spells. athos plant magic had the advantage in the area as they could come from anywhere. He managed to force demon miraajne to the ground with a combo attack of his vine spell and strom of a thousand rose. But the sheer destructive force of mirajane's demon spells simply wreaked everything else athos threw at her after that.

The bard could see no other choice but to go back into close combat with demon mirajane again to stand a chance of not being blown away. Demon mirajane simply traded punches and kicks for a few minutes with the attacking athos before finally with a quick kick to his left side. Mirajane then realased a powerful right punch straight into athos's face.

The sheer force of the punch sent Athos shooting back crashing through about six tree before finally coming stop as he hit a seventh tree. Athos swore he was lucky such a punch didn't break anything. Yet as he tried to get up his face began to pound in pain focring him to sit down to hold it. The bard held his right hand to his face only to withdraw it to see blood dripping from his nose.

"Oh wow" Athos said as he rested against the tree. Mirajane had broken something with her punch. And now bleeding from his nose and feeling like a train had hit him. Athos didn't move leaving him defeated by mirajane. The battle had come to an end with the takeover siblings taking the win.

However being a good sport, Mirajane powered down in front of athos and helping him to his feet she began to mother him using a tissue to stop his bleeding nose and apologising for hitting him so hard. She did ask him if it was a challenge to him. Athos could only laugh at how calm she had asked this. He had just been battled by her in her most powerful form. Wreaked at least six trees and now was bleeding from his broken nose. And she wanted to now if it was a challenge? The fairy tail bard only had one thing to say back to her and that was.

" I think that was a challenge I'll never forget."

Luckily with mirajane as the victor of the battle. She decided that she would pick lisanna to fight with tomorrow causing both elfman and athos to let out a sigh of relief while lisanna let out a sigh of disappointment. She thought her sister would have chosen athos for sure. Still the rules were the rules and so going to bed that night, mirajane reminded her sister that tomorrow she would see her tomorrow for her prize. This made lisanna blush before going into her tent mumbling something about how strange her sister is.

However before mirajane went to bed that night, she noticed athos standing by the dimly lit camp fire they had made to cook thier dinner. He looked to be really focusing on the fire and so sneaking up behind him she shouted demon transform. Causing Athos to jump back and face her with a surprised look on his face saying.

"Goodness me. Don't do that mirajane. I almost brought up the magic seed I ate earlier."

Mirajane laughed at her friend before apologising for scaring him. Even if it was funny. The two then stood side by side watching the fire for a few moments. Mirajane had to admit she really just wanted to huddle up with athos right then and there and listen to him sing her one of his songs by the fire. But she knew that perhaps she would have to think seriously before acting this way. After all her career as a model would be heavily effected if the viewers of sorcerer weekly found out she was dating someone.

"Oh what to do, what to do?" Mirajane said aloud not meaning too. Hearing this athos looked at her causing mirajane to suddenly realise he had heard what she said. She didn't know what to say next to get her out of this situation. But luckly athos changed the subject by asking her if she would mind if he left the training group?

"Oh are you no happy here?" Mirajane asked him with a smile. But athos answered that he didn't want to go because he wasn't happy. In fact he continued to say that he loved being around the takeover siblings. Even if things got a little embarrassing at times.

" No. I just feel today after out battle. I need to go out there and train more. I need to get away from it all." athos explained to her.

Mirajane understood what athos meant. Being around the one's you love and promise not to hurt made improving yourself difficult. But she did have one thing to say to him before she let him go.

"Athos i just want to say.." Mirajane began. She wanted to tell athos that they could start seeing each other like a couple. But with all her thoughts about work worrying her as well as the plant headed babies. In the end Mirajane changed what she was going to say and instead said to him. "Good luck with your training."

The fairy tail bard wished her luck too and with a quick kiss on her left hand. Athos disappeared into the darkness of the forest like a shadow into the night.

Mirajane knew she hadn't said what she wanted to say to athos. But holding the left hand athos kissed close to her heart. She knew one day they would finally be able to finally be able to be a couple. Not matter who, what or why.

However for poor athos, love wasn't really on his mind as he walked through the dark forest.

"What a great exit. The only problem is now. I don't know where I'm going in the dark!"

Poor Athos. Maybe next time bard. Maybe next time.