AN: Hello there. It's been a while hasn't it. Apologies for not putting any author's note in the previous chapter. Unfortunately, I've forgotten what I wanted to put there. Anyway, how're you people of the world coping up? For me, classes for university have started again, and Good God, I knew that virtual classes would be hilarious in some way, I was not wrong. So, that's all for me now, studying, attending virtual classes, and then working on some fanfic. Considering I am working on a few different fics as well, I can't do anything about the speed of the updates. I can tell you to expect the next chapter soon (maybe, lol). Anyway, this is CHapter 12. Have fun~
The next day, Hargeon.
"Whew! It's been a while since I've been here." Lucy said as she happily took a deep breath of the salty air.
"When was the last time you were here?" Tsuna asked as he took a deep yawn.
"Oh, this is the place where I met Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed with happiness. "He saved me from that human trafficker, Bora!" However, recounting the event made Lucy sad again as she remembered her behavior towards Natsu.
"It's okay Lucy. You did the right thing." Tsuna said as he noticed Lucy's expression.
"Agreed over there." Gray added. "Not gonna lie though, I was not expecting you to ditch Natsu like that. Now that's cold."
"Gray!" Tsuna shouted in warning.
"Ah shit. I'm sorry Lucy, I didn't mean it like that." Gray quickly amended.
"Don't worry, it's fine." Lucy said. "What's done is done."
"Alright." Gray agreed, before quickly changing the topic to ask Tsuna. "So you know how are we going to get to Galuna Island?"
"Lol, nope!" Tsuna said with a laugh.
"Really?!" Gray and Lucy asked in surprise.
"Just kidding. We have a meeting with the head of the naval task force in two hours. So I thought we can quickly grab a late breakfast." Tsuna replied.
"Sure, I guess." Gray said. "What do you say, Lucy?"
"Well, Tsuna is the boss on this one, so okay." Lucy added.
"Thank you." Tsuna said. "Now let's grab some grub." With that, the trio stalked off to one of the seafood restaurants in Hargeon.
Sometime later in The Sunken Ship Seafood Restaurant, Hargeon.
"Hm. Delicious." Tsuna said as he ate another bite of his salmon. "You know, I am suddenly reminded of the time I had a fugu fish during my SS-Class Quest."
"Fugu fish?" Lucy asked surprised. "I thought they're illegal to be sold for consumption because they are poisonous."
"Oh that's only half true." Tsuna agreed. "There's one thing the Empires of Cathay and Zipang and the Gojoseon Kingdoms agree on, and that's the fact that fugu fish is highly regulated. You need a license to prepare and serve it for consumption. Even then, chefs are very nervous about serving it to customers. But back to your question, I was not eating fugu fish as a normal customer nuh-uh."
"Then?" Gray asked in a tone that said he was really interested.
"I was having it as sushi. And that to in an underground restaurant whose clientele included gangsters of all shapes and size." Tsuna continued.
"Wow. Daring weren't we?" Lucy and Gray said together.
"You know what was the best part of the experience?" Tsuna asked as a grin started forming on his face.
"Go on." Lucy and Gray prodded.
"According to the chef, I died for seven minutes." Tsuna said, now with a full bloom smile, which was directed to a wide-eyed Gray and Lucy. "Damn, the perspective one gets when you're at death's door is absolutely unreal!"
"That's a load of crap." Lucy said ultimately deciding to not believe Tsuna.
"A fair assumption." Tsuna admitted. "If I would be in your place, I may have reacted the same. But in apology, the chef cut off his pinky finger and presented it to me in an effort to make penance."
"Bullshit." Gray said this time.
"Oh, it's the absolute truth." Tsuna replied before he went back to his salmon. "It's up to you whether to believe me or not." With that, the trio started eating again. Though the mental image of a cut-off pinky figure messed with Gray and Lucy's appetite.
As they ate, the Lacrima-Vision set in the restaurant was suddenly interrupted by a special broadcast. Tsuna, who had just finished his food and was wiping his face with a tissue, saw the broadcast interruption. "Hey buddy." Tsuna called to the waiter below the LV, "You mind turning up the volume?"
"Yeah sure." The waiter replied. Now everyone in the restaurant was looking at the Lacrima-Vision. The broadcast was of the Fiore News Network, the sole national news channel run by the Royal Information & Broadcasting Ministry. "Welcome to FNN, this is Catherine Taylor. We have a breaking story emerging from the small fishing village of Paleto Bay, Blaine County in the state of San Andreas in the Osean Federation."
"Osea?" Lucy asked in surprise. "Aren't they Fiore's allies?"
"Yep." Tsuna replied. "Though I do wonder what the hell went down in a small town like Paleto Bay?" His answer was answered almost immediately.
"The sleepy town of Paleto Bay woke up to a violent bank robbery. Blaine County Savings Bank in quiet Paleto Bay was robbed by three men who escaped in suits made of body armor. The bank robbers engaged in a rolling gun battle with police through the quiet town's main street and it is believed that a fourth accomplice aided their escape. This is the second time Paleto Bay has been in the news of late; this comes after recent allegations of corruption in its police force where it's alleged that they extort the local methamphetamine farms in exchange to look the other way." The anchor, Catherine Taylor said on screen. The screen changed to show the extent of damage in the town, and everyone could not hide their surprise. Paleto Bay looked like a warzone. "We now talk to our partner reporter on the ground, Charlie Riddle from the Senora Beacon. What's the situation, Charlie?"
"Thank you, Catherine." The reporter said. "Folks, if you don't own a gun, go out and buy one. If you already own some guns, go out and buy some more. If your criminal record, age, or bill of mental health prevents you from purchasing a gun at a gun store, go to a fair or become an antique gun collector. Three criminals went into the Blaine County Savings Bank in Paleto Bay earlier today and came out covered from head to toe in body armor with the contents of several safety deposit boxes in bags on their backs. It is being said that almost half of Paleto Bay's police force and even a large number of soldiers of the Osean Army have been slaughtered. Paleto Bay has some of the highest gun ownership per capita in the country, but there's no one wishing that number wasn't even higher today."
"Holy shit!" Gray exclaimed. "Half of the cops?! And a bunch of soldiers to boot?!"
"Yeah. Talk about a shitstorm." Another patron of the restaurant said while agreeing with Gray. "Won't surprise me if almost all their agencies get involved in this."
"Hang on though." Lucy interrupted. "Wasn't this supposed to be a bank in the sticks?"
"Indeed." Tsuna agreed as the report was over and the program it interrupted came back on. "Makes someone wonder what the hell was in the bank to have the bloody army called in."
"What do you think?" Gray asked.
"Who knows?" Tsuna shrugged. "My guess is that the military was called in because of the short distance between Paleto Bay and Fort Zancudo. Other than that, dunno. Anyway, let's go. Our meeting with the head of the naval task force is due soon."
Same time at Paleto Bay, Blaine County, San Andreas, Osean Federation.
A black Osean Muscle car pulled up near the Blaine County Savings Banks. The vicinity was crawling with local and state police along with federal agents from almost every federal law enforcement agency of the Osean Federation. A tall young man with a slim build, dark eyes and short blond hair stepped out of the car. A few of his bangs were brushed to his right and a single earring was worn on his left ear. His outfit consisted of a long-sleeved, high collared white jacket with black designs on the upper torso and shoulders and sleeves that ended at the elbows. Underneath was a long-sleeved, dark-colored turtleneck with white zigzag designs on the bottoms and white lines on the collar's sides. He also sported a pair of light-colored trousers held by two belts, a holster on his right leg, and lastly, black shoes.
"Special Agent Weisz Steiner, FIB." The young man said as he flashed his badge. The local cop immediately let him in without hesitation. The agent, Weisz, walked towards a fellow agent not bothering to even look at the destruction of life and property around him. "Hello, Donald. How's evidence collecting going?"
"You're here, finally." The agent, Donald said. "You were right. This has Haines' fingerprint all over it. Well not him directly, but whoever he has hired or blackmailed into for doing his dirty work."
"Yeah well, it's not worth squat if I have nothing to nail the little weasel down with." Agent Steiner said with a long-suffering sigh.
"We will, soon." Agent Donald assured. "Haines' little conspiracy theory of the Osean Intelligence Agency looking to boost funding through conducting terrorism on Osean soil will go bust soon. When it does, we'll be there to nail the little bastard. Did you manage to get clearance for going through Dave Norton's files?"
"No." Agent Steiner replied. "It's marked SCI-7."
"What the hell is SCI-7?" Agent Donald asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You're asking me?" Agent Steiner asked back with a mirthless smirk. "I had the same reaction when I read it. Someone is protecting Haines and his little posse. I want to find out why."
"Well, we can bounce theories off each other while we collect evidence. Come on, help me." Agent Donald said as he offered Agent Steiener an evidence collection bag.
"Sure, I'll help ya." Agent Weisz Steiner said as he wore his gloves and then took the evidence collection bag.
Back in Fiore. Near Galuna Island. Two hours later.
Luckily for the Fairy Tail mages, the naval task force commander was all the more happy to assist them. Apparently from what Tsuna could gather, being put in this task force was more akin to a punishment posting if you pissed off the wrong people in the Navy or the Marines. The commander provided them with a speed boat along with a driver and they were on their way.
"So, what was up with the fact that the commander said that we'll have no backup?!" Gray shouted loudly over the loud boat.
"Exactly what it means!" Tsuna shouted back.
"Why?!" Lucy shouted this time.
"Apparently more than a few months ago, a few agents of the Royal Central Bureau of Investigation were sent in to investigate the island. No one came out." The driver of the boat said. The Fairy Tail trio looked back at the driver. "That along with eerie lights and sounds emanating from the island, it has all the locals spooked."
"I'm guessing you're one of them then." Tsuna said. "Apologies for the awkward position we've put you in."
"Please tell me, are you mages sent in to lift the curse?" The boat driver asked.
"Kinda. Why?" Gray replied.
After a few bouts of silence, the boat driver started. "My name is Bobo. I am from the island."
"Your point?" Tsuna asked in complete seriousness. "Before that, if you're from the island, you may know what kind of curse is on the island, right?"
"I do." Bobo replied.
"Then what kind of curse is it?" Lucy asked.
"If you go to that island, misfortune will befall you!" Bobo warned in complete seriousness. "Just like what happened to those agents. So I ask again. Can you guys really get rid of this curse?"
"Yeah. We will." Tsuna replied, his amber eyes glowing as if it showed it's owner's will.
As if taking the look in Tsuna's eyes as a challenge, Bobo uncovered his left hand, to show a black skeletal and demonic hand. "This demonic curse?"
While the look in Gray and Lucy's eyes ranged between shock and a healthy dose of fear, Tsuna's expression did not change at all. "Did I fucking stutter? We're here to get rid of your curse. I don't care whether it's heavenly or demonic. A curse is a curse. If the government doesn't have the balls to do it, we will."
"I see. Look, there it is." Bobo said as he pointed the trio towards the island in the distance. The three of them looked at the direction where he was pointing to, and indeed, even during the early afternoon, the island looked eerie from a distance.
"Alright pops, drive us closer to the island. We'll hop off just before land." Tsuna ordered. However, the boat that had stopped when Bobo started talking did not move. "Pops?" Tsuna asked as he looked back, thinking the man was extremely spooked. Lucy and Gray did so as well. Except, Bobo was not there. Gray and Lucy looked at either side of the water, to make sure he had not fallen overboard while Tsuna looked up in the sky. Bobo was nowhere. Tsuna closed his eyes and stretched his detection senses to its limit, but once again he came up empty. "Hm." Tsuna said with a tilt to his head. "Now where could he have gone?"
"YOU'RE TAKING THIS REALLY EASILY!" Lucy shrieked in fear. "SERIOUSLY, WHERE DID THE OLD MAN GO?!"
"Who knows Lucy." Tsuna replied in a completely relaxed. "Because right now we have a bigger problem on our hands."
"What?" Lucy asked.
"Behind you." Tsuna pointed out. Lucy looked behind her to see a massive wave of at least 25 feet quickly approaching the boat and sucking it in.
"WE'RE GETTING SUCKED IN!" Gray yelled in panic.
"FREEZE IT GRAY! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Lucy yelled in fear.
"THIS IS TOO BIG FOR ME TO FREEZE AT SUCH A SHORT TIME!" Gray replied.
"DAMN, I KNEW WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THAT MARINE CHOPPER!" Tsuna yelled as well.
"WAIT, THERE WAS A—" Lucy started to ask but was drowned out once the wave crashed into them.
A few hours later, late evening at Galuna Island.
"Gao…" Tsuna heard as he slowly drifted in and out of consciousness. "Gao." Tsuna heard again. This time it was accompanied by something wet hitting his face. With a start, Tsuna got up and quickly looked around him to confirm there was no threat. He relaxed once he was convinced there was nothing threatening around him. He looked down to see Nuts looking at him with his usual look. "Let me guess, you snuck into the boat with us, didn't you?"
"Gao~" Nuts replied as he jumped on Tsuna and rapidly started licking his face.
"Hehe. Thanks, little buddy. It's good to have you onboard." Tsuna said as he started looking around him again. The boat was surrounding him in splinters. Gray was laying face-first in the sand, and Lucy was also in a similar position. "Nuts. Go wake Gray. Bite his ass if you have to. I'll get Lucy." Tsuna ordered.
"Gao." Nuts replied as he dashed towards Gray.
"Lucy." Tsuna said as he turned the celestial mage around. "Lucy wake up. Talk to me." Tsuna said again as he lightly slapped her cheeks. Following no response, Tsuna started doing chest compressions, and much to his relief, Lucy woke up and started coughing up a storm, as she coughed out the salty seawater and sand.
"Breathe, Lucy." Tsuna said as she started to calm down. Tsuna summoned a canteen containing mineral water from his requip space and gave it to Lucy, who eagerly drank it.
"What about you?" Lucy asked as she finally let the canteen go.
"May I?" Tsuna asked as he extended his hand to take his canteen back. Once he got it back, he quickly drank a few gulps of water from it. Just like Lucy, his mouth was on the rim, much to Lucy's embarrassment.
"Hey lovebirds. We're here on a job, not a honeymoon." Gray's voice sounded. Lucy (still with a red face) and Tsuna (who just realised what he did, which saw his cheeks dusted pink) looked back to see Gray holding his left arm out, along with Nuts hanging off the arm while holding it with his teeth. "Tsuna tell your cat the mass on my body ain't even worth breakfast."
"Nuts." Tsuna called. Nuts immediately left Gray's arm and bounded towards Tsuna, where he quickly settled on his shoulder.
"Guess we have washed ashore, huh?" Lucy asked.
"Yes Lucy. We were." Tsuna replied as he went through the wreckage of the boat, hoping to find anything worth using. He was pleased to find a flare gun, however, he continued looking.
"So what was up with all of that anyway?" Lucy asked as she adopted a thinking pose. "The arm, the domestic curse and old man disappearing?"
"There's a village on the island." Tsuna said as he got up, not finding anything else of value except the flare gun. "The Chief of that village is our client. We'll start from there." Tsuna said as he took off his coat and tied it to his waist, giving the other two the full view of the double shoulder holsters strapped on him that was holding his pistols. Similarly, Tsuna banished the flare gun into his requip space and started to walk into the forest, using his hyper intuition to guide him to the village.
"Hey Tsuna." Gray called out.
"Yes?" Tsuna asked as he turned around.
"How's Natsu doing right now? Is he safe? Is he alright?" Gray asked. Lucy nodded in agreement as well.
"Well…" Tsuna started.
At the same time with Natsu and Happy.
Natsu was not having a good time. Not even by a longshot. First, he endured a painful 12 hours journey by train to Durnatel, the worst part was that he had to change trains three times, and because of his motion sickness, he would every time not be able to get out of the train in time, which only worsened the experience. In Durnatel, he met the client, a businessman in the city with assets tied to the Port. Somehow, he and Happy managed to fool the guy into thinking that they were legitimate S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail. The client gave him and Happy a long-winded sob story of how he and his friends had been searching for a certain treasure for almost their entire lives, however, all of them soon died one by one due to different illnesses and he was the only one left and wished to solve the riddle in the memory of his friends. Soon, on the man's behest, he and Happy were heading to the town of Rachelle, a journey of another eight hours with two stops in between. Two days in and Happy asked Natsu whether they should abandon the job.
"No way, Happy." Natsu refused resolutely. "If we have stolen the S-Class Job, we have to see it to the end. Or else we'll be laughing stocks in the guild."
"…" Happy looked at Natsu with wide eyes before exclaiming. "OH MY FISH! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH NATSU?!"
"HEY!" Natsu bit back. "NOW THAT'S JUST RUDE!"
With that, the (fake) S-Class Adventure of Natsu and Happy continued.
Back with Gray, Lucy, Nuts, and Tsuna at Galuna Island.
"Goodness, are you sure you qualify as a human being?" Gray asked after Tsuna explained in detail what kind of wild goose chase he sent Natsu on. The three mages were in the forest of Galuna Island, making their way to the village with Tsuna's compass as a guide. "Because honestly, I'm pretty sure at some point the devil himself will come up from his seat down under to tell you that he's a fan. By the way, is it your plan to make Natsu suffer the entire time we're here, or will someone rescue him eventually?"
"Oh, that happened ages ago Gray." Tsuna replied. "One fine day, the devil herself comes up and says, 'Just thought I'll say, I'm a huge fan.' I've never felt prouder in my entire life. To answer your second question, I know the fact that Erza will be finishing her job in a few days. I've already requested the Maser to call Erza ahead and tell her to pick up Natsu and Happy once she's done. One of my informants will tell her where they are. If nothing else, at least Erza can laugh at Natsu's expense."
"One half of me is feeling extremely guilty with what I put Natsu through." Lucy said. "But the other half of me is pretty glad that I'm not going through that torture."
"Ooh hypocrisy, Lucy. Civilization's greatest virtue." Tsuna said as if he were a sage.
"Gao." Nuts agreed.
"I'm a hundred percent sure that's not hypocrisy." Lucy said.
"Haha. Well, it is something." Tsuna said. Before he slammed headfirst into thick wood.
"Hahahahahaha!" Gray and Lucy started laughing together at what happened, once Tsuna collected himself, even he started laughing. After that, however, Tsuna looked at what he exactly did he slammed into. To his surprise, it was a large gate that had the words, 'KEEP OUT!', written in bold letters just above eye level.
"Hey. Looks like we're at our destination." Tsuna said. "Cool."
"What kind of village is this?" Gray asked in annoyance.
"Excuse us! Could you please open the gate?" Lucy called out loudly.
"Who goes there?!" A voice asked from up the wall.
"We're from the mage guild Fairy Tail. We're here for the request you sent us." Lucy replied.
"We have not heard of Fairy Tail accepting our request." The voice said back.
"We did." Tsuna said this time. "My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada, and I'm the S-Class Mage in charge of this request. These two are helping me with the job. Open the gate, and I'll show you the required proof."
"No. First, show me your guild marks." The voice, the guard, ordered.
Without a word, everyone showed their guild marks to confirm who they were. Tsuna even flashed his guild identification card as further proof.
"Very well. But first, strip the girl." The guard ordered.
"NOW WAIT A SECOND! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!" Lucy exclaimed in outrage as she quickly crossed her arms in front of her body before Tsuna stopped her.
"Sure." Tsuna replied before adopting a threatening tone. "And I'll scale your wall and crush your skull. How does that sound?"
"M-My apologies, Fairy Tail mages." Another guard replied. "My friend got carried away. He only meant that as a joke. We'll open the gates right away!"
"He better have meant that as a joke." Tsuna muttered in annoyance before turning to Lucy. "Sorry about that. This was considerably tame compared to the stuff mages have to go through sometime." With that, the Fairy Tail mages and lion cub stepped inside the village.
The village itself was quite small. The houses and other buildings were made of wood and had thatched roofs. All in all, it looked like quite a small community. Soon, the village chief, Moka, along with the villagers came to greet the mages. The first thing the trio noticed, was the fact that everyone was covered head to toe with cloaks, not unlike the ones available in the Sultanate of Desertio. "Mages, I thank you for coming here. Hoga Hoga." The village chief said.
"Don't mention it." Tsuna replied as he thought. 'What is Hoga Hoga? Is it a form of a greeting?'
"Please forgive the suddenness, but take a look at this." The village chief said, before addressing the villagers. "Everyone, take off your cloaks!"
With that, everyone took off their cloaks. Sure enough, everyone's body parts had a grotesque, demonic form. However, Tsuna was interested in something else. "I have to say, not even the manliest of men could even dream of having such awesome sideburns like yourself, Chief Moka." Tsuna praised.
"Oh thank you very much, young man. But actually, I wanted you to see my hand." The chief said as he showed his thick black hand.
"Hmm." Tsuna said as he screwed his face in concentration as he stepped forward towards the chief. Gray and Lucy were too nervous to be of any help right now. "May I examine your hand, chief?" Tsuna asked.
"No!" The chief replied. "This affliction, I would not want to pass it on you!"
"According to the people of Hargeon, something will happen to me anyway." Tsuna said with a reassuring smile. "Plus, I know the risk I'm taking by accepting this job. If anything happens to me, I can assure you neither myself nor my guild will hold you responsible for it."
"But—" The chief started, however, Tsuna simply gave him a look that still had his smile in place. Reluctantly, the chief allowed Tsuna to examine his hand.
When Tsuna took the chief's hand, the first thing he noticed was the weight. It was quite heavy. 'Well the' looks quite explains the weight.' The next thing he noticed was its texture. 'Quite… bony. What kind of phenomenon does this?'
"Thank you." Tsuna said as he gently let the chief's hand go.
"Every creature on this island has been affected by this curse." The chief said. "Even the dogs and birds."
"Not like I'm skeptical or anything, but why do you think it's a curse? It could be a disease, you know." Gray said.
"I've shown this to many doctors on the mainland. But all of them have said that there's no such disease." The chief replied.
"Not even a nuclear fallout will make this happen Gray." Tsuna added. "Not even the most potent chemical or biological weapon."
"Indeed." The chief agreed. "We are convinced that the moon's 'magical power' has something to do with how we look."
"The moon's power?" Lucy asked.
"Quite so." The chief said. "Ever since ancient times, this island has accumulated moonlight. But suddenly, a few years ago, the moonlight suddenly started to turn purple.
"Purple?" Tsuna asked.
"Never heard of that." Lucy said.
"Yes. People from the mainland all say that. However, all of us are witnesses to the very same, and after the moon turned purple, our bodies started to change." The chief said.
As the chief spoke, Tsuna looked up to the sky. He knew today was a full moon, and lo and behold, there it was a purple moon. "Guys, look at the sky." Tsuna said as he pointed to the sky.
"My God. It's truly purple." Lucy said with wide eyes, as her hands covered her mouth.
"That's a pretty creepy moon." Gray added.
"This is the curse of the moon's magical power." The chief said as he started sweating before giving out an animalistic roar. The same thing happened to the other villagers. Within minutes, the almost humans with only one demonic limb into terrifying-to-look-at demons. Along with Gray and Lucy, even Tsuna could not believe his eyes with what he was looking at.
"We apologize for scaring you. But as you see, when the purple moon comes out, our bodies change into these ugly demons." The now demon chief said. "But pray do tell if this is not a curse, then what else could we call it?"
When the chief said that, Tsuna's sharp hearing picked up many suppressed sobbings, however, one of them stood out. Tsuna immediately started walking towards it, and soon found the source to be a small child who was being consoled by another demon. Now, a guy like Tsuna had seen many awful things in both of his lives, by his own admission to a priest near the end of his previous life, he had confessed that he had done awful things to people who hurt him as well, and yet he was very unapologetic about it. But when Tsuna saw innocent children, in this case not only the children but perhaps the entire village, suffering through no fault of their own, something inside Tsuna just wanted to rage at the unfairness that existed in the world.
The chief continued, "Once it becomes morning, everyone would return to their original forms, but recently, some people who didn't change back, lost their souls. Therefore, those who lost their souls and became real demons were put to death."
"What?! Even if there was a chance, they might return?!" Lucy asked in shock.
"If we'd let them live, others might have been killed. Even if we locked them up, they would break out and escape." The chief replied as he took out a polaroid photo from his pocket. As he showed them the photo, the three Fairy Tail mages were shocked at who it was. The boat driver, Bobo. "Be-Because of this curse, I-I had to k-k-kill my own son as well. All because he lost his soul!"
"But he was—" Lucy started before Gray shut her up by putting his finger before her mouth.
"Quiet!" Gray whispered. "I guess we now know why he just vanished, and even a master tracker like Tsuna could not find him. I think, he came back from the other side, just for the sole reason to make us help him rest in peace!"
"But what about the marines and sailors that saw us off?!" Lucy whispered back. On that, Gray did not have an answer.
'Lucy's right.' Tsuna thought. 'I'm one hundred percent sure if I took that photo back and show it to that commander, he'll recognize him straight away… Something's not right over here.'
"Please! I beg you mages of Fairy Tail!" The chief said as he got on his hands and knees and bowed in front of them. "Please save our island! If this madness continues, all of us will soon lose our souls!"
"Please, get up chief." Tsuna said as he knelt next to the man. "It won't do for a man of your stature to grovel in front of us like this. Just tell us what do we do."
"There is only one way to get rid off this curse." The chief said as he finally lifted his head and looked them in the eye to demonstrate his seriousness. "Please destroy the moon."
"Hm. Sounds manageable." Tsuna said with an accepting nod, much to the shock of Lucy and Gray.
Later on at nighttime, inside a hut provided by the villagers.
"So, sounds manageable?!" Gray and Lucy asked in unison.
"Yeah." Tsuna replied with a straight face.
"Please tell me you're joking." Lucy asked with a dramatic sigh.
"Right now, does my face look like a joking one?" Tsuna asked back.
"But come on Tsuna, there's no way we could destroy the moon." Gray said. "God knows how many crimes we would be committing over there."
"Job's a job." Tsuna said. "This is what being S-Class is all about. Even if we think it's the most outrageous request, you gotta do it. If you don't like it, take a hike. But with that, you'll be shaming your guild."
"Okay genius. How will we get to the moon?" Gray asked.
"Hang on a second." Lucy interrupted. "'Destroy the moon' is a solution from the perspective of the victim. There has to be another way to break the spell."
"Now you're thinking correctly." Tsuna praised. "First, we'll have to investigate the island. We may be able to find something there. However, let me warn you. Remember, we are dealing with a grieving village. We may be able to convince one or two of the villagers, that the moon is not at fault here but definitely not the entire village."
"What does that mean?" Lucy asked.
"You saw the chief. Something tells me Bobo was his pride and joy, and he had to have killed a part of himself as well when he killed his own son. He would not be convinced easily." Tsuna explained.
"That means that in the end, we'll still have to destroy the moon?" Gray asked.
"Yes and no." Tsuna replied.
"Eh?" Gray and Lucy said together.
"Purple moon?" Tsuna asked before continuing. "Even though we live in a world of magic, this is the only place in Earthland where I've seen a purple moon. I do have a few theories on how this happened. But again, that'll depend on what we find when we explore the island. For now, we'll hit the sack so we can get up early tomorrow." Tsuna said as he lay down on his bed
"Alright, we'll think about it tomorrow." Gray said as he lay on his bed.
"Agreed, I'm sleepy too. Night." Lucy said as she lay down on her bed.
The three of them were sleeping in the same room, with Lucy in the middle. She realized the same when she suddenly got up and yelled, "NOW HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO SLEEP BETWEEN TWO SWEATY GUYS?! BETTER YET, WHY AM I IN THE SAME ROOM TO BEGIN WITH?!"
"Good God, you're a noisy roommate." Tsuna groaned sleepily. "I'm pretty sure Gray's gay or something, and I don't seduce women during a job unless they are the job."
"Oh and I'm supposed to feel spectacular with that admission, am I?!" Lucy yelled in defiance.
"You take what you get. Chill out and go to sleep, no one will try copping a feel or anything. Plus, I'm too tired to bother." Tsuna groaned again before starting to lightly snore.
"I don't trust you." Lucy said as she pulled her bed away from Tsuna and Gray and marched to the other end of the room. Soo, she was asleep as well.
The next morning.
When Lucy woke up the next morning and looked out the window, the sun was just about to rise. She looked at the beds of her companions and noticed that Tsuna and Nuts were not there. Worried, she looked everywhere in the small hut for them, but could not find them. Just as the worry was turning to fear, and she thought of waking up Gray, she heard the backdoor of the hut open. Quickly, Lucy hid behind a wall and willed her quickly beating heart to calm down. Her fears were immediately put to rest when she heard a voice. "Phew. That was an amazing bath, wasn't it Nuts?"
"Gao." Nuts replied as well.
Slowly, Lucy looked around the corner when she saw Tsuna's brown hair. Instead of it being spiked up usually, it was dripping wet. Whatever she was about to say when she was about to call out to Tsuna died in her throat when Tsuna turned around. Except for a towel that was tied on his waist, Tsuna was completely naked. Not only that, but the water on his torso only served to highlight his slightly toned skin, muscular arms, and an extremely chiseled chest and eight pack abs. Suddenly Lucy was reminded of her days in the dorm of her boarding school she used to go to, and how her roommates used to swoon at the pictures of the young men every time they managed to smuggle in the female issues of Playwitch. She could now see where they were coming from.
Meanwhile, Tsuna who was drinking a small chocolate milkshake carton, saw Lucy gaping at him. He looked down and saw his attire, and quickly made the connection.
"Take a picture." Tsuna said as he walked to get his clothes. "It'll last longer."
"Wh-What?!" Lucy asked as she snapped herself out of her daze.
"You're literally staring at my body and drooling. Take a picture, I won't mind." Tsuna replied.
"I was not drooling!" Lucy replied hotly with a flush on her face.
"Sure sure. Whatever you say." Tsuna said as he turned back.
"Can I ask you something though." Lucy called back.
"What's up?" Tsuna asked as he turned around. When Lucy didn't say anything, Tsuna said, "My eyes are up here."
"I was not— Nevermind! What's up with the scars? Shouldn't you be like, spotless, or something, since you're a Phoenix Slayer and all?"
"A good question." Tsuna acknowledged. "But when I became S-Class, I realized something."
"What's that?" Lucy asked.
"The world is a big place. If you think you're a big fish, always remember, there's always a bigger fish than you." Tsuna replied. "There was a guy I knew once. He thought he was big enough and bad enough that he didn't have to play by the rules. In a way, you could say he was."
"What happened to him?" Lucy asked again curiously.
"Well, he was without a doubt the biggest fish. So to counter that, a bunch of smaller fish came together and hatched a conspiracy. Members of that conspiracy included his own… school of fishes." Tsuna said ominously.
"What then?" Lucy asked as gulped.
"They hit him. At one point in his life where he let his guard down. Invited all the little fishes into his house, and they struck when the iron was hot." Tsuna replied. "His wedding."
"N-No way." Lucy said in horror as the realization dawned on her. "What happened to that guy?"
"Some say he died over there, along with the woman of his life he just exchanged vows with. Some say he survived, but too injured and with shattered pride lived away in isolation to only relive the glory days." Tsuna replied.
"What do you think?" Lucy asked again.
"I think it was all of that, but with a few more mixes into it." Tsuna replied. "In a way, you can say he died over there. Not physically, mind you, but a part of him died alongside the woman he loved. He definitely retreated, heavily injured, and with a shattered pride that was only overshadowed with his profound grief. But there was something else. He stayed away, biding his time, licking his wounds, waiting, watching, planning, stalking his prey until all those who conspired against him finally lowered their own guard and greedily helped themselves to fill the vacuum he left. Going so far as to kill each other for it. And when the time was right, he pounced!" Tsuna finished with a savage grin on his face.
Lucy had a look of absolute fear in her eyes. Not so much because of the story Tsuna was telling her, but mainly the look that the had in his eyes as he recounted the story. It looked… plain evil. For a second, she had a feeling as if Tsuna was recounting his own experience. 'But that can't be possible. He's only twenty!' Lucy reminded herself. She didn't know why, but she was not sure she convinced herself. "S-So what did he do? That guy you knew?"
"Calmly, systematically, and over a long period of time, he single-handedly dismantled their organizations. Just like a ghost. The hilarious part was, that they just didn't see him coming. And when they did… Oh, that was fun." Tsuna finished with an evil smirk. When he saw Lucy, Tsuna smirked once more, before bursting into a fit of laughter.
"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh my God! You have to look at your face!" Tsuna said as he started howling with laughter. "I can't believe a silly story I cooked up on the spot could make you this scared! Hahahahahahahaha!"
"Wait! You mean it was all a joke?!" Lucy asked in shock.
"Of course it was!" Tsuna replied as he was still wheezing and still laughing in short bursts. "This entire tale was something I cooked up on the spot! Your face was spectacular. The absolute fear in your eyes! I knew that I was good at telling scary stories, but damn, I didn't know I was this good!"
In his laughter, however, Tsuna did not notice that Lucy's bangs were shadowing her eyes and that she was trembling in rage. By the time he did, it was too late, and Gray along with half the village woke up with a start when they heard a loud smack.
"What's going on?!" Gray called as he immediately ran to the source. The first thing he saw was Nuts cowering in a corner with absolute fear in his eyes. The next thing he saw was an enraged Lucy standing over Tsuna who was wearing a loose T-shirt along with a pair of boxer briefs. The more important part though was that the Tsuna he knew, the guy who would not even hesitate in front of an army, was cowering in fear as well while he kneeled on the floor along with a stinging red handprint on his face.
"Lucy, what happened?" Gray asked with wide eyes at the scene in front of him. Nuts immediately ran towards the ice mage and hid behind his legs.
"Be quiet for a second." Lucy ordered as she set a fierce glare towards Gray.
"S-Sure thing." Gray said. This was the first time he was intimidated like this since Erza.
"So, tell me what have we learned this fine morning?" Lucy growled out.
"I-I'm sorry for going too f-far?" Tsuna said as he tried but failed to look Lucy in the eye.
"And?" Lucy grounded out.
"I promise not to play such pranks again." Tsuna added. This time he managed to see Lucy in the eye, but inadvertently, the feeling of guilt in his eyes made him look like a kicked puppy, and suddenly, Lucy felt that she had gone too far.
"A-As long as you understand!" Lucy said with a huff before she turned to walk away.
"Dude, what did you do?" Gray asked again, deeming it safe to open his mouth again.
"J-Just pulled a prank that apparently was in poor taste." Tsuna replied.
Sometime later, at the front gate of the village.
"Hey! Do you mind opening the gate?!" Tsuna called put to the guards.
"Why so?" They asked back. "Don't you have to destroy the moon?"
"Well, we surely won't be destroying the moon during the day now, would we?" Tsuna retorted. "We want to check out the island before we destroy the moon. Can you open your gate?"
"Sure thing!" The guard said as he motioned for the gate to be opened. "But be careful in there."
"Don't worry, we will." Tsuna assured the guard as they left the village.
Once they were very well clear from the village, Gray started. "Look, even if we could destroy the moon, we definitely won't. Why? Cuz then we wouldn't be able to enjoy the moon."
"Tch. Gotta agree there." Tsuna conceded. "There is a special enjoyment of having special meals during the moon-viewing festival. Of course, I'm pretty sure we'll be committing some kind of international crime by destroying the moon."
"Honestly guys, how about you tone down your voices… She says." Said Lucy's celestial spirit Horologium, the Clock, inside whom Lucy was hiding.
"You know, I don't know what is it, but I feel really ticked off when I see bullshit like this." Tsuna said with a barely visible tic mark on his head.
"Are you sure Celestial Spirits are supposed to be used like that?" Gray asked with a sweatdrop.
"B-But come on! Our opponent is a curse this time! Anything that I cannot sense and is hostile towards me is creepy." Lucy said. "She says." Horologium added.
Just as they continued walking, the sound of heavy rustling immediately put Tsuna and Gray on high alert. As they looked around, they heard a loud "CHUU!" and the entire team looked towards the source. Now, after everything Tsuna had seen in Earthland, he was pretty sure that a giant rat wearing a massive camisole definitely topped the list. "What the fuck is that?" Tsuna asked before continuing. "No matter. Nuts, your breakfast has shown up! You'd be stupid to let it go, right?"
"Gao!" Nuts roared, before jumping off Tsuna's shoulder, and then transforming into a massive adult lion, almost 70% the height of Horologium, and more than three meters long, sporting a now fully developed flaming mane and similarly flaming bushy tail. The only thing not natural about Nuts was the visor on his head. "ROAR!" Nuts roared loudly and angrily as he asserted his dominance before glaring at the giant rat, daring it to pick a fight.
"SCARY! She screams, terrified." Horologium said.
"It's just a giant rat." Tsuna said as he stood next to his partner, getting ready to fight.
"NOT THE RAT! YOUR CAT! She exclaims, hysterically." Horlogium replied.
"Oh. Thanks." Tsuna said, as his fists caught on fire.
"That was not a compliment! She yells in anger." Horlogium corrected.
"Get out of the way then, I say." Tsuna replied before addressing Nuts. "Ya ready partner?"
"Grr…" Was Nuts replied.
"Perfect." Tsuna said with a savage grin. However, the rat decided to strike first, by taking in a deep breath.
"Dodge!" Tsuna ordered, and Nuts and Tsuna immediately disappeared. Leaving poor Gray to take the full extent of a toxic gas breath attack. From behind, Tsuna attacked.
Fire Phoenix Talons!
Just like its name said, five rows of flames had emanated from Tsuna's hand that was formed like a claw and engulfed the rat in said flames. This attack was quickly followed by a
Fire Phoenix Shriek!
The giant rat roared in pain as the flames singed its fur and gave it awful third-degree burns. However, this time it was Nuts who went for the attack. With a feral roar, Nuts climbed to the rat's face and tore out an ear with a savage bite. Following that, he also clawed out an eye and it's nose, thus making it half-blind and losing its ability to smell. Nuts dropped on the ground, making himself ready to take another shot at the upstart rat who would dare threaten his partner. However, Tsuna's hand gently landing on his back made him stop, and look to his partner expectantly.
"That's enough Nuts. I think it got your message." Tsuna said with a smile.
"ROAR!" Nuts roared one more time towards the giant rat, who now had a look of pure fear when its lone eye landed on Nuts' form. It was clear that the rat got whatever threat Nuts was trying to convey, as its giant form scampered away in fear.
"Good boy!" Tsuna praised as he rubbed Nuts' back and mane before hugging him.
"I-Is it over?" Lucy asked as she peeked from behind a tree.
"Wait a second?! You were there?!" Tsuna asked in surprise at seeing Lucy but without Horologium. "What happened to the clock dude?!"
"Horologium left saying that dealing with toxic gas is not part of its contract." Lucy said with a sigh.
"Fair enough." Tsuna agreed.
"So the rat…" Lucy started.
"Won't be a problem for us no more." Tsuna said with a wink and thumbs up before pointing to the small pool of blood and severed ear. "Nuts made sure to convey our message loud and clear."
"Oh dear…" Lucy said, with her face turning green at the gory scene, before looking at Nuts, who was still in his adult form. The moment Nuts turned to look at her, Lucy instinctively took a step back.
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you." Tsuna assured, as he grasped Lucy's arm and made contact with Nuts' fur. "In his cub form, he's this extremely cute little guy who shows around his emotions. This is like his, battle form, you could say. When he's like this he looks all serious and as if he's about to bite someone's head off. But when not fighting, he's still a cute, but massive, ball of fur. Ain't you Nuts?"
"Grr…" Nuts said in agreement before he nuzzled Lucy's palm.
"See. He likes you. So unless you don't become my enemy, he will always treat you with love and care." Tsuna said with a small smile. He was interrupted by a coughing and hacking Gray.
"Oh God! Where'd that giant rat get off to?!" Gray asked as he wildly spun around.
"It's gone." Tsuna replied.
"Oh okay." Gray said before coughing again. "That was absolutely disgusting. Anyway, which do we go now, Tsuna?"
"If anything, that rat proved something." Tsuna said.
"What's that?" Gray and Lucy asked together.
"We're not the only ones on this island." Tsuna replied.
"Shit." Gray said as realization dawned on him. "What's the play then?"
"For now, we follow the rat. If I know anything, that rat was definitely not a species native to this island." Tsuna said.
"Someone got it here then?" Lucy asked. Tsuna nodded.
"We'll track the general area. Both me and Nuts got a good lock on its blood and burnt flesh and fur. That'll be more than enough. Let's see where that giant pest leads us to." Tsuna said.
"Sure thing." Gray and Lucy agreed, and the three mages, plus one lion started going the same way the rat ran.
A few hours later, midday, at an abandoned temple.
After walking for a few hours, the fairy tail mages reached upon a series of old ruins that definitely looked like that of a temple. Despite Gray and Lucy insisting to head inside, Tsuna was cautious and decided to stake out the entrance. After a few hours of no activity, everyone started moving towards the temple stealthily, amongst the bushes. Tsuna didn't know why, but his intuition was warning to keep his guard up at all times in the vicinity of the temple. Once they reached the entrance, Tsuna went first, but not before summoning his battle rifle. He was followed by Gray, and then finally Lucy. Nuts had returned to his cub form and was sitting on Lucy's shoulder to watch out for any threats from behind.
"Wow. Such a beautiful place." Lucy quietly marveled.
"Looks shabby to me." Gray said.
"Quiet." Tsuna ordered. As they went deeper inside, they found a small exit with a staircase that looked like it lead to some sort of basement. Tsuna changed the positions by having Lucy be in the middle of himself (still leading) and Gray. Nuts' position remained unchanged. After going through the winding staircase for more than fifteen minutes, the group could finally see something that resembled something like an exit. However, there was a problem, two hooded cloaks stood there as if on guard, but were luckily facing the other side. For Tsuna, it was a no-brainer on how to dispatch them. He quietly stowed away his rifle and summoned a combat knife. Lucy and Gray could only watch with wide eyes, as Tsuna mercilessly slit their throats within a span of a second. The two cloaked individuals were dead, and they didn't even know it.
"Go." Tsuna ordered without even caring that he just casually took two lives. "I have to dispose of the bodies."
However, Gray and Lucy could only watch with wide eyes at the two bodies.
"Go!" Tsuna whisper-yelled at them. That seemed to snap them out of their daze. "That rock over there. Go behind it. I'll quickly join you."
As Gray and Lucy quietly left, Tsuna summoned his pistol-shaped Magical Casting Assistance Device (M-CAD), pointed it at the two corpses, and quietly pulled the trigger. The two bodies silently combusted, and within ten seconds, not even ashes were left. With his work done, he turned to the direction of Lucy, Gray, and Nuts, and saw the three of them in the open, not even attempting to hide. Tsuna stomped towards them, intent on wacking them on the heads for being stupid until he saw what they were seeing. Like those three, even Tsuna's eyes were wide when he finally processed the sight in front of his eyes.
"Wh-What a humongous monster…" Lucy breathed in shock. True enough, it was a massive monster. Except for one matter, it was encased in ice. The type of ice that wouldn't melt with a bonfire. At least that's what went through Tsuna's mind.
"No! It's impossible… He cannot be here!" Gray mumbled to himself in panic before shouting, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE DELIORA?!"
"Deliora?!" Tsuna asked in shock. "You mean that Deliora?!"
"Gray, calm down." Lucy said as she made Gray take a seat on the rock. She then turned towards Tsuna, "Do you know what is that?"
"As Gray said, the name of this monster is Deliora. According to legend, Deliora is—"
"A devil of misfortune and disaster!" Gray interrupted.
"Exactly." Tsuna said. "As Gray just now said, a devil of misfortune and disaster. It apparently appears at the most random places on the planet, commits untold amounts of destruction to both life and property, before disappearing. The damage it does is so intense, one might even call Deliora a natural disaster that appears to punish humanity for its sins. It's most recent sightings was only ten years ago in the Duchy of Isvan. How the hell did it come to Fiore like that, is absolutely beyond me."
"Yeah." Gray agreed as he still shivered. "And it hasn't even changed a bit. What the hell's going on?"
"Shh." Tsuna called out as his sensitive hearing picked out footsteps approaching. "Someone's coming, we gotta hide." Tsuna whispered and the mages quickly found an elevated vantage point to hide in.
As they hid, two individuals appeared near the place where they were at. The first person was a short, slim young man who was distinguished by his extremely brushy, squared black eyebrows His eyes were black, while his hair was arranged in a number of spikes pointing upwards (with a particularly large one-topping his forehead), and was colored an unusually bright blue. This individual was also sporting a green coat reaching down to his knees, sporting black sections in correspondence to the sleeves' outer part (each of such sections going up to the high collar) and on the sides' lower parts, below the plain dark belt with a rectangular buckle which, together with the two vertically striped, overlapping hems placed on the front (completely superimposed from the waist up, but splitting some inches below it to create a slash), kept the garment closed. The pants were dark and loose (getting more fitting in correspondence to his ankles), while his plain shoes were light-colored.
The second person was a lean-built, mildly muscular young man of average height with distinctive animal features: he had a pair of canine ears sitting on his head, a small dark nose, and a lower face which was colored differently from the rest of his body, bearing resemblance to that of a canine muzzle. He had shoulder-length, straight brown hair and large round eyes with black pupils and dark eyebrows. Both of his biceps were adorned by tattoos. Tsuna recognized the tattoo on the right bicep bearing the kana (hiragana) Sashimi (さしみ), while the other was adorned by a single, more elaborated tattoo. This individual was bare-chested and wore an extremely loose pair of pants with mildly torn hems, held up by a long belt covered in many rhombs, with the left part out from its plain rectangular buckle hanging down. The pair of pants also bore a large, dark shield-shaped logo emblazoned on the right knee, which depicted a stylized skull, bearing ears similar to the individual's, along with a pair of bones crossed below it. The whole symbol was highly reminiscent of a Jolly Roger. Finally, the individual had a red collar covered in hollow studs circling his neck and had donned a pair of simple dark shoes, each adorned by a light, stylized footprint, similar to that of a cat, or maybe a small dog.
"Hey, I know those two clowns." Tsuna whispered to Lucy and Gray.
"You do?" Gray asked as he blinked his eyes in surprise.
"Yeah. They're not much to write home about, but they used to be members of the Lamia Scale Mage Guild. They left a while back, probably eighteen months ago." Tsuna explained. "If I remember correctly, the blueberry top guy is called Yuka Suzuki and the mutant dogman is called Toby Horhorta. Suzuki is an Anti-Mage specialist who uses the Wave anti-magic."
"What about the… mutant dogman?" Lucy asked.
"Him?" Tsuna asked as he looked at Toby. "I don't know, probably there for menial labour or something."
"God, that was rude." Gray said in disbelief.
"Hey, those two clowns should be honored I even recognize them." Tsuna said in protest as he defended himself. The Fairy Tail mages conversation was halted when Yuka began to speak.
"Is it here that you heard the voice?" Yuka asked as he walked around with his hand behind his backs.
"Ooon." Toby replied as he scratched his bare stomach.
"It's daytime. I'm sleepy." Yuka said with a sigh.
"Ooon." Toby grunted in agreement.
"Say, did you get some moon drip on you?" Yuka asked. "You have ears and stuff."
"I DIDN'T!" Toby roared in response. "THESE ARE JUST DECORATIONS AND YOU KNOW THAT!"
'What is this, a comedy sketch?' The Fairy Tail mages thought in their heads.
"Calm down idiot. I'm just teasing you." Yuka said.
"Ooon." Toby replied.
"Moon drip? Does he mean the curse?" Lucy asked.
"No." Tsuna replied. "Moon drip is not the curse. It is for something else, but if anything, I hope I'm wrong."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. However, at that time, another voice was heard. This time it was feminine.
"Yuka, Toby! Oh, I have such awful news! For the life of me, I do not know how will I ever recover from this horrible tragedy!" The voice said. The owner of the voice was a young lady, who had blue eyes, pink hair, large breasts, and a curvaceous body. Her hair was tied in pigtails, her choker tied into a ribbon, a purple and pink short spaghetti dress with light pink trimmings, black leggings, and high-heeled sandals. Her dress appears to have two long and thin wings at the back.
"Who's this clown now?" Gray asked.
"Who knows?" Tsuna replied.
"Sherry." Yuka called, inadvertently answering Gray's question.
"Ooon." Toby waved.
"Oh, this is absolutely awful! You have to hear this. My sweet, poor, angel-like Angelica was brutalized by a beast in the forest." Sherry said as tears started to drip from her eyes.
"IT'S JUST A RAT!" Toby yelled.
"That rat's name was Angelica?!" Gray, Lucy, and Tsuna asked together with incredulous looks. "With that disgusting breath, it should have been called Demonica." Gray added.
"Nice one." Tsuna praised with a smirk. "Gao." Nuts agreed.
"Oh do not be so rude Toby." Sherry admonished. "Angelica is a hunter that gallops in the darkness... And love."
"Something is seriously wrong with that girl." Lucy said as she started to sweat at the new arrival's creepiness.
"They're not from this island, as their smell is different. Nor do they seem to be cursed." Tsuna said. "On a not-so-important note, for a so-called hunter who gallops in the darkness, that weird camisole wearing rat sure scampered away once a real predator showed it's place."
"Grr." Nuts gave a very low growl.
"But if some creature injured Angelica, that could only mean one thing. We have intruders on the island." Yuka concluded.
"Really, what clued you in, Sherlock?" Tsuna asked with sarcasm.
"Moonlight would gather soon." Sherry started. "But how sad could this be? Let's get rid of these pests before his Majesty, the Sub-Zero Emperor hears about this. Yes, before the moon shows herself again tonight."
"I agree." Yuka said.
"Ooon." Toby added.
"Since they may have seen Deliora, we can't let them get back alive. Eternal sleep to the intruders… in other words, Love." Sherry said.
"Death! You idiot! We'll kill them!" Toby shouted as the footsteps of the three faded away.
"Talk about a lovely bunch of people." Tsuna said.
"Say, do you think these guys are responsible for killing those agents of the Royal Central Bureau of Investigation?" Lucy asked with a little fear.
"Next time we run into them, I'll make sure to ask that question." Tsuna replied before turning to Gray. "You okay?"
"No." Gray admitted. "Why did they bring Deliora here? More importantly, how did they even find where he was sealed?"
"Where was he sealed?" Lucy asked.
"An iceberg of the coast of the Duchy of Isvan." Gray replied. "I was there."
"Alright Gray, I think you better tell us the whole story." Tsuna said. "Considering how badly you're affected by seeing Deliora here, that means you two have some history. Talk."
"You're right." Gray accepted. "For me, Deliora is the manifestation of everything I hate. Not only did he take away my parents from me, the one who taught me Ice-Make, my teacher, Ur, sealed him away for eternity, at the risk of her own life!"
"No way!" Lucy exclaimed in shock.
"Ur? You mean Ice Queen Ur?" Tsuna asked in surprise. "A user of Ice-Make Magic from the Duchy of Isvan who served in their army. She was part of the Ishgar task force that fought in the Belkan War twenty years ago and had gained almost legendary status when she served on the frontlines. The terrified Belkan soldiers gave her the monicker of Ice Queen, along with a flee-on-sight order on Ur Milkovich. However, ten years ago, the Duchy of Isvan announced that she died in a climbing accident, and was buried with full military honours."
"All of that is completely true." Gray said. "However, she didn't die in a climbing accident, she died after she sealed Deliora away. To date, I never understood the reasoning behind that announcement, but that's for another time. For now, this is the main concern." Gray continued as his fists began to tighten, the air around him started to grow colder, and his rage began to surface. "I don't know how it's related to this island's curse, but this should not be here. Sub-Zero Emperor, I don't know who you are, but you better pray I don't find you, cuz I'll beat the ever-living shit out of you. More importantly, if you're going to disgrace Ur's name, there's no way in hell I'm gonna let you get away with that, bastard!"
AN: Before you say it! I have no idea why I put the Paleto Bay mission from GTA V (more like it's aftermath) in the story! This is what happens when you're playing GTA Online and go ham in Paleto Bay and then replay the Paleto Bay Heist just for shits and giggles. But I did use it as an opportunity to make Weisz Steiner from Eden's Zero make a cameo in this chapter as a FIB Special Agent. Actually, what did you think of that? Along with not so subtle Ace Combat Strangereal reference. Before you say it, For some weird reason, I'm having Earthland and Strangereal be one and the same. For what it's worth, it does sound weird, but once the idea came into my head it just never left. Also, I've only recently gotten into Ace Combat (dipped my toes into it really, but I still know some of the memes about it). That's why I have given a reference to the Belkan War. What do you guys think of Ur being a veteran of the Belkan War before Ultear, Lyon, and Gray enter her life? Do tell me what you think in the reviews. You are very much free to criticise me for it, but one bad thing about me is that once an idea gets into my head, I'll either write it down immediately or let it play around until it evolves into something more. As always, I always appreciate them (even if I do not always respond to them. Please rest assured I read all the reviews. Many times actually). Oh, before I forget, for descriptions of new characters (canon ones), and even magic spells (again, canon ones) are taken from the official wiki. Just saying. Also, what did you think of Nuts in this chapter? Don't worry, he's very much there in the next chapter.