AN: Hello there. I've been binge-watching the entire Star Wars franchise because I am so bored. I'm right now at Episode V: Empire Strikes Back. (SPOILER ALERT!) Luke just found out that Vader is his father and throws himself off that platform thingy. I have to say, Vader really won't be getting the Father of the Year award anytime soon when he passively watched Luke fall. Anyway, back to the story. This is Chapter 13. Have fun.
Basement/Cave underneath the Abandoned Temple, Galuna Island.
"Iced shell." Tsuna said in realization.
"What?" Lucy asked.
"Hey Gray, that was the spell your teacher used right? Iced Shell?" Tsuna confirmed.
"Yeah." Gray said after a long sigh.
"That means… not only is Deliora still alive inside that ice. Your teacher is…" Tsuna started.
"Don't finish that!" Gray shouted. However, he immediately sighed again. "I'm sorry. But she is for all intents and purposes, dead."
"Wait, but what is Iced Shell? What does it do?" Lucy asked.
"Iced Shell is a technique that uses the spirit and the physical body of the user to freeze the target into a block of ice. It is virtually unmeltable, as it is not made of just typical ice. It channels the user's body into the form of ice, destroying their body in the process. The Caster is not "dead" per se, but alive in the form of ice. But honestly, you could in a way see them as dead." Gray explained.
"Oh my God. Gray, I'm so sorry." Lucy said mournfully, finally understanding why Gray was so upset.
"It's alright." Gray said.
"Okay! Now I get it!" Tsuna said as his fist hit his open palm.
"Get what?" Gray and Lucy asked together.
"As you said Gray, that ice is virtually unmeltable. And if I correctly remember what my mom taught me, even she wouldn't be able to melt this ice at her full strength, at least that's what she confessed. Mind you, my mom is a veteran of the Holy War between the dragons and phoenixes fought 600 years ago and the subsequent Dragon Civil War 400 years ago, where she went toe to toe against many legendary creatures. But! There is only one-way Iced-Shell can be melted." Tsuna explained.
"Which is?" Gray asked urgently.
"Moon Drip." Tsuna replied ominously.
"Shit!" With that, Gray dashed away in the same direction where the three people went. However, he didn't make it very far, as Tsuna easily overtook him, and crashed his elbow on Gray's chin, before dropping, and sweeping his legs from under him. Gray fell down with a dull thud before Tsuna planted his foot in the center of Gray's chest. So much force was being applied, that Gray couldn't even move, unless he was looking forward to cracking his ribs that is.
"Now, where are we going?" Tsuna asked, not at all letting up on the pressure on Gray's chest.
"We gotta stop them! These idiots don't know what will happen if Deliora is set loose!" Gray yelled.
"But I do. More than me, you do." Tsuna countered. "Right now, they'll probably be on high alert after the way Nuts brutalized that giant rat. We wait. We wait until the night and beat the shit out of them at that time. I'll also ask them about those agents. Understand?"
"Yeah…" Gray said, but his eyes clearly conveyed he did not want to agree. At that, Tsuna softened.
"I understand this is personal Gray. But right now, you're head has to be in the game, got it? We're literally on an island with no hope for backup anytime soon. All of us have to be at the top of our game to deal with these clowns." Tsuna explained.
"I understand." Gray said. At Tsuna's look, he reassured him, "No, really! I get it. I'm sorry I dashed like that. Ur meant a lot to me, and knowing what these idiots are doing—"
"It's okay, I get it." Tsuna said. "I get it."
"But I don't get it. Why can't we go after them now? Considering they're all scattered, we could easily pick them off one by one." Lucy said.
"Tsuna's right." Gray said. "I think that the island's curse and Deliora are somehow related to the moon. Remember they said that the moon will gather soon."
"Hm. You're right." Lucy agreed. "What will they do next?"
"Well, now that we've decided what to do, let's relax." Tsuna declared as the mages headed back to their vantage point and relaxed. Everyone except Gray that is. It was clear that his heart was still in turmoil about everything that was happening, and Lucy and Tsuna decided to give him his space.
"Even if we agreed to wait, it's still boring after all." Lucy said with a sigh.
"I have a book if you want." Tsuna offered.
However, Lucy had a better idea as she took out one of her Celestial Keys. "Open! The door of the Lyre, Lyra!" True to the call, a young girl appeared as she held a lyre.
"Kyah! I haven't seen you in ages, Lucy!" The girl, who Tsuna assumed was called Lyra squealed. "You should summon me more, you know!"
"But I can summon you like, only three times a month." Lucy countered.
"Eh?! That so?!" Lyra asked in fake-shock.
'If a Celestial Spirit is forgetful of their own terms of the contract, and the Celestial mage summons them anyway, is it still considered a breach of the contract?' Tsuna thought in his head. 'I don't need sleep! I need answers!'
"So? What is it that you want me to sing today?" Lyra asked as she set up her lyre.
"It's your call." Lucy said.
"Concert level heavy metal music." Tsuna replied with an amused smirk.
"Hey! Lyra sings the classical stuff!" Lucy scolded.
"Haha. Just joking." Tsuna placated. "You choice, Ms. Lyra."
"I like him." Lyra said as she pointed towards Tsuna. "Anyway, I'll sing my choice then!"
"Words are born
Words fade away
Words continue to live in you
When you're stuck
They change into courage
Let's step out
You're stronger
Than back then
So don't hesitate
Believe the words
From that time."
As the song made Tsuna's eyelids feel heavy, he saw the small tears leaking out of Gray's eyes. Understanding that Gray might not have completely gotten over his teacher's death, Tsuna closed his eyes, and just went to sleep.
A few hours later.
As soon as it was nightfall, Tsuna's eyes shot open. The first thing he saw was that Lucy and Nuts were asleep. Nuts might have ended up snuggling closer to Lucy. With a small smile directed towards them, Tsuna turned to look at Gray who was still sitting in the same place staring down at Deliora.
"Good God. Don't tell me you've been sitting there the entire time." Tsuna said as he went towards Gray.
"Someone had to keep watch." Gray replied, unmoving.
"That's true. But Deliora ain't gonna spontaneously combust if you keep glaring at him." Tsuna said.
"I know." Gray replied. "It's just… It doesn't make sense."
"Whoever got him here, had to have friends in Isvan and Fiore." Tsuna stated.
"What do you mean?" Gray asked as he finally looked up towards Tsuna.
"Think. Such a massive block of ice, carrying a demon could only come in two ways." Tsuna started.
"I'm listening." Gray said.
"Either, they got Deliora out of that iceberg by breaking him out, or they got the entire iceberg here, and then let Fiore's warm currents do the job." Tsuna explained.
"Either way, this kind of operation would have been spotted by multiple ships in multiple areas. The fact that neither Fiore, Isvan, or any of the countries in between did not move to apprehend such a strange package completely means that our friend, the Sub-Zero Emperor, has friends in high places. Then there's another question."
"What's that?" Gray asked.
"What do they even plan to do once Deliora is released? I don't think there's anyway they can hope to control him." Tsuna said.
Just as Grey was about to give his opinion, a sharp sound could suddenly be heard accompanied by a lot of shaking. "What's going on?" Lucy asked groggily.
Tsuna and Gray looked up to see the ceiling above Deliora opening, along with purple light peeking out of it, just before it completely opened and the purple light hit popsicle-Deliora with a full burst, momentarily blinding everyone inside.
"So this is Moon Drip then." Tsuna said, as he rapidly blinked his eyes to adjust to the light. "Alright people! Let's get upstairs and have a nice chat with the lovely people who are trying to break out a massive harbinger of disaster!"
"Alright!" Gray and Lucy said as everyone ran up the many flights of stairs. As they reached the 'lobby' of the temple, they realized there was suddenly a hole in the middle of the remains.
"Guess we go up." Tsuna said as they started to run up again.
Soon, the Fairy Tail mages managed to reach the top and soon spotted a bunch of people wearing hooded robes, and chanting a ritual.
"Let's look for a second what they're doing." Tsuna said, as they quietly hid behind a rock and saw what was happening. While Tsuna could not recognize the language, he was getting surer, that this was the ritual for the moon drip.
"Now I get it." Tsuna said. "It all makes sense now. The source of the curse on this island is the moon drip. That's because the moon's magical power has been gathered in one place, and because of its potency, it needs an outlet. This is what has contaminated the bodies of those villagers." Tsuna explained. 'But why do I feel that not all the villager's symptoms have been explained? For example, them turning into violent demons and losing their souls.'
"Look someone's coming." Lucy pointed. Sure enough, there was an… interesting figure, to say the least, approaching. The individual sported a large white cape, with a wide collar, golden edges, and fur trimmings over the shoulders, that was held closed by belt, adorned by a stylized snake with rectangular coils, and its corresponding buckle, with more belts and buckles, placed a few centimeters away from one another and below the first, being left untied. Below this cape, the hiding Fairy Tail mages could see that the individual wore a blue, high-collared tunic with golden edges, reaching down below his knees, with the part coming down from below the simple belt tied around his waist having an opening in the front. The tunic sported a large, dark cross-like design on the back, and is worn over a dark shirt. The outfit also included baggy dark pants tucked inside armored greaves, composed of different plates and sporting knee caps, and an ornamental helmet obscuring most of the individual's face. Bearing resemblance to a skull, this helmet sported a front part that covered the individual's upper face, revealing his mouth and nose, with a line of sharp teeth beneath it, and the individual's eyes not being visible from the eye slits of the mask, which was adorned by a spiraling motif. The helmet also came equipped with striped horns pointing frontwards and with a large crest made of spiky fur, falling on the individual's back. A few steps behind this individual, Yuka and Toby were also present.
"Shit. I was awake during the day, so now I'm feeling sleepy." Yuka quietly said to Toby.
"Ooon." Toby replied.
'Is sleeping the only thing you're good for, pal?' Tsuna thought in his mind. 'God, you're worse than me, and I'm the guy who defines laziness.'
"We couldn't even find the intruders." Yuka continued.
"THERE WEREN'T ANY INTRUDERS WERE THERE?!" Toby shouted.
"These guys are getting boring." Lucy commented.
"I'm more interested in that extravagantly dressed fellow." Tsuna said. "He seems like the ring leader over here."
"Your Majesty, Sube-Zero Emperor." Sherry said, as the individual who was the 'enigmatic' Sub-Zero Emperor approached. "I bear sad news. There were intruders during the day. However, even after hours of searching, our efforts were fruitless, as it seems like we let them get away. I'm so apologetic about this, that I cannot even speak of love."
"Intruders, you say?" The Sub-Zero Emperor asked. The moment Gray heard his voice; he perked up, his eyes holding recognition in them.
"That's the Sub-Zero Emperor? Talk about a fella acting all high and mighty with such a weird mask and all." Lucy said.
"Eh. I've seen worse." Tsuna said. "It could use some more improvements on the design though."
"Tell me, hasn't Deliora been revived yet?" The Sub-Zero Emperor demanded.
"He should be soon. Perhaps by today or tomorrow?" Sherry replied.
"WELL THEN, WHICH IS IT?!" Toby shouted.
"Can I take out that mutant dogman?" Tsuna asked with a ticmark forming on his head. "His poor slapstick comedy is now starting to piss me off."
"Hmph. We're almost there." The Sub-Zero Emperor said and the more he spoke, Gray could feel that he knew the person behind the mask. "About those intruders, I don't want anyone to get in the way now."
"Of course, I understand." Sherry replied. "There is only the village on the other end of the island that has humans over there."
"Is that so?" The Sub-Zero Emperor asked before he flourished his hands. "Well then, it's a no-brainer. Go and obliterate that village."
"Yes sir! / Roger! / OOON!" Sherry, Yuka, and Toby respectively responded at once as they bowed on one knee before departing at once.
"I do not wish for unnecessary blood to be spilled. But…" The Sub-Zero Emperor said with a cruel smirk.
"This is ridiculous! Those villagers have nothing to do with this! We have to do something!" Lucy exclaimed.
"That voice… I-It can't be… Tell me it's a lie…" Gray prayed as he shuddered.
"I've had enough of this clown!" Tsuna said, as he summoned a fireworks launcher, and aimed it directly at the entire group. Immediately he fired at the Sub-Zero Emperor. However, the rocket immediately changed course and crashed into the group doing the ritual. Thus momentarily stopping the Moon Drip ritual.
"Fireworks Launcher?! Really?!" Lucy asked in disbelief.
"Well, I wanted to enter with a bang." Tsuna admitted. "I could not use an actual bazooka now, could I?"
"Who's there?!" The Sub-Zero Emperor demanded as he turned to the source of the fireworks rocket. "Show yourselves at once!"
"With pleasure." Tsuna said as he jumped out from the hiding place while increasing his bloodlust and magical pressure to intimidate everyone else. "We're gonna stop your diabolical plan, you mask freak." Immediately, Lucy and Gray also emerged. Lucy had her hands on one of her Golden Celestial keys, while Gray still looked a bit lost.
"Gray!" Tsuna shouted, snapping Gray out of his funk. "Keep your head in the game!"
"That mark… It's Fairy Tail!" Sherry said. "The village contacted a guild for help."
"What are you still doing here?" The Sub-Zero Emperor asked. "I believe I gave you a task to go and obliterate the village."
"Nuts!" Tsuna shouted.
"ROAR!" Nuts, already in his adult form roared, as he appeared to block the path of the Sub-Zero Emperor's lackeys. However, much to Tsuna's shock, Nuts was immediately frozen. Using that opportunity, the lackeys immediately ran away.
"Anyone who gets in our way and our plans, are our enemies, and will be frozen." The Sub-Zero Emperor declared.
"What?" Tsuna asked. The sudden change in his voice easily denoted the absolute rage going through him, because of what happened to his partner. "I wonder how that bullshit sounds once I'm done caving in your skull with my bare hands."
However, before Tsuna could do anything, Gray was already sprinting forward, his hands in the traditional Ice-Make stance. "YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT!" Gray yelled as he slammed the floor, making sharp shards of ice quickly make their way towards the Sub-Zero Emperor.
To counter, the Sub-Zero Emperor, slammed his left hand in the ground as well, making similar sharp shards of ice countering Gray's. Soon, the two trails of sharp ice crashed into each other, before shattering. At a single glance, it was clear to see that a single move took out more from Gray than the Sub-Zero Emperor.
"He uses ice too?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise. Meanwhile, despite his rage, and more than half of his mind quickly devising strategies to save Nuts, he was still observing the bout between the Sub-Zero Emperor and Gray. As he observed, the ice used to frozen Nuts shattered. The heat that came from there was sweltering, and an absolutely enraged Nuts emerged. The look in his eyes was clear that he was now going to hunt to kill. However, a telepathic order from Tsuna (who quickly deduced that his own rage might have made Nuts momentarily stronger) made Nuts stand down. However, Nuts still remained watchful in order to exploit any opportunity.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Gray asked the Sub-Zero Emperor before addressing him by his actual name. "Answer me, Lyon!"
"Wait, what?" Tsuna asked. "You know this clown?"
"Fufu." The Sub-Zero Emperor, aka, Lyon said with a smirk. "It's been a long time hasn't it, Gray?"
"What do you think you're doing?!" Gray demanded again.
"I'd never imagined that the mage those villagers would send would be you." Lyon said as he ignored Gray's questions. "Did you know about this? Or is it just coincidence? Well, anyway, it doesn't matter…"
"Lucy!" Tsuna shouted, getting Lucy's attention. "Get on Nuts and warn those villagers! Our clients' safety is a top priority!"
"What?! How do you expect me to get on a lion just like that?" Lucy asked in shock.
"NOW!" Tsuna shouted. "Normally Nuts would be very selective on who rides him, but we have no choice!" Tsuna said before turning to Nuts. "Anyone not those villagers stops you, you maul their faces to the point that their sorry corpses won't even be recognizable."
"Grr…" Nuts asked.
"I'll be fine." Tsuna assured. "Now go."
"As if I would let you." Lyon said, intent on freezing Nuts again. However, this time, a flaming fist courtesy of Tsuna hit him on his face, sending him crashing into the ground. "I'm getting sick of the number of times you're inappropriately touching my cat. Get your own." Tsuna said in anger, before turning to make sure Lucy and Nuts had gone. Only to find out that Lucy was hesitating to get on Nuts.
"GO! YOU DUMB IDIOT!" Tsuna roared in anger. In fear of Tsuna's voice, Nuts grabbed Lucy's clothes, before with a flick of his neck, he managed to put her on his back, and immediately dashed away.
"Tsuna watch out!" Gray called. Tsuna, who was ensuring that Nuts and Lucy got away safely, turned back only to suddenly find that Leon had extended his hand and started freezing his upper body. Quickly, Gray unleashed his own attack on Lyon, who easily countered it with an ice orb shield.
With Nuts and Lucy.
"Nuts, we have to get back!" Lucy yelled after she managed to sit on Nuts properly.
"Grr…" Nuts replied.
"I didn't understand that!" Lucy said. "But we can't abandon Tsuna and Gray there!"
"ROAR!" Nuts roared in reply. She didn't know how, but for some reason, Lucy could detect it in Nuts' roar that he didn't like the idea himself, but even he would not disobey his partner. "I-I see… If we're all beaten, we won't be able to protect the village?"
"Grr." Nuts replied.
"Alright Nuts." Lucy said as she gathered her courage. "Full speed ahead! We're going to save those villagers!"
"Roar!" Nuts roared in agreement.
Back with Gray, Tsuna, and Leon.
"I see. You allowed yourself to fall prey to my attacks just so the big cat and the girl to escape. You are a crafty one. But it's alright, even they won't be enough to stop Sherry and the others." Lyon said as if he praised Tsuna.
"Well, what can I say other than thank you, even if I still want to cave in your skull." Tsuna replied. 'I sure as hell ain't gonna tell him that I totally did not see him coming.' He thought in his head. As much he was loathed to admit, he did feel quite uncomfortable by having ice across his upper body and the upper parts of his legs. "But I'll still give you an advice pal, don't underestimate either Lucy or Nuts. You won't go far in the world if you look down on Fairy Tail mages."
"Tsuna, I'm sorry." Gray quietly said, before giving a light tap to the ice block around Tsuna with his legs.
"Eh?" Tsuna asked before he went tumbling down. "AAAAHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING GRAY?! YOU FUCKING MORON!"
"My, my. You're still a reckless one." Lyon said. "Isn't he your comrade?"
"That ice magic is the one that can destroy the body alongside the ice, wasn't it?" Gray asked in anger.
"Ah…" Lyon said. "So that's why you sent him away so that my magic would lose its effect. I'm impressed."
"First of all, stop pretending to still be my upperclassman. Second of all, you should be thanking me that I sent him away." Gray said.
"And why's that?" Lyon asked.
"Save for one guy, he's the strongest mage in my guild, and had Nuts not broken out of that ice spell of yours, he would have beaten the ever-loving shit out of you. He's also an older brother figure to me so there's that." Gray said. "Lyon, you're no longer Ur's student."
"I agree." Lyon said. "Ur is not alive anymore."
"Exactly dumbass! She sacrificed her life in order to seal Deliora! Why the hell are you trying to destroy what Ur left us?!" Gray shouted in response.
"Don't fuck with me." Lyon said as he removed his helmet. He had bluish silver hair, most of which were spiky strands that were jutting upwards on top of his head, except for some, which kept pointing down and partially covered the upper left part of his face. His eyes were slanted, with dark round pupils and surrounded by similarly dark lines. He had small, linear, dark eyebrows and he donned a small, light-colored earring on his left earlobe, which took the shape of a stylized snowflake. "You killed Ur, Gray. How dare you keep breathing as if it's none of your damn business?"
At that accusation, even Gray had nothing to reply with and thus, remained quiet.
With Tsuna.
"You dumb moron Gray! I hope you fall into a volcano!" Tsuna yelled up at Gray like a petulant child. "And why can't I melt this stupid ice?! Unless… Oh. That's it. I'll have to get some distance away from here. Alright Gray, got your message loud and clear, but you better not lose to that weird clown, or I swear I'm gonna make you eat some of the hottest chili dishes I can make. Guess I'll go back to the village. Shit! Forget running, I can't even walk. How stupid was I to fall for that? If Reborn saw me like this, he'd beat the shit out of me."
With Reborn in a bar in Edo, Empire of Zipang.
While drinking in one of the high-end bars of Edo after he clocked out of work, he suddenly stopped.
"Hey Reborn-san, what's wrong?" Sasaki Isaburo, Commander of the Mimawarigumi, an internal surveillance police force of the country, asked his drinking buddy.
"Reborn, you okay?" Fon asked as he held a cup of sake in his hands.
"Don't know, but I'm getting a feeling that a certain someone deserves a Leon Hammer on his head." Reborn said, as he suddenly started contemplating whether or not he should drink his cup of sake.
"Maa~ Reborn-san. It's all fine! Drink! Drink! Drink!" That was Kisuke Urahara, Commander of the Twelfth Division of the Thirteen Imperial Court Guard Squads, a special division within the Imperial Zipanganese Military.
"Gotta agree with Commander Urahara there. If it's just a feeling, then it can't be that important Reborn-san." Admiral Aokji Kuzan of the Imperial Zipang Navy said.
"Oh well, whatever." Reborn said as he downed his cup at once.
"I have to admit it's a shame that Isao-kun hasn't joined us." Fon said as he refilled his own cup.
"When he's done with stalking, harassing, and then getting beaten up by Shimura Tae, I'm pretty sure he'll join us." Reborn said. "Though it looks embarrassing for the Commander of the Shinsengumi behaving like that, I can't help but applaud his grit. Just like a cockroach."
"Reborn-san~ That's rude." Commander Urahara moaned. His flushed face was enough to let everyone else know that he was drunk. "You gotta support love!"
"I got an idea, Commander Urahara." Admiral Kuzan said. "Why don't you make a wonder drug where everyone will fall in love?"
"Oh? That means you didn't hear what happened in Yoshiwara then?" Commander Isaburo asked.
"No. I only came to shore yesterday." Admiral Kuzan replied.
"Basically, we got reports of…"
And with that, the clock continued ticking in Edo, soon it would be early morning, and some men would not show up to work due to massive hangovers.
A few hours earlier, with Natsu and Happy.
While Gray, Lucy, and Tsuna were horsing around at Galuna Island, Natsu was going through a crisis of his own. This so-called treasure quest of an S-Class Job was turning worse by the minute. Especially since the clues were multiplying one after another and the time he had was slowly ticking down. Normally, even if he had to, Natsu would just walk, but even Fairy Tail's Resident Fire Dragon Slayer was not stupid to waste time on time limit quests, which was why he was forced to take trains. But at this point, with nothing but train rides and no enemies to fight, Natsu was almost about to yell in frustration. It was only Happy's encouragement that kept him going. Right now, he was in a small town, waiting to change his train, therefore he used that as an opportunity to puke in the toilet because his motion sickness was getting worse with every subsequent train ride. Happy, bless him, was slowly rubbing his paws on Natsu's back to soothe him as he puked inside the toilet bowl. After some time, he was done, and after washing his face he headed outside and onto the platform… only to bump headfirst into somebody causing him and that person to fall down.
"Hey watch it, idiot!" Natsu shouted in anger not bothering to see who he bumped into. Because of his motion sickness and the lack of progress in his (fake) S-Class Quest, he was already not in a good mood.
"Huh? Natsu?" The voice asked, and Natsu stopped and looked at the person one more time. She had long scarlet hair and was wearing a suit of armor. He did not need to see the person's face. Happy's expression confirmed that for him. Without saying anything, Natsu ran away in absolute terror with Happy close behind him.
"Natsu wait! You too Happy!" the owner of the voice, Erza Scarlet yelled behind Natsu. However, the Fire Dragon Slayer was having none of it. As far as he was concerned, Master Makarov had sent Erza after him to finally get him back to the guild to face punishment because he stole an S-Class Quest.
However, despite how fast he ran and Happy flew, Erza still caught up with them. In order to not have them run away again, she hog-tied the two before placing them on the bench.
"So, will you tell me what exactly are the two of you running away from?" Erza sternly asked as she crossed her arms and started tapping her foot. "Go on, I'm listening."
"Erza! I'm sorry! But Natsu made me do it!" Happy exclaimed, hoping to save himself from Erza's wrath.
"You little traitor!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Is that so Happy?" Erza asked with a dangerous look in her eye. "And pray tell, what exactly did Natsu make you do?"
As both cat and man started shivering in fear, the (fake) S-Class Job Request dropped on the floor, right in front of Erza, who immediately noticed it and picked it up. As Erza went through it, her rage started to build up. That was until she noticed something, something minor, but enough to tip off any actual S-Class Mage, that there was something wrong with the request. Calmly, Erza went through the entire quest again, and that's when it hit her.
"So. The two of you are doing an S-Class Job, correct?" Erza asked the feline and human.
"A-Aye?" Both replied.
"I'm assuming that the Master gave his permission?" Erza asked again.
"About that…" Natsu started before trying and failing to be inconspicuous by whistling.
"You stole it, didn't you?" Erza accused. She didn't wait for an answer, just punched both of them on the head. "YOU FOOLS!" Erza yelled. "Rule number one of being S-Class mages, learn the difference between an actual job request and a fake!"
"Eh?" Natsu and Happy asked together. "What do you mean it's fake?"
"Exactly what I mean!" Erza exclaimed. "This is a fake S-Class Job Request!"
"I don't believe you! It's obvious you have been sent by the old man to stop me from doing the job!" Natsu bit back in protest.
"How about this, I'll give a call to the Master. Let's ask him shall we?" Erza challenged.
"Bring it!" Natsu accepted as Erza took out her portable communication lacrima, and called the Fairy Tail number. After a few rings, Mirajane's face could be seen.
"Oh, hi Erza!" Mirajane said brightly. "How did the job go?"
"Excellent, Mira." Erza replied. "Tell me, is Master there?"
"Master? Yes, he is. Why do you want him?" Mirajane asked curiously.
"I ran into a certain pair of idiots who do not believe me." Erza replied.
"Ah… I understand. Hang on, I'll call him." Mirajane said as she understood who Erza was talking about.
A few minutes later, Master Makarov could be seen. "Ah Erza, how are you, child?" Master Makarov asked as he greeted Erza.
"I'm fine Master. You won't believe who I ran into doing a fake S-Class Job." Erza said.
"Oh ho? About time, I tell you." Master Makarov said, much to Natsu, Happy, and even Erza's surprise.
"What do you mean, Old Man?!" Natsu demanded.
"I have to agree, what do you mean Master?" Erza asked in surprise.
"You see, a few days ago, the guild was in a panicked hubbub when we found out an S-Class Job Request, to be precise, the Galuna Island Quest was missing. The only thing we got was Laxus seeing a 'flying blue cat' stealing the cheapest request." Master Makarov started. "I don't think we need to rack our brains on the identity of the flying blue cat burglar."
"No, we don't." Erza said, as she gave a fierce glare to Happy, who shrank in fear and shame.
"And of course, you're aware of the penalties the guild could face if it became public that a non-S-Class mage started doing S-Class jobs, right?" Master Makarov asked Erza.
"They're quite harsh." Erza admitted. "So then how did Natsu and Happy end up with a fake S-Class Job Request?"
"That was Tsuna's smokes and mirrors." Master Makarov said with a grin.
"What?" Erza, Happy, and Natsu asked together.
"Somehow, Tsuna had a feeling that either Natsu or Happy would steal an S-Class request, therefore, he drew up an identical request, that was completely fake, and switched it up with the Galuna Quest. I do not know how, but he even convinced Lucy to come with him. Of course, he even had Gray join for the, and I quote, 'for the shits and giggles when Natsu realizes that his brashness caused him to miss out on the biggest break of his career, and instead, passing it up to Gray'."
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Natsu screamed in horror, much to Erza and Happy's shock and Master Makarov's amusement. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT ICE-BASTARD NOW HAS ONE UP ON ME! HE'LL NEVER LET ME LIVE THIS DOWN!"
"Well, what do you want me to do now, Master?" Erza asked after she recovered.
"Your choice." Master Makarov said. "I was supposed to call you up to pick Natsu anyway. One of Tsuna's informants was shadowing him the entire time, and he would have messaged you Natsu's location. Oh well, no matter." With that, Master Makarov disconnected the call, and Erza was left with a blubbering mess of a dragon slayer.
"Well look who do we have here." A new voice called from a distance. Erza looked behind her, and saw Tsuki, along with Hayato, Takeshi, I-Pin, and Lambo on the second platform. By the time Erza realized who it was, they had already come to Erza and Natsu's side.
"Tsuki, and Tsuna's group?" Erza asked in surprise. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Just returning from a job." Tsuki replied. "I was showing these two the ropes." She said as she pointed to I-Pin and Lambo. "But I kinda messed up."
"What do you mean?" Erza asked, confused.
"Their first official jobs as Legal Guild Mages ended up being an S-Class one." Tsuki confessed and was so ashamed of her mix-up, that she couldn't even face the Requip Mage. On the other hand, I-Pin and Lambo were beaming in pride.
"Wh-What the fuck?!" Erza, Happy, and Natsu said in disbelief.
"Heh. One could say they popped their cherry on an S-Class Quest." Hayato said as he lit a cigarette for himself.
"Goodness, that's a disgusting analogy." Tsuki and Erza shot down. At the same time, Natsu went, "NOOOOOOOOOOO! Not you guys too! Now I'm literally trailing behind everyone!"
"Oh, so he finally figured out his mistake?" Tsuki asked with a very smug grin directed towards Natsu. "Aww. Does Lil' Natsu wanna go on an S-Class Job? Then perhaps Lil' Natsu must learn some patience. Or should have been with me when the types of mistakes I do is take new mages on S-Class Jobs. I'm pretty cool, huh?"
"No. You're careless." Hayato, Takeshi, I-Pin, Lambo, Erza, and Happy said together.
"HEY!" Tsuki protested.
"So anyway, where's Tsuna? Takeshi asked.
"Galuna Island." Erza replied.
"Guess we got our next destination then." Hayato said as he Takeshi, Lambo, and I-Pin turned the other way.
"Where you guys going?" Erza asked.
"Galuna Island." Lambo replied. "That's where Tsuna-nii is, right?"
"He's not there for a vacation, he's there doing a job." Erza reminded.
"Well, we ain't planning to disturb him. We'll just drop there to say hi." Takeshi said with a smile.
"Guys." Natsu called, gaining everybody's attention. "Please take me with you."
"Why?" Hayato asked.
"There's no way in hell I'm letting this go!" Natsu shouted. "I've been running around the country on trains for absolutely no rhyme or reason! Tsuna has to tell me why!"
"Your call, Hayato." Takeshi said.
"You know, he'll probably say that you deserve it." Hayato said. "But whatever, let's go. I know a dude who has an airstrip near here, he can probably fly us to Hargeon." With that, Natsu, Happy, plus Tsuna's guardians went their way, leaving Erza and Tsuki the only ones left.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Erza asked Tsuki.
"Whatever. I'll go too." Tsuki said casually as she turned to go the same way as the previous group, leaving Erza alone.
"Fine. I'll join as well. Not like I have anything better to do right now." Erza said with a sigh as she caught up with Tsuki.
Current time, near Galuna Island.
A transport helicopter of the Fiore Royal Marines made its way to Galuna Island. The sailors and marines stationed at Hargeon were beside themselves after they lost contact with the speedboat carrying Tsuna, Gray, and Lucy. Despite wanting to send reinforcements, the task force was under strict orders not to do so. Their prayers were answered when a group of Fairy Tail mages came knocking. Hayato did not even need to use any of the excuses he had thought of on the way when the task force commander quickly briefed them on everything until they lost contact, and had them stuffed into a transport helicopter of the Fiore Royal Marines. They were also sent with a request to notify the task force immediately on the completion of the job, and if possible, the location of the remains of the government agents of the Royal Central Bureau of Investigation. Despite Natsu's earlier misgivings on riding a helicopter, fearing for his motion sickness, except for a few times when the aircraft encountered turbulence, it was a very smooth ride, and Natsu was absolutely in love with the experience, as he and Happy were excitedly pointing at something or the other as he did not have to go through a painful bout of motion sickness.
"Mr. Gokudera, we're three clicks away from our destination, where would you want us to lower the bird?" The pilot of the helicopter asked Hayato.
"Land and hover near the main beach. We'll get down there." Hayato replied.
"Roger that." The pilot replied as the helicopter started to lower its altitude.
As the helicopter approached the island, Takeshi noticed some debris that looked like a boat wreck. "Hey, pilot buddy!" Takeshi called. "Down there, near a smaller beach, I can see some debris in the ocean."
"Roger that, Mr. Yamamoto. We can see it as well." The pilot replied. "You want us to fly closer?"
"How much are you on fuel?" Hayato asked.
"30 minutes until bingo fuel." The pilot replied.
"Alright change of plans." Hayato declared. "Hover just off the coast of that small beach. We'll drop there."
"Roger that." The pilot replied as the helicopter descended to its destination. Once it reached it, Hayato and Takeshi, who were sitting on either side, opened the passenger doors of the helicopter allowing the other Fairy Tail mages to quickly jump off and get clear of the helicopter. Hayato and Takeshi were the last to leave after quickly thanking the pilots. With their job done, the pilots of the Fiore Royal Marines helicopter lifted back up and returned to Hargeon. Meanwhile, the mages waddled to shore, before doing a quick search of the boat wreck, but coming up empty.
"Alright. We're here. What's the plan?" Tsuki asked.
"Y'all saw that weird purple light on the other side?" Lambo asked.
"I did." I-Pin acknowledged.
"Alright! So that's where the fight is!" Natsu exclaimed as he pumped his fists in the air, looking to finally loosen himself.
"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.
"Natsu calm down!" Erza chided. "Hayato is running point on this one."
"Really?" Hayato asked in surprise. "I don't remember being voted in as Chairman of the Board."
"Well if you don't want to…" Erza started.
"What you talking about? Of course, I'm running point." Hayato shot down whatever Erza was about to say. "Alright. The Baseball Freak and I are going to that purple light. You guys go to the village that should be in the center of the island. Take this map and compass."
"What?! Come on, let me come with you guys too!" Natsu whined.
"Now listen you!" Hayato started but was interrupted by Takeshi.
"Let's take him with us." Takeshi offered. "Since he's a dragon slayer, he'll have some killer senses, right Natsu?"
"You're damn straight!" Natsu agreed.
"Alright." Hayato agreed. "But you will not be jumping headfirst, got it? It's for your own safety."
"Sure thing." Natsu said. "But I can take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that for a second." Hayato replied sarcastically. "The rest of you guys, the village."
"Got it." Erza, Lambo, I-Pin, and Tsuki said with a nod.
As they were about to separate, Hayato added something else. "Happy, you go with them to the village, they can do with some aerial recon."
"What about you guys then?" Happy asked, and everyone had to agree that was a good question.
In reply, Takeshi just put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. A few seconds later, the group could hear a series of tweets, followed quickly by a series of woofs. The source of those sounds, a blue swallowtail bird, and an Akita Inu puppy soon saw themselves as the focus of attention. At the sight of a dog, Happy immediately hid behind Erza while with a sigh and roll of his eyes, Hayato gave out a similar shrill whistle, and almost a second later, a small leopard cub made itself known from the forest. The sight of another cat reassured Happy who showed himself again. Meanwhile said leopard cub jumped on Hayato… and promptly scratched his face.
"GAH! URI! YOU STUPID CAT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I GOTTA TELL YA TO NOT SCRATCH MY FACE LIKE THAT?!" Hayato yelled in outrage.
"Grah!" Uri replied in what could only be seen as an indignant cat.
"Hahaha. You don't think Tsuna and Nuts were the only partners did you?" Takeshi asked with a laugh. "This swallowtail is Kojiro, and the puppy is Jiro." When prompted, Kojiro tweeted and Jiro gave a happy woof. "Don't ask us how they came here, this is fanfiction at work. And yeah, the leopard scratching Hayato is Uri. They've always been like that."
"That reminds me." Hayato said, as he finally was able to get Uri under control. "Lambo, where's Gyudon?"
"Gokudera-shi, you surely can't expect me to have Beef Bowl go on a rampage here. He's too big for that." Lambo replied. "Right now, we need stealth."
"Fair enough." Hayato agreed.
"Aww, Uri right? He's so cute." Tsuki said as she took the leopard cub and started scratching him behind his ear. Uri simply melted at Tsuki's touch and gave a content purr.
"Alright. Uri, Kojiro, and Jiro are coming with us." Hayato said. "Before you ask, they're our partners, we ain't separating. Uri, let's go."
Once called, Uri jumped out of Tsuki's arms and immediately transformed into a massive leopard. Similarly, Jiro also grew up to become a full-sized Akita Inu, and everyone turned to go to their respective destinations.
"Watch your backs." Hayato said, and with a dash, the two groups separated, specific destinations and tasks in their minds.
AN: So, looks like Hayato, Takeshi, Lambo, I-Pin, Tsuki, Erza, Natsu, and Happy have also gatecrashed into the job. Of course, if Nuts was in the play, I could not have Jiro, Kojiro and Uri be out of the play now, could I? Also, what did you guys think of Reborn and Fon's own adventures? I'm not going to lie, I'm really tempted to make a spinoff fanfiction for them. Of course, it'll be something of a KHR/Bleach/Naruto/Gintama/One Piece (Just the characters) crossover fanfiction. What's your opinion on this?"