Family 37
Hello, friends, and Merry Christmas to all of you! Been awhile, hasn't it? Well, I'm not dead, and the writing has continued. Don't believe me? Read on. PS, bottom author's note and profile have a quick update you might want to know going forward.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Still too much NaLu, but it's not a lost cause yet, so I'll keep reading the manga.
It didn't take long for the official medical personnel to arrive at the site of Cana and Laki's battle. Thanks to Wendy and Shelia's first aid, neither of them were in any danger. Wendy left along with them to continue treatment and Chelia returned to the battlefield.
'Everyone, fantastic work.' Gildarts said after Warren expanded his telepathy to encompass the entire city, 'Now, we just have one thing left to do.'
'WIN!' The two teams responded enthusiastically.
"This is unbelievable!" Chapati shouted, standing up in his chair, "After an explosive start, Fairy Tail Team B manages to push ahead to 53 points!"
"Your thoughts, master Gildarts?" Yajima said once he realized that Gildarts had calmed down.
"That was my little girl down there." He answered proudly, before grinning, "Don't sound so surprised. This battle's just getting started."
"You never struck me as the proud father type." Yajima chuckled, "But that was an exhilarating battle. I can't blame you for your confidence."
"I'm telling you, this round's already in the bag." Gildarts shrugged.
As though in answer to his boast, Rufus of Sabertooth climbed onto the roof of the library.
"I believe I've memorized enough to end this now. Fairy Tail can't be allowed to stand for long." He said, raising his hand, "Now, Memory-Make: A Night of Falling Stars!"
"Just like the first day." Chapati noted, "it seems that he's trying to end the games for your guild right now."
"Ridiculous." Gildarts chuckled as every member dodged except Levi, though the nearby Gajeel managed to draw the attack away from her by acting as a lightning rod. Laxus was the only other member to not dodge, opting instead to swallow it whole to recharge his magic power following Ivan's cheap shot on the four day.
Down on the field, Erza turn a corner and nearly ran into Jenny Realight, who was standing in for the injured Nichiya. Without requiping at all, Jenny fell and Fairy Tail A took another point. Across the city, Gray follows the first master's plan and proceeds to the Library, as it was the most likely location to find Rufus.
Gildarts glanced over as the first master floated back to the seats, and the two trade nods. The command structure was already established long before the battle. His part was already over. Now it's time for the Fairy Tactician to shine.
"Man, the first really knows her stuff." Natsu grinned, running through the empty streets of Crocus on his way to the point that Master Mavis had assigned him. The nearby areas were already damaged in earlier fighting, but there didn't seem to be any nearby enemies.
Smirking, he ignited his hand and rounded the corner. Semmes didn't even have time to react before going down and securing another point for Fairy Tail A.
"Impressive." Natsu heard someone say from behind him.
"You're really here." He smirked, turning around, "The first's amazing."
"You were expecting me?" Ichiya said, aghast as he looked nervously around, "Such a treacherous parfum. So, you've set a trap for me?"
"Course not." Natsu replied, "I don't need any help."
"Your confidence is charming, but misplaced." Ichiya smiled back, drawing a vial of perfume from his jacket, "But alas, you're young. Disappointment will do you good."
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted, and the flames swept over him. The edges of the buildings burned from the heat, but Ichiya showed no sign of damage afterwards.
"As a precaution, I concocted this fire resistance parfum." Ichiya said, brushing some soot off his white coat, "Still, your power is commendable. Even with my full power, I couldn't nullify it completely."
"Seem to have a done a pretty good job to me." Natsu grinned, his ordinary flames turning emerald.
"Well, I didn't say it did much damage." Ichiya said, taking a whiff of his power parfum. Scales covered Natsu's skin, and the flames exploded outward. "But I see you've stopped holding back."
"That makes two of us, then." Natsu nodded, "Ready for more?"
"Indeed!"
"I'm sorry that I dragged you into this." Yukino said for the umpteenth time since they were imprisoned.
"You're still going on about that?" Lucy sighed, trying and, predictably failing, to break the bars of their cell. "This isn't your fault."
"But I-"
"You two!" A guard said, entering the corridor, "Keep it down!"
"Let us out of here!" Lucy shouted even louder, and the guard approached their cell.
"I said keep it down." He repeated, leaning into the cell and whispering, "Otherwise, you might call more guards."
"Wha-" Lucy started, and the guard vanished in a puff of smoke, "Mira!"
"Keep it down." Mira chuckled, partial taking over arms and destroying the bar was a swing of her arm, "Let's get out of here."
"We need to find our keys before we go." Lucy said, stepping out of the cell and helping Yukino through, "Right?"
"Yes…" Yukino nodded.
"First we need to get you girls out of here." Mirajane replied, "I'll come back for your keys, but once they realize you're gone, escape will be much harder."
"...Alright." Lucy sighed, and Yukino nodded in agreement. Before any of them could move, though, the floor split open. Mirajane grabbed them both and activated her Satan Soul, but the floor had closed before she could get back above it.
"I can't break through while I'm holding you two…" Mira said, clicking her tongue in annoyance, slowly descending into the darkness below.
"What is this place?" Yukino asked as Mirajane let her down on the stone floor.
"Looks like a cave." Lucy said, squinting and trying to make out any way out, "I can't see anything."
"I can." Mirajane said, looking around the vast darkness. "There's paths leading in all directions, and there doesn't seem to be any indication of which, if any, lead out of here."
"What about above?" Lucy asked, but Mira shook her head.
"I could probably break out, but I'd rather use it as a last resort." She answered, "There's no way of knowing how much damage we could cause to the castle above if I try and break out with both of you."
"Welcome, criminals, to the Hell Palace." A voice echoed in the chamber, "This place is the destination of those whose crimes have earned them an unfortunate fate." A lacrima vision appeared, lighting the room and showing the imperial princess staring back at them, "For your sins, you will rot here for all time. Such is your punishment."
"Princess Hisui!" Yukino cried out, but the princess didn't even flinch.
"This is the goodbye, mages of Fairy Tail." She said, vanishing into the returning darkness.
"What now?" Lucy asked worriedly, "If we're really criminals, then what can we do now?"
"Lady Mirajane, please take Miss Lucy and-" Yukino started, but Mira stop her immediately.
"We're not leaving you." She said immediately, "For now, let's see if we can find some way out."
"This is getting tiresome." Minerva said from the top of a building overlooking the library. Rufus seemed to have his hands full with the boy from Fairy Tail. "Even if we win, unless our victory is absolute, we will have suffered a dangerous defeat. There can be no doubt that Sabertooth is the strongest."
Still, that was far easier said than done. The Fairy Tail guild was a serious threat, and Wizard Saint Jura was an army unto himself. She couldn't afford to take any risks. They were in second place to the Fairy Tail B team, though the day was young, and they had ample time to take the lead again.
Looking over her shoulder, she watched on the Lacrima vision as Jura crushed Jager of Quatro Cerberus with a single blow. Hardly surprising, but unfortunate that he got points for an easy victory. Elsewhere in the city, her own team mate, Orga, was faring much better. A single hit from his black lightning brought Rocker down and secured another point for them. It seems that Quatro Cerberus was out of the running now.
On the street beneath her, she saw the cat girl of Mermaid Heel creeping around, and just managed to suppress a grin.
Too easy.
"What's wrong?" Rufus asked mockingly, watching the ice make mage of Fairy Tail struggle back to his feet, "Weren't you going to crush me with your master's magic? Surely you should have made some progress after so long?"
"Oh, believe me, I will." Gray answered softly, stripping out of his jacket to the shock of the crowd. Jabbing his guild mark, he shouted, "Let me tell you something. Since I got this mark, I've never once lost to the same opponent twice. Call it pride, but I'm not about to lose that streak. Better prepare yourself, because I'm about to snap this tiger's fangs."
"Such bravado…" Rufus said, shaking his head, "But fine. Show me what you can do. I'll commit it all to memory."
"Ice Make: Unlimited!" Gray shouted, streams of ice surging through the air.
"This is nothing," Rufus chuckled, "Memoriz-" From the ice, dozens of swords, each unique from the others, and far too numerous for him to memorize.
"What's wrong?" Gray asked with a smirk, "Go ahead and memorize them. Here, have a better look!' Simultaneous Dance!"
The swords flew through the air, creating new blades with which to replace each one that Rufus destroyed. Within seconds, he'd been completely immobilized by the icy swords.
"An impressive display." Rufus admitted, struggling against his icy prison, "But in the end, its merely ice. You seem to have forgotten that I possess flames hot enough to melt any ice. Karma of the burning land!"
Scarlet flames erupted from his body, vaporizing all the ice around him, but as they cleared, Gray was beside him, a new sword in hand.
"Compared to that pyro's flames, you've got nothing." Gray said, slashing him across the front, "Ice Bringer!"
The powerful blow sent him flying across the library into a nearby shelf, collapsing the entire structure on top of him. With Rufus defeated beneath the pile of book, Gray picked up his hat and smirked.
"Memorize that."
"With a decisive victory, the winner is Gray Fullbuster!" Yajima announced, to the thunderous applause of Fairy Tail.
"Later." Gray said, tossing Rufus' hat beside him, "I've got more important things to do then sit here babysitting you."
Rushing out of the library, the first thing he did was look to the lacrima vision. Sabertooth still had the edge over A team by a point. Not surprising, but hopefully that would be changing soon. Besides, B team was edging THEM out by a point, so they were still winning. He still had some work to do before the end of the day.
Despite her own desire to help the guild win, Levi was perfectly happy to wait as long as she needed to before moving from her current location. It was a small miracle that she'd managed to find cover before they met.
"Wizard Saint Jura…" Orga of Sabertooth said, sizing up his opponent.
"It seems my reputation proceeds me, though yours does as well, Orga." Jura smiled, "So, shall we begin the fight? Or, if you'd prefer, I'd be happy to accept your surrender. I've no interest in injuring you."
"If I'm being honest, I don't want to fight." Orga said nervously, "But, I'd like to see just how tough you are."
"Is that right?" Jura smiled, and Orga started to charge up a ball of black lightning in his hand.
"Can you take it, Wizard Saint?" He asked as the ball continued to expand.
"Naturally." Jura answered, and Orga grinned.
"Charged Particle Cannon of the God of Thunder!" Orga roared eagerly, but that didn't last wrong. Jura ran straight through the attack and took him down with one chop.
"Yes, I remember that technique." Jura nodded, walking away from the crater, "You used it during the first day's battle, right? As I recall, that round was also finished in a single blow."
'Tha-That was scary.' Levi whispered to herself as Jura's footsteps took him farther away from her, but it was nearly ten minutes before she was actually feeling confident enough to leave.
As soon as she did though, she felt a chill run down her spine.
"I wasn't expecting to find a member of Fairy Tail all the way out here."
Turning her head, she saw a figure rising from her shadow.
"Sorry to say, but we need every point we can get." Rogue said, grabbing her arm and throwing her to the ground, "Don't hold it against me too much. Shadow Dragon's Roar!"
Hastily, Levi pulled out her lightpen and wrote as quickly as she could, Shield. The sword materialized just in time to deflect the bulk of its offensive power, but it still sent her flying back into the wall behind her. Pushing her shield aside, Rogue walked towards her, "That magic of yours is quite annoying. It's too versatile for me to risk a prolonged fight. I'll end this now." Black magic surrounded him, just as it had during the battle with Natsu and Lisanna, but when Levi raised her pen to defend herself, it vanished.
"Looking for this?" Rogue asked, holding up her pen before crushing it in his hand, "Shadow Dragon's roar." He shouted, giving her no time to react to the point-blank roar.
The scoreboard updated immediately, and Rogue cancelled his shadow drive. "I probably went a little overboard." he sighed, turning to walk away.
"Oh, more than a little pal." A cold voice whispered in his ear. Turning his head, all he got to see was a fist that collided with his face and sent him flying back down the street.
Levi looked up weakly and gave a pained sigh of relief, "Hey, Gajeel." she smiled.
"Looks like he did a number on you." he said, helping her sit up against the wall, "Good job, pipsqueak. I'll take it from here."
"Sure." She nodded happily.
Nodding as well, Gajeel turned away from her and back to Rogue, "You know, I don't particularly like little punks who think they can beat up on my guildmates, so I'm going to personally introduce your face to the dirt."
"Black Steel Gajeel." Rogue said with a soft smile, reactivating his shadow drive, "Like I thought, you aren't as strong as Natsu Dragneel."
Gajeel's eye twitched, "You really know how to push my buttons, you know that?"
"So, that's how it is then?" Laxus asked, looking over his shoulder. The red-haired girl from Raven Tail was coming up from behind him. In front was the mysterious masked man flanked by the remaining members, "Four against one? Haven't got much confidence in your skills, do you?"
"Oh, I'm more then confident." The masked man replied in a familiar voice, and Laxus narrowed his eyes.
"I know that voice." Laxus sighed, "I knew you'd throw your hat in at some point, pops."
"Now now, shouldn't you show a bit more respect?" Ivan chuckled, removing his mask, "After all, this is the first time we've met in nearly a decade."
"Sorry, but people earn respect.' Laxus answered, "So, what do you want? I doubt you're going out of your way to ambush me just to take me out."
"An ambush?" Ivan asked as if he never considered it, "Of course not. I just wanted to make sure that no one interrupts our talk. This city isn't particularly safe with all of the other guilds searching for us."
"A talk? There's nothing to talk about." Laxus replied, lightning rippling around his body, "I'm in Fairy Tail, and you're our enemy. Talking's a waste of your time and mine."
"Yes, yes, loyal Fairy Tail member through and through." Ivan nodded, "In fact, why not secure the win for your team?"
"What are you getting at?" Laxus asked, staring at him in suspicion.
"You know that you can't defeat me and my subordinates on your own." Ivan smirked, "That would be suicide. But this tournament means nothing to me. Think of the fame you could have for overwhelming all of us. Earning four points in the blink of an eye would be a major aid to your guild, wouldn't it?"
"So, you're offering to let me beat all of your asses?" he asked, staring at the others, but none showed any emotion, "What's in it for you? And don't tell me its seven years worth of birthday presents, because you and I both know that's bullshit."
"All you need to do is give me the Lumen Histoire." Ivan answered simply, "Tell me where it is and you can have the points. In fact, Obra will even help you defeat Wizard Saint Jura. Wouldn't that be something else? If you could defeat him… well, I can only imagine it. Laxus the wizard saint."
"Tempting offer." Laxus admitted, "Gonna have to pass though. Some of us still have their honor. But don't worry. You've given me some good ideas for the future, so I think I'll take you up on your offer." The lightning grew fiercer, "Just you wait, I'll crush you myself!"
"You're being ridiculous." Ivan scalded, "No matter how hard you try, you couldn't beat all of us. Don't be so stubborn. Tell me what you know."
"All I know is that if you're stupid enough to try and make me sell out my family, I'm not going to hesitate for an instant to take you out."
"If you won't play nice, we'll beat you until you do." Ivan scoffed, blasting him with shikigami, "Now Obra!"
In an instant before the Obra could cast his spell, Laxus drove his knee into the masked weirdo's face.
"I didn't much care for the last time you got me with that spell." Laxus said, bashing him again and knocking him completely unconscious.
"Damn brat." Ivan cursed, raising his hand to attack again, but Laxus grabbed it faster than he could see.
"Give it up. You're going to get your just desserts." Laxus said angrily, watching as his father squirmed under his grip.
"Laxus… I am your father… Don't do this!" Ivan pleaded, trying and failing to wrench his hand off.
After a moment, Laxus sighed, "You're right, I shouldn't."
Hope reentered Ivan's eyes, "That's my boy!" He beamed, patting Laxus on the shoulder, "My dear Laxu-"
"Shut it." Laxus replied, sending a colossal bolt of lightning into the sky. "You're right, I shouldn't do this. The son shouldn't discipline the father."
The city started to tremble, but more than that, it was Ivan who was almost inhumanly pale. The sun was blocked out by the titanic figure towering over the city. "IVAN!" Makarov roared as he stepped on houses and caused earthquakes with each step.
"I should leave that job to Gramps, right?" Laxus said, ignoring his father's desperate pleas and tossing him by the arm towards Makarov before wiping out Flare and Nullpudding within moments.
Gildarts, along with nearly everyone else in the stadium was waiting on baited breath as Laxus and Raven Tail stared each other down. Without sounds, they could only guess what was being said, but with every passing second, Laxus was growing more and more agitated.
'Master, what's going on?' Warren asked him telepathically, 'What should we do? Do you think something's wrong?'
'Probably.' Gildarts admitted, 'But regardless, you know the plan. Until Laxus gives the signal, we stay out of it. Who knows, maybe Ivan's group is better at trash talk then we'd expected and this'll end up being nothin-'
A bolt of lightning shot out of thin air above them, and Gildarts let out a sigh.
"So, that's how it is." He said angrily into the microphone while his fellows on commentary were all still too surprised to say anything.
"W-What-" Chapati started to ask, but stopped when the city started to shake.
"I should've mentioned earlier that we brought in a wringer." Gildarts smirked as the Titan made his appearance, "You see, under the tournament rules, I can't participate since I'm the guild master. However, Former Master Makarov can."
"F-Fairy Tail brought their own wizard Saint!" Chapati screeched loudly as the stands were watching in utter shock.
"I thought it was Maki." Yajima nodded approvingly, "It does my old heart good to see him in good health."
"In fairness to the other guilds, we never intended to actually have him fight." Gildarts continued, "The only exception would be if Raven Tail's master decides to get involved."
"That's quite the accusation." Chapati said as the crowd took in what he'd said.
"Not unfounded, I assure you. What you just saw was a predetermined signal we arranged in the event that Ivan decided to interfere." Gildarts said as a figure appeared in midair. With a wave of his hand, the Lacrima vision froze on the figure before zooming in to show Ivan's face, "And if he interfered, well, we thought that it's the father's job to discipline the son."
"You've crossed the line, Ivan." Makarov's voice echoed as he grabbed his son out of the air, "I've had it up to here with your underhanded tricks. This ends now! You are not my son. You are an enemy of Fairy Tail, and as a member of Fairy Tail, I will not show mercy!"
Despite his assertion, Makarov shrank back to normal size, Ivan grasped in a single giant hand.
"Damn you, you old fool!" Ivan coughed, "Can't you just go die like an old man should!? Give me the lume-"
"Enough." Makarov said giving a brutal squeeze that knocked him completely unconscious. The crowd was struck silent as Makarov dropped him to the ground.
"Done already? I was expecting something a bit harsher." Laxus said, walking towards him while dragging the remaining members of the Raven Tail guild with him, all unconscious, "Weren't you going to 'not show any mercy'?"
"I'm sure that Ivan would've much preferred dying to know that I spared him." Makarov chuckled, "Besides, however black his heart might be, he is still my son."
"You're soft, old man." Laxus sighed.
"You're probably right." Makarov chuckled, "This is honestly the first time I actually feel my age. It was probably for the best that I step down. The guild hasn't got much use for an old softie like me."
"Got something I want to run by you." Laxus started, but Makarov cut him off.
'It's not something we can talk about openly. I'll answer your questions as best I can after the tournament.'
'Got it, old man.' Laxus answered.
"You'd better go. I'll watch this fool." Makarov sighed.
"You gonna be okay?" Laxus asked, but Makarov didn't answer, staring sadly down at the unconscious form of his son.
"We've just received word from the judges!" Chapati announced immediately after speaking with them, "Raven Tail has been officially disqualified, and will be barred from the tournament for the next two years. However, so as not to penalize Fairy Tail for discovering their foul play, all points will be award as normal, so that's four more points for Fairy Tail B team!"
The board updated itself immediately with the new scores.
Fairy Tail Team B - 57
Sabertooth - 52
Fairy Tail Team A - 50
Lamia Scale - 44
Mermaid Heel - 41
Quatro Puppy - 25
Blue Pegasus - 19
Raven Tail - DQ
"Not gonna lie, having them out of the picture is one less thing on my mind." Gildarts grinned, "Now we just have to win."
I really wanted to see what would've happened if Makarov got his hands on Ivan, and I'd really wanted to write a seriously brutal beatdown, but when it came down to writing, I couldn't really see Makarov going overboard. Pity. I really wanted Ivan to fly face first through the castle after taking a punch from full titan Makarov... Maybe an omake some time...
Now, onto a general writing status/update you should know going forward. I recently got a new job, and as such, my time spent writing has been reduced quite a bit. Between work and sleep, most of my writing is done on my day off with my beta, and while he does work on this story (I tend to prioritize stories he works on when I'm with him), it's also only one of many, so I can't guarantee I'll be working on it constantly. I understand that it's something you all want to see continued, and I vow to continue it, but while I'm adjusting to the new job and hours and such, I ask for your patience if the pace of the chapters slows back down. Thank you for understanding, and as always, I look forward to reading your reviews.