Gray Fullbuster stood in Magnolia Station. Several days had passed since Makarov's announcement that Fairy Tail would be sending a team to help take down the Oracion Seis. Gray, much to his delight, had been chosen to go. Not that this was his dream job, but it gave him a chance to get out there and do something significant for a change. It had been too long, in his book. He also felt that this could mark a turning point for the guild, away from the undercurrent of gloom it had had lately, back towards a better path.
Gray was waiting for the train to arrive. It was due soon. It was later in the afternoon, and there were dark clouds in the sky, signaling impending rainfall. The approaching darkness and rain meant that there wouldn't be much sightseeing on the way to the destination. Gray turned around and looked back at the rest of his team, also waiting for the train. Lucy Heartfilia was here, along with Happy. Gray supposed that Makarov felt that what remained of "the strongest team" should stick together. He watched as Lucy and Happy appeared to be talking about something. He noticed that the two of them seemed to get along better lately. Their mutual loss of Natsu might have something to do with that, but Gray couldn't say for sure.
He then turned to look at Juvia. She was sitting on a bench, watching him. She noticed him looking at her, and waved at him. Instead of waving back, he just turned his head and pretended not to see. Juvia had of course made a case for coming, if only because Gray was going. Makarov agreed, feeling that her water abilities could be useful on this mission. Gray was less than thrilled about it though.
Lastly, there was Gajeel. He was leaning against a post, looking annoyed, but also bored from having to wait around. Makarov had felt that having a dragon slayer join them would be an advantage. Since Natsu and Laxus were both gone, that just left Gajeel. Nobody else on the team was happy to have him there. But they also knew he was there for a reason. Whatever his personality issues, there was no denying that in combat he was formidable.
In the distance, a horn sounded. The train was approaching. The group turned to look in the direction of the approaching train, and they gathered together at the platform. "Its about damn time." Gajeel said.
"Yeah, I was getting tired of just standing around here like this." Gray said.
"I'm just glad to be out doing something for a change. I'm getting tired of just fishing and flying around aimlessly all the time." Happy added.
"Yeah, I guess getting together to do something productive will be good for all of us. I mean, a guild war wouldn't have been at the top of my list, but…" Lucy trailed off. Meanwhile, Juvia remained silent. They all stood and watched as the train rode up the platform, the brakes squealing, the announcements blaring overhead. The train slowly came to a stop in front of them, and the doors opened. Fortunately, there weren't many other people boarding, so they didn't have to worry about a big crowd.
Gray boarded the train, followed by the others. After presenting their tickets, they all found seats. Gray, Lucy, Happy, and Juvia all sat together. Gajeel took advantage of the lack of other passengers and sat apart from the others. Now, they had to wait for the train to depart.
After a moment, Happy said, "So, what's the plan here? How are we going to deal with the Oracion Seis guys?" Lucy looked down at him. "Well, try not to die, for a start. These guys sound pretty scary. Seriously though, Happy's right. We could use a plan. What do we know about these guys?" Gray looked over at her and shrugged. "Not much. There's six of them, and they're all really powerful. That's about it. I guess they'll tell us more when we get there. "Hmm." Lucy said, less than satisfied with the answer.
A few minutes passed in quiet. An announcement was made that the train was about to leave. Other than that, there was an awkward silence among the group. Suddenly, Gray became aware that Juvia, sitting across from him, was staring at him. She often stared at him. But this time she seemed to be doing it more intently. He tried to ignore it.
"Gray." Juvia said. Gray just stared out the window. Not that there was much to see. "Gray?" Juvia repeated. Gray still ignored her. "Gray." She said more loudly this time. Finally, Gray turned to look at her. "What?" He figured it was going to be another declaration of her love for him. But instead, she said, "Gray, I'd like to talk to you. Right now." Gray became uncomfortable. "Can't it wait?" he said.
"I've been waiting. I want to talk to you. Please." She replied. Gray felt he knew what she wanted to talk about, but he wasn't sure why she was choosing now of all times to do this. He shifted in his seat. Lucy and Happy were both watching and listening, and even Gajeel seemed to be watching them, albeit less blatantly. "Juvia, if its something personal, I'm not really comfortable talking about this in front of other people like this." He said, hoping that would dissuade her. But she persisted. "Then let's go somewhere more private. There aren't a lot of people on the train, we can find another booth."
Gray started to become annoyed. "Look Juvia, this isn't the best time. We've got this important mission to do, that's what we should be focused on. This is pretty high stakes stuff, you know. So… just forget it. Another time." Juvia looked annoyed in turn. "There's never a good time for you. You never want to talk about this." Though she was annoyed, there was also a hint of hurt in her voice. She got up and walked off to find someplace else to sit. Gray felt himself start to relax more again now that she was gone. But he also noticed a disapproving look from Lucy.
"What?" Gray said. Lucy didn't say anything in response, but just pulled out a book to read. "Whatever." Gray said in response to Lucy's silence. He tilted his head back, and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't that far to their destination. But Gray already knew that it was going to feel like a long trip.
Meanwhile, Gajeel was sitting across the aisle, by himself. He had gotten some amusement out of Gray and Juvia's public "lover's spat". But the rest of the trip would likely be boring. As he sat there, he listened to the announcement that the train was finally about to move. About time, he thought. He was looking forward to mixing it up with the Oracion Seis. He knew that if Natsu was still here then he probably would have been chosen to go instead. Guess I should be grateful to Salamander for taking off like he did, and giving me a chance to step up. Oracion Seis… I wonder if they're really as big and bad as everyone says? As Gajeel thought this, the train began to move.
Gajeel looked out the window at the station, which was now beginning to slowly pass by. As the train gradually began to pick up speed, Gajeel noticed something. At the far end of the station, there was a group of people. Not unusual in and of itself, but Gajeel felt they were familiar somehow. They were in a darkened area, so he couldn't see clearly. There were three of them. One was wearing a hood and… a mask? He couldn't see their faces, but it seemed like they were watching the train.
Gajeel sat up to get a closer look, but the train was already moving away. Gajeel wondered if he should say something. But to who? Makarov wasn't here, and he wasn't supposed to talk to anyone else about this stuff. Besides, it might have just been his imagination. He would look pretty stupid if that was the case. He decided to just forget it. Maybe he would contact Makarov about it when they got to the meeting place. Just in case. In the meantime, he would just settle down and try to pass the time until they all got there.
The train had now left the station, and was heading into the country side. As he looked out of the window again, Gajeel noticed that it was starting to rain.
Meanwhile, back at the Fairy Tail guild hall, Bickslow and Evergreen had just returned. They had not come back from a job though. They had returned from seeing a friend.
"Every time we go there, its always the same. I keep hoping there'll be some sign he's improving, or starting to wake up, but nothing." Evergreen said sullenly. Bickslow, standing beside her, said nothing. Evergreen continued. "I'm starting to think that he might never wake up. I hate to say it, but maybe the Thunder Legion is…" she trailed off. Bickslow turned towards her. "The Thunder Legion is still alive, and so is he. He'll wake up. He'll be just like he was before. You'll see." Bickslow said this with a smile, though his voice sounded strained. Evergreen side eyed him. "I hope you're right." Was all she said in response. She doubted he was right, but knew that saying so would only lead to a fight, so she let it go.
"Of course I am. Don't sweat it." He said. Evergreen wasn't sure if he genuinely believed that, or if he was just in denial. But if it made him feel better, she wasn't going to contradict him. She knew that their group wasn't complete without Freed though. Or Laxus, for that matter. As she was thinking this, she heard the front door of the guild open just a few feet away. As she turned to look, she was surprised to see a strange little girl step in. Evergreen looked at her quizzically. "Um, can we help you?" The girl bowed her head. "Hi. I'm Seraiisa. Did Mirajane tell you we were coming?"
Evergeen raised an eyebrow. "No one said anything to me. And, what do you mean 'we'? Who else is coming?"
"Well, my family. We were invited. We were thinking of joining up with your guild. My dad says he's going to make the decision tonight." Seraiisa explained. She folded her hands behind her back, waiting to see what they said. Bickslow just shrugged. "Sounds fine to me, I guess. We could use some new members."
Evergreen put her hands on her hips. "Did you want to speak with someone in particular? The master maybe?"
"Actually, I was looking for Mirajane. We're friends." The girl smiled brightly. Bickslow rubbed his chin. "Oh yeah, I think I remember hearing something about her hanging around some strange kid. No offense." Seraiisa seemed unbothered by his comment though.
"Mirajane is off visiting someone right now, but she'll be back soon. But the master should be around if you want to talk to him." Evergreen said.
"Maybe I will. Thanks, um…" Seraiisa paused and looked at them questioningly. Evergreen realized what the girl was asking. "Oh, where are my manners, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Evergreen, and that's Bickslow." Bickslow gave a small wave. Seraiisa looked amused. "You Fairy Tail guys definitely have some colorful names. Literally in your case!" She said this last part while pointing at Evergreen. Evergreen gave a fake chuckle, to be polite. Bickslow turned to her and said, "Hey she's right, your name does have a color in it." As if he only just realized that. "Seriously?" Evergreen said. The two of them didn't notice Seraiisa move past them further into the guild.
Seraiisa moved down the hall closer to the stage of the guild. She tried to avoid bumping into the various mages around the guild. Despite this, she ended up doing exactly that. She turned her head for a second, and walked right into someone. She backed up a step. "Oh, sorry." She said. But then she looked up, and recognized the man. "Elfman! Good to see you again. How've you been?" Elfman seemed a little taken aback. For some reason he was never entirely comfortable around her, despite her friendliness. "Oh, hey kid. I'm good. Everything okay with you?" he replied.
"Better than okay. If things go well, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on." She said.
"Oh right. You and your folks want to join up, right?"
"Maybe." She said coyly. "By the way, is your master around here? I'd like to meet him."
Elfman turned around and pointed over to a corner. "He's right over there. Want me to walk over with you?" Seraiisa shook her head. "No, that's okay. I'll be fine. Thanks." With that, she walked off towards the direction Elfman had pointed to. As she walked over, she saw that the master was talking with Levy. Seraiisa overheard some of their conversation.
"Unfortunately, it seems like those animals weren't an isolated incident. There have been other sightings too. And yesterday I heard people talking about seeing an actual human being with similar… afflictions. Apparently they attacked someone." Levy said to Makarov.
"Apparently. But can you confirm it, or is this just rumor?" Makarov asked.
"Well… honestly there's no hard evidence of altered humans. It could just be rumors. I hope so." As Levy finished, she noticed that Makarov wasn't looking at her, but something else. Levy turned her head. It was the little girl from before. "Oh, hey. Didn't see you there. Snuck up on us." Levy said good naturedly.
"Did I?" Seraiisa said. Levy turned back to Makarov. "Master, this is… Seraiisa, right?" Seraiisa nodded. Levy continued. "She was interested in joining the guild. Her family too." Makarov nodded. "So I heard. Hmm. You're very young." He said.
"And you're very…" Seraiisa started. Makarov raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish. "…experienced." She said. Makarov chuckled. "Well said. Levy, we can finish talking about this later." He turned back to Seraiisa. "Miss McGarden was just filling me in on the current news." He said.
"That's 'Smart Levy'." Seraiisa said, using that as a nickname. Levy smiled at that. "I'll let you two talk. Goodbye master. Nice seeing you Seraiisa." Levy said, and walked off. After Levy left, Makarov looked at Seraiisa. Despite the fact that she was a child, and he an old man, she still managed to be taller than him, which she found amusing. He looked up at her and said, "So, your family is interested in joining, and you're speaking on their behalf. Maybe I should talk to your parents."
"They trust me. You can talk to them though. When they get here. But they might be a while, they're pretty busy."
"That's fine. Tell me, how old are you exactly?" Makarov asked.
"I'm eleven." She said.
"Eleven. Good age. You actually wouldn't be the youngest person to ever join the guild. And we could certainly use some new blood right now. So… until your family shows up, is there anything you need?" Makarov said.
Seraiisa looked at him seriously. "I'd like to talk to Mirajane, but I was told she's off visiting someone. Do you know when she'll be back?"
Makarov considered this. "Well… young as you are, I think you're old enough to know the truth. She's off visiting a deceased relative at the cemetery. She'll be back in a while though."
Seraiisa appeared thoughtful. "Oh. A relative. Is this at the cemetery by the church nearby?"
"Well yes, but you can wait for her here. I think she wants to be alone right now anyway. And the rain will be getting heavier soon too."
"Thanks, but there's something important I want to talk with her about. In private. I'll be back soon." Before Makarov could respond Seraiisa began running down the hall, out towards the door. Makarov sighed. Sometimes kids just don't listen to their elders, he thought.
After several hours, the makeshift Fairy Tail team finally arrived at their destination. It was a building that would be treated as a base of operations among the coalition. They had had to walk part of the way of course. It wasn't far from where the train left, but the rain didn't help. Juvia and Lucy brought umbrellas, Gray wore a jacket, and Gajeel said the rain didn't bother him. It was dark by the time they arrived. They had hoped to arrive earlier in the day, but the trains were surprisingly busy. This was the best they could do.
The five of them, including Happy, walked into the building, glad to be out of the rain. Happy shook himself to dry off, almost like a normal cat. Gray stretched, and said, "Finally made it. Hate to say it, but that train ride almost made me miss Natsu." Juvia, standing nearby, just said "hmph." Lucy took a few steps and said, "Maybe we can ease up on the tension now. At least until we have to fight the horrible bad guys." Lucy said this half-jokingly. But there was also a note of trepidation in her voice.
Gajeel came up beside her and said, "What's the matter little girl, are you scared?"
"Yeah, of course I'm scared. We have to fight one of the worst dark guilds around and I don't think I'm ready for it. But I'll try my best anyway." Lucy said. Gajeel was caught off guard by Lucy's earnest response, and wasn't sure how to respond. "Huh. Thought you would try denying it or something. Now its not as fun picking on you." Lucy didn't have a response to that. Gajeel was a little surprised Lucy didn't have more of a problem with him, given their history. He had once kidnapped and beaten her, under orders from her own father. She didn't seem to hold a grudge though.
As the group walked into the hall, they quickly realized they weren't alone. There was already another guild here waiting for them. "Gray. Its been a while." A voice said in the distance. A group approached them from across the hall. "Lyon. You're here." Gray said simply. The stern, white haired man who approached was Lyon Vastia. Formerly known as the "cold emperor". He and Gray had both been adopted by Ur, technically making them brothers. Although Gray didn't like to think of it in those terms. In fact, they have been lifelong rivals. Last time they met, they managed to make some degree of peace with each other. But there was still a tension there.
Lyon folded his arms. "My guild, Lamia Scale, was called on because we're the best. I don't know why you're here." He said. Gray chafed at this. "Fairy Tail is the best, you ass."
"Really? That's not what I've been hearing lately. You seem more like rats on a sinking ship." Lyon said. Gray took a step towards him, preparing for a fight. But just then, a large man walked up towards them, putting a hand on Lyon's shoulder. "That's enough. We're supposed to be allies here." The man was the wizard saint Jura. One of the most powerful mages in the land. Lyon looked up at Jura, and put up his hands in resignation. Jura released him. "You're lucky he was here." Lyon said. Gray just scoffed at this. The rest of team Fairy Tail looked on with varying degrees of bemusement or impatience.
Juvia stepped forward. "Gray, I take it you have a history with this man? You never mentioned him before." Gray looked back at her. "I've known him since we were kids. He's always been an ass." Lyon moved towards Gray. Gray put up his fists reflexively. But Lyon walked past him towards Juvia. He walked right up to her, much to her confusion. "Nice to meet you. Lyon Vastia. Like Gray, I'm an ice wizard. Only better. And you are?" Lyon smiled at her as he said this. Juvia still looked confused. "Juvia Lockser. I'm a water wizard." Lyon's smile widened. "Water and ice. A perfect match. Pleased to meet you Juvia." He gently grabbed her hand, and kissed it, being very forward. The confused look on Juvia's face gave way to understanding, and then to alarm. She turned to Gray.
"Gray?" She said, expecting him to react with jealousy, or at least come to her aid. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and turned away. Juvia's expression now turned to annoyance. She pulled her hand away from Lyon, and gave him a dirty look in turn, before walking away. "I don't think she likes you." Gajeel said to Lyon.
"Obviously Gray did something to upset her." Lyon said. Sherry Blendy, Lyon's teammate, looked on disapprovingly, but said nothing.
"So, the other teams haven't arrived yet then?" Lucy said, changing the subject. "Actually, we're already here." Another voice said. Coming down a staircase were three young men, followed by an older, smaller man. "I'm Hibiki. This is Eve, and that's Ren." Hibiki introduced them. "And I am Ichiya Vandaley Kotobuki. And this mansion actually belongs to our master." Said the smaller man. "Nice to meet you… ladies." Hibiki said. He, along with Eve and Ren, began making a beeline towards Lucy and Juvia. Juvia was already put off from Lyon's advances, and was even less receptive to this. Lucy began to look concerned too. Before the trio could make it to the girls, Gajeel stepped in between them.
"Alright, that's enough. Back off pretty boys." Gajeel said.
"Gajeel, I didn't know you were so chivalrous." Gray said. Gajeel shot Gray a look. "I'm not. I'm just tired of all this screwing around. We're here to kick ass, not chase ass. Do that on your own time." The Blue Pegasus trio shifted a little. "Maybe he has a point." Ren said. They backed up a respectful distance, seemingly with reluctance.
A minute passed, with no one saying anything. Finally, Gray said, "So, there's supposed to be one more team, right? Where are they?"
"They are running late." Lyon said. The rain was starting to pick up outside. The door suddenly opened. No one entered immediately, so the others began to wonder if the wind had blown it open. But after a moment, someone did enter. She walked in carrying an umbrella. The others all stared at her. It was a young girl, around twelve years old. She had long blue hair, and wore a blue and yellow dress. She closed her umbrella, and quickly walked towards the others. Before she could make it though, she tripped and fell onto her face. This brought a mixed reaction of concern and confusion from the other teams.
The young girl picked herself up with as much dignity as she could. She stood there blushing. At last, she spoke. "Sorry. Sorry I'm late. And for being so clumsy. I'm from Cait Shelter guild. They sent me." She said bashfully. The others exchanged glances.
"Nice to meet you, but where's the rest of your team?" Gray said.
The girl blushed again. "There… is no one else. Its just me. I'm all they sent." Everyone started murmuring at this. After a moment she continued. "My name is Wendy. Wendy Marvell. I'm a sky dragon slayer. But I'm not very good. I don't have any attack spells. But I can use healing magic. I'll do the best I can to help." As Wendy finished her speech, there was suddenly another voice from behind her.
"You're not quite the only one they sent. I'm here too child." Walking into the hall was a small white cat. Like Happy, but female, and wearing clothes. Wendy looked down at her companion. "Sorry, I didn't forget you. I'm just nervous." Wendy looked back to everyone else. "Um, this is Carla. She's my friend. She's also a member of Cait Shelter." Carla stood there with her arms folded, looking haughty and unimpressed with the assemblage of mages in the room.
"Huh. Another talking cat. I thought Happy was the only one." Gray said.
"Apparently not. I kinda wonder where they come from." Lucy said.
"Who cares where she's from? She's here, and she's hot. I'd like to get to know her." It was of course Happy who said this.
"Remember what Gajeel said." Gray said. Happy ignored him. He looked lovestruck. Or if not love, then something related to it. Carla noticed him, but ignored him.
Ichiya cleared his throat. "Now that everyone is here, its time to go over the plan."
Kardia Cathedral Cemetery. It was cold, and dark, and raining. The rain had risen to a moderate tempo, audibly thudding on the gravestones. The ground was soaked. Thunderclaps could occasionally be heard in the distance. It was not a good night to be out at all, let alone visiting a cemetery. Most people knew that, and were safely indoors. Likewise, the cemetery was also empty. Except for one person.
Mirajane Strauss stood at a grave, looking down at it. She had considered bringing flowers, but considering the weather she decided it was a good thing she hadn't. Mirajane was carrying an umbrella, and wearing a jacket. Usually, she would come here with Elfman. This time she decided to come alone. It was a whim. Normally she tried to focus on the positives. But today, she found herself thinking about the people she had lost. The ones she had said goodbye to. The ones she never had a chance to say goodbye to. Ironically, some of those people were the ones she would have turned to for comfort in sad times.
She crouched down and looked at the grave, and the name on it. She mouthed the words. And then said, "I miss you". Mirajane shut her eyes, listening to the sound of rain falling around her. She heard the droplets splashing off the marble, and pelting the soil. But she also heard something else. Footsteps. Right behind her. She opened her eyes and turned around. A hooded figure stood before her. Mirajane blinked.
"Seraiisa?" she said.
"Hi Mira." Seraiisa said. Mirajane noticed that the girl was wearing the same white outfit that she wore when they first met, with the hood up. Apparently it was waterproof. "What are you doing here?" Mirajane asked.
"I came to see you. When I went to the guild, they said you would be here. I hope you don't mind." Mirajane looked down at the ground. "To be honest, I kind of wanted to be alone for a little bit. Don't get me wrong, its nice to see you, its just…" Seraiisa held up a hand. "I get it. This is personal. I'm sorry. Normally I wouldn't come here without asking, but… there's something I wanted to talk about, and there might not be time later." Mirajane was a little surprised by how serious Seraiisa sounded. Usually she was so light and casual. But then, Mirajane remembered what Seraiisa's father had said, about her having had some awful experiences. Everyone has hidden parts of themselves they don't usually show the world, Mirajane thought.
Mirajane stood up and looked at Seraiisa. "Okay. We can talk. Let's go back to the guild." Seraiisa shook her head. "I'd prefer to talk here, in private."
"Well… okay. If that's what you want. What do you want to talk about?" Mirajane asked. But Seraiisa was now looking past Mirajane. Mirajane realized she was looking at the grave. Seraiisa spoke the name. "Lisanna Strauss. She's who you came to see." It was a statement, not a question. Mirajane looked at the grave, and then nodded. "Yeah. My sister. She… passed away a few years ago." Seraiisa continued looking at the grave. "I'm sorry." She said.
Seraiisa then looked up at Mirajane. "Is there anyone else here you came to visit?" Mirajane appeared surprised at this question. "Someone else? What do you mean?" In response, Seraiisa tuned her head and looked into a further part of the cemetery. Mirajane followed her gaze. She was looking at Erza's monument. Even in the rain it was easy to see it. It dwarfed most of the other graves there. "Erza." Mirajane said quietly. She turned to look at Seraiisa. "How do you know about her?" Seraiisa looked her in the eye.
"I know I'm a foreigner, but I've heard of Erza Scarlet. Many people have. She was pretty important." Mirajane wore a bittersweet smile. "Yeah. She saved a lot of people. Up to the very end. They even made her a wizard saint."
"Yeah. But she was important to you personally, right? She was part of your guild. She was your friend. Wasn't she?" Mirajane blinked again, surprised by the direction this conversation had taken. "She was. Definitely. But these aren't things you need to worry about."
Seraiisa looked up at her. "Mirajane…" Seraiisa paused, seemingly hesitant to continue. "What if you could have them back?" Mirajane appeared confused. "What? What do you mean?"
"I mean, what if you could have them alive and well again? What would you do to have that?" At this point, Mirajane decided that Seraiisa was indulging in the sort of fantasy hypotheticals that children sometimes do. Mirajane humored her with a smile. "Seraiisa, once people are gone, there's no way to bring them back. Its hard, but that's the way it is. But who knows? Maybe someday we'll see them again in another life."
Seraiisa shook her head. "No. I mean, what if you could bring them back? See them again here, and now. What would you do to have that? What would you give up? What if someone had to get hurt?" Mirajane was starting to become uncomfortable with this line of questioning.
"There are certain people that I miss. People I would love to see again. But there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed. Especially at someone else's expense." Mirajane turned back to the statue over Erza's grave. "Actually, that's how she died. Someone was trying to resurrect the Black Wizard Zeref, supposedly one of the most evil men to ever live. And they were willing to hurt a lot of other people to do it. Erza stopped them, at the cost of her own life. She was a hero." Mirajane was starting to get misty eyed talking about this. But Seraiisa persisted.
"I'm not talking about bringing back Zeref. I'm talking about bringing back your friends. Good people. People you care about." Mirajane looked down at the girl. "It doesn't matter. Some things shouldn't be tampered with. And I'm sure they would feel the same way too."
"You're sure about that?" Seraiisa asked.
"Positive." Mirajane confirmed. Seraiisa considered this. She looked like she was about to say something else, but then thought better of it. "Okay. If that's how you feel, then that's that." Seraiisa said. Mirajane wasn't sure what brought on these questions. It made her feel concerned.
"So… was there anything else you wanted to say?" Mirajane asked. Seraiisa looked up at Mirajane, and for the first time since the conversation began, she smiled. "No. That's it. Sorry for getting so gloomy and serious on you. I guess I've just been thinking about the past." Mirajane smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, me too. I think I understand. Sometimes thoughts of the past can eat at you. But I think we should focus on the present, and the future. After all, you've got your whole life ahead of you." Mirajane playfully booped her on the nose. Seraiisa giggled, and said, "Yup. I'll try to remember that."
Now that the tension was gone, Mirajane noticed that the rain was getting heavy, and the thunder more frequent. "We really should get indoors now. Let's get back to Fairy Tail." Mirajane reached out a hand. Seraiisa took Mirajane's hand. "Okay." She said. Hand in in hand, they both hurried back to the guild hall, where it was safe and warm.
End Notes: I had previously mentioned that I was less than satisfied with the way the "Battle for Fairy Tail" section turned out in this story. I think that's because I tried to stick fairly close to the canon story, while making a few changes of my own based on differences in this "timeline". Which isn't a bad idea, but I feel the execution could have been better. So, for the Oracion Seis story, I'm not going to try to just recreate the canon story with a few changes. Instead, I'll use the canon as a starting point, but then take it in a different direction based on what I feel works for the story I want to tell. That being said, the Oracion Seis will play an important role in this story, even if its not the same role as in the canon.
I should also note that, as you may have noticed, I decided to significantly tone down the silliness (and creepiness) of Blue Pegasus. I did this for the same reason I decided to tone down Lucy's spirits. I want this story to have a certain tone, and they clash with that. Besides, if I'm being honest I'm not a big fan of the Blue Pegasus guys. Don't expect them to play a big part in this story.