This arc is going to serve the purpose of, first of all, exploring the war inside of Fairy Tail (as caused by Laxus), as well as to demonstrate the changing relationships of the dragon slayers in Fairy Tail. Because let's face it, they've got some complicated views of each other. Half the time, I'm pretty sure they hate each other to the core. The rest of the time, it's like they're best buddies.
So basically, I'm going to use these next few chapters to show my utter disdain for Laxus' character at the beginning of the series. That guy has a serious attitude problem.
Oh, and this arc started off with just over 3k words in notes. So let's see how much I can expand that to.
This isn't the first time I've woken up back in my own house, but I don't know if I'll ever get used to the feeling of skipping a bunch of time. I hate the feeling of missing something. It all feels like one big joke gets played on me, and everyone gets to laugh about it, because I've got no idea what's going on. And no matter how many times it happens, it never feels like less of a joke.
Regardless, I pull myself out of bed, checking my few new bandages. I've got a few wounds that weren't there before, and my joints are still sore from all of the effort I went to when I was smashing through the lacrima floors in the Tower of Heaven. But other than that, it seems that I just need to rest again. Maybe this time, I'll be able to fully recover before the next emergency happens. And hopefully it's nothing like the Tower of Heaven.
The memory of what happened at the Tower of Heaven brings on a wave of nausea. Ugh…I guess eating ether-nano was a bad idea… I'm definitely never doing that to myself again. Natsu can go ahead and try to force-feed it to me, but he's going to find me to be even more stubborn than a mountain.
I reach up to rub my temples, and notice that my hair isn't hanging around my face anymore. Huh? But… I reach up and feel in my hair, to find that my ribbons are back, holding back everything but my bangs. Huh…I wonder which of them put my ribbons back in…? Natsu? Maybe Gray…? Erza might have been able to figure it out, but she doesn't usually do it this nicely. And I doubt that Lucy knows how I put my hair up. There's a trick to it that involves looping my hair, that way, it only falls to my hips, instead of the extra foot that starts trickling towards my knees.
Taking down my hair, I head into my bathroom for a quick shower, washing off all the little pieces of lacrima that got stuck to my skin while I was off smashing that tower to my heart's content. It doesn't take too long, but the particles itch like crazy as I scrub them off my skin.
I put on fresh clothes as the last of the steam swirls off my skin. My favorite silver boots are covered by a pair of dark blue jeans, and I make sure to pick a blue shirt with cut shoulders, slipping a red and gold vest over the top. I should probably check in at the guild… My clock says that it's been about a week since the Tower of Heaven, so they've probably been waiting for me to wake up.
So I make sure to lock up my house before heading to the guild. My house looks pretty different though, since the renovations for the third story were completed while I was on vacation. I can't wait to fill it up. It's going to be such fun customizing a whole new floor!
As I approach the guild, I get an eyeful of the newly constructed guild hall. And honestly, I like it better than the old hall. It looks a whole lot bigger, and more like a castle now. And there are plenty of places outside that I could use as landing pads for when I get back from a job. It would be a lot easier than risking hitting someone right in front of the guild. Again.
I head through the front gates, to be greeted with a brand new outdoor cafe and a gift shop. That's different…I guess Gramps thought it would be a good idea to raise extra funds by selling Fairy Tail merchandise. It's a good idea, since we're so popular and all. They've got everything from action figures to mugs to towels. It's a pretty comprehensive line, featuring some of our most popular wizards.
While the outside is certainly impressive, I'm rather excited to see what the inside is going to look like. Considering how much bigger the guild is on the outside, I imagine that the inside got re-vamped too. So I push the doors open, and the familiar smell of food and beer greets me. I never thought that I would miss the smell of alcohol so much.
As soon as I walk through the front doors, I notice that there's already a ruckus. Of course…they couldn't possibly keep it down for more than a couple of hours, could they? Just had to get into a fight in the brand new guild hall…typical.
I sigh, walking right inside, with no regard for anyone who might stop me on account of the few visible bandages. My guild mates can get quite overprotective of injured members, and I plan to give them no opportunity to exercise that tendency with me.
I look up at the two idiots who must have started the commotion, and sigh. Natsu…I should have known. And he's fighting with… I narrow my eyes, not believing what I'm seeing. Gajeel!? But he's not… My eyes drift to his shoulder, where there's a Fairy Tail emblem stamped on his shoulder in black. Looks like he is…he's a member now. Actually, that's great! Now I don't have to feel guilty about doing this!
"Alright idiots! It's time to take a nap!" I raise my hands into the air, then slam them towards the ground, the wind following my movements, and grabbing both wayward dragon slayers, slamming them to the floor. "Keep the brawls outside! I don't want the new guild hall getting wrecked because of you two!" With another dragon slayer around, these two are definitely going to be my main concern from now on. They're as prone to fighting each other as Natsu and Gray, only a much more destructive pair.
Everyone else freezes mid-brawl. And Gramps sighs in relief. "Thank you Ciara…as usual, your timing is impeccable."
"Right…" Now that the brawling has calmed, I can actually take a look around the guild. It's much larger than it used to be, and there's a stage now. The bar area has been expanded, and I could swear that I can smell a pool back behind the bar. Not only that, but the second floor has gotten an expansion, and from the looks of it, its not restricted to the S-Class anymore, because Levy is hanging out up there now.
Mira glomps me, hanging off my neck happily. "Welcome home, Ciara! We've all missed you a lot!"
I snort with laughter at her assertion. "Oh, I'm sure there's a few people who didn't miss me. But the love is appreciated." I'm pretty sure she knows exactly who I mean to point out with that comment. There's one person here who's always hated my guts.
To show just how much she missed me, Mira drags me over to the bar, plopping some alcohol and food down in front of me. A present to celebrate my recovery, she claims. But honestly, I think she's just trying to pay me back for stopping yet another brawl in the guild hall.
After a round of catch-up at the guild that ended up involving Mira, Cana, Erza, and more alcohol than should be permitted, I'm more than ready for a little time to myself. So I head for Southgate Park, where there's this nice big oak tree that I like to sit in. There's one spot in the tree where I can get a clear view of the sky, but if anyone looks up into the tree, they can't see me at all. It's the perfect place to hide and get away from people. And luckily, I'm nowhere near intoxicated enough to lose my balance. All thanks to a high alcohol tolerance, and the ability to control myself.
I climb into the tree, settling myself down for some much needed relaxation time. There's a wonderful breeze today, and I inhale it slowly as it passes through the branches, ruffling the leaves. This is also the best place in the city for catching the tasty breezes. There's no pollution, and there are a few restaurants around, so sometimes I'll get a particularly tasty breeze at lunchtime or dinnertime.
Though about half an hour into my tasty relaxation time, there's a disturbance under my tree, and I look down to see Levy hiding behind the trunk, and Jet and Droy standing below the branches. This can't be good…this is the tree that they were hung from during the Phantom Lord incident. I thought that they wanted to avoid this place…
But when a fourth person appears, it all makes sense. From the other side of the park, Gajeel appears, looking a little bored. Why would team Shadowgear be meeting with Gajeel, and here of all places? Something's up…
Gajeel regards the two carefully. "So what's the deal? Why'd you ask me to meet you out here? Make it fast, I gotta get to work."
Jet's fast mouth wins first right to speak. "We got a bone to pick with you."
"After what you did to us, there's no way you're joining out guild!" Uh…Droy, he's already in the guild. What do you plan to do? Drive him out yourself? Because honestly, you're not scary enough to.
Gajeel rolls his eyes. "Com on guys, can't you just forgive and forget?" It doesn't sound too sincere, but Gajeel doesn't seem like the kind of person to wear his heart on his sleeve, so the tone is probably just a defense mechanism. At least, that's what I'm going with while trying to stay as objective as possible. After all, I do remember what he did to me and Lucy during the fighting.
"Maybe he's right." Levy pokes her head out from behind a tree, still obviously scared of Gajeel. "I mean, now that he's in the guild, he's not gonna to do it again."
"We gotta let him know."
"He can't mess with us."
I roll my eyes yet again and shake my head. You two are neither strong enough, nor scary enough to take on Gajeel in a real fight. So unless he just lies down and takes a beating, there's no way you're going to be able to do a single thing to him. And even then, I doubt that you'll do any permanent damage.
When Gajeel smirks, Jet takes it as a challenge. "That's right, go ahead and act tough while you still can!" He springs at Gajeel, knocking the wind out of the Iron Dragon Slayer.
Droy moves next, throwing his magic seeds into the air. "Secret Seeds!" They grow quickly, turning into a barrage of fists. "Knuckle Plant!"
And unlike my earlier assumption, Gajeel doesn't flatten the two of them. In fact, he just stands there and takes every hit. The hell? It's like he's… The truth dawns on me. No way…he's actually letting them hit him. He's not even putting up a fight.
I'm tempted to jump down from the tree and put an end to this, but Gajeel is a dragon slayer, just like me and Natsu, which means that his pride is very important to him. If I intervene now, then it'll tear his pride to shreds. And it'll make those two hate me, instead of accept him.
"Falcon Heaven Soar!" Jet aims a magic kick at Gajeel, knocking him right out of the tangle of plant fists, and sends him skidding across the ground. And for some reason, Jet still hasn't seen anything wrong with what's going on. "You had enough yet?"
Droy, unfazed by his assault being interrupted, joins Jet. "What happened to the tough-guy act?"
"You're not givin' the new guy a hard time, are ya?" That voice tickles my ears in all the wrong ways, grating on my nerves as I look down to see Laxus joining the party. "But seein' as this is the punk that tore down our guild hall, I understand how you feel." Laxus approaches Gajeel, looking all high and mighty like usual. "I bet the only reason the old geezer let you join the guild is cause he was scared of you wreckin' the place again." Laxus' face twists into a horrible grimace. "We've become the laughing stock of the magic community because of you! On my way back from my last job, I stopped off at a few pubs. And I heard some things that really pissed me off. Everybody was talkin' about how weak the Fairy Tail guild is now. No one dared to say that about us before you came along!"
I grip one of the branches, trying to control my anger. Laxus…you're so obsessed with what everyone else says, with how strong we're perceived to be, that you can't even acknowledge the strength of anyone besides yourself. You see yourself as the epitome of strength, when really, you're just an over-powered prick who lords that power over others whenever it's most convenient for you. I bet you've never even been in a fair fight before.
And as if to prove me right, now that Gajeel has been beaten up while not fighting back, Laxus makes his move, pummeling Gajeel with a column of lightning. "Now, you're gonna pay!" He slams his fist into the ground, and a stream of lightning rips through the grass, aimed straight at Gajeel.
The attack slams Gajeel backwards, running him straight into a tree. And now, even Jet is getting uncomfortable. "You're taking this too far! Calm down, man!"
"I know Laxus is strong and all, but somethin's not right." Droy is finally catching on. "It seems like Gajeel's going down too easily."
The truth finally dawns on Jet. ""I didn't realize it til now…he's not fighting back."
Laxus slams his foot down on Gajeel's head. "You never should have messed with Fairy Tail, punk! Cause now you're gonna have to deal with me!"
Normally, I would step in by now, but I wait and watch to see what Jet and Droy are going to do. And I'm not disappointed as Jet stands up to Laxus. "Give it a rest, Laxus! Leave him alone!"
That pisses Laxus right off. "I'm not takin' orders from you!" He turns his lightning on Levy this time.
But as I prepare to jump down and save Levy, Gajeel appears right in front of her, his arm turned to iron as he takes the hit of lightning. Levy is more than a little surprised. "Gajeel!"
"You through with me now?" Gajeel looks tired and beaten down, but he's still staying on his feet. "Cause I got other things to do."
Levy, the little sweetheart, tries reaching out to her rescuer. "Gajeel, I-"
"Leave me alone…" He doesn't even look back as he trudges off, looking really very injured.
"Interesting…" I drop out of the tree and land right next to Levy. "I wondered what kind of person Gajeel really was. I guess I've got my answer now."
"Ciara!" Levy stares at me, and Jet and Droy spin around to look at me. Levy tugs on my sleeve, her eyes full of worry. "You saw all that?"
"Yeah, I did." I watch Gajeel's retreating form and smile. "It definitely exceeded my expectations."
But Levy isn't done with me yet. "Hey…you're a dragon slayer, so you know stuff about their health, right?"
"Yeah…" Then I understand what she's asking. "Don't worry, Gajeel's a tough one. We're pretty resilient, so he'll be fine. I'll bring him something to help with the injuries. But he should be as good as new in a few days. Maybe sooner, if he accepts a little help."
That puts a hesitant smile on Levy's face. "Oh, good…"
I pat her on the head and smile. "Alright, then I'll go get what I need right now. I should have plenty of supplies lying around my house. So you three head back to the guild, and try not to cause too much trouble, alright?"
She nods and runs to Jet and Droy, pulling on their arms. "Come on! Let's go find a job to do!" I watch as she drags them back towards the guild, before turning away slightly, and jumping into the sky, heading straight for my house.
Luckily for me, those guys who did the renovations on my house left behind some of their supplies, mostly nails and small tools. And if they've been left alone this long, chances are that they're not going to be missed. So I gather them all up and stuff them into a bag before racing back out of my house and towards the other end of town.
I spot Gajeel trudging out of town, heading off towards the train station. Normally, I wouldn't have so much sympathy for someone who tortured me. But after that display of sheer chivalry, there's no way I can just go about ignoring him. Plus, I like how cool he was standing up to Laxus. That guy is a serious tool.
"Oi Gajeel!" I call out to him, and he pauses, looking around at me. I take the bag of nails and scraps and toss it right into his arms. "Here. This should make you feel better. Eat up."
He looks into the bag, then turns away from me, refusing my help. "I don't need pity from you."
I press my hands to my hips and glare at him. "Okay, you've got two options here. Either you eat that yourself, or I'll be shoving it down your throat. Don't confuse pity with practicality. Besides, this stems more from admiration than anything else."
Gajeel glares back at me, more suspicious than anything else. "Don't you hate me like the rest of them? Why should I listen to you?"
I sigh, feeling a little deflated. "Oh come on, don't tell me that your nose wasn't working back in the park. You knew full well that I was there, didn't you?"
His eye twitches slightly. "Yeah, so what?"
"So, I saw everything." My earlier glare shifts into a smile. "Anyone who can stand up to Laxus like that is good in my books. So as long as you don't feel like testing out my pain tolerance again, I'm not going to hold a grudge about what happened. It was a battle, and we were on opposite sides. Now, there's no longer a battle, and we're on the same side if there was going to be one. So just accept the gift, and get your ass out of town." I point towards the train station. "You've got a job to get to, right?"
A faint smile plays about his lips. "Right. I'll see ya when I get back, Pinky."
My eye twitches as I glare at his back. "Don't call me Pinky!"
Maybe those two have more in common than I thought...
