It's Monday! I'm glad everyone's excited for the return of our modified Team Natsu. I love Gray and Lucy, but this story's too long for just two characters to carry, IMHO. Plus they're both pretty tied up, right now. Time to call in the cavalry!
BTW - check out the author's notes at the end of the chapter. I've got something I want you guys to vote on.
Irina: Gray tends to get the worst of it in my stories. That's the danger of being Author's Favorite. As for Jellal, I think I get where you're coming from. For me, personally, it's the dub that really brings the story to life for me. (I watch the English dub.) For example, I read something where someone said something like: 'I think I would find Gray annoying if his voice actor didn't have such a cool voice.' I tend to agree. With Jellal, he has a voice actor who is amazing at doing evil (or at least dark). I mean, he's okay when he does mopey/repentant Jellal... it's a solid performance. And he can sound completely ordinary when he wants to (he's also Samezuka's Captain Mikoshiba in Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and I didn't notice at all). It's probably weird to say, but I love his evil voice (which he also uses for Brian Roscoe in Gosick), which is why I end up type-casting poor Jellal. Plus, evil is fun to write. XD Thanks again!
- K. Chandler
Every step he took rustled.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
"What's this?" said Natsu, looking at his feet in annoyance.
There was a scrap of paper had gotten stuck to bottom of his shoe. Natsu reached down to peel it off. It looked like some sort of a flyer, though parts of it were too dirty or damaged to read.
"Miracle Mak's? Miracles, magic, can't read that, supernatural phenomena, something-something, resurrections, unbelievable wonders… (No case too small.) Negotiable rates, ask within," read Natsu, frowning in confusion.
Natsu made a face. He couldn't believe it. There was a guy desperate for work. At least he and the others weren't making posters with crazy claims on them. It made Natsu feel less bad about their situation.
Natsu cut through the center of town, hands loose in his pockets. Since the mage in black had 'rescued' the princess from them, Freed had decided not to pay them. Not that any of them were pressed for cash, but not being paid sucked. Between jobs, at the moment, Erza and Lyon were off sulking over their defeat. But Natsu was canvasing the town for work, like any sensible person would. So far, nothing. His keen dragon slayer senses were operating at full bore, eyes peeled, ears perked, and nose sniffing out the next opportunity for coin.
Natsu continued down the street, inquiring at every storefront. He stopped at the butcher's, the baker's and even the candlestick maker's. Would one of them need an apprentice or an assistant?
Unfortunately, no. Apparently, having awesome fire powers was a 'liability,' especially at the candlestick maker's.
Natsu groaned. Why was this so difficult? Somebody had to need a mage for hire! And if not for their magical abilities, someone in town had to be looking for manual labor. Lyon would probably think it was beneath him, but Erza would probably agree to it after a disapproving scowl or two.
Personally, Natsu didn't mind the idea of being hired for manual labor. Work was work. Besides, being an assassin or whatever wasn't that much fun anyways. Being hired help would be a nice change of pace.
Natsu passed a teenage girl with wavy dark-brown hair and a hulking older man, both carrying bags of groceries.
"Let's hurry home," the man said, his heavy footfalls loud on the cobblestone. "Your stepmother's wai—" He lost his balance, flailing and sending the groceries tumbling to the ground. "Oops. Aw, man."
Natsu stepped forward to help. If he was lucky, the pair would even give him a couple of coins for helping them to carry their bags. But before he could offer, the girl bent down to retrieve their wayward groceries, packing the falling items back into the bag.
"Gildarts! You're so clumsy," the girl complained.
"Sorry…" sighed the man.
"It's fine," said the girl. She sighed before picking up both bags as if they were nothing.
Natsu let out a short huff, crossing his arms over his chest. It looked like his help wouldn't be needed after all.
"Wow, Cana, you're really strong." Gildarts beamed with a cartoonishly large smile.
"It's nothing, okay?"
"My little girl's all grown up!" gushed the man.
"Geez, dad! You're embarrassing me," Cana scoffed, her cheeks tinging pink.
"Can you blame a man for being proud of his little girl? Me and your mom—stepmom—both are."
"Yeah, well, you don't have to shout it to the world," mumbled Cana. "Let's just get going, okay?"
The pair disappeared down the street, bickering happily. Reluctantly, Natsu tore his eyes away, an odd little twinge in his chest. There was no point in watching them. There was obviously no money to be had there.
As Natsu weaved his way through town, he passed another little family, going about their day. A young couple and their two children had a mangy pup that trailed behind them. The husband bounced a chubby-cheeked toddler in his arms. The little boy played with his dog.
As Natsu passed them, the dog stopped, sniffing at Natsu suspiciously. It pointed its nose at Natsu, barking.
"Hey, boy," said Natsu, holding out a hand to scratch the dog behind its ears.
Not liking what he found, apparently, the dog snarled at Natsu, gnashing its teeth and jumping up and down.
"Hey, cut that out!" complained Natsu. "Sit. Sit!"
"Sorry, Mister!" shouted the boy, throwing his arms around the dog's neck to try to calm his canine friend.
Natsu waved him off. He was more of a cat person anyways.
Even after the young family had passed, Natsu couldn't help but think about them, almost enviously, though he wasn't entirely sure why. What did he have to be envious of? It wasn't like he was missing anything.
He was perfectly happy with the way things were. He and Erza and Lyon were a little team, not that different from the family that had just passed. All they were missing were a dog and a little mini-Natsu.
Sure, they fought with each other sometimes. Most of the time. But that, just meant that they were like the girl and her dad from before. It was all the same, wasn't it?
Maybe he needed a dog. Scratch that. A cat. That was it. After all this was over, he'd talk to the others about getting one.
"Make way, make way!"
Natsu snapped to attention at the shout, shuffling out of the way of oncoming traffic.
"It's the Royal Carriage!" someone shouted.
The crowd parted as the royal carriage rolled through town. Townspeople clambered for a better view of the prince. With the royal wedding in less than a day away, the town was bustling with excitement.
Natsu snorted. He was less than impressed with the royals these days. Sure, they didn't exactly succeed on their mission, but after all that trouble, Freed really should have paid them something. Still, the princess was pretty cool. In another world, he could see them being pals. Man, that would be cool!
Natsu glanced over at the carriage as it passed. Maybe he'd get a peek of Lucy on her way to her wedding or something. But instead of a cute blonde, what Natsu saw was a man sitting opposite the prince.
He seemed as calm, almost as if he belonged there. There was a red seal over his right eye.
"Hey, isn't that the dude that Erza's looking for?" asked Natsu.
Natsu pushed his way through the crowd, trying to get closer to the street. He wanted to hear what they were talking about. He jogged alongside the carriage in the most discrete way possible. If he strained, he could just hear them over the rattle of the carriage wheels.
"Have you broken him yet?" asked the prince.
"Soon, my liege," responded the man with the seal over his eye.
Broken? What were they talking about?
"His magic reservoir is quite formidable," continued the man. "But I assure you, I will drain every drop."
Dread pooled in the pit of Natsu's stomach when he realized that they were talking about a person. Drain him? Of what?"
"She's still asking after him. Spouting off about how he's her true love," said the prince.
Natsu furrowed his brow in confusion. This was making less and less sense.
"Patience, sire. The mysterious mage will be of no use to your princess when I'm through with him. He'll be as good as dead."
Were they talking about the mage in black? The princess was in love with the mage in black?! Natsu had assumed that he had been working for the prince, but it didn't seem like that was the case anymore. Maybe he and the princess were a thing. No wonder he'd fought so hard to rescue her!
"He'd better be," said the prince. "Lucy's quite a handful. The foolish girl. Does she really think that I won't have her as my bride?"
"That's not a problem, Sire," said the man. "Keep her docile. Let her remain hopeful. Then after the wedding, you can do with her as you please."
"If I had other plans for her, I might agree," said the prince. "But since I plan to kill her and frame her murder on Sabertooth, it makes no difference what she thinks now."
Natsu froze. The prince was going to murder the princess? And the other man was going to kill her lover? This couldn't happen.
They may have been mercenaries, and the man in black may have been their enemy once, but this wasn't okay. This was wrong! He had to tell Erza and Lyon. They needed to fix this.
Natsu rushed back to the seedy bar on the far side of town. The more unsavory part of town tended to attract lowlifes, criminals and other dangerous types. He and the others fit right in.
Natsu spotted Lyon polishing off a glass of what was probably something strongly alcoholic. He and Erza had both taken their recent defeat badly.
"Guys, you'll never guess what I heard! Where's Erza?" asked Natsu.
"Hello to you too," said Lyon, raising his flask in greeting.
"Yeah, yeah. Hey," said Natsu. "Have you seen Erza?"
"Seen her?" Lyon snorted. "Natsu, people can hear her for miles."
"Hear her?" Natsu strained his ears. Besides the normal din of the bar they were in and the sounds of the town beyond, Natsu didn't hear anything worth mentioning.
"All I hear is some girl throwing a tantrum about cake. Man, what a bridezilla! I hope that's not the princess."
Lyon smirked. "It's not."
Natsu's eyes widened. "That can't be Erza," he said.
Lyon's smile only widened.
"That can't be Erza!" insisted Natsu, shaking his head.
"You don't know her so well, do you?" said Lyon. "I shudder to think of what she'd be like after a couple of drinks."
"We could find out," suggested Natsu. "Just ask her out for drinks."
"Your funeral," said Lyon.
"Nah, not me," said Natsu. "You should do it, though."
Lyon scoffed. "I think not," he said.
"Okay, well, let's go get her," said Natsu. "I've found us a new job."
"Really?" asked Lyon, perking up at the prospect of work. "What is it? It's not something idiotic like working for the candlestick maker, is it?"
"I'll explain after we get Erza," said Natsu.
"Oh, joy."
Natsu found Erza threatening the lady baker at Fairy Queen Sweets.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Erza. "What do you mean you're out of strawberry?!"
"We're very sorry, ma'am," whimpered the baker. "They all went towards to royal wedding cake. So, we're all out."
"Unacceptable!" thundered Erza.
The baker cowered, her face hidden behind her spectacles and wavy hair.
"Lady, calm down or I'm calling the constable," threatened the baker's husband.
"Erza!" barked Lyon.
"Call whoever you like!" shouted Erza. "This is a crime! And the perpetrators need to be brought to justice!"
"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it for myself," said Natsu, shaking his head.
"She gets like this when she's depressed. Just like I drink. She goes on a sugar binge," said Lyon. "Erza!"
"Really?" said Natsu. "You two need to find more productive hobbies."
"Says the person who torched a town the last time he got upset," said Lyon. "Come on, Erza. Enough."
"Yours?" asked the baker's husband.
"Hardly," said Lyon, rolling his eyes. "Would you calm down, you raving lunatic?! Erza! Are you listening?"
"Hey, no, I get it," said the baker's husband pleasantly. "Mine's an absolute gorgon sometimes. Depends on her mood. That's the only reason I didn't step in. Mine could take yours on if she really wanted to. That's my fairy queen!" he cackled, sticking out his tongue playfully.
"Once we collect our comrade, we'll be out of your hair," said Lyon shortly, clamping his hands down on Erza's shoulders.
"I have not yet begun to fight!" Erza roared, struggling against Lyon's hold. She flung his hands away, nearly boxing his ears in the process.
"If you insist," sighed Lyon. "But don't blame me for the consequences."
Thick ice grew from where Lyon's hands were, extending down to Erza's feet. He had trapped her in a giant sphere of ice.
"What? Hey! How dare you!" raged Erza.
"Get out of that, if you can," gloated Lyon.
"Lyon, what is the meaning of this? Release me this instant!" she bellowed.
"All yours," Lyon told Natsu, turning on heel.
"Hey, wait a minute!" protested Natsu. "You're just leaving me with her?"
"You're the one who wanted to talk with her. Now, hurry up. I want to hear about this new job you've supposedly found us."
Barely avoiding her flailing limbs, Natsu managed to duck in close. "Upsidaisy!" Natsu said, flopping ice Erza onto her back. She teetered like a turtle.
"Natsu, you idiot!" growled Erza.
"Lyon says it's for your own good," he said. Might as well spread the blame around.
"I did no such thing," Lyon called.
Grabbing Erza by the hands, Natsu towed her through the town and to a clearing where he could finally share his news.
So, hopefully that was a worthy re-introduction of our mercenary trio. Did anyone recognize the cameos? Gildarts and Cana were obviously the father-daughter pair in the village. The second family was a weird mix of the Conbolts and the Connells. I didn't drop a lot of hints here, since I realize that would be confusing, but I've always imagined Romeo and Asuka as siblings after the couple of scenes where he's playing with her. That manifested itself here before I realized what I was doing, lol. Finally the Fairy Queen lady-baker and her husband (who sticks out his tongue) were supposed to be Evergreen and Bickslow. I know we wouldn't normally expect Evergreen to cower; she's too proud. But I was thinking that she was pretty timid after Erza laid into her during the Battle of Fairy Tail.
Now, a question for you guys. I have two completed stories that I could start posting after As You Wish concludes, and need to know which one is getting posted next so I can start on final revisions. You get to pick!
Option 1: Toxic is a Nalu retelling of Snow White featuring Juvia as the Evil Queen. We focus heavily on Lucy, Gray, and Juvia (specifically her descent into madness). This one's a little more intense (like last week's chapter). Length-wise, it's similar to this story, coming in at 31 chapters and ~70,000 words.
Option 2: Gray's Wonderful Life is a Fairy Tail twist on It's a Wonderful Life. Gray, full of regrets, wishes he was never born. He gets to explore the alternate futures of his loved ones in this Gray-less alternate universe. No real shipping unless you squint. It's a little gritty at times, but endeavors to be a feel-good fic by the end. Total of 9 chapters and ~26,000 words.
I'm planning to post both stories eventually, but let me know which one you'd like to see first! I'll keep the question open through the end of the month. For my first post in April, I'll let everyone know what the verdict was! (And if it's Toxic, I'll have to get working on it right away. Long stories always take so long to edit.)
Next time, in As You Wish: "You're thinking a rescue mission?" asked Erza.
Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.
