Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail, any work professionally associated with it nor any pop culture or classical references. All original plots and characters are mine.
In a land far, far away lies the kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with Magic found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most, Magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, Magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore. But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name...is Fairy Tail.
LAST TIME, on Fairy Adventure, with the help of Cael, Luna and Nashi found the place where Nashi's wings have been hidden. But when Hemlock arrives and tries to lure Luna back to him, Nashi takes a stand to save her sister…even if that means she's sacrificing herself. Kyler gave Tesla a crash course in the universe and the Presence—and something tells me we'll need that information—while Gary and Tesla bonded over the situations they were thrown in and how they came out stronger. Dante finally met Bleu and had a heart-to-heart with him that leaves Bleu thinking and now Carlisle and Dante are off to the Nácarlines while Aphtan isn't so certain Dante is who he says he is. Mary Jane's dream took a dark turn, but it looks like Penelope is willing to help her cousin overcome the blocks in her memory. But for what gain? In the Boundary Forest, the rescue squad found Gale, but was Gale really found or is something else going on? Something about Pacer and Jasmine's twins makes Aurinia kick herself into action with her path with Lance, but what did she see with the unborn kids? The others are too late when Nashi is turned into Etherious Nashi and Invel is ready to control her to get his way…but not if Nashi's friends have anything to say about it! Tesla risks everything for Nashi's wings while Skade keeps Etherious Nashi busy and Gary tries to find the last remaining part of Nashi. And when it just looks like chaos might win, Nashi makes one fatal move to change the game.
'But you miscalculated. I love my friends and family more than I fear you.'
The game has changed and Invel isn't the master of it! And Dante, I hope you know Carlisle was going to get his way no matter what…
Chibi-Nashi appears with a wink. "Hi, guys! Ready for some more Fairy Adventure! Just a warning from Author-san that we will be discussing mental disorders, ideation, and other more mature themes, so please don't stress yourself to read something that stresses you out!"
She gives a wave. "See you at the end of the episode!"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Prologue
The Story of…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I had meant to find Uncle Natsu, honestly. My dad had something for him, but I wanted to head over there to ask Uncle Natsu a question…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The trees somehow felt greener and brighter today with the grass lush. Clouds moseyed on as they grazed in their field of blue. The birds were chirping away. A few flying squirrels glided as they got from tree to tree with their food supply. A herd of deer of fawns and does had found a nice patch to buckle down for their meal. A fox had angered a porcupine and came back to its burrow with needles sticking out in odd places.
STEP... STEP… STEP…
He shuffled down the walkway with his blues looking across the forest, the package tucked under his arm.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I was so sick during the Fairy Tail Ohanami. Mama stayed behind to take care of me. I felt so bad."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
She remembered Luna near-bursting into tears she could not come. Her mama had forbidden her papa from uprooting a Rainbow Sakura and Igneel might have been a little mean, but he told her to get better soon (even if he called her a bad word) before they were off. Her mama had helped her back into bed afterwards.
Her bedroom was filled with Magia paraphernalia and dressed up and down in all the souvenirs her papa had brought home for her on all his journeyed and jobs as well as her own souvenirs from the little family trips they had done across the country. She coveted the signed post she had gotten from the lead of Legally Pink: The Musical. Sketches she had done of the forest and its creatures were pinned to her board for her to maybe return to later.
Stuffed animals burrowed in her bed and she was grateful for their softness and warmth. Cheeks flushed, nose red, she laid in bed with a humidifier next to her puffing gently-scented steam, and a wet towel blotted her forehead. A wet cough escaped her, and she reached over for another tissue to blow her nose into before rolling over to get more comfortable.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Aunt Lucy told me he was working in the forest, so I started looking for him there."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
CRICK!
The grass was plushy against his slip-on sneakers. There was no direct path into the forest once you left the initial backyard of the main house, but he never minded. Aunt Lucy had offered to send one of her Celestial Spirits to come with him, but that was not necessary. The weather was nice, and he had a good inkling where Uncle Natsu was training. The babbling of a stream had come up, and he crossed the little stones in hopscotch to get to the other side.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I was pretty in and out. When I get sick, I'm really sick. I wasn't all that lucid that."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Maybe she had moved in several different positions, but she could not remember. All she knew was she had vaguely shifted, fell asleep, roused, shifted again, and fell asleep on repeat. Like it was a routine to her. Her pink curtains imprinted with stars were drawn shut. The sunlight somehow made everything worse with her head in a tizzy and her eyes sensitive. Flopping back over, she coughed again and sniffed before sighing back asleep.
She was none-the-wiser when her bedroom door pushed open and someone entered manned with a tray and supplies.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"It wasn't like I was unfamiliar with the East Forest. My dad brought me over when he trained with Uncle Natsu. But…I heard someone crying…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He was going to take a right at one of the thicker trees, but his ears twitched. It was far, but… He heard it.
Crying.
Someone was crying.
On instinct, he changed course and moved through the forest, crossing bushes and dodging trees as he honed onto the crying.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I was used to Mama taking care of me. She'd change out my wet towel for my fever and wake me up to check my temperature. So I didn't really question it happening again…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Eyes closed, she coughed again, but she could hear in vague someone was shuffling around. She did not bother to open her eyes. Her thrust burned and her chest ached and all she wanted to do was ball up and get better soon so she could catch some of the viewing today.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"There was this meadow…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Blues reflected a sea of flowers that agreed with the season in their petals of gold and pink and blue and lilac and red with grass falling in-between. They blended together, wild and free and enjoying the blue skies and sunshine. Two rabbits bounced through the wilds as they were returning to their home burrow. Bees were ecstatic in their pollen-gathering. An army of ants banded back to their anthill with fallen seeds and food for the colony. Two hummingbirds chased each other in some sort of dance while a hawk cried as it sailed overhead.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"There was this touch…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
She tried to clear her throat as she fought to get back to sleep. A presence was close by, but she ignored it. It was most likely her mama. She stayed still as her lukewarm towel was removed, but the cold towel did not immediately replace it. Fingers smoothened her forehead and countered the heat of her fever in a jarring and eventually soothing way that made her relax.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"…but it wasn't Uncle Natsu I saw…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
A small arm unblemished rose up, poised like a ballerina and still.
A butterfly fluttered, wings a bright iridescent blue and massive, but it looked tamed as it landed on the offered arm.
Tinkling laughter.
"See, Lu? Aren't my friends pretty?"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"…but it wasn't Mama I saw when I woke up…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
She sniffed and grounded as she willed her eyes to open. It was difficult and her eyes felt crusty, but she stirred even more and her eyes cracked open. In the blur of her vision, she could make out a cross necklace and a shirt.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I saw her."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
A breeze chased through the meadows and the flowers danced along as though pleased. It ruffled through his hair as it passed him by.
Pink hair flared.
She stood there with that smile in her pink sundress, barefoot and brazen. Aunt Lucy had been the one to give her a braided crown in her hair, but her locks had grown down her back and she giggled as the wind toiled with her strands. Maybe he would realize Luna was next to her, little and curious, with those big brown eyes that saw the world and Virgo was watching over them, but he looked at her with the pink hair and the morph butterfly that had graced her arm.
Her with those hickory eyes that so clearly displayed a soft happiness…and life.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I saw him."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
She pushed for her eyes to open wider and the cross necklace came in sharper. She saw the t-shirt, but she knew it was not her mama who was tending to her. Bedhead black hair that refused to be and pale skin, he kept his hand on her forehead to cool her.
Him with those soft ceruleans.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Some say it can take two hours to fall in love… Some say it takes less than 10 seconds…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Luna had reached up with her pudgy hand and the morph butterfly took to the little blonde within an instant. A smile overwhelmed Luna's face as she looked at her sister for approval before she giggled like crazy. Her sister opened her mouth to comment, but both were taken aback when dozens of butterflies with winds large and small and fuzzy or paper-thin had come over to them. Even a few birds had made the trip with a glide, curious as can be. Luna giggled as she made new friends, butterflies landing all over her little form.
And he had heard her laugh before, and he never felt anything of it.
He had seen her smile before and he never felt anything from it.
But now, it felt…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"But sometimes, it takes just an instant when you look at someone and you just know…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
She was unable to say anything. She could only watch as he pulled his hand away to bring over the soup her mama had made for her. He got a spoonful ready and blew on it before he offered it to her.
She had seen his smile before she never felt anything from it.
But now, it felt…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Our story isn't over. It's just beginning. But the beginning of our story is still full of memories…
"So this is the story of…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Nashi helped Luna to her feet as the two sisters laughed and spun around while the butterflies fluttered all around them and the birds took interest in seeing such peculiar humans. Neither sister had care as they jumped around and twittered until they stumbled over and fell to the ground in a heap of giggles.
Gary watched them both as though he was stuck. He could not move. He could not even breathe. His eyes locked onto Nashi as she tickled her little sister and blew raspberries into Luna's cheeks, grinning when Luna squealed and squirmed.
LUB-DUB…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"The story of…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Gary fed one spoonful after another. He took his time to blow on each spoonful and made sure the broth was lukewarm before he gave it. Still dazed, Nashi accepted each spoonful as a silence weathered over them. It was different than before. No insults, no irritation, no tension—just warmth and comfortability. With the broth finished, he pressed his hand back to her forehead with that tender expression and she was entranced.
LUB-DUB…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
…the Devil-Boy and the Angel-Girl.
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Fairy Adventure 076
The Story of Devil-Boy and Angel-Girl
象牙の天使と黒檀の悪魔の前奏曲の悲劇
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• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Chapter One
Around 11 years ago…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The Fairy Tail Guild could not be anything but rowdy and Magnolia knew that. Regular patrons and guild members had filed in on this spring day for some brew, some food, good conversation, and—if they were unlucky—a fight or two. Mira and Kinana expertly manned the bar with some help from Lisanna today and with the usual bartenders and waiters. Pacer and Pearson, those trouble-making twins, had both kept their hair short and took pleasure in agitating Veronika who was growling and pink static wafted off her. Dash's speed caused him to flip up a poor woman's skirt and show her panties, but Lisanna discreetly showed her wolf face to the few men of the guild clamored to ogle and they slunk away, terrified. Poor Happy was used to his maltreatment of being looked at as a toy for little ones and had just barely escaped the glitter and bow ties while Carla laughed behind a hand at his expense. Gale was scarfing down his food, but when his father tried to get him to slow down by moving his plate, Gale automatically clamped down on Gajeel's hand in retaliation and would not let go no matter how much his father cursed and tried to shake him off. While Gajeel looked ridiculous shaking Gale off, Natsu laughed in his face until he received a face full of fire that could have burnt him and the culprit was none of than Igneel who darted away.
Gary in his messy bedhead, cross necklace, and tank top looked bored as he picked at his sandwich. "This is so lame," he complained, "and it's so hot…"
"I think you're the only one who thinks that," Ezra remarked in his quiet voice. His mop of white hair nearly covered his eyes and it would unless his mother could corner him into a haircut. "It's pretty normal today."
Gary scoffed. "Whatever." He locked his head behind his hands. "Maybe I should go on a job or something, you know?"
"Didn't you screw up the last job you went on?" Orochi had asked this, one eye completely covered, but he was predominantly focused on his sketchbook as he shaded a butterfly.
Gary lost his cool for a moment before he pointed at Orochi and snapped, "Hey, it's not like that job was easy, y'know!" He smirked and crossed his arms, chest puffed. "'Sides, it was ranked A-Class. I'm glad I made it out alive. You wouldn't have been able to handle it."
"Wasn't the job picking those weird glow mushrooms?"
Gary growled as he took Ezra by the collar. "It was a tough job, okay?"
"R-R-Right. It was tough," Ezra agreed with a nervous smile. "I wouldn't have been able to do it."
Gary hmphed and shoved Ezra aside. "Geez, Ezra, have some backbone or something," he muttered. "Y'know, you're gonna have to go on a job one of these days too."
"M-M-Me?" Ezra shook his head, a blush on his cheeks. "N-No thanks. One was enough for me. I, ah, wouldn't be talented enough to go on a lot of jobs like you. My Magic isn't really that strong—Gah!" He choked when Gary slugged an arm around his neck.
"Hey, we can train together and you'll get strong in no time!" Gary promised.
"Oh, no, that's okay. I'd probably slow you down," Ezra insisted. "I like helping Granny Porlyusica. She teaches me a lot of things. And Aunt Wendy shows me around the forest to help with animals." Those dark browns shone. "It's really pretty."
Gary made a noise of disgust as he pulled away. "You and your freaky science and animal thing."
"You could stand to actually learn something," Orochi said dryly as he worked on his sketch. "Maybe if you were as smart as Ezra, you wouldn't be failing all yours classes and might actually have good ideas once in a while."
TICK!
Erza had to hold back Gary when he made a lunge for Orochi. "What'd you say to me?!"
"Hey, Fullbuster!"
Gary stopped his efforts to grab Orochi with an eye roll when he heard that shout. He grumbled as he sat back down with his hand propped and he leaned his cheek against it. "Ugh, not her again."
"I challenge you!" Nashi might have looked soft with her halo of pink hair and the springtime dress her uncle Loke had gifted her from the Celestial Spirit World, but her eyes were on fire with determination as she leapt up onto the bench and pointed down at a disinterested Gary. "Let's fight!"
Gary raised an eyebrow and feigned a yawn. "Sorry, but I don't waste my time with weaklings who aren't even in the guild." He smirked when her face turned red in ire. "Your Magic isn't at my level, little girl."
"I'm not little!" Nashi snarled. "You're just jealous my Magic is way cooler than your stupid ice!"
Gary snorted. "Yeah. That's what I am."
Nashi growled and snarked, "Oh, I get it. You're just upset since you couldn't finish your job and Uncle Gray had to do it!"
That caught Gary's attention as he rose up and glared at her. "Watch it, Dragneel. You're not even an actual guild member. I bet the first job you go on, you'll come crying back to your dad like the daddy's girl you are."
Ezra waved his hands with an uneasy smile as Nashi and Gary scowled at each other. "H-Hey, please don't fight…"
"One day, I'll be in Fairy Tail and I'll be even stronger than you!" Nashi told him. "I'll even be S-Class before you!"
Gary scoffed and smirked. "Oh yeah? You really think you're all that, Dragneel? Guess what? You'll never be anything outside your dad's little princess."
"Yes, I will!" Nashi snapped. "Papa said I'll be stronger than anyone in Fairy Tail and I've been training a lot with him and Mama and the Spirits!"
Gary taunted, "Yeah because you still practically have training wheels on. You can't even get strong on your own! A real Mage wouldn't need anyone to be strong, but you still need your 'papa', huh?"
Nashi's ears burned. "No, I don't!"
"Bet you do!" Gary mocked. "Just like a little daddy's girl!"
Pink sparkled around Nashi's hands as she sneered at him. "Stop it!"
"Maybe if we just all calm down…" Ezra tried again.
"You want to show you're strong? Fine." Gary settled down and offered his hand to her propped up by his elbow. "Let's see who's stronger."
"Fine!"
Erza flickered nervously between Gary and Nashi as they clasped hands and stared each other down, her scowling and him smirking. "Um, guys?"
"Ezra," Gary called, "count us in, so Dragneel can lose and leave me alone."
Ezra looked helplessly at Orochi who was certainly no help whatsoever to his plight and he sighed. "Fine… But even if someone loses, you're both strong, okay?" He sighed again when he realized Nashi and Gary were now in some sort of volatile staring contest. "Here goes… Three… Two… One… Arm wrestle!"
Nashi put up a good fight, teeth gritted, as she fought against Gary, but he irked her even more when he faked a yawn. "Take this seriously!"
"I wasn't?" Those blues danced in mischief. "Guess I will then."
SLAM!
Gary's smirk broadened the moment he had won, but Nashi was quick to pull away. "Mmm, doesn't it get tiring losing to me all the time, Dragneel?" he mocked. "It's obvious I was going to win. You don't even make winning fun for me anymore, daddy's girl."
Nashi pointed at him and snapped, "You think you're so strong, but I'll beat you and you'll be the one asking me for training help one day!" Jumping off the bench, she stomped away.
"Ha! Like that would happen." Gary leaned back in his seat and called loudly to the retreating Nashi, "Stop being such a brat. You lost. It's only natural a girl would lose to a boy." He chilled when two vicious presences shadow him.
"Oh-ho-ho..! You hear that, V-Card?" came pleasant giggle. "Little snowflake here think us girls are inferior to boys."
Gary whipped around and paled to see Esme in her beauty and grace with that lethal smile and an unimpressed Veronika behind him. Veronika popped up an eyebrow as she drawled, "Is that right, snowflake? Girls are weaker than boys?" She leaned down as static clacked off her. "Want to repeat that to us?"
Gary gulped. "N-N-No." He flinched when Esme's hand went to his shoulder.
"Oh, good. I thought you were stupid enough to say it a second time," Esme laughed. "But Ronnie and I would be happy to take you on since you're such a big and strong boy and we're just weak women."
As Gary sweated, Ezra tried to come between his friend and his sister. "C-C-Come on, Esme, he didn't mean it," he assured.
"He better not have," Veronika grumbled, flicking her hair. "Let's go, Es." She stalked away with Esme bouncing after her, talking a mile a minute.
Gary gasped, finally able to breathe. "Dude, your family is terrifying!"
"Only when you say stuff like that." Ezra blew out his curly hair from his eyes and opened his book back up. "Can't you be a little nicer to Nashi? She's actually really nice." He brightened. "Th-The other day, she showed me this meadow with some really cool butterflies—!"
"Dude, stop talking. You sound like a girl," Gary said flatly. "Why should I be nicer to her? She's so annoying and such a pain. She's always interrupting my training. I swear she's stalking me." He smirked. "Maybe she is—Ow!" He glared at Orochi who looked ready to hit him again with his sketchbook. "What was that for?"
"Someone had to beat up your ego before it blew up the guild," Orochi said dryly.
Gary hmphed and rubbed his head. "Whatever," he grumbled. "Just saying. She's annoying. Maybe if she was actual strong, I'd be nicer."
"So once she does get stronger, you'll be nice to her?" Ezra got from that.
Gary snorted. "Yeah, Ez, sure," he said sarcastically. "Once the little daddy's girl gets strong, I'll be nicer to her." He picked up his sandwich. "But I doubt that's ever going to happen." And he took a bite.
°•°•°•°
Ellie in her big glasses and wavy hair was assuring Lance for the tenth time that, no, his braces did not make him look lame, and, yes, his crush would still like his smile, when Nashi came storming over to their table, sat down, and put her head on the table. The cousins exchanged looks until Ellie sighed. "You really should stop challenging him, Nashi."
"But I have to beat him!" Nashi told her firmly as she shot up.
"But…why do you have to?" Lance asked, confused. He eyed Gary in distaste and a little fear. "He's so mean," he whispered to the girls. "Mom says Misty and I have to room with him for this retreat we're going to and I really don't want to. He's always asking me for a fight." He shivered. "I keep electrocuting him to knock him out, but he keeps asking. But I don't want to fight him. Why can't Nik be here? Nik would want to fight."
Ellie giggled. "Nik would totally destroy Gary! Magnifique!"
"He's mine to destroy!" Nashi growled. She looked over his shoulder to scowl at Gary. "I'm going to beat that stupid smirk off his face one day when I'm in Fairy Tail."
"Oh! And we're all going to be partners and go to Pergrande!" Ellie cheered.
Nashi could not help but smile at her best friend. "Yeah, that too." Then, she scowled. "Why do we have to be ten to be in Fairy Tail anyways?" she wanted to know. "Why can't we be in it now? We're strong!"
Lance tried to placate her, "But Master says—"
"I'm going to find Master and make her make us Fairy Tail Mages!" Nashi decided.
Lance tried to stop her. "But Nashi—" She had already left the table and he sighed. "Here we go again. That's the third time this week." He paused then turned to Ellie with anxious eyes. "Are you sure my braces don't look bad?"
Ellie sighed.
Here we go again, indeed.
Nashi had adapted to the chaos of Fairy Tail and knew how to avoid thrown chairs, spills of ale, block out the curses (and remember a few to use on Gary), and sidestep the onset of a fight, but finding Master Erza on the first floor was a nightmare and a half. She finally spotted Erza at the bar alongside her mother who had brought Luna in and she merrily colored in her coloring book with Ena at the bar, both blissfully unaware of Fairy Tail's…less-than-elegant nature.
Nashi stopped before Erza and declared, "Master! I'm ready to be in Fairy Tail now!"
Lucy and Erza paused in their conversation to address the headstrong girl before them. Erza smiled. "Nashi, you know you have to wait until you're ten before you can be in Fairy Tail."
"But that's too long!" Nashi complained. "And if Fullbuster can be a Fairy Tail Mage, I can be one too!" She saw Erza about to reject her and insisted, "I'm really strong! Papa says so! And I'd do any job you told me to!"
Lucy and Erza shared a mirthful look before Erza gently declined, "Nashi, I'm sorry, but the rule still stands." She saw her adopted-in-her-heart niece look ready to argue her case and point and added, "But your mother was telling me how your lessons with Mira have been going. And she tells me what a brilliant witch you're becoming."
Nashi beamed and looked at her mother. "Really, Mama?"
"You're growing stronger and smarter every day," Lucy promised her daughter. "You'll be in Fairy Tail in no time."
Nashi scowled and stamped her foot. "But I want to be in it now! Fullbuster will shut up once he sees I'm better than him!"
"I will never forgive Natsu and Gray for starting this feud," Lucy lamented to Erza. She felt a tug on her arm and looked over to a nervous Luna. "Do you have to go, baby?" When Luna nodded, Lucy helped littlest one down before she told Nashi, "Gary will see you're better than him as you keep training and learning, I promise you, baby." She cooed for Luna and hand-in-hand, mother and daughter went off to the bathrooms.
Nashi looked pleadingly at Master. "Master, please! I promise I'll be the best Fairy Tail Mage ever!"
"And I have no doubt you will be when you're ten." Erza ducked down to tip Nashi's chin up. "As for Gary, don't worry about him. He acts all mean, but you never know. He might actually like you."
"What!" Nashi reeled back, face flushed. "No way! He's such a jerk!"
Erza simpered. "They always say when boys are jerks to a certain girl, it mean he likes her. He just might admire you."
"Ew…!" Nashi wrinkled her nose. That's so gross…!"
"What's gross?" Mystogan had joined him with his red hair neatly combed back and a few books in his hand. Glasses slightly slipping (they were large on him even if he insisted otherwise), he looked like he had just returned from the Guild Archives.
Nashi's cheeks flushed for a different reason as she fiddled with her hair and shot Mystogan a shy smile. "Hi, Misty."
"Hello, Nashi." Mystogan presented her with a small smile. "Did you get into another fight with Gary?"
Nashi huffed. "He's such a jerk."
Mystogan chuckled as he offloaded his books to his mother for approval and pushed up his glasses. "He's a lot to take in, but he has a lot of potential." He leaned down to whisper conspiratorially to her, "But he still can't even pull of simple spells without screwing up."
Nashi giggled, twirling a lock of her hair. "Really?"
Mystogan grinned. "The other day, he came over to practice some spells and let's just say his levitation spell made himself float for two hours."
Nashi snorted as she laughed and covered her mouth in embarrassment, but when Mystogan chuckled, she beamed, preening, and opened her mouth to say—
"Aw, stooping down to talk to Princess Dragneel?"
Nashi scowled and whirled around (and hated she had to look up) to see a smirking Gary before her. Gary mocked, "Misty can't help you get stronger, you know."
"Weren't you the one who practically begged me to help you with easy spells and charms that you can't even perform for an A-Class exam?" Mystogan asked him dryly.
Gary colored while Nashi snickered. "Dude…!"
"I'm not going to play along just because you have some vendetta against Nashi," Mystogan deadpanned. He looked over his shoulder at his mother. "Are those okay for my report?"
"They should be perfect," Ezra approved as she handed the books back to her son.
"Thanks." Mystogan offered Nashi a soft look. "I'd be happy to teach you some spells, Nashi, if your parents are okay with it." He shot a scowling Gary an unimpressed look. "You'd probably actually accomplish the spell we're working on and wouldn't lose it when you couldn't get it right the first time around."
Nashi offered a girlish giggle and sang in appreciation, "Thanks, Misty."
"Sure." Mystogan flashed her a smile. "See you later." He ignored Gary as he headed back for the basement with his books.
Gary muttered, "He's only offering because he feels sorry for you that you're so weak."
"And you're a jerk," Nashi countered to him, losing the good feeling she had. "Why can't you be more like Misty? He's strong, but he's not nasty like you."
Gary looked taken back until he glowered. "Y-Yeah, well, at least I don't have a stupid crush on someone who will never like me back."
"Wh-Wh-What?" Nashi looked at him wide-eyed. "I don't have a crush!"
Gary smirked at her. Got her. "Please, all that stupid giggling around?" He mimicked a high-pitched laugh as Nashi reddened. "Don't make me puke. Misty just sees you as another weak person. A charity case."
To his surprise, Nashi's eyes watered. Hurt and cross, she retorted, "But at least he's nice! You're just a mean, ugly jerk who's jealous because you're not strong enough to be in Fairy Tail and no one will ever like you! So there!" She hurried away to go sit by Ellie and Lance who immediately turned their attention to her.
Erza looked at the stunned Gary and softly told him, "That wasn't very nice what you said."
Gary's cheeks pinkened, and he mumbled, "Yeah, well, she didn't say anything nice either."
"Gary…" Erza chided.
He huffed. "Fine. I'll say, 'sorry' to her later." He stalked back over to his table to sulk, but his eyes did occasionally stray to Nashi who took comfort leaning on Ellie's shoulder.
Erza sighed. "What to do with those two?" She looked at her youngest daughter. "What do you think, Ena? What should we do?"
Ena thought about it for a moment and tapped her chin with her colored pencil. "I think Nashi's wedding dress should be pink," she decided after a moment of deliberation.
Erza had to laugh. "You read my mind." She called to behind the bar, "Can we have two strawberry cake slices please? I'd like to celebrate my little fairy's genius."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
And so…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
BOOM!
Lucy frantically checked outside the kitchen windows to see a mini explosion had gone off with smoke everywhere and she knew the culprit from that blonde hair. She pushed open the kitchen window to shout, "Igneel Zeref, I have told you for the last time! No more explosions!"
"Sorry, Mom!" Igneel chirped, not at all remorseful. "I won't do it again!"
Lucy sighed and shut the window. "What am I going to do with him?" she wondered. "Any more explosions and people will think we're a military testing site." She went back to the dinner she was prepping with her three-cheese macaroni and cheese, roasted brussel sprouts, and chicken (salmon for Nashi and tofu chicken nuggets for Luke).
DING-DONG!
Lucy sighed in frustration as her cooking had to be paused once again. "Can someone get that?"
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!
DING-DONG!
Lucy sighed and wiped her hands on the towel to put a pause on her cooking for now. She abandoned the kitchen and rushed out in the hallway and caught Luna playing on a tablet with Plue before she tore down the front hallway, harried. As the knocking continued, she unlocked the first door to see—
"Gary?" In confusion, Lucy opened the screen door to see a shy Gary on the other side, hands hiding behind his back. "Hi, Gary. Did you need to speak to Natsu? I think he's upstairs helping Luke with homework—"
"Um, no." Gary shuffled his feet. "I, uh…" He brought out a bag to show her, but he could not look at her without his pride being destroyed. "Here. This is, um, for Drag—err, Nashi."
"Oh!" Lucy took the bag and peered inside to see Gary had brought over a carton of vegan ice cream. She smiled. "Oh, Nashi will love this! I haven't been by the store yet and she ran out of it. Thank you, Gary."
Gary blushed and scuffed his shoe as he mumbled, "It's nothing. Could you, um, tell her it was from me?"
"You can tell her yourself!" Lucy cheered. "I'm sure you'd want to tell Nashi in-person. Let me get her down here."
Gary tried to back away. "U-U-Uh, no, that's okay, Aunt Lucy—!"
"Nashi…!" Lucy trilled into the house, oblivious to Gary's panic. "You have a visitor!"
"W-W-Wait!" Gary stammered. "She doesn't have to—!"
Footsteps thundered down the steps and an excited squeal. "Is it Ellie?" Nashi asked her mother. "I thought we were supposed to…" She trailed off the moment she saw an abashed Gary and scowled. "What's he doing here?"
"Gary came by with a present for you," Lucy told her daughter. "It's your favorite ice cream…!"
Nashi's eyes sparkled and she rushed for the bag. "No way! Mootown?" When she saw the carton, she giggled, bouncing a little. "Awesome! Can I eat it after dinner?"
Lucy laughed. "Only a little bit." She gestured to the embarrassed Gary. "Aren't you going to thank Gary for making the trip all the way out here to give that to you?"
Nashi broke into a scowl and she upturned her nose at the gift. "I don't want it if he bought it."
"Nashi!" Lucy scolded. "That's not very nice of you to say to him! He had to walk all the way here!" She sighed when Nashi hmphed and offered (to her amusement) a slightly crestfallen Gary a rueful smile. "Well, I'm thankful for it, Gary, so thank you. It's getting close to dinnertime. Would you like to join us?"
Nashi gaped. "Mama!"
Gary quickly realized Nashi's displeasure and smiled sweetly. "Sure, Aunt Lucy! I can set up the table! If you aren't finished cooking dinner, could I help?" His smile widened when Nashi looked like she was wishing lightning struck him down.
"My, my, what an endearing house guest," Lucy teased. "Come on in. Nashi, can you get Gary some slippers?" She raised an eyebrow when Nashi looked ready to complain and simpered when her eldest daughter huffed but set out to complete the task. "Come on in, Gary. Why don't you—?"
BOOM!
Lucy was on a warpath in an instant. "Igneel Zeref, for the love of the Star King!"
Nashi sniffed as she dropped the guest slippers at Gary's feet. "Here. You're welcome."
"Thanks." Gary slid off his shoes for the slippers. "Look, Dragneel, I—"
"Gare-bear!"
Gary softened when he saw little Luna skipping to see him and offered her a goofy grin. "Hi, Looney."
Nashi stopped her little sister from getting too close to him and snapped at Gary, "Don't be a jerk and call her such a mean name."
"I'm not though," Gary promised, frowning. Even he was a little hurt at the implication he would insult Luna.
Luna giggled. "I'm Looney!" She pointed at Gary. "He's Gare-bear!" She pointed at her sister. "You're Sissy!" She grabbed both Nashi and Gary's hands and guided them down the hall. "And we're all hungry!"
"We'll eat soon, Lu." Nashi smirked at Gary. "Isn't that right, Gare-bear?"
Gary's cheeks flushed a stark red as he hissed, "Shut up. Only Looney can call me that, daddy's girl."
Nashi growled and retorted, "You're such a jerk!"
"You're such a girl!"
"You're such a—!"
YANK!
BONK!
Gary and Nashi withdrew as they rubbed their sore foreheads and groaned at the ache. "Lu!" Nashi huffed. "What was that for?"
Luna gave an innocent smile. "Mama and Papa fight and they kiss and stop fighting." She looked between the two who had gone wide-eyed and red. "If you kiss, you'll stop fighting!"
"WHAT?!"
It was impressive how fast Natsu could move when it came to food, Lucy, fighting, and most importantly—protecting his daughters' virtue. He huffed smoke from his nose as he scowled at a flabbergasted Gary. "No kid of that stripper is kissing my daughter!"
Gary was spluttering, Nashi looked like her soul had gone to the afterlife, but Luna wagged a finger at her father all serious and scolded, "Papa, kissing makes people stop fighting. You kiss Mama when she's mad and then she's not mad anymore."
Natsu scrambled for an argument and had an ah-ha! moment when he smartly replied, "I'm her husband, so I can kiss her ."
Luna's eyebrows scrunched together. "Oh." Just when Natsu found another argument for his case, Luna brightened within seconds. "Nashi and Gary can get married then and kiss and stop fighting!"
"NO!"
"What?!"
BOOM!
"IGNEEL!"
Natsu had a lethal aura wrapped around him as flames burst from his fist as he glared at a sweating Gary. "So you wanna marry my princess, huh?"
"No!" Gary cried. "That would be torture!"
Somehow, that was still the wrong thing to say when Natsu huffed insignificant flames and snarled, "Any man strong enough to beat me would be lucky to have my princess!"
Gary was stuck between a rock and hard place as he stumbled over his words, Natsu looked unafraid to intimidate a ten-year-old, Nashi looked like she really did pass onto the next life, and Luna bounced and clapped her hands. "Yay! Wedding! I can take pictures!"
Everyone ignored Igneel's yelp in the distance when Lucy finally caught him.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
And then…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The table had been beautifully set with the macaroni and cheese glazed with baked bread crumbs, the brussel sprouts were still soft enough to chew without bearing down, the chicken could melt in your mouth, and Lucy had Luke help her in making some lemonade. Though, granted, while the table looked beautiful, the guests might not have. Igneel looked irritated, soot still in his hair. Natsu did not mind the red footmark on his cheek from the Lucy Kick his wife delivered when she found out he was threatening a ten-year-old. Nashi and Gary had been placed beside each other, but they mindfully avoided each other's eyes. Lucy looked like she was one step away from snapping. And Luna was a ball of sunshine and energy and seemed to not notice the chaos.
At least there was Luke. He looked normal.
For now, anyway…
"Dig in," Lucy encouraged Gary. "And don't worry about seconds. I've cooked enough to feed the Dragneel Army and then some."
Gary smiled. "Thanks, Aunt Lucy." He took a helping of mac and cheese and hummed. "This is so good!"
"Thank you!" Lucy sighed when she looked over at Igneel who looked at the mac and cheese like it angered him. "What's wrong, Igneel?"
"I don't want the crumbs."
"Ah, right, I'm sorry, I forgot you hate that part." Lucy did look guilty about the slip-up and began to get up. "Let me get you another plate—"
"I've got it." Natsu rose and gave Lucy a sweet kiss on the cheek.
She hummed, but she trilled, "Still not forgiving you for intimidating a ten-year-old."
"But Lucy…!" Natsu whined. "He's the stripper's kid! He's practically the enemy!" He seared Gary a look who did his best to ignore it even if hey, did it get a little hotter in here? "Our princess is talking to the son of my enemy! So he's my enemy! Like that saying!"
"The saying is the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Natsu," Lucy reminded dryly. "And Gray is not my enemy, so Gary isn't mine."
Natsu looked betrayed. "You told me being married meant we'd have each other's backs."
"Yes. And we do." She patted his cheek. "But you're being stupid." She lightly pushed her husband away when he pouted. "Go on, Natsu."
Natsu muttered something unintelligible under his breath that both his sons caught, but they were wise enough not to repeat anything he said.
Igneel wrinkled his nose at Nash's fish. "Why can't you just eat meat like normal people do?"
"'Cause it's gross," Nashi shot back. "And you eat fish too."
Igneel grinned. "Bet if you eat all that fish, you'll turn into one."
"Then I hope you turn into a cow," Nashi retorted. "Maybe a pig since you are a pig."
Igneel mocked back, "I know you are, but what am I?"
Lucy sighed, ready to intervene, when Gary blurted, much to everyone's surprise, "I think fish is good and it tastes good. If she likes it, who cares?"
Igneel rolled his eyes and grumbled something.
"That's very nice of you to say, Gary," Lucy complimented warmly. She saw Nashi try to block out the conversation and purposefully cleared her throat. "Nashi? Wasn't that nice of Gary to say?"
Nashi sniffed. "I don't need some jerk defending me."
TICK!
Gary offered an irritated smirk in return. "Maybe if little girls spoke up, jerks wouldn't have to defend them."
TICK!
Nashi butted heads with him as she snarled, "Maybe I should call the Guard since someone so ugly is in my house."
"Maybe you should cover up your face before you make everyone sick," Gary sneered back.
"You smell like hot dog water!"
"You should feel lucky because you're the dumbest person I've ever seen!"
"You're so dumb I bet you forget to breathe!"
"You're so dumb you'd throw a rock at the ground and miss!"
"Guys!" Lucy called, exasperated. "Do you two have to do this? You'll both just keep going back and forth, so someone needs to be the mature one and let it go, please."
Nashi beamed. "Of course, Mama. I'll let it go because I'm the more mature one." She turned to Gary and stuck out her tongue. "So, ha!" Gary scowled while she took a bite of her salmon with a smug little grin.
Natsu came back in with a new plate. "What'd I miss?"
"Nashi's being an immature bitch," Igneel grunted.
Lucy gaped, and even Gary and Natsu's eyebrows shot up. "Igneel!" she gasped. "We do not say that to anyone!"
Nashi scowled at her brother. "What crawled up your butt?"
Igneel bared fang when he growled at her before he pushed away from the table and left.
"I've got him," Natsu promised his wife as he set down the plate. He kissed her forehead before he hurried after Igneel.
Lucy rubbed her temples. "I just want one normal dinner," she lamented. "Just one." She offered Gary an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry about that, Gary. Igneel's just been a little…angry."
"He's a psycho," Nashi snorted. "Why can't he go live with Granny Anna? Why are we stuck with him?"
Luke saddled up to his twin's defense, frowning. "That's mean, Nashi. We're not stuck with him. He's just different."
"Yeah. Different as in crazy," Nashi muttered.
"Iggy's nice." Luna chewed on her mac and cheese happily. "He got me a new Poko stuffy today."
"Lu, he stole one for you," Nashi corrected. She caught her mother's haggard look and said defensively, "You were thinking it too!"
"It's okay, Aunt Lucy," Gary soothed. He felt bad for the poor woman. She looked ready to pass out from an incoming coronary. "I like coming over when I get to train with Uncle Natsu. Unlike some people."
Nashi harrumphed. "I train with Papa too."
"And he takes it easy on you," Gary teased. "He's gonna take it easy on his wittle princess."
Nashi colored. "Shut up. Papa says your dad is a stripper."
"My dad's not a stripper!" Gary snapped back. "My dad says your dad is a fire hazard!"
"No, he's not!"
But both children had to reflect on their respective fathers. Between Gray's casual losing of clothes that Juvia would happily pick up for him and Natsu cackling as he nearly destroyed a village through his flames… All the stories that always conveniently ended with one of them nearly being arrested by the Guard…
Our fathers should be in jail, they thought in horror.
"Well, please eat up," Lucy tiredly encouraged. "You can have some ice cream once you're finished, Nashi, but please make sure you offer your guest some dessert too and whatever he wants within reason."
Gary grinned while Nashi looked like she was asked to change a diaper. "Why me? He's not even my guest! I don't want him here!"
"He's your guest now because I said so," Lucy decided, amused at Nashi's sulking. "And also because Luna is going to show me all the pretty new toys Igneel got for her." She looked over at the nonchalant Luke dipping his vegan chicken nuggets in sauce and called, "You too, Luke."
Luke sweated and tried to deny, "H-H-He didn't bring me anything." He turned away to hide his sweat from the judgmental look his mother gave him. She'll make me back the MagiBoy Igneel got me last week if she finds out.
As Lucy tried to mentally wear down her normally-devotedly-honest son, Gary leaned over to Nashi to whisper, "I want some of your ice cream."
"It's my ice cream," Nashi shot back in a whisper. "Get your own."
"I'm your guest. Your mom said so. You have to give me some."
Nashi grumbled. "Whatever." She tucked in a brussels sprout. "Jerk."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
And then…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"This stuff is disgusting." Gary made a face after the first spoonful of ice cream. He and Nashi had sat on the deck in the backyard together, shoes off, and free from the chaos inside the Dragneel Residence.
Nashi elbowed his shoulder while she inhaled another spoonful. "Don't be rude. This is amazing."
"Yeah, if you like fake ice cream." Gary helped himself to another spoonful and grew defensive when Nashi gave him a flat look. "I never said I wasn't going to eat it."
Nashi rolled her eyes. She tucked in another spoonful before she swallowed. "You didn't have to bring this over, you know," she murmured.
Gary slowed his eating. "I guess not…"
"So then why did you?" Nashi turned to him with question in those big hickory eyes.
Gary found himself dazed for a moment before he coughed and looked away, cheeks tinged. "Master made me do it, so don't go getting any ideas."
Nashi remained unimpressed. "Master made you do it? Seriously?"
Gary huffed. "Okay, fine, she didn't," he muttered. "She just said I should apologize since I might've hurt your feelings at the guild hall." When Nashi unleashed no retort, his eyes flickered to her in uncertainty. "Did I…hurt your feelings?"
Nashi was silent…then—
SMACK!
"Ow!" Gary rubbed the back of his head.
Nashi grinned. "If you did, now I forgive you."
"You're so freaking violent," Gary grumbled. When Nashi shrugged, he teased, "I don't think Misty likes violent girls, Dragneel, so you're probably out of luck."
Nashi sniffed. "I don't even like him."
"You're totally blushing," Gary crooned at her pink cheeks. "Nashi likes Misty…! Nashi likes Misty…!"
Nashi punched his shoulder. "Shut up! Your face is too stupid for any girls to like you, so there." Angrily, she took another scoop of her ice cream. "Why do you even care if I have a crush?"
"So I can give them a hazard warning," Gary chalked it up to. "They should know what they're getting into. I mean you pretty much stalk me every day—"
Nashi quickly swallowed to squawk, "I do not!"
"You find me out of nowhere to fight me," Gary pointed out. "That's stalking." He paused then smirked. "Maybe the little daddy's girl has a crush on me—Ack!" He shook from the smack to his chest and rubbed his ache.
"Like I would ever want to have a crush on someone as stupid as you," Nashi retorted. "I want my prince to actually be smart and strong and handsome." She looked at Gary up and down. " Your Magic sucks, your personality is crap, and you look like a donation pile."
Gary grew red and gritted his teeth. "Who even has pink hair anyways? It's stupid. And your Magic isn't anything great either. Your whole personality is failed anger management and you look…"—he eyed her, but the insults just were not coming—"stupid," he finished lamely.
"Oh, wow, use your snowflake Magic for that burn I got," Nashi muttered.
"It's Ice Magic and it's awesome."
"It's a snowflake."
"You're a snowflake."
"You think I'm one of a kind?" Nashi grinned. "Aw, thanks, Gare-bear."
"Shut up," Gary whined. "I told Looney she couldn't say that when anyone else was close-by. Traitor."
Nashi simpered. "Lu doesn't care." She made a face. "But Cane's making her call him 'Prince Charming' and Gale looks so mad every time she does." She shook her head. "I've never seen Papa so speechless when Lu said she'll marry a prince and a Dragon. Cane kept messing with Gale until Gale punched him and gave him a bloody nose."
Gary cracked up. "I'd pay to see that. I wouldn't want to mess with Gale." A beat. "Or Igneel." He looked at Nashi curiously. "Do he really steal stuff?"
"He's insane," Nashi muttered. "I don't even know when he does it." Another scoop of ice cream. "I heard Papa saying Igneel got mad and nearly set our treehouse on file. He's just so mean. Like, he burned Luke's homework and his favorite books and he'll hit Luke, but Luke doesn't even care. I don't get it."
Gary frowned, more thoughtful than in agreement. "Has he ever been mean to Luna?"
"No." Nashi thought on that. "No, I don't think so. But whenever Gale's around her, Igneel and him get into a fight. He keeps saying he smells something weird with Gale." She shrugged. "I just think he's a freak."
Gary hummed, but he added nothing more.
Silence enveloped the pair as Nashi spooned more ice cream.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Gary asked in a murmur, "Why do you even like Misty?" He added in mumble, "He's too old for you, anyway."
BAM!
Gary rubbed his sore shoulder and gave Nashi a vile look. "And you're too violent."
Nashi huffed. "Why do you even care?"
"I don't," Gary said a little too quickly. "It's just a question. Why are you so defensive?"
Nashi rolled her eyes as she spooned another helping of ice cream before she slowed down and swallowed. Her eyes went to the dying sun and the day stars dotting the sky. "It's not…like I like him… There's"—her cheeks faintly glowed with pink—"someone else I kind of like."
Gary's heart raced. "S-S-Someone else?"
"Yeah…" Suddenly, Nashi growled and stabbed her ice cream. "But I'd never ever tell them because I'd have to kill them!"
Gary's eyes widened. "Huh?"
Nashi sniffed and turned away from him. "Nothing. You wouldn't understand, anyway." She scooped the last of the ice cream. "Plus, Misty is really nice to me and I think he's really cute."
Gary grumbled. "I doubt he thinks your cute with that pink hair."
TICK!
SMACK!
Gary hissed in pain at the ache on his head while Nashi shook a fist at him, "Go be a jerk somewhere else, you stupid jerk!"
"I'm just saying!" Gary huffed and turned away, rubbing his head. But as pink filtered onto his cheeks, he mumbled, "But maybe…pink hair can be cool on some people." But he dug himself into a hole when he added, "Just not you."
SMACK!
"You want me to hit you back?!"
"You're the one insulting me, snowflake!"
"I'm not a snowflake, pinky!"
"What'd you call me?!"
"You heard me, pinky!"
As Nashi and Gary argued under the sunset, maybe neither of them would notice how close they had gotten to each other…and even in their arguing, it seemed neither one of them would pull away from the proximity.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"You were such a jerk to me back then, stupid dog."
"And now I'm Angel's love slave forever—"
"DON'T SAY THAT!"
"Even so, in the end, neither one of us said anything that day."
"I guess not… It just wasn't time yet."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Chapter Two
The Wings I Saw that Day…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Hyah!"
Gary watched on the edge of his seat, eyes gleaming, as Natsu and Loke tore at each other in the grass. It was rare Loke got to come out for physical sparring matches, but he had allowed it since the Celestial Spirits had a lull in their work and Loke had been looking to let off some steam. Gary could barely sit still as he watched Loke flip Natsu, but Natsu would not take that lying down and he twisted his body for a kick to Loke's side.
So cool…! Gary grinned. I can't believe I get to train with the actual Dragon King! He gasped when Natsu had seemingly trapped Loke in a deadlock, but the Lion Spirit was not one to tap out. He was the Spirit of Valor and his strength must have been immense when he pretended to give only to flip Natsu over him. So cool, so cool, so cool…! I can't wait for my turn!
"Stop reading and listen to me!"
Gary frowned. He got up from his seat to get into the backyard and wandered to the side yard. To his surprise, Luke was just sitting under a tree, but Igneel loomed over him with a scowl on his face and flames dancing in his hair.
Luke shied away as he tried to draw his book to his chest. "I am listening to you," he tried to assure in a small voice. "But I really want to read—"
Igneel grabbed Luke's book without hesitation and his hands caught fire to incense the page after page. "I was talking, and you weren't listening to me!" he snarled. "You always read your stupid books!"
"Hey!" Gary made a break for both brothers. "Igneel, stop it!" But he faltered when Igneel turned to him and his eyes gleamed a lethal emerald that could make anyone's heart stop. What was…?
"It's okay," Luke piped up weakly. He avoided looking at his book convulsing into charred remains. "I wasn't listening." He gave Igneel a hopeful look. "I'll listen now—"
Igneel sneered at him as he doused his flames. "It doesn't matter anymore, dumbass!" He threw the charred book onto the ground as it smoked and he darted into the woods.
"Igneel!" Gary stopped by Luke, though he grimaced at the burnt book. "I'm sorry about your book." He crouched down to offer Luke his hand. "Let's go get your dad—"
"No, it's okay." Luke got up on his own and swiped his nose. Sorrowful eyes landed on his burnt book. "Igneel was right. It was a stupid book." He bent over and winced as he picked up the charred book. "I should throw this away. Sorry." He pushed past a lost Gary and headed back to the house with his head down.
Gary stared at him, helpless. Luke… Angry ceruleans pinned into the forest. Igneel… Without thinking, he dashed into the forest. More leaves had banded together for a stronger canopy with little blips of lights, but he did not care. He could see just fine, and he would be damned if he would turn around now. That was so uncalled for. Burning Luke's book? What's wrong with him! Luke wasn't doing anything wrong! Julia might tease Silver a little too much, but at least she says she's sorry. Igneel didn't even look sorry at all!
"Igneel…!" Gary hollered into the forest. He did not care what wildlife he disrupted. "Igneel…!" He twisted his head to scope the area, but he could not find a sign of the blonde. "Igneel, you need to say sorry to Luke!" He gritted his teeth in frustration when all he heard was birds scattering and he could not catch even a tuff of blonde hair. He slowed down and squinted to see past the tree and the bushes, but he could not see a thing.
It's like he disappeared, Gary growled. But that's impossible. Then again, he knows these woods better than me. He probably could hide here and I wouldn't know. He scratched the back of his head and huffed. "He and Dragneel really are siblings." His eyes went skywards as he peeked in a gap in the canopy to look at the clear blue sky and rolling clouds. I'll tell Uncle Natsu Igneel ran out here. He'll be able to sniff him out.
He turned—
WHOOSH…
Ceruleans widened.
White feathers.
LUB-DUB…
Gary could not believe it. What…? What was…?
His feet moved before he could.
Whatever bird it was left a large shadow as it zoomed above the canopy, but he was determined. Fist in palm, he chanted a spell and crafted a chunk of ice to plunge him into a sliding gallop. His eyes were torn between the forest and the sky, but…
WHOOSH…
White feathers.
Those wings… They look so…beautiful… Gary pushed himself to go even faster. I've never seen wings like those before. A falcon? No… An eagle? A magical creature?
WHOOSH…
Ceruleans steeled. I have to find out. I have to know.
He might have been fast, but the creature was faster and he knew that. But that did not mean he could not try. He spend through the forest trampled over twigs and leaves and rock. He stared at the casted shadow and how it abandoned him. No! Just…a little more… He looked up.
Light over took him.
Gary could not stop when he railed over the cliff, but his eyes clung to the cliff side and he was locked in place from falling over and banishing himself to the dozens of yawns between him and a lower level of the forest. Heart at his throat, lungs burning, he could barely process he had nearly tumbled off a cliff—
WHOOSH…
His eyes looked up.
Cerulean shimmered.
Those white wings had traveled far from him and the creature's body was hidden, but those wings… They trusted themselves and they trusted the wings. They rose and fell like the tides and glided with all the freedom in the world.
HYUUUU…
He perked when he heard a high-pitched whistle echo, and he knew the winged creature was the source. Like it was instinct, he cupped his hands, and he whistled back, low-pitched and in three long breaths.
He waited.
HYUUUUU… HYUUUU…
Gary brightened as he watched the wings continue their journey across the forest. A stray zephyr ruffled his hair, but he could not take his eyes off the most beautiful pair of wings he had ever seen. Wow… Those wings… He touched his chest. His heart was beating so face. I wonder… No… I hope I get to see them again. They looked so pretty and…
HYUUUUUUU…
Free, Gary decided as his eyes softened. They looked so…free…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"That was the first time I had seen those wings. And I hoped they wouldn't be the last.
"The chapter of my life might have seen short to you and insignificant, but…
"Seeing those wings… It meant a lot to me."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
•
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Chapter Three
Mission of the Heart
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The Fullbuster House was nice and tranquil in comparison to the chaos Nashi had to deal with at home. Instead of explosions and tantrums and a constant war-zone, it was exchanged from relaxing fish tanks, soothing blues, and Juvia's obsession with Zhōnguánese music. Today, Nashi and Luna had come over to play with Julia and Silver respectively. Even young, Silver was an experimenter with his Water Magic, but he had nothing on Julia. Nashi was busy sketching while Julia dazzled Luna and Silver as she crafted water out of thin air and shaped it beautifully only for her to freeze it.
Silver and Luna clapped. "That was awesome!"
Juvia beamed. "Thanks! Dad says if I get better at Ice Magic, he might even take me to Arcticados to train with him and Uncle Lyon and Gary and Linus once I'm ten!"
This was news to Nashi. "Wait. What?"
"Well, now that Gary's ten and he's been in the guild for a few months, Dad says Gary's ready to see Ur's house in Arcticados for special training," Julia said as she carefully handed the ice sculpture to her brother who coveted it like it was pure gold.
"Oh." Nashi tried to act like she did not care, but… "When would they leave?"
Julia shrugged. "I don't know. Next month, I think. Dad normally takes some summer-long trip during June with Uncle Lyon every year to go to Ur's house in Arcticados then they travel to Anticados for her other home there and then make it back for the Grand Magic Games. It's this huge training thing." She pouted. "I so wanna go now."
Nashi frowned and looked down at her drawing. I knew Uncle Gray left, but… She shrugged it off. "I'm sure you will. You're super strong."
"Gary doesn't think so," Julia grumbled. "He won't train with me since he says it'd be unfair to go against someone weak like me."
Nashi gritted her teeth. "Man, that jerk makes me so mad sometimes! I can't wait to beat him and I'll be the one calling him weak! You just watch! Your brother's going down and he's mine to defeat. All mine."
Julia sweatdropped. Does she like him or does she just want to beat him?
CREAK!
Gary popped in. "Hey, Lady J, Silver, I'm leaving." He noticed the others in her room and grinned. "Hi, Looney."
Luna was too busy touching the ice sculpture, but she mumbled, "Hi, Gare-bear."
Gary chuckled before his eyes landed on Nashi and he pretended to be surprised. "Oh, hey, Dragneel, didn't see you there. Then again, how could I miss you since your hair could stop traffic."
Nashi growled and was ready to retort when Julia stepped between them with a glare at her brother. "Don't be mean to my friend. I like her hair and it's really pretty. Your hair looks like a bird's nest."
Nashi had to smirk when Gary looked embarrassed his own sister had chastised him and insulted him all in one. "I brushed it today," he mumbled.
Julia and Nashi eyed Gary's bedhead. With what, air?
"Where are you even going anyway?" Nashi wanted to know. It's almost the end of May. Is he leaving now?
Gary looked all-too-pleased she had asked and smugly replied, "I got a special request and only the strongest Mages get those. Unlike you, little girl."
"You did not," Julia retorted. "You practically had to beg Master—"
Gary rushed forward to cover Julia's mouth and hissed to her, cheeks heated, "Not in front of her." He scowled at a simpering Nashi and sniffed, "Anyway, I got a special request to go to Mount Hakobe."
Luna and Silver turned their attention on Gary in awe while Nashi looked jealous as they gaped (Nashi grumbled), "Really?"
"Yep!" Gary preened, puffing out his chest. "Master said I'd be perfect for the job, and I don't even have to use a Cutting Pen with my Magic. I might even fight Vulcans and Blizzardverns."
Luna looked a little worried at that. "But you'll be careful, right?"
"Yeah, 'course!" Gary abandoned Julia to pat Luna's head. "Don't worry, Luna. Master said if I got enough Hakobe Ice for the client, I could bring back some as a souvenir. Did you want some?"
Luna's eyes sparkled. "Yes—!"
"No!" Nashi stormed over to pull her sister away. "Lu, he's the enemy!"
Luna pouted, those brown eyes shimmering. "But I want some ice…"
Nashi tried to hold out—she really did—but how could you resist those big brown eyes? She sighed. "Fine—"
"Yay!" Luna turned to Gary, sparkling again. "I want ice please!"
Gary laughed. "Sure." He rolled his eyes when he felt Julia's judgmental glare. "And I'll bring some back for you and Silver too, Lady J."
Julia beamed. "You're the best big brother ever."
"Sure I am." Gary grinned teasingly at the scowling Nashi. "Jealous, Dragneel? I'd invite you to come with me, but—oh, yeah, that's right. You're not even guild. And even if you were, you wouldn't be at my level."
"Your level is six feet underground," Nashi muttered.
Luna frowned. "Nashi, that's mean."
Nashi colored. "Yeah, well, he's mean."
"Gare-bear is nice. He's bringing us special ice. You should be nice too." Luna beamed. "You should kiss him!"
"NO!"
Julia giggled at how both Gary and Nashi were red messes and avoided eye contact with each other. "Shouldn't you be leaving now?"
"Right," Gary coughed. "I have to go and be an actual Mage unlike some people."
Nashi sneered as Gary marked his farewells before darting away. "One of these days, I'm going to punch him into the next century…"
"Okay. I'm totally getting Gary's bedroom then. His is bigger than mine. Mom says it isn't, but I know it is." Julia went back to summoning balls of water when she noticed Nashi's thoughtful look. She knew that look. That was the idea look. "Nashi…"
Nashi blinked out of her stupor to send Julia a sweet smile. "Yes?"
Julia sighed. "Please don't do anything stupid."
"Like what?"
"You know what," Julia muttered. "Don't even think about it."
Nashi feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about." She went back to her drawing and casually asked, "So…do you know when the train comes for Gary's mission?"
Julia gave her a flat look, but there was no point in denying the information. "Dad and Mom always say we should go to the station forty-five minutes before hand and his train should be leaving in an hour."
Nashi hummed. "Interesting…" She turned away from Julia with a plotting grin. If I can get Lu home, it'll take me five minutes to get to the station if I fly. I can't fly all the way to Mount Hakobe since I don't have that stupid permit. I still have birthday money for the ticket and that camping PD pack Auntie Mira gave me. And I can use Transformation Magic to buy my ticket. She cackled in her head. And no one will suspect a thing.
Julia sweatdropped over the low maniacal laughter and Nashi's shaking shoulders. Does she not know how obvious she is?
°•°•°•°
Nashi had landed behind a Lacrima Car in the parking lot of the train station and had tried to bring out her best clothes to look as mature as possible. With her PD pack on her shoulders, she peeked around to see no one was coming, and the station was maybe a handful of seconds away to walk to. She took a breath and clenched her fists. Okay. Auntie Mira says I just have to focus on who I want to transform into. I've transformed into Mama in every age dozens of times. I can't change clothes and I can only change voices for a little bit but turning into her is easy. She pulled the picture from her pocket and examined it once again. Her mother looked around twenty with hair long and in a side ponytail that draped all the way to her hip. She was laughing as Nashi's father kissed her and clung to her. Twenty should be fine. I don't want them to think I'm Mama. I just need to be older.
Breathing out, Nashi summoned her Magic and let it cover her bit by bit as she easily remembered her mother and—
POOF!
Nashi knew something had worked when she felt taller, stronger, and her back and chest felt ridiculously heavy. Whirling around, she checked herself in the mirror and—
"Oh, no!"
Nashi looked in horror as she looked at her subtle reflection and realized the spell had gone wrong…partially. She had her mother's twenty-year-old physique, yes, and her own voice had matured to match it, but her hair… It was still pink. No! She feathered her pink locks in sadness. I was supposed to be blonde… She checked herself in the reflection and grinned. But I'm definitely older. This could work. Just one problem…
Nashi glared hard at the sudden cleavage her button dress could barely keep back. I thought the clothes would grow with me and they're still too small. It's always like this. She shivered in disgust as she remembered her mother's embarrassment over this flaw and her father's delight in it. Poor Mama. And having to deal with perverted Papa…
She slapped her cheeks. Never mind. I gotta get on the train. She looked around again before determinedly making her way to the train station. For the time of day, the station was not all that busy. Sure, you had students and maybe some business people, but it was not too packed for much activity. Nashi heavily avoided a few eyes that found her and nervously approached the ticket counter and dug out her money purse her grandmother had gifted her years ago. When it was her turn, she tried to calm down. Okay. Show time.
"Where are we off to today, miss?" the ticket master asked pleasantly.
"One ticket for Mount Hakobe," Nashi requested.
The ticket master tilted his head. "Do you mean a ticket to go to the resort, miss?"
"O-Oh, yes!" Nashi blurted with a high-pitched laugh. "Yup! The resort! Yes."
The ticket master smiled and began to type into his DAL. "Of course. Thankfully, the train ride to Hakobe Resort is only around a half an hour or so."
"Great!" Nashi opened her money purse. "How much, sir?"
"That depends, miss. Will that be one-way or a round-trip?"
Nashi blanked. "Um…" She racked her brain. "I think it's just one-way?"
The ticket master typed into his DAL. "All right… So for the train that leaves within the next twenty minutes and for a one-way trip…" He smiled at her. "That will be fifteen hundred jewel, miss. And I'll need to see some identification."
Woah, these tickets are cheap! Nashi proudly offered a twenty-hundred jewel bill. "Here you are!"
"Thank you, miss. And your ID please."
Nashi blanked again. "My…ID?"
"Yes, miss. ID is required for ticket purchases."
Internally, Nashi sweated. Oh no, I forgot about that. Whenever I take the train with Mama and Papa, I didn't need anything. What am I supposed to do? I have to get on the train. She gulped. "Um, about that…"
The ticket master laughed. "Forgot the ID today?" he ribbed in good humor. "Don't worry. I've had those days too." He took the jewel and rang her up. "Just this once, I'll let this slide."
Nashi sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Now I can follow him."
"Excuse me?"
Nashi blushed as the ticket master printed out her ticket. "Oh, it's nothing!" she laughed off. When he offered the ticket to her, she mumbled her gratitude and rushed away. When she put enough distance between herself and the stand, she could breathe a little easier. "Phew. That was close." She squinted at the ticket to find which track number she was at. "I'm at track seven…" She glanced around. "Should be easy enough to find."
It was not as easy as she thought. Huffing and puffing, it had taken her ten minutes to figure out where the seventh track was and keep her mind on task and not give into the temptation of the food she saw from the little shop within the station. Finally. I made it. Her eyes when she saw Gary sitting on a bench a little ways away. There he is!
Nashi sat at her own bench and tried to look as nonchalant as possible, but her eyes slid over to observe Gary. He looked disinterested with his headphones on and yawned. He thinks he's just so cool just because he gets to go on jobs. I'll show him. And Master will have to make me a Fairy Tail Mage when she sees I beat stupid Gary.
"What's up, beautiful?"
Nashi's nose scrunched in disgust and confusion when an unfamiliar man sat next to her with a pleasant grin. "My name isn't 'beautiful'," she said flatly. "Leave me alone."
"Don't be like that, gorgeous," the man purred. "How could I leave a pretty thing like you all alone?"
Nashi glared at him. "Easy. You go away."
"Don't be like that." The man scooted over and grabbed her wrist, but she fought against him. "Aw, and you're a feisty one."
Nashi growled. Stupid jerk. I'll just use Magic too—
She froze. But I can't use Magic once I've cast Transform unless I get rid of this form. But then everyone will know I'm a kid! She flinched and wrestled for control of her wrist from this man. "Get off me!" she shouted. "Let me go!"
The man chuckled. "Come on, beautiful, I just want to talk."
"Ice-Make: Sword!"
Both the man and Nashi split their shock at the icy sword that threatened the man's throat. Gary had joined, eyes glowing with Magic, and he did not dare look away from this man. "Let her go," he snarled. "People like you make me sick."
The man attempted to act cool when he nervously swallowed seeing the sword. "Didn't know you had a kid, beautiful, but I'm not in the mood to be a dad." Quickly, he let go of Nashi and scampered away.
Gary huffed and dispersed his sword. "Pathetic wimp. Of course he would run away." He turned back to the woman who looked a cross between irritated and surprised. He offered her a kind smile. "Are you okay, ma'am? Is your wrist okay?"
"I never needed your help," she snapped.
Gary blinked in surprise. "Oh! I-I'm sorry!" He looked rightfully embarrassed and scratched his cheek with a finger. "My dad told me I should always help when a pretty lady is in trouble."
She snorted and crossed her arms. "'Pretty'? You said my pink hair is stupid."
"Oh, no, it's not!" Gary insisted. "I really like your hair!" The blush on his cheek worsened as his eyes dropped and he mumbled, "Pink hair is really pretty."
Nashi scowled. Is he making fun of me? Then it all caught up to her. Wait a minute. I'm some adult he's never met before. He doesn't know it's me. He's been making fun of my hair, but he thinks it's pretty? She offered a wide grin. "You really think it's pretty, huh?"
Gary nodded vigorously. "Yeah, it's really beautiful and cool!"
"And do you know anyone else who has pink hair by chance?" Nashi quizzed.
Gary beamed. "Yeah! Mister Dragneel has pink hair. He's the Fire Dragon King in Fairy Tail and he's really awesome, even if my dad doesn't think so."
"Oh." Nashi ticked an eyebrow. "Anyone else?"
"Oh, yeah, his son Luke has pink hair too." Gary shrugged. "He's fine. He doesn't talk to me though."
Nashi held back from grinding her teeth. "Anyone else?"
Gary hummed in thought. Then he sparkled as he shook his head. "Nope!"
You are such a stupid liar!
"Well…"
Nashi tuned and, to her bewilderment, a soft look was on Gary's face and (in her opinion) this stupid smile.
"There's another person who has pink hair that I know," Gary murmured.
Nashi leaned in, eager. "Really? What's she—um—what are they like?"
Gary thought hard. "Well…" His eyes cast to the side as he muttered, "She's pretty much my stalker."
Nashi just barely held back from picking Gary up and strangling him and decided to snarl internally, I'm not your stupid stalker, stupid jerk! She gritted out in a poorly pleasant tone, "Oh, I'm sure she's not your stalker. Maybe she just wants something." To beat your stupid face and become better than you.
"Yeah, she harasses me all the time to try and fight me." Gary puffed his chest. "But I always win."
"No, you don't!" Nashi's eyes widened when she realized her error and quickly slapped on a smile to say, "I mean maybe you're, um…not being correct about that. I'm sure this beautiful girl with pink hair wins sometimes."
"Nope!" Gary looked proud of that fact. "I'm way stronger than her! I could run circles around her all day!"
Inwardly, Nashi felt like she was snapping a pencil as she scowled at him. I could run circles around you, you jerk!
"She's so annoying and short and she's always chasing after me—"
I want to punch him so badly!
"—but…" Gary reddened. "She can be a little cute."
Hickory widened. What?
A chime came overheard before a female announce spoke: "The train arriving at Platform Seven is the XX-XX service to Hakobe Resort. This train is formed of ten carriages. In the interests of safety, please stand back from the edge of the platform, until your train comes to a complete stop."
Gary perked. "That's my train! Is that your train too, ma'am? Do you need any help boarding?" He blinked at the stunned looking on this woman's face. "Ma'am, are you okay?"
Nashi tried to blink out of her stupor, but she was still in a daze. "O-Oh, um, yeah." She looked at her train ticket. "I've never been on a train alone," she realized in a low murmur. "My parents always took me."
"That's okay. I can help you," Gary offered. "I was pretty scared of going on trains by myself too, but it's really easy, I swear."
"Oh…" Nashi blinked twice. "Okay." She was slow to rise. "Thank you…"
Gary peeked down the track to see the train approaching. "Here it comes! This train is actually going further than Hakobe, but we're pretty lucky that there's a resort there that the train stops by."
Nashi was barely listening. He's always so mean to me, saying my hair is stupid, and being a jerk… But he thinks I'm cute?
TOOT-TOOOOOOOOT!
The train had slowed into a comfortable mosey as others lingering at platform seven stood up and patiently waited for the train to halt. Only a few passengers had gotten off at the Magnolia Station, but after a minute passed by, another announcement came and everyone filed into the train. Nashi's eyes darted around, anxious, and she bit her bottom lip. I've never done this all on my own. Mama or Papa always sat with me.
"Miss?"
Nashi looked down at Gary who pointed to a free row of seats. "You can sit there," he suggested to her.
"O-Oh. Um… Thank you."
Gary smiled. "Sure!" He adjusted his backpack. "I'm going to sit a little further back. I promise to watch out for bad guys for you." And he was off.
Nashi swallowed and nervously made her way to the empty row. She stuck close to the window and let out a sigh as she swung her PD pack onto her lap. I made it. I'm on a train all by myself. Her eyes strayed out the window, determined. I can do this. I'll finish the job before Gary and they'll have to make me a Fairy Tail Mage. I bet he was lying about thinking I'm 'cute' too. He was probably just making fun of me. But as much as she convinced herself that her motives were justified, and he was nothing more than a jerk, she could not deny the tiny bit of happiness she got from such a simple compliment.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
40 minutes later…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Nashi double checked as she left the bathrooms back down to her child self, but she had changed to cover her hair and brought along pink sunglasses. Sighing once she realized no one had spotted her, she headed out and tried to navigate the unfamiliar train station to find Gary. But as she left the sliding doors and looked all around the pick-up and drop-off zone, even she could not resist gawking at the glacial cluster of mountains that were beyond the resort and rentals. The resort, in all honesty, was something to behold and a brilliant idea. A crisp manmade lake on the property, the resort offered spring breakers and those in need of a vacation in the summer a pleasant atmosphere of jet skis, boating, an indoor water park, grills, zip-lining, and nature trails. But they also offered those seeking relief from the heat a resort that fed a little into the mountains and offered trails, snowboarding and skiing, ice-skating, snowmobiles, and more.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
« This is Hakobe Resort with Mount Hakobe in the background. When two best friends couldn't decide whether they wanted their summer vacation in the warm weather or the cold, they had the idea to turn Hakobe into the perfect getaway for those who wanted to experience both seasons at once with the Hakobe Resort with Hakobe Lodge in the mountains. A special Lacrima protects the lodge from the mountainous animals and most of the weather. »
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Woah…" Nashi breathed. "This is so cool!" She slapped her cheeks. "No, stay focused!" She scanned the pick-up curb up and down and, in the end, went onto a bench since everyone here was so tall. She even got on her tiptoes, but she huffed in frustration when she could not see anything outside chatting adults. Where is he? She squinted and searched until she caught him at the edge of the curb. There he is!
She checked around before she got down from the bench and ducked around a pillar. She kept her eyes on him as his ride came, and he handed over his MagID before getting in. She remembered the car and the license plate and grinned. Perfect. And she darted off.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Angel really was my stalker."
"Oh, shut up. I was never your stalker."
"That's okay, Angel, now I'm your stalker, so we're even—Mmmph!"
"Get away from me, you sicko, we're together now, so you can't stalk me!"
"…not even a little bit?"
"NO!"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Gary had to admit he was grinning like crazy as the taxi took him up the winding roads to get to the lodge. The resort itself was beautiful, sure, and with it being the end of May, more and more families had brought their kids for a quick vacation and were enjoying the summerish weather Fiore had in-store for them. But he liked winter the best (if he was being biased) and his eyes were round and excited as the cold began to settle in from the Mount Hakobe and the cluster of smaller hills it housed. The snowfall was light, but it dazzled him. Master said it gets crazy intense closer to the mountain, he reminded himself. She said I'd have to have a gondola take me up further and then I'd be on foot. Linus is totally gonna lose it he never got to do anything this cool.
The main hotel at Hakobe Lodge looked like a log cabin turned into a mansion to put it lightly, but that was not even the half of it. While the Hakobe Resort on land had a lake, Hakobe Lodge had a year-round ice rink that centered the different hotels and rentals and people were out and about. Some were the obvious casuals and beginners, but you could not replace the poise of a figure skater or the precision of a hockey player. Hot tubs were out and popular for friends and family too. Of course it offered chairlifts and you could even take a tram from the lodge down to the resort, but it offered funitels for those who wanted to push the boundaries and see the land. From there, sentries from the Magic Council and even a medical bay were set up with a gift shop and a little eatery. Adventurous hikers were turned away from climbing higher unless they had gone through the painstaking approval process.
Gary laughed to himself when he felt the heat of the wards and seals pass through him. The cold here was mild enough for people to wear coats and jackets, but he was comfortable in his t-shirt and shorts. He did bring boots and a jacket and gloves due to his mother's incessant fretting and the tired yet reluctant agreement his father gave with the suggestion, but both he and his father knew he would not need them. The job printout was firmly in a folder and he was twitching in excited when—
WHOOSH…
Gary looked up—
Dazzling white wings flapped, then disappeared into the trees.
Gary pressed his face amongst the glass, dazed and mystified. Those wings… I saw them again… Blues sparkled. They're so beautiful.
The driver and car were compliments by the client, so the driver already knew to hoist Gary into the reserved lane for important guests. He thanked the driver with a nice bow before he was in the hands of a smiling assistant who brought him inside. "Mister Fullbuster, Shoshone and Hill will be pleased to meet you at least," she enthused.
"Really? That's great! Thank you!" Gary appreciated, but he could not help himself when he stopped and looked around. "Woah… This is awesome…"
The inside of the lodge beheld a hunter and lumberjack crossbred vibe to it from the faux animal upholstery to the tables and shelves made from Traditionalists. Two large fireplaces were enough to heat the entire lobby, but kiddie bridge that crossed the lobby to get to the indoor adventure center was every child's fantasy.
The assistant laughed. "I'm glad you think so, Mister Fullbuster." She led him to a hallway and swiped her badge since it was an administrative wing. "Part of your reward is a weekend of your choosing for a complimentary vacation here for your entire family, so I hope you enjoy the amenities during your stay." She brought him to a large door and knocked twice. "I've brought Mister Fullbuster."
"Bring him in, bring him in!"
The assistant opened the door and gestured for Gary to enter. He bowed, grateful, and stepped inside.
A smile full of teeth. "Nice to meet you, Mister Fullbuster!"
Gary's eyes rounded. "Nice to you too…" Maybe he was rude trailing off in shock, but he had never seen anything like them. The woman was a beauty with her caramel skin and hair a deep and silk black, but her eyes had a permanent milky fog over them and she did not look at him directly as she smiled. The man next to her was not necessarily human. He looked like a cross between a polar bear, a wolf, and had the antlers of a reindeer. Barrel-chested, he filled out his flannel and, while furred, he did have human hands covered in fur with leathery pads rather than skin.
The woman dipped her head. "Pleased to meet you, Mister Fullbuster."
⌜HAKOBE RESORT
Name: Shoshone
Age: 36
Occupation: Co-owner of Hakobe Resort
Likes: heated blankets Dislikes: face wipes
Special Note: Shoshone might be blind, but that doesn't stop her from smacking Hill when he tries to convince her the lodge is better than the resort!⌟
The Chimera let out a booming laugh. "You should see his face, Sho!"
⌜HAKOBE RESORT
Name: Hill
Species: Chimera (Polar bear, wolf, and reindeer)
Magic: Transformation
Occupation: Co-owner of Hakobe Resort
Likes: Fried Oreos Dislikes: being told he needs to "diet"
Special Note: Hill was the one to push for the lodge for obvious reasons, but there is something special about Hill's abilities that no one knows!⌟
Gary blushed and profusely apologized, "I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stare or anything!"
"Nah, kiddo, you're fine," Hill chuffed in amusement. He winced when Shoshone smacked his chest. "Hey! Easy on the fur!"
Shoshone turned her head and frowned at him. "I knew you didn't have your transformation on. What were you trying to do, scare him back to Magnolia?"
Hill nudged her playfully. "Come on, Sho, live a little." But when she looked unimpressed, he sighed and in a poof of blue, Hill looked like a bear of a man. Fur and antlers gone, he shared Shoshone complexion, but his black hair has streaks of white. His beard was impressive. "There. Now you ruined my fun, Sho."
Shoshone sighed and turned her smile back to Gary, apologetic. "We're sorry for startling you."
"Please don't say, 'sorry'!" Gary insisted. "It's okay! It's really nice to meet you!" He fiddled around for his bag. "Um, I have my ID and the job contract right here—!"
"There's no need," Shoshone assured him. "We know you're Mister Fullbuster and we're delighted to have you here. I take it you understand your job assignment?"
Gary jerked his head with a nod. "Y-Yeah, um… I'm hauling down some ice for the resort, right?"
"Right, kiddo," Hill said cheerfully. "I'll be accompanying you to the station to make sure you're all set. We've got an enchanted sleigh for you to use to bring back the ice."
"And you're more than welcome to have some for yourself," Shoshone offered. "It's not every day a Mage gets to experience Mount Hakobe and Hakobe Ice sold on the market goes for a lot. Just getting the ice is a hard enough task, so please feel free to collect your own ice when you have the chance."
Gary smiled. "Thank you very much, Miss!"
Hill clapped his hands. "Perfect! Let's go over the details of the contract and get this moving!"
°•°•°•°
Nashi's teeth chattered. She was thankful as she was smart enough to bring her winter clothing to change into (and was still confused when her parents told her the story of their first mission and her mother wore a skirt onto a blizzarding mountainside), but that did not mean she was one-hundred-percent warm. She rubbed her mittens together as she hid on top of the roof, perched and impatient. What's taking him so long? She perked when she saw Gary exit the lodge's main hotel with a man guiding him who looked jolly and warm. There he is!
Resolve steeled her eyes. Let's do this.
°•°•°•°
Hill accompanied him to the funitels. Funitels had all the conveniences of a gondola but provided more stability to travel higher into Mount Hakobe with the sudden blizzards and high winds. A checkpoint was set up with health checks amongst other things before groups could get into the funitel and have a picturesque view of the land around Mount Hakobe and the mountain itself.
Hill chuckled when he saw Gary taking everything in with excitement. "Gettin' hyped, kiddo?"
"This is awesome!" Gary blanched at how his voice sounded and cleared his throat for a more nonchalant tone. "I mean… It's…okay…"
Hill threw back his head and laughed. "No need to be embarrassed, kiddo. People thought I was crazy wanting to build a lodge here since Hakobe can be a little unpredictable, but we make it work." He cocked his head when he saw Gary try and fail to conceal his curiosity, but he brushed it off with a laugh. "We do a quick health scan before anyone boards. We don't have to worry about any jarring altitude changes, but you will once you travel by foot to the caves."
"I have a question."
"Go ahead, kiddo."
"It's about the animals that live in Mount Hakobe." Ceruleans sharpened. "The Vulcans and the Blizzardverns. Can you tell me anything about them?"
Hill nodded as he matched Gary's sobriety. "Vulcans here don't form any troops. We had an issue with them trying, but I put a stop to it," he murmured. "The Blizzardverns are another story. They're herbivores—"
"But there was a report on one Blizzardvern who killed and ate a Vulcan." Ceruleans darkened. "Am I right?"
Hill nodded. "Yes," he grunted. "Ministry sent out some Tamers to tag the Blizzardverns and keep track of them. Looks like the accident was a one-time thing. But we don't know for sure. So stay alert. Especially now."
"Right," Gary agreed. I read about the Blizzardverns. Mount Hakobe might always be in winter, but the Blizzardverns still follow nature. From March to May is their nesting and mating season, and they nest in the mountain. Once their young are around a couple months old, they leave the cave and ignore them. If I run into a new mother and her eggs, I'm screwed. Especially if they have a Tamer Tag on them. I won't be able to injure them without answering to the Ministry of Magical Creatures.
The health check was relatively easy. He stepped up onto a Lacrima Pad that scanned him head to toe and reported his vitals to the certified medic on staff who gave him a clean bill of health. Hill and he boarded the funitel, and it got full of a few other passengers before it took off. The journey might have been slow-moving, but Gary looked out the window to see the snow and forest and watched a few traveling coyotes.
This is my chance to show Master I'm ready. This is my chance to prove to Dad I can take the training for Anticados and Arcticados. His eyes lazily took in the scenery. I did all my research about Mount Hakobe and the changing tunnels. No one knows why the mountain can think for itself or what its motives are. Some people said is a Curse from a winter god. Others said a Dragon or a Demon lives there and we're invading their territory. Either way, Uncle Natsu taught me enough about tagging and Dad taught me enough about ice formations and pressures for me to figure out where I'm going. His eyes swept up. I'll get the ice and get out.
WHOOSH…
White feathers.
Cerulean shined.
Before Gary could investigate, the wings disappeared, and he was left mystified again. Is it following me? Cool… Those wings are beautiful…
"See something you like, kiddo?"
Gary snapped out of his stupor. "Sorry." He offered a wan smile. "There are these really beautiful wings I've been seeing, but they disappear before I can get a better look."
"Wings, huh?"
"Yeah." Gary shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Probably just a bird."
Hill only hummed and looked out the window.
Today, Mount Hakobe was in a good mood. Colder temperatures and tighter air pressures, sure, but no high winds or blizzards. Just clear skies and snow and ice. The tourists were excited to head to the little station set up where they could take their pictures stating that they had made it ever-so-far up Mount Hakobe while others were here for the more intense courses for snowboarding and skiing. Gary and Hill departed to briefly speak with the Magic Council sentries who double-checked Gary's MagID before permitting him to pass the barrier set up.
"Oh. This is for you."
Gary caught the little keychain Hill had thrown at him to see it was Santa's sleigh. "Oh, right. I'll need this for the ice." He flinched when a heavy hand landed on his head.
Hill grinned. "You be careful there, kiddo." He looked to the sky. "Try to keep an eye on the sky. And come back in one piece."
"Right." Gary pocketed the keychain. "Thank you. I'll be back soon with the ice."
The farewell was brief and Gary was off. While no official paths marked up to the caverns, an unofficial path was forged through animal prints and marking the Tamers had done during their research studies on the fauna here. Gary trudged through the snow and cold like he was taking a stroll through the park, but he was not without caution. Dad showed me the unofficial Hakobe map, so I'd have it memorized. He brought out a compass from his pocket, compact and concise. Okay. I should be going the right way. He stuffed his compass back. I should be able to get there by evening. Dad's never worked with Hakobe Ice, but I read about its properties. My ice is enough to shape it and tame it. Still… If the mountain has a mind of its own, that'll be a problem.
He stopped.
A wind ran around him.
He stayed still. That feeling. Someone's following me. I've trained enough with Dad and Uncle Natsu to sense it, but I can't sense their Magic Power. His eyes darted left and right. It could be high schoolers. Those reports I got say high schoolers and college students try to rush past the security checkpoint. But they're clumsy. I wouldn't have noticed something. They don't make too much noise, but they aren't professionals. If they were a professional, I would've been a goner.
He let the wind rustle his hair as he closed his eyes. He waited…
…and he waited…
…and he waited—
SHT!
There.
Gary whirled around as his Magic Circle blossomed beneath him and his fist in an open palm. "Ice-Make: Javelin!"
"Hey, don't shoot!"
The icy javelin spiraling for a tree shattered as Gary let go of the spell and glared. "I know that voice," he groused. "What the heck are you doing out here—"
She stepped out from behind the tree, hood up and those hickories determined.
"—Dragneel?"
Nashi lifted her chin. "I was on my way to get Hakobe Ice."
"Yeah? And how were you going to do that with a Cutting Pen, huh?" Gary challenged.
Nashi paled when she realized she had no answer. She tapped her pointer fingers together as she awkwardly laughed. "Um… By punching?"
"What sort of answer is that?!" Gary stormed over to Nashi. "You really are my stalker," he growled. He made a grab for her wrist. "Come on. I'm taking you back to the checkpoint—"
"No!" Nashi tried her hardest to wrestle away from him, but he had a vice grip on her wrist. "I'm doing this mission! I'm going to prove to Master—!"
"That you're impatient and irresponsible!" Gary snapped. "Did you even think about the dangers here? Blizzardverns just moved back into the caves so they could nest. Did you even think what would happen if you ran into them? Do you even know how to mark so when the tunnels change, you know where you've been? Did you even think about what would happen if a Vulcan tries to possess you?"
Nashi's bottom lip trembled, but she held firm. "I'm strong too, y'know," she retorted. "I can handle this! I'll just fight them off!"
"But you can't!" Gary shot back. "You don't know the first thing about tagging or that we're not supposed to fight the Blizzardvern or any of the tagged animals up here unless you want to get arrested and have to answer to the Ministry! You don't know the first thing about surviving up here! You'd probably die up here with how stupid and reckless you are and…!" He faltered when he noticed the fear watering Nashi's eyes the more he spoke. Letting go of her wrist, he sighed forcibly. "How did you even get up here anyway?"
Nashi sniffed. "I'm not telling you anything since you're being a jerk to me."
TICK!
Gary tried to ignore the tick mark pounding against his head. Man, she's such a pain. "Whatever. Let's just get you back to the checkpoint, so I can finish my job."
"I'm staying here." Nashi stamped her foot as though her point was final. "Even if you take me back to the checkpoint, I'll just sneak back and go to the caves all on my own," she added smartly when Gary looked frustrated.
He growled and looked like he wanted to throttle her. "Fine. You want to be stupid and stalk me into danger. Fine." He pointed a sharp finger at her when she looked indignant at "stalk" and he hissed, "But if you're coming with me, just shut up and stay out of my way."
Nashi gawked. "What? But I want to fight too!"
"No way! You're too weak to fight and Uncle Natsu is going to murder me for even letting you stalk me all the way out here," Gary snapped. "Shut up, do what I say, and stay out of my way."
"Or what?" Nashi challenged.
Gary's glare could freeze oceans. "Or I'll call Master and tell her the little daddy's girl hijacked a Fairy Tail job and doesn't deserve to be in the guild."
Nashi faltered under the threat, but she huffed and turned away, crossing her arms. "Fine. I won't get in your way."
"Good. Not like you had a choice." He pushed himself into walking up the unofficial pathway. "Get moving," he barked. "And you better not slow me down, shorty."
Nashi gritted her teeth as she caught up to him. "Papa says the best things come in small packages."
"And you always listen to what your 'papa' says, daddy's girl," Gary grumbled. "I can't believe I'm letting my stalker tag along."
"I'm not your stalker!" Nashi shouted at him.
Gary hit her with a vile look and hissed, "Shut – up! If you yell too loud, you'll start something up here that I have to finish and I just want to make it to the cave without using too much Magic."
Nashi struggled to contain her own scathing rebuke, but she huffed and stayed quiet. Gary rolled his eyes.
And they walked.
A breeze kicked up some dusted snow that made Nashi's face sting, her body shiver, and her nose twitched. "Achoo!" She rubbed her arms as she glanced around. "So cold… Nnngh!" She had bumped into Gary. "Hey! What was that for?"
"Can't you ever stop complaining?" Gary grumbled as he ruffled through his pack. "Here."
Nashi was blinded for a moment, but she yanked down the material to see a knitted dark blue scarf had assaulted her. "Huh? But…" Nashi looked at Gary in confusion. "I don't…"
Gary huffed and swooped around to steal back the scarf. "I told you not to slow me down." Even with his temper flaring, he still was delicate in wrapping the scarf around her and tucking it in. "There. Now maybe you'll quit complaining." He turned around and began walking again.
Nashi fell into step a pace and a half behind him as she could feel her face again. "But won't you get cold?"
Gary smirked and bragged, "You don't get cold when you have useful Magic."
TICK!
Nashi restrained herself from punching him. One day… One day… She paid attention to the scarf and the detail. "Did your mom make this for you?"
"Yeah. What of it?" Gary snapped, defensive.
Nashi frowned. "I wasn't going to make fun of you for it," she promised. "I think I remember Aunt Juvia trying to teach my mama how to knit." She laughed to herself when she remembered the crumpled disaster her mother had made and the hit her father had taken for ribbing her. "It didn't go too well."
"Mom likes doing craft stuff," Gary admitted. "Lady J and I don't really see the point, but Silver likes watching her knit." He scowled. "But Lady J makes fun of him, and I hate that he feels really bad. She told him knitting is for girls and he got really upset."
"But boys don't really knit," Nashi pointed out.
"So?" Gary dared. "Why does that matter?"
Now Nashi glared. "Well, you're the one who said because you're a boy that you're better than girls."
Gary ashamedly flushed. "Yeah, well, I didn't actually mean it," he muttered. "You're just such a pain to deal with sometimes." He cleared his throat. "And anyway, I'm still right. I'll always beat you, so just give it rest picking a fight with me, Dragneel."
Nashi puffed and looked away from him. "If we're partners for this job, you could at least say my name."
"Fine." Gary smirked. "Stop fighting me because you'll always lose, Na-shi…!"
Nashi gave him a lethal glare. "If you're just going to be a jerk about it, then never mind, snowflake."
"Who's being the jerk now?" Gary grumbled. But his smirk was back as he teased, "But you're right. I should call you by your name for the job, Na-shi. But you're not on my level or even guild to be my partner, Na-shi."
Nashi gave a noise of frustration. "You're such a stupid jerk."
"Aw, is my stalker getting mad I'm not being nice, Na-shi?"
"I'm not your stalker and you couldn't be nice without severely hurting yourself."
"Come on, don't be like that, Na-shi."
"Ugh, stop it!"
"I don't think I will, Na-shi. Look, you almost look as pink as your hair now, Na-shi. How cute."
"Ugh…!"
°•°•°•°
The walk had rendered Nashi puffing in anger and Gary basking in her ire as he taunted and teased her. After she snapped back rather loudly, Gary forced himself to back off. He was not about to have his mission ruined because her screaming caused an avalanche or attracted animals to them. Both kept to themselves, but it was apparent whereas Gary had been blessed with a Magic that let him walk on top of snow no problem, Nashi did not have that luxury and was becoming stuck in the deep snow.
Gary had to snort how ridiculous Nashi looked taking uncoordinated steps in attempt to stay afloat. "Look at you, Na-shi. You definitely look like a strong guild Mage now."
"Shut up," Nashi growled. "Why aren't you struggling?"
"Like I said, I have useful Magic for this job." Gary did feel a little bad with how hard Nashi was trying to plunder through the snow and looped back for her. "Here. As much as watching you look stupid is really funny, this is just sad and you're slowing me down." He hauled her out from the snow and threw her over his shoulder.
Nashi reddened and squirmed. "H-Hey! Put me down!"
"Stop struggling." Gary grabbed her boots before either could try and kick him. "Ice-Make: Snowshoes!"
Nashi froze when she felt a layer of Magic overwhelm her legs. Once Gary slid her off him, she looked down at her boots. The boots themselves were fine, but ice-made snowshoes had banded over her boots and kept her afloat. She tested it out by taking an experimental step. Once she saw she would not sink into the shoe, she giggled and jumped around. "Woohoo…! I can walk!" She beamed at Gary. "Thank you! I thought my feet would freeze off!"
For a moment, pink crept onto Gary's cheeks with him stunned at her smile, but he managed to roll his eyes and turn away, scowling. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just go. And actually keep up with me, pinky."
Nashi's eyebrow twitched in agitation as she followed him. Just when I thought he could be nice for more than five seconds. She kept to herself still and decided to look around. As she blew into her mittens, she glanced at the sky and the graying clouds that looked like they were gathering for something big. She sniffed the air and let the wind flow over her. It feels like a blizzard is coming. I can't smell like Papa and Luke and Igneel, but Papa taught me how to feel when a storm is coming. Deciding to relay this, she murmured, "When are we going to get to the caves? A blizzard will come soon."
"We should be there soon." Gary glanced back at her, a little concerned. "How are you feeling about the air up here?"
Nashi looked at him in question. "Huh?"
"Altitude?" Gary raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me papa didn't teach you about that."
Nashi glowered. "He did," she defended. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I can handle more than you think."
Gary scoffed. "Yeah. Sure. Just don't pass out. I don't want to carry you all the way back down the mountain."
"You won't have to. I'll just fl—" Nashi growled as she swallowed her sentence.
"You'll what?" Gary mocked. "Don't leave me in suspense, Na-shi."
"Whatever. Just shut up," Nashi snapped. I promised Mama. I can't break my promise. Even if telling him would shut him up for good and I'dhave the last laugh. She sighed. But I promised Mama. And Papa wouldn't be happy.
CAW…!
Nashi watched with a little smile as two falcons soared in the sky, wings graceful and poised, and it looked like they were looking for a place to find shelter from the impending storm.
Hickory shimmered.
Gary glanced back and had to do a double-take at the look in Nashi's eyes. He followed her gaze to the two falcons who dipped into a descent. Huh. Wonder what that's all about…
The rest of the walk had grayed significantly. The winds wrestled and the clouds shook snow from their manes. At first, the snow was light and airy. The flakes tickled your nose and melted before they could stick, fluttering on lashes. But the closer they moved to the top of the mountain, the heavier the snow became and the winds whistled and stormed, displeased. Even the tree rattled. Both children could barely work against the weather, but Nashi had it worse. While the cold never bothered Gary, she was vulnerable as it kicked her and scratched her face.
Gary had slowed his pace considerably to grab her hand and roared over the up-and-coming blizzard, "Come on! We're almost there!" He caught Nashi's minute nod before he gritted his teeth and looked up. A cave entrance was close, yes, but the hill had taken a steep turn and the hill could only be reached through climbing. Heh. This would be easy with just me here. But I can do it with both of us.
Gary unloaded his bag only to put to strap it to his chest. Fist in palm, he chanted, "Ice-Make: Grappling Hook!" A light blue aura glowed around him and he shouted at Nashi, "Get on!" He bent a little for her to scramble onto his back and once he got her secure, he cast the chain outwards and weighted until the hook gripped within the cave. His Magic did the rest of the work and yanked him against the winds. With a few feet left, Gary chanted, "Ice-Make: Platform!"
Iced snowflakes large enough to be dinner trays sprouted every step he took. He dispelled his grappling hook once he only had a step left to reach the cave entrance. They had just barely gotten inside when the blizzard savagely picked up and slapped against the cave. Gary brought them deeper in, but he scowled at the hailstorm.
At least we made it inside in time. But still… Getting back down just got a lot harder.
"Hey! Let me down!"
Gary winced when Nashi wriggled hard and he let her go. He turned to see her dust off her jacket and muttered, "Sorry. I forgot you were here."
"Jerk." Nashi shook out her hair, but her glare was dropped when she saw the storm. "We're stuck here, aren't we?"
"The storms come and go. It might be gone by the time we're done," Gary dismissed. He smirked and nudged her. "What's wrong, Na-shi? Afraid of a little snow?"
Nashi scoffed. "Puh-lease. I have to deal with a snowflake like you every day."
"I'm not a snowflake!"
Nashi looked into the darkened cave. "And I meant I'm stuck in here with you."
"It's not like you were invited on this job," Gary growled, irked. "If you're too chickenshit, you can stay here and I'll do my job by myself."
"And let you think you're better than me?" Nashi shot him a flat look. "Not gonna happen." Even though Gary looked ready to argue, Nashi conjured a ball of light and sent it into the air to scout ahead and provide them a well-lit trail. She tailed after her light and called, "Keep up, Gare-bear. I can't have you slowing me down."
Gary easily matched pace, but he kept his distance from her. "You don't even know where we're going," he pointed out, "do you?"
Nashi opened her mouth, but when she could not find an answer, she scowled.
Gary stopped walking to put his hand on the ground. Nashi stopped, but she held back from question when she felt a shift and Gary's eyes glowed as his Magic spilled into the ground like spiderwebs. Once he was done, his aura faded for him to rise. "We'll keep moving forward."
"Ri… Right."
And they moved.
Every once and a while, Gary would stray to a wall and imprint a handprint of ice against it, and Nashi would stop and wait for him to finish before he caught up. It was not until they were fifteen minutes in that she broached the question. "What are you doing?"
"Marking where we've been so we know how to get back out," Gary told her. "Hakobe isn't really easy to navigate and people can die getting lost in the tunnels. Especially in the cave with the Hakobe Ice in it."
"Oh…"
Gary caught the brief fear on Nashi's face and sighed. "Don't worry. Not like I'm gonna let you die here. Your dad would kill me if I just left you here. And Looney would be sad."
"Glad you think about my feelings about it," Nashi grumbled.
Gary shrugged.
Nashi frowned, debating over if she should ask the question, but she kept hemming and hawing. I want to know if he's really leaving in June. But then he'll make fun of me and say I just want to stalk him. I want to go on cool training stuff too. Papa said he's taking Igneel to Grandpapa Igneel's favorite volcano when Igneel's ten. I want something like that too.
A chuckle filled her mind. Am I not enough for you, little one?
Nashi smiled. You know what I meant, Mister Cael.
You are a smart, talented, and strong young lady, little one, but you are also growing. Your parents will find the right time for your special training.
Nashi sighed. I hope so.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
Nashi looked over at Gary in confusion. "Huh?"
"You keep sighing. Why do you keep doing that?" Gary wanted to know. His eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're getting all dreamy over Misty."
Nashi deeply frowned. "Even if I was, why do you care?"
"Because it's annoying hearing that stupid sighing," Gary muttered. "Your head needs to be in the job when you're an actual Mage, y'know. You can't be thinking about your little crush and being unfocused."
"I know that!" Nashi snapped.
"Then why do you keep thinking about him?"
"I'm not!" Nashi cried. "You're the one saying I am!" She caught Gary's grumble and mocked, "Oh, I get it. You're just jealous!"
"'Jealous'?" Gary scoffed. "Of what? You having a crush on Misty? That's just creepy!"
Nashi stamped her foot. "You're just jealous because Misty is always going to be stronger and better and smarter and nicer than you'll ever be! And you're jealous Misty's going to help me train, so I'll be twice stronger than you!"
Gary rounded on her. "You think you're so tough, but you're not! You're not even old enough to be in Fairy Tail! You're still a little girl!"
"And you're a big, stupid jerk!"
"At least I'm big! You're so short you'd need a ladder just to reach your dreams!"
"And you're such precious little snowflake, your own reflection wouldn't want to see you!"
GRUUUUUUUUUUUH…
The floor started vibrating.
"Redheads might not have souls, but pinkies like you are worst because they don't have a soul or brains!"
"Oh, yeah? You're so stupid you'd start choking because you forgot how to breathe!"
GRUUUUUUUUUUUH…
Nashi stamped her foot and let out an animalistic noise of rage, but Gary perked and his eyes darted around. While Nashi was on a tangent about his lack of smarts and strength, Gary knelt down and felt the ground. It was shaking. He saw some smaller rocks behind to shake as well. "Dragneel, shut up."
But Nashi was on a roll. "—and you can't even tell time because—!"
"Shut up!"
Nashi shot him a ghastly look. The nerve! "You—Mmmph!" She glared up at Gary when he slapped his hand over her mouth.
"Listen to me for once, okay?" Gary's eyes bore down into hers, collected and intense. "We're not alone."
That made Nashi still.
GRUUUUUUUUUUUUH…
CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH…
Quietly, Gary pulled Nashi behind him as he faced the tunnel head-on. Nashi's little hands clung to his shirt.
GRUUUUUUUUUUUUH…
CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH…
Gary gritted his teeth as he saw a large shadow and a fog of frost mist into their section of the tunnel. Damn. We've been found.
GRUUUUUUUUUUUUH…
CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH…
Talons crackled against the cavern floor.
Nashi's eyes slowly widened.
CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH…
Gary readied himself.
The draconic creature was not large enough that it fit the girth of the tunnel, but the tunnels were vast enough to begin with. The scales were sturdy and heavy blends of grays and off-whites. Black spikes lined down its back with one spike threatening to touch the ceiling. But scars indented the beast from battles of long ago. Some must have come from the monster Hakobe Octopi that inhabited Mount Hakobe in their own solitary confinement, hostile to the core, while others had come from others of its kind in skirmishes and past matings. Maybe some were even from a wayward Mage. Its leathery wings were intact for the most part as it walked quadrupedally. A metal collar shackled this great beast alongside the sigil of a Tamer. Jaw open, snow and ice crystals misted from its maw and spread a frenzied cold that froze everything around it.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
« This is a Blizzardvern, one of the creatures that inhabit Mount Hakobe. Blizzardverns prefer to live in open spaces and are predominantly herbivores, but, when they are ready to have their young, they nest within the mountain. These Blizzardvern are very protective of their territory and food source and their eggs and are extremely strong and fast with Ice Magic, even if they have poor eyesight. Their special attacks are called 'Freeze Breath' and 'Deflect'. »
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Nashi shivered as a colder winter swarmed her and she saw ice spread amongst the floor and the wall. Her eyes speared back to the Blizzardvern that had emerged, nostrils flaring. Its eyes were dark and beady, but they were front-facing.
Gary made sure neither one of them moved. I saw the Tamer tag on it. If I injury it too badly, we'll be in big trouble. But if it hurts Nashi, that'll be even worse. We could get past it. Its eyesight is fairly weak. But its sense of smell and its hearing make up for it. There's no wind right now, so all we have to worry about is its hearing. On my own, I'd probably be fine. But I can't let Nashi get hurt. I'll be fine. Dad taught me how to handle situations like this.
The Blizzardvern turned its head back and forth as though looking for something. It sniffed and sniffed, but it found nothing. It crept forward, getting closer, but Gary and Nashi did not budge. Rather than put its nose to the ground like a bloodhound, the Blizzardvern kept its head up. It kept going until a scared Nashi and a collected Gary were right underneath its head. But when it scented nothing, it grunted and turned around, its thick and spiked tail sweeping over them, and skulked back the way it came.
Nashi's shoulders dropped. She could breathe—
SMASH!
Nashi blinked. One moment, she had been on the ground, but the next, Gary had scooped her up and leaped out of the way when the Blizzardvern's tail smashed where they had been.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!
The Blizzardvern opened its maw as Magic gathered within its mouth.
Gary set down Nashi and, fist and palm, his Magic Circle was out. "Ice-Make: Shield!"
The Blizzardvern roared out a bluster of snow and ice that hit the icy shield and cracked it.
Nashi could not get out of her shock. What…? What's going on?
"Stay here and don't move," Gary barked. "I'll handle this." He waited until the Blizzardvern was forced to stop its attack to gather more Magic before he dispelled his wall and rushed forward, his aura glowing in his eyes. "Ice-Make: Fishnet!"
The Blizzardvern shook its head as that violent icy wind sprayed over it and froze over its scales, but it broke free as it rose up to flap its wings and sent wind right back.
Gary tched. Without even thinking, those ice platforms sprouted underneath him before he turned it into held out a hand and a pathway of ice was crafted for him to slide across in any direction he wished. He guided himself to the side of the tunnel and chanted, "Ice-Make: Hammer!" He lashed his hand as a god-sized ice hammer emerged and he smashed it down onto the Blizzardvern's back between the spikes.
The Blizzardvern gave a throaty wail in return at the pain, but it rolled to its side and roared out another Freezer Breath. Gary just barely missed being frozen to death, but he did not give up. He guided himself around the Blizzardvern for another angle and chanted, "Ice-Make: Ice Wall!"
Nashi stood by and…watched. She watched as Gary had no fear as he took on this magical creature that was trying to kill him for trespassing. Never once did Gary hesitate. Even when the Blizzardvern broke free from the ice, Gary held it together and reassessed before engaging the Blizzardvern with a new spell. He's so amazing… He didn't even wait. He just…started fighting.
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!
Nashi tensed. Yeah, well… I can fight too. Right, Mister Cael? She drew up her hands.
As you wish, little one.
The gold bow conjured into her hand, trusted and true. She pulled back the invisible string as an arrow made of compounded pure light was born, and she widened her legs to a neutral stance.
Head up, Cael instructed, Knees slightly bent. Hand at the corner of your mouth.
Nashi adjusted and kept her eyes tracked on the Blizzardvern as it twisted to snap at Gary. Okay. It was like she could feel Cael around her, judging her, and nudging her in the right direction.
Is your sight true?
Nashi gripped her bow. Yes.
Then fire.
Gary felt a chill go down his spine and caught a glimpse of Nashi with her bow and arrow. Horror filled him when she released it. "No!" Frantic, he chanted, "Ice-Make: Shield!"
The arrow did not shatter the shield, but it bounced off instead and hit the corner of the ceiling. Cracks spidered out and the entire tunnel was rumbling as ice and rock and snow loosened. The Blizzardvern writhed and its agitation sped up the collapsing process. Nashi looked stricken and terrified, but Gary forgot the Blizzardvern to throw out ice and slide over to her. "Hold on to me!"
Gary gave her no time as he scooped her up just as chunks of rock and icicles descended downwards. He spiraled them past the angered Blizzardvern and tried to out chase the collapse, it was coming upon them quick. It worsened when the Blizzardvern shot Freezer Breath haphazardly and it pierced the walls and ceiling. Clouds of dirt and ice crystals drafted up and left both children blind until an icicle shattered Gary's path and both he and Nashi were flung and hit the ground hard. Gary winced when he felt a sharp pain on his wrist, but panic filled him when he heard her cry.
"Nashi!" He felt around for her and found her in a heap on the ground, whimpering. "Are you okay?"
"M-M-My ankle hurts," Nashi told him as though trying not to cry.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW..!
"Crap. It's getting even more mad." Gary grunted as he hauled Nashi up. "Don't worry. We'll get away from it—"
SMASH!
Gary and Nashi could not even think when they were throttled and tumbled into a void. Gary's wits came about him as he clung Nashi to him and chanted, "Ice-Make: Slide!" He pulled her tighter as they spiraled downwards, but in the dark, he could not see a thing about where they were going. But as he heard the roars of the Blizzardvern, he thought, It looks like we're sliding away from that thing. Which would be good, but now I don't know where we are.
It was maybe a minute more until Gary and Nashi skidded on to solid mass. Gary looked around, but the darkness was here to stay. He sighed. "Damn. Looks like we're in a hole or something."
SNIFF.
Gary could feel Nashi shaking beneath his hands. She's scared. And hurt. "Hey, don't worry, okay?" he soothed. "We're going to be fine. I promise."
Nashi sniffled and nodded, but she offered no verbal agreement.
Gary sighed again. Well, I guess I better get started then.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
And then…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The fire was small, but it would get them by for the bind they were in. He had lit a lantern he had brought as well. The hole they had landed in looked like it was predominantly made of ice with a rock base. The surrounding ice did nothing to him, but he could tell Nashi felt it with her flushed cheeks and the way she trembled.
Gary sat crisscrossed as he bandaged her ankle and finished taping it. "There. I don't think you broke it, but it's a little swollen," he informed her. "I have an ice pack you can use." When Nashi nodded, Gary dug around in his PD pack.
Nashi quietly observed him and asked, "How come you have all that stuff? How'd you know you'd need it?"
"You have a PD pack too, right?" Gary yanked out the ice pack and delicately rested it against Nashi's ankle. "I'm sure yours is filled with the basics, but Aunt Mira's first aid training made me buy a lot of stuff so I'd be prepared. And Mom's a worrier, so we went shopping the other day for fresh supplies." He dug back into his bag and grinned when he produced energy bars and fresh water. "Hungry?"
Nashi nodded and accepted the bar. "Thank you…"
Gary hummed and glanced around. "I was lucky the slide got us down here, but I still have trouble getting up that high. And with your ankle screwed up, I don't want to chance anything." He passed Nashi a displeased frown. "What were you even thinking? Why did you try to shoot it?"
Nashi scowled. "You were fighting it too!"
"But I wasn't trying to kill it or injury it," Gary countered. "Don't you know anything? That Blizzardvern had a Tamer Tag on it, which means it's the property of a Conservationist Tamer for the Ministry of Magical Creatures! I was trying to knock it out or freeze it so we could get past it! If you injured it, we would have been arrested and fined!" He groaned. "And now we're stuck down here since I had to deflect your spell that wrecked the entire tunnel!"
SNIFF!
Gary looked down—
Blues widened.
Tears glinted from the fire poured out of Nashi's eyes as she sniffled and withheld her cries. "I'm…"—sniff—"s-s-sorry." She rubbed her cheeks, but the tears just would not stop. "I-I just…wanted to fight too like you a-a-and…"
Guilt beleaguered Gary and he softened.
Nashi sniffled and flinched when a hand landed on her head. She looked up, eyes watery, to see Gary offering her a soft smile of remorse.
"Don't worry about it," he assured her as he rubbed her head. "You couldn't have known, anyway. It wasn't fair of me to yell at you. I'm sorry. Please don't cry. Dad says pretty girls shouldn't cry."
That shot Nashi's mind back to Gary's blush and his murmured comment about pink hair and her. "You think I'm pretty?"
Gary flushed as he pulled his hand away. "Well, you're not"—he struggled—"ugly…exactly…"
"But you make fun of my pink hair," Nashi pointed out as she wiped her tears, "and you keep saying I'm short."
"'Cause you are short," Gary grumbled, cross and abashed, "and pink hair is freaky. But…" He picked at his shirt. "It's only right you're so short because you have a short fuse." He snickered when Nashi swiped at him. "And besides, girls should be shorter than boys."
"Nuh-uh. I'm going to grow and be taller than you and you'll have to look up to me," Nashi declared.
Gary glared at her. "But that's not right! You're supposed to be smaller than me and shorter than me!"
"Why should I be? All you do is make fun of me for being small!"
"Well, your height is perfect to me—!"
Both children froze.
Gary coughed and looked away, rubbing his neck. "A-And I guess pink hair isn't so bad all the time," he supposed. He glanced at her and grinned at how unruly her hair had gotten, all spiky and tossed around. "But your hair looks like crap."
Nashi growled. "Yeah, well, your hair always looks like you've never even washed it!"
"That's not true!" Gary looked affronted at such an insult. "I wash it every other day! My hair's just not meant to be tamed!"
"Well, neither is mine!"
Gary snorted. "Got that right. It's untamed just like your temper and your entire existence." He munched on his energy bar. "Guess I don't need to cheer you up. You're back to your normal annoying self."
Nashi huffed and angrily bit into her energy bar. But as she looked around, her chewing slowed and she roughly swallowed. In a small voice, she asked, "Are we stuck here forever?"
"Of course we're not." Gary took a gulp of water. "But I don't want to take any chances with your ankle or with the Blizzardvern on the loose. I'm pretty sure we were getting close to its nest where it's with its eggs or something. We'll give it some time before we start getting back up." If I make some platforms and can see the opening, I should be able to use my grappling hook and get us on the right track. Movement caught his eye, and he noted Nashi shivered even if she tried hard to hide it. He sighed, exasperated, but he could not help his movement. Seriously. She's insane following me all the way out here. She can't even regulate her body temperature like me. She really is crazy.
A gold bow. An arrow made of intense purity.
Ceruleans hardened. But that power… It's not like we've never fought, but it was never actual sparring. She's too little to be my partner. And I never really have seen her Magic. But just from that one spell, it felt strong. I'm not the greatest at picking out all Magic Types, but I'm pretty good at sensing base Magic Types. But hers didn't even feel like that. So what is it? I don't think I've heard anyone talk about her powers.
"Um, Gary?"
His attention snapped back to her, though his brow furrowed over her averted eyes and red face. "Yeah? What? Is your ankle hurting you even more?"
"No, it's just…" Nashi reddened even more. "I, um…have to go…"
Gary cocked his head. "'Go'?" Then it clicked and now he was red. "Oh, go… O-Oh, um. Do you need any—?"
"No," Nashi instantly snapped as she got up, wincing. "Just…turn around and don't listen or anything, okay?"
Gary looked grossed out just at the implication. "You're the freak, not me." But he turned around as Nashi hobbled away and plugged his ears. Still, thoughts came back to him. Is she an Air Mage maybe? No, that spell didn't feel like Air or Wind Magic. She didn't have any keys on her, so she's not a Celestial Spirit Mage like Aunt Lucy. I didn't feel the same Magic I got from Aunt Erza with Requip Magic. Nothing with cards and nothing like Take-Over. I just don't get it. What is her Magic? She can create light. Maybe she's a Light Mage? But what about the bow?
A tap on his shoulder had him pull out his fingers from his ears and he looked over his shoulder to see an embarrassed Nashi. "I'm done…"
"O-Okay." Gary turned around, and it bothered him to see Nashi shivering even more. "You look so pathetic cold like that. Like a sad wet puppy."
As Gary rustled around his pack, Nashi jeered, "At least I don't smell like a sad wet puppy and failure put together."
"I'm going to pretend the little girl with a strained ankle and had to pee in a corner didn't just say that to the person who saved her life," Gary muttered as he pulled out a banded sleeping bag and folded blanket. "Here. You're going to need this."
But Nashi did not look all that accepting. "I packed my own sleeping bag—"
"And it's probably one of those really thin Magia Princess sleeping bags that isn't warm," Gary deadpanned. When Nashi flushed, he sighed and decided to unroll the sleeping bag. "You'd be screwed on an actual mission, you know. It's not about style; it's about survival."
"I know," Nashi grumbled, but now she sounded uncertain of herself.
Gary patted down the sleeping bag before he unzipped it. "Here." He noticed her distaste at the fur and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about the fur. It's fake, I promise."
"Are you sure?" Nashi pressed.
"Yes, I'm sure," Gary stressed. "Just get in. You'll be warm in here." He huffed as Nashi crawled over, but he stopped her when she started unzipping her coat. "What are you doing?"
Nashi tossed him a half-annoyed, half-befuddled look. "Taking off my coat."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to get warm in the sleeping bag."
"That's the point—!" Gary groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You really don't know anything." He ignored Nashi's indignant murmur and explained, "You still have to keep layers on when you sleep in a sleeping bag when it's this cold to keep yourself warm. If you become too hot," he added loudly to cover her protest, "just unzip your coat. Didn't your dad take you camping?"
Nashi crawled into the sleeping bag. "Yeah, but he never did it in winter. Igneel's the only one crazy enough to go sleep outside in winter, but he just sets himself on fire and he's fine."
Once Nashi was comfortably in, Gary zipped up the sleeping bag, but he still gave her room to breathe. "There. You can sit up if you need to, but you should be warm."
Gary coveted the afghan blanket and swaddled himself in it before he went for the rest of his supplies, but Nashi noticed something about the knitted blanket. "Did your mom make your blanket too?"
"Yeah." Gary brought out a thermos and an old-school watch. "Mom made all of us blankets when we were born and these little dolls too. Lady J likes to tease Silver his blanket is a security blanket." He grunted as he finally pulled out a few maps he had folded up. "But she knits with this special wool. I can't remember what the sheep is called, but it's really expensive. She says it has magical properties, but…" He grinned when he found a juice box and loudly whispered to Nashi, "I just think she's crazy."
Nashi giggled as Gary handed her the juice. "My aunt Aries made us all blankets and pillows when we were born as baby gifts. Mama says it helps keep the nightmares away and helps us go to bed faster. Papa said she was lying and Mama kicked him."
Gary chortled. "Sounds about right. My dad told me your dad wasn't always careful with his words around your mom…or anyone."
"Not really," Nashi laughed. "It gets him in a lot of trouble, but Mama loves him anyway." She scrunched her nose. "They're so in love, it's gross."
"Tell me about it." Gary uncapped the thermos, but the thermos had the lid as a bowl and an attachment on the bottom was also a bowl. He poured the still-warm broth into one of the bowls. "My parents are so sick. At least my dad isn't too bad, but my mom is just so in love and she doesn't care where we are." He shivered as he offered the broth to Nashi. "And she's just so supportive. I love my mom, but when I did squirt hockey, just for the placement skate, she made posters and pompoms and kept cheering whenever I made a goal." He puffed his chest. "I mean I know I'm awesome and I pretty much wiped the floor with everyone, but she didn't have to embarrass me and them."
Nashi rolled as she sat up to bring the bowl to her lips. She took a sip and gave a pleasant hum. "Wow, Aunt Juvia's soup is really good."
"I made it."
Nashi's eyes widened as Gary took a casual slurp of his broth. "You did?" She eyed the broth in suspicion. "Did you poison it?"
"No, but maybe I should have," Gary said darkly. "Why are you so surprised anyways? Mom made sure I could cook for myself and she kept telling me to make broth for my trip out here just in case I got cold." He snorted. "Me? Cold? Yeah, right. But Mom is a worrier, so…" He bristled when Nashi sniffed the concoction. "It's not poisoned!"
Nashi sipped the broth again. "How come you know so much?" she asked. She sipped again. "You look dumber than a carnival goldfish."
TICK!
Gary held back from the sharp insult he wanted to give back. "From my parents, from training, and from Master."
"'Master'?" Nashi echoed.
Gary nodded. "Yeah. Unlike Boy Scout Lance and Misty, I went to Master's summer thing she runs for the kids at the orphanage and for other kids from less fortunate families. Basically, it's a whole Spiritless camp so you can learn about different scenarios and planning and camping and stuff. Dad was happy I wanted to go." He slurped more broth. "He always told me my powers aren't my best asset, but my mind is. I can't always rely on Magic to get where I need to go. I had to learn how to be strong as both a Mage and a person."
"Oh…" Nashi took that into account. Is that what Mama and Papa meant when they said the same thing to me, Mister Cael?
Yes, Cael confirmed. You are plenty powerful with me by your side. But there may come a day you can't hear me or a day when bad people take your powers away. You must learn to be strong without me.
But you won't leave, right? Nashi worried. You're not going to move on?
Cael chuckled and brushed assurance through their link. No, little one. I am here for as long as you want me here.
"So, um…"
Nashi turned her focus back to Gary who looked interested in his broth.
"Why me?"
Nashi blinked. "What?"
Gary looked a little flustered, but he pushed out, "How come you fight me all the time? Why not someone else?"
Nashi blinked. "Because Papa said I have to beat you so he can beat your papa."
"That's not a good enough reason!" Gary huffed and scratch his head. "Can't you find someone else to stalk and harass? Why me? Why not…?" He pursed his lips. "Why not…Misty instead? Go stalk him instead of me. You like him, don't you?"
Nashi looked thoughtful at the suggestion. "I did try to fight him."
Gary nearly fell over. "What?!"
"Misty was helping me with homework when I asked him for a fight," Nashi relayed. "But Misty said he'd only fight me with my parents' permission."
He's smart! Gary gaped.
"And then I asked Lance before," Nashi continued, "but Lance wouldn't stop worrying about his braces and I didn't want to fight him anymore."
He's smart too! Gary had to know, "Who else have you asked to fight before?"
Nashi blinked. "Everyone in Fairy Tail."
You have to be lying! Gary waved a hand. "And everyone told you, 'no'? Seriously?"
Nashi nodded and pouted. "I can't even get anyone to arm wrestle with me, and I don't know why. They all keep giving me excuses. I just know they are. Papa tells me it's because everyone's afraid of how strong I am every time I tell him someone turned me down, but I feel like something else is going on."
Oh. Gary had a twitchy smile as he imagined Nashi trying to look all gruff and intimidating as she demanded a fight and Natsu behind her with those scary red eyes and dark flames all around him. So that's probably what happened instead… He gawked. Wait a minute. So this was his plan all along for Dragneel to fight me?! I'm not some babysitter! No, he did this because of his stupid feud with Dad and he ropes me into this?! He internally sweated as he imagined an enraged Natsu being sicked upon him. And he knows I'll keep my mouth shut if I don't want him to kill me. He's smart too.
"Nah, your dad is probably right," Gary lied through his teeth. "Everyone probably won't want to mess with you."
Nashi grinned. "Yeah, but you're still stupid enough too."
"I guess I am." Uncle Natsu, you're such a cruel man. What did I ever do to you outside of being my dad's son? You let Silver and Looney play together and they aren't rivals! He thought about it more and he thought about his brother and… He hunched over, a dreary aura about him. Uncle Natsu, my dad is right—you play dirty.
Nashi sweatdropped. "Um, are you okay?"
Gary sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Yeah." It's just that your doting 'papa' is an evil genius.
("Woah-ho-ho…!" Nashi looked wild as he shivered, stopping his sparring match with a sweating Romeo, hands doused in flames. "I feel like someone is praising me right now!
Romeo rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Yeah, well, it wasn't me this time.")
"Look, you should get some sleep," Gary told her. "I'll keep watch and try to figure out a safe way we can get out." He yawned and fanned his mouth as he went to check the watch then unfolded the maps. "I brought a couple of maps with me. Maybe I can figure out where we are and we can get out of here faster."
"Um…"
Gary peered back at Nashi and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"It's just… I don't think I can sleep," Nashi mumbled.
"Oh." Gary frowned. "Just lay down then."
"Well, um…" Nashi flushed. "Whenever I can't sleep, Actaeon and Lelantos lays with me or Luna says she'll snuggle with me. And, um…"
Gary's eyes widened, and his cheeks heated. "You want me to…?" He saw Nashi's tiny nod and swallowed hard. "This isn't some scam and you'll tell your dad and he'll probably set me on fire, right?"
Nashi shook her head.
Gary swallowed again. "Just, um… Give a minute." He took back the bowls and capped them on the thermos before stashing it away. After restoking the fire and making sure anything flammable was far enough away that not even stray embers could touch it, he circled back to the sleeping bag. It was not that his sleeping bag was small—his mother had been rather overzealous about camping supplies and had gotten him an adult sleeping bag—but it was more…
Nashi moved aside and peeked up at him with those hickories that spelled fear.
"Uh…" Gary decided to make himself comfortable on top of the sleeping bag instead with his knitted blanket around him. "I'll stay on top, okay? I'll just lay with you until you fall asleep."
"Okay."
Gary hated how small Nashi sounded, but he was grasping at straws on how to make her feel comforted. "We're going to get out of here," he promised her. "I won't let anything happen to you, okay? I'll protect you." He waited for her to snap back, claim she did not need his protection—
"Promise?"
Gary turned his head towards her, but when he saw her eyes and her raised pinky, he softened and curled his own pinky around hers. "Promise," he murmured. But that moment of softness was broken for panic when Nashi scooted close and snuggled against him. Body flushed, he stammered, "H-H-Hey, you shouldn't do that! Your dad is going to kill me!" He tried to move her hand, but when her fingers tightened on his shirt, what was he supposed to do? He sighed, defeated and warm, and he laid on his side. "No need to be scared," he told her. "We'll be out of here in no time."
Nashi sighed, but she offered nothing.
Gary's eyes strayed into the utter darkness they had to conquer above them to get back to the surface. We'll finish my job and go home. I won't let anything else happen to her. He looked down at her. She's so small and fragile. That spell she used was strong, so maybe her power is strong, but right now, she's just…tiny…and cute.
Soft laughter.
Hickories lit up.
A blue butterfly.
Ceruleans gentled. "Hey Nashi," he murmured, tone quiet, "I…like you."
Silence.
Of course she's sleeping. That spell plus her ankle and everything must have worn her out. Gary sighed, wide awake and alert. Doesn't matter anyway. She likes Misty.
"There's…someone else I kind of like."
I doubt it's me. Gary ridded away the hope. To her, I'm just a jerk. She probably meant someone else. And it's not worth thinking about. I have to think about the mission. But even so, with her so close, he realized he had not gotten rid of all hope he carried.
°•°•°•°
Nashi roused to the sound of rumbling and thundering. It was not her first choice of how to wake up, but that did not matter. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she moved to sit up. Her ankle hurt a little bit, but, to her surprise, an ice pack was wrapped around her ankle. The fire was still going, but it flickered during another explosion that should have jolted her awake if she was not so used to Igneel's trigger-happy explosions and her own father's. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"
"I'm almost there!" That sounded like Gay and he sounded awfully excited. "Just one more slash and…"
BOOM!
Nashi's sleepy eyes widened as light hit her face and sparkled. "Woah…"
Blue light bathed over Gary from the opening he created from countless attacks and his eyes gleamed. I found it. I knew it. He felt Nashi join him and told her in a hushed tone, "Sorry I didn't wake you up, but I was looking at all the maps and one of them showed the cave with all the Hakobe Ice was below where we originally were. I used my Magic, and I felt a lot of power in this direction, so I just kept knocking it down until, well…" He gestured. "Look."
Nashi stepped forward and could not believe her eyes.
Ice and stone covered this cave just like the others, yes, but the glow was not from the ice and stone. The glove was from a few sheets of ice that walled the cavern as well as the icicles that were frozen in time. There was just something about this ice that was different and the thrum of subtle Magic in the air said what the difference was and the mystical aura glowing softly from it.
"The ice!" Nashi beamed. "You found the ice!" She squealed and threw herself at him with a hug that had Gary laughing and swinging her around. "You did it, you did it, you…!"
Their noses touching was all it took for them to snap out of it.
Gary promptly put her down while Nashi stepped away, cheeks pink and eyes averted.
Gary cleared his throat. "Well, I'd better start working. You can't help me with this part unless you have a Cutting Pen."
"R-R-Right," Nashi squeaked. "Um. Do your best."
Gary swallowed. "Right." He went into the cavern and wanted to bash his head into the wall. Why did I just do that? She's my stalker.
Nashi covered her face with his hands. Why did I just do that? He's my rival. She watched as Gary took care in feeling the Hakobe Ice as though it were a living thing. But…I have to admit he is pretty cool…for a rival, anyway.
Urgency flared to her. Little one, look with your Sight.
What? Nashi's eyes glowed pink and the world blackened. She caught Gary's soul of an oceanic blue with something odd attached to it, but that was not what caught her main interest. She snapped out of her Soul Sight and frantically cried, "Gary! Gary, you have to get out of there!"
"What?" Gary frowned over to her. "What do you—?"
CRASH!
A wall of the cavern home to the Hakobe Ice was broken and a monster was the culprit. Skin a leather teal, it was one of the monstrous octopi that inhabited Mount Hakobe with its eyes hollow and laced and its tentacles ready to throttle and strangle whatever was closest. It unleashed a powerful snarl as one of its tentacles lashed out at Gary, who leaped away in time and gritted his teeth to summon his Magic.
"Stay back!" he barked to Nashi. "It has a Tamer Tag on it!"
Nashi watched in worry as Gary was forced into defense against the agitated monster who was hellbent on making sure Gary never lived to see another day. I have to help him, Mister Cael, but what do I do? I can't fight it.
Cael was quiet. Why don't we calm it instead?
Can I do that?
Yes. Though you are young and I can only give you a percentage of my power, Calming will be easy as long as we do it together.
Nashi bit her lip. Okay. What do I need to do?
Gary, on the other hand, just barely avoided a tentacle slamming down on him, but he grunted when ice and mist were kicked up to blind him. Another tentacle swooped and knocked him off balance as the monster gurgled and went to grab him. He narrowly avoided it with a fierce duck that had him sliding, but his mind was going a mile a minute with his eyes on the Tamer Tag on one of the creature's tentacles. I can't injure it. Damn. I'll just have to freeze it then.
"It's okay. Please don't be mad."
Gary's eyes widened when he saw Nashi hobble into the cavern. What is she doing? "Nash, get away!"
But Nashi would not listen with her eyes a pretty pink and her hands extended. "It's okay," she soothed. "Please don't be mad. We're not here to hurt you."
The monster turned on Nashi and gave a vile shriek as its tentacles launched and grabbed Nashi. But the moment Nashi's eyes connected with it, it did not make a move to crush her nor consume her. It stayed sill.
Nashi smiled as she rubbed the tentacle. "Yeah, it's okay. We're not hunters, I promise. We just need the Hakobe Ice and then we'll leave," she soothed. "That's all. We're sorry about coming into your home."
Gary was ready to chant a spell, but he faltered when the creature let out a gasping wheeze in reply to her. Is she…? Is she talking to it?
"That's it," Nashi cooed. "Good monster. Please put me down."
Gary was even more stunned when the monstrous octopus listened to her and set her gently back on her feet. It listened to her?
"Thank you," Nashi appreciated. "We'll leave soon, okay?"
The monstrous creature gave a cross between a sigh and a whine, but it no longer lingered. It turned back the way it came to slither off and into its reclusive darkness.
Nashi sighed as her eyes went back to normal. A weariness overcame her, but she could handle it. Did I do okay?
You did wonderful, little one. Almost as perfect as a Calm themselves.
Thanks, Mister Cael. Nashi looked to see Gary gaping at her and she had to giggle. "Told you I was strong."
Gary opened and closed his mouth several times. "Were you…? Did you just…talk to it?" he asked. "Are you a Telepath? A Tamer? A Beast Telepath?"
"No." Nashi shook her head. "Uh-uh. I didn't talk to it and I'm not a Telepath or a Tamer. I just…"—her eyes slid back to the darkness the creature had lurked from—"calmed it down is all."
Gary looked at Nashi in a new light. That's pretty impressive. But if she's not a Telepath or a Tamer, how could she calm it down?
"Shouldn't you be getting the ice?" Nashi questioned as she pointed to the slats of Hakobe Ice. "I really want to go home."
"Right. Yeah." Gary turned back to the Hakobe Ice. "I should be done soon."
"Okay."
He waited until he heard Nashi's footsteps disappear. I know my parents me Nashi's power was just White Magic in general, but she calmed down that monster and the arrow… I just… I have to know. He pressed his hand amongst the Hakobe Ice. And I'll find out once and for all.
°•°•°•°
The cavern with Hakobe Ice was not far from an exit—or perhaps it was a sign the mountain itself was trying to get rid of them. But at least Nashi had little to fear since Gary had enlargened the sleigh and piled the pounds of ice he had carved out. The sleigh only needed one touch from the driver for it to activate and move. The driver simply thought of what direction to go, and the sleigh followed it without question. It looked like their time in Mount Hakobe had taken more of their day than they had thought. Blue skies had been traded for orange skies tainted with magenta.
Nashi sagged over the edge. "I can't wait to go home and take a bath…"
"Figure out a way to fix your ankle?"
Nashi froze. Then she began to sweat as she mumbled, "I was just going to blame you…"
"Are you serious?!"
While Gary fumed, Nashi giggled. "I'll be fine. I'll visit Aunt Wendy before I head home. No problem."
To Gary's surprise, Nashi moved out of the sleigh and he called, "What are you going? The sleigh is going to take us back down to the resort and then we need to get back to the train."
"Oh, I have my own way home," Nashi chirped. "You didn't actually think I planned to leave with you, did you? You might've told on me to Master or my parents."
"I wouldn't do that!" Gary retorted. But he grumbled after Nashi's flat look, "Okay, so maybe. But I'm not, so get in."
"Nope!" Nashi took a step back. "Like I said, I have my own way home!" She waved to him as she backed away. "See you back at home! And I better get some reward money or I'm telling Papa you kidnapped me!"
Gary's eyes widened. "You little…! Get back here!" he barked. Nashi laughed as she made her way to the forest, and he scooted out of the sleigh to run after her. "Wait! Seriously, stop! C'mon, I'll take you back to Magnolia myself!" But he stopped when all he got in return was silence. Did she seriously just up and leave? How is she going to get back home all alone and on a strained ankle? He stalked back to the sleigh, but he could not just go back yet. I should look for her. I can't just leave here without knowing she's safe.
He touched the sleigh for the sleigh to mush.
Winds breezed through Gary's hair as he scanned the wintry forest for any sign of a flash of pink hair. But he grew more and more frustrated and worried when he caught nothing outside of local wildlife. Come on. How hard can it be to find a girl with pink hair? She has to be here somewhere. What if some monster got to her? Panic hit him. With that ankle, she can't run. She could be hurt or worse or—
WHOOSH…
Gary looked up—
Those blues widened.
Those beauteous white wings were soaring in the distance as he sleighed down the mountainside. A few birds had joined the wings in a makeshift flock, but the wings overpowered the birds and the creature with those wings entertained themselves with a loop for taking a turn.
Those wings again…
The panic in his heart calmed.
I don't know why, but…just seeing those beautiful wings…
The white wings fell into a loop before skimming down.
Gary could not help the soft smile he gave.
…makes me feel completely fine about everything.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"You confessed to me while I was asleep? Really?"
"It wasn't one of my best confessions… I can give you another confession—"
"Shut up. I… I can't believe I forgot about that… The mountain and the Blizzardvern…"
"You remember now. That's all that matters, Angel."
"…hold on a minute. You kept bragging you'd fight White Wyverns, but you knew they were in the Ministry's hands, right? Were you lying just to look cool again?"
"Angel…"
"You were! Ahahaha, you totally lied just to look cool! How lame!"
"Angel…!"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
•
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Chapter Four
Promise?
Promise.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"When I got home from the Mount Hakobe job, my dad told me I was ready to join him and Lyon and Linus to go to the North and South Pole for special training in Ice Magic.
"I hadn't forgotten about wanting to know Angel's abilities, but I had gotten so busy. For all we knew, we'd be staying in Arcticados for a good two-weeks and sailing down to Anticados with pit stops and would be surviving by the skin of our teeth.
"Linus had done this before me, but we both had a lot to learn. Dad and Lyon had us go through a lot of learning and packing, but everything was really up to chance and I was so excited…"
"So excited that…he didn't even tell me he was leaving."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The Fullbuster Residence had a full house. Rather than have everyone meet at the airport, to make sure everyone was together, the Vastia's had come over a few days ago for the entire family to spend quality time…or as much quality time as they could. The kids endured Meredy and Juvia being extra-loving towards their respective husbands who would be gone for a little over a month. Gary had tactfully avoided Ultear and her empathic abilities to spend more time with Julia and Silver. Silver enjoyed seeing his big brother while Julia pretended not to care too much. After saying his good-byes to his friends (and comforting an emotional Ezra—yeah, Ez, I'll come home soon and buy postcards, please stop crying) and even Master herself knowing his abilities would grow from this trip, today was the day.
The day they were leaving for Arcticados.
The taxi was waiting for them as their luggage flooded down the stairs and into the trunk. The Redfoxes had joined because with Gajeel and Juvia the surprising surrogate family to each other and Gary's own godfather, Gajeel, had been adamant to see him off (and he punched Gray the second the Ice Wizard teased he thought he saw a tear shed). Unlike decades ago, Juvia did not make it storm nor was she crying an ocean, but she clung to her beloved Gray until she was forced to let him go and no one dared to peel him off her. Gary took this all in stride and his nervous energy combined with his eagerness to get started.
"And just remember I'm not there to save you if you get into trouble," Julia snarked.
The children had decided their basement was the best bet for their hangout while their parents finished up doing what they needed to do upstairs.
Gary laughed. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you? Ezra told him how you nearly started a fight with Cane the other day."
Julia rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault. He kept making fun of Gale and Uncle Gajeel told Gale if he got into another fight with Cane, he'd have to do the waterfall meditating again."
"Gale would get so pissy if he had to do that again." Olivia said that, all hazel eyes and unkempt blue locks. She was the spitting image of her mother if she had not inherited her father's stern exterior. "He hates waterfall meditation and always looks like he's going to kill someone." She rolled her eyes. "I think Papa's just worried Gale will turn into Igneel."
Gary frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Galileo spoke up, shorter than his sister by a centimeter and lest he not forget that, and whispered, "I overheard Mom and Aunt Luce talking. Igneel keeps escaping his room at night, and he doesn't tell anyone where he's been. He just gets mad at Aunt Luce, and Aunt Luce doesn't know what to do."
"Dad and Uncle Natsu talked about it the other night," Julia confessed and nodded at a surprised Gary. "I guess Igneel's been sneaking out since last month. Uncle Natsu tries to stop him, but Igneel keeps finding new ways to get out."
Gary hummed. I wonder what's going on? Igneel doesn't seem like a bad kid. He just seems different. Maybe he's been training in secret? "I'm sure they'll figure it out with Igneel." He looked at Olivia. "And where's Gale?"
"He's at home with Emma," Olivia explained. "Papa had to force Mom out of the house, but Emma didn't want to go." She blew the messy bangs from her face. "I know Papa said we have to be gentle around her, but she's just so different now. Veronika and Esme come over, but she just turns them away."
"She's just sad, Livy," Galileo argued.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "We're all sad," she muttered. "She just takes it to another level."
Before Gary could comment, his mother called from upstairs, "Kids! It's time!"
The children herded up the steps, chattering amongst themselves, and Gary was the one to run outside, vibrating with excitement. He opened his mouth, but someone else beat him to the punch.
"I know it's scary, but don't worry. We'll protect you if you screw up."
Gary glared at Linus with his mauve bangs covering his right eye and the cocky smirk he hated to death. "Speak for yourself," he grumbled. "I can take care of myself. My dad said you get seasick anyway, so you can suck it."
Linus flushed. "Shut up."
Gary was ready to insult him more when he heard a titter. "You can't even stop for a day, can you?"
Gary whirled around and both he and Linus smiled when they saw Lucy approaching the house with Luna in tow. "Hi, Aunt Lucy," the boys helloed. "Hi, Luna."
Luna marched up to Gary, all serious and upset. "You didn't say you're leaving."
"Oh." Gary winced, guilt. "Sorry, Looney. Guess I forget." But more guilt burned him when he saw Luna's eyes water. "Don't cry, Looney. I'll be back soon."
Luna sniffled, and she punched his stomach (though he did not even flinch). "I'm mad at you," she declared. "You made Sissy sad."
Nashi? Sad over me? Gary snorted. "I think she'll be grateful she can stop losing to me," he drawled. But he shut up when Luna got on her tiptoes and beat his chest with her fists. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry!"
"No, you're not! You made Sissy sad!" Luna barked at him. So much fire for one so small! "Make her feel better or Iggy said he'll make you explode and Papa said he'd beat you up!"
Gary gulped. I really don't want to get on Igneel's bad side. I might have Ice Magic, but his flames could burn me alive. He sighed and looked around before he looked up at the amused Lucy. "Where is she?"
"In the car." Luna shook her head, grinning. "She said she had nothing to say to you since you didn't even tell her you were leaving and she's happy you're gone." She chuckled over Gary's tick jaw and softly added, "But she's been upset all morning. Nashi and Igneel might not get along, but he did offer to her he'd make you…explode." She rubbed her cheek. "Though, he did give her an interesting description of how she looked and related her to a farm animal."
Both Linus and Gary sweatdropped. Poor aunt Lucy.
"I'll go say, 'good-bye', I guess," Gary supposed. He shot Luna a smile. "Will you help me?"
Luna regarded him in suspicion. "But you're still leaving?"
"He's leaving to get stronger," Linus stepped forward to explain. "Storm isn't as strong as me, but this trip might get him halfway there."
Luna's intense eyes swiveled to Linus. She looked him up and down before she made her assessment. "I don't like you."
Linus looked comically stricken while Gary tried and failed to keep back his snickers and Lucy facepalmed. "Baby, you shouldn't be rude to someone you just met," she chided.
"But Igneel said I should say what's on my mind," Luna argued. "And Papa says I shouldn't be fake."
Lucy's smile tightened. "Well, they're…half correct…" I'm going to kill those two when we get home for corrupting my baby.
("Achoo!"
Natsu and Igneel had been in the middle of play-wrestling when they sneezed at the same time and looked at each other. "Lucy/Mom."
And they went back to wrestling.)
"Come on, Looney. Let Linus lick his wounds in peace," Gary cooed to a flustered Linus. "We can go see if Nashi will talk to me or if she's still mad."
Luna perked and took his hand. "Okay!"
As they walked away, Linus purred, "If Mister Dragneel is giving you problems, I can always help. I've been taught to help damsels in distress."
Lucy laughed, unnerved. "Well, that's…very nice of you, Linus…"
The Lacrima Car parked within sight of the house on the curb. Gary grinned when he saw Nashi in the car, head down, but he could not quite see what she was doing. Is she really upset? He tried to overlook the feeling that gave him and tried harder to not read into the precise feeling.
Once they were close, Luna had no fear as she knocked on the car door and yelled, "Sissy…! Can you help me, please?" She offered Gary a secret smile.
Gary was impressed. Nashi would never say no to her. She's good.
The door unlocked and Luna moved back as Nashi pushed the door open with a sigh. "Sure, Lu, what do you…?" Her eyes narrowed when she caught Gary. "Need my help getting rid of this insect for you?"
Gary grinned. "Come on, Na-shi," he crooned. "Looney told me all your dirty secrets, and that you were pretty sad I'm going away."
Nashi glared at the innocent Luna who looked like a halo should hang over her head. "Traitor." But she could not stay mad at those big brown eyes and that pout. Still, she could be mad at the idiot before her with god-awful bedhead. She sniffed, "The only reason I'm sad is because I won't get to see the look on your face when you lose to me."
Gary snorted. "Sure. That's why you're sad." He glanced between a huffy Nashi bent on denial and Luna's imploring eyes before he caved. "Sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving," he mumbled out in apology. "Guess I just got too busy."
"I couldn't find you at the guild." Nashi realized her little slip up and her cheeks reddened. "Not like I was stalking you or whatever, but I thought you finally got chickenshit." She pointed at Luna. "Don't tell Mama. Sister pact."
Luna bobbed her head. "Okay."
"And besides, so what if you're gone?" Nashi sneered. "Just means I won't have to deal with your ugly face every day."
TICK!
Gary held back when Luna's eyes widened at him, and her pout thickened. She's lucky Looney is here or else I'd be saying something else. Breathing out his agitation, he murmured, "Either way, I am sorry. We've been prepping for our flight to Arcticados since—"
"May." Nashi's eyes fell. "Julia was the one to tell me you'd be leaving this month, actually. She said you had special training."
"Yeah, it's pretty intense," Gary admitted, eager to get started. "Apparently, Miss Ur's parents and Miss Ur collected ice from all over the world with different magical properties, and we'll get to work with them. Linus might have worked with Hakobe Ice before, but he's never had to get it from Mount Hakobe and…!" He faltered when Nashi refused to look at him. Awkwardly remorseful, he scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk. "I really am sorry, Nashi," he told her. "I guess I wasn't thinking."
"Julia's not even going and she told me." Nashi sniffled and quickly swiped her cheek. She accepted the hug Luna gave her. "Why didn't you? Am I…really that much of a pest to you?"
Gary wanted to say otherwise, but every answer he could think of would plunge him into a world of embarrassment. But he had to say something to console her. "I… I didn't…"
Nashi sniffed and pointedly looked away from him. "Whatever. I don't even care. I hope you get airsick on your flight. Bye." She released Luna to abandon them both and scramble back into the car.
Gary sighed and hated the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Bye."
"She's just sad and mad," Luna told him, worried for her older sister. "She didn't mean it. Sissy really is going to miss you."
Gary rubbed Luna's head. "It's okay, Looney," he soothed. "It's not like I won't see her once summer is over." He offered his hand to Luna. "Come on. We'd better get back."
"Okay…" Luna hesitantly took his hand but not without a glance back at the stubborn Nashi locked in the car.
Gary led them both back to the house, heart heavy and stomach pained. Guess I shouldn't have really expected much. It's not like I meant to not say 'good-bye'. I was just so busy. Cerulean softened. No, that's a lie. I didn't want to say 'good-bye' because…I didn't want to hear her say it either. He felt Luna let go of his hand and grew panicked. "Looney," he called as he turned, "what's—?"
A body crashed into his.
Gary was knocked off his rocker and fell on his rear, but the shock caught up with the reality that Nashi had tackled him into a hug. "Nashi…"
"If you let Linus be the one to beat you instead of me, I'll never forgive you," Nashi mumbled into his shirt in watery threat. "So you better win a lot against him, okay? I'm the one who is going to beat you. No one else."
Gary blinked, then softened another moment. "Yeah. Okay." His hand came up and laid on her head. "You better train too this summer if you want to surpass me."
"I will." Nashi nuzzled her head into his chest. "You're not even going to be back on my birthday, so you better send me a present or I'll come and knock you out."
Gary chuckled. "You're so greedy." He rubbed her head. "Don't let Igneel blow out the candles on your cake this year."
Nashi nodded. "Okay." A beat. "Promise you'll come back?"
"I promise." Gary meant it. "I'll come back."
Nashi tightened her hold on him for just a second longer before she pulled back, but she did not do so to abandon him.
Her lips pressed onto his cheek.
Gary's eyes widened.
CLICK!
Nashi pushed off him and clamored back to her little sister, who was looking down at her children's Mikon camera she carried with her everywhere. "Come on, Lu. Let's go to Mama," she declared.
"Okay!"
As Nashi herded Luna away, Gary was left stunned and a hand pressed to the warmth on his cheek. It was not that he could feel warm. Contrary to Nashi's taunts he was like a vampire, forever cold and destined to never feel the sun, he could feel warm. It was just this warmth felt…different.
A small smile.
You're such a coward, Dragneel. Ran away before I could return the favor.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"After that…they left…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
An emotional Julia held Silver on her hip as she, Meredy, and her kids, and Lucy, Luna, and Nashi waved at the taxi as though they were farewelling a boat driving out to sea. Nashi saw Gary turn around and their eyes met.
He gave her a hesitant smile before waving at her.
Nashi shyly waved back. But as the taxi got farther and farther away, her hand dropped and she touched her chest.
And she felt…hurt.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"We headed straight for the airport after that…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Gary twisted back in his seat. His father and Lyon were already at each other's throats due to their stripping and the taxi driver looked heavily alarmed by this and began spouting he required shirt and shoes for service…only for both non-related brothers to deadpan ask if that meant they could remove their pants.
As Linus chided the pair of them (though he was no better when they pointed out he lost his shirt too), Gary held back from contributing to the situation and he touched his chest.
And it…hurt.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"You've seen part of my story. We arrived in Arcticados to go to Ur's house where I live now.
"It's not that the rare collections of ice aren't at the house now, but…
"There was one piece of ice that had been collected I couldn't stay away from.
"This Chapter Five…the Polar Calamity. This is the story of Skade and me and even Uki.
"This is the beginning of our story at the bad place…at the bureau."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The late Ur's parents' home in Arcticados was sustainable for a family of ten with how large the main house was, and the men and boys took advantage of the space. Once they had unpacked, everyone was exhausted from the flight and they settled on warming up pizzas to snack on. Lyon and Gray settled on beer to drink while Linus rubbed in Gary's face he was old enough for his own kiddie cup of alcohol and Gary was begrudgingly stuck with water as they sat in the living room with the LV on ISPN.
"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Gary asked. "You said we're not going into that city we passed, right?"
"Adélie and no," Gray confirmed for his son. "Nah, it's too much of a hassle to get back and forth, but one of us will stop into town for a grocery run if we need it." He took a bite of his pizza and checked with Lyon as he said, "The plan is building up on your basics and we'll introduce you to the ice." He flashed Gary a warning look. "Just don't touch unless we say it's okay."
Gary nodded with this morning's memory surfacing. "Right. I won't." He sipped his water. "Can you tell me what sort of ice we'll get to train with?"
"We'll be working with twelve ice types up here and more in Anticados," Lyon informed him. "You've worked with some of them. Zero Ice. Dry Ice. Ice VII. Hakobe Ice. But you'll be introduced to Pluto Ice, Black Ice, Aero Ice, Gel Ice, Fullerene Ice, Red Ice, Negative Ice, and Cursed Ice."
Gary distinctly remembered the Cursed Ice and his brow furrowed. That Cursed Ice felt so…weird. I know Dad said I can't touch it, but… I can't help it.
Gary jolted when Linus butted his shoulder into his side. "No need to worry, Storm, if you get to scared around the Cursed Ice," he taunted.
"Shut up," Gary growled. "I'm not scared, asshole." He winced and gave his father a pleading look.
Lyon and Gray chuckled as Gray lifted his beer to his lips. "Just try not to drop any f-bombs."
"Okay." Gary glared at Linus. "You're a little shit and I can't wait to beat your ass."
Linus spat back, "You're an arrogant little bitch!"
"No, you are!"
"You are!"
Lyon sighed as Gary and Linus swore up and down at each other. "Look at what you started."
"Eh, they'll be fine. They're gonna hear us swear anyway." Gray pitched an eyebrow at Lyon's sudden half-nudity. "And see you strip, apparently."
Lyon scoffed as he tried to find his shirt. "Stripping doesn't run fall from the tree."
Gray looked down at himself to see he was just in his boxers. "Goddammit."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"When I had tried to touch the Cursed Ice when we arrived, Dad's Slayer Magic acted up. Dad inherited the Black Magic portion of a Devil's power.
"Maybe it was because of my first encounter with the ice that I got the rest of it.
"Or maybe I was always born with Skade inside me.
"But that night changed so much for me."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Gary had been given one of the guest rooms that overlooked the large lake. With it being summertime in Arcticados, the weather could go from zero and thirty-two degrees, but it never stretched much farther than that. Nighttime was when it hit the zero-degree mark, but for four Ice Mages, that was the equivalent to springtime for them. Even though the igloo home was insulated, it was purposefully left in a low temperature so anyone who had stayed here had been Ice Mages who could take on the cold.
Gary scratched his nose with his mouth open, snoring up a storm, tossing and turning.
Something tickled the back of his head.
Gary grumbled and flopped onto his stomach.
Something tapped his mind.
Gary grabbed his pillow and forced it over his head as he got back to sleep.
He…Hello?
His eyes cracked open. Hours of flying plus a carriage-ride and him and Linus scuffling on the floor had him dead-tired, but he had never heard this voice before. Even in his sleep deprivation, this was all too weird to ignore, even if his eyes were dropping. "Hmmm?"
He…Help… Tr-Trapped…
That roused Gary a little more from his slumber. "Who are you?" he slurred.
Silence.
I…no know… Help… Dark…
It was then that Gary realized the voice he responded to was not an external voice but an internal one. Awake now, he kept him calm even if his thoughts were churning. They're using Telepathy, he realized. They must be a Mage in danger.
M…Mage?
Gary jumped. You could hear that?
Ye…Yes…? The voice sounded quite young, confused, and nervous.
You can hear my thoughts? Gary reiterated. He swung his legs off the bed when he sat up. What's wrong? Are you in danger?
I…no know… I… I… The child sounded frightened and panicked. Dark… Help… Trapped…
Gary saw his hand shaking as a spike of panic electrified him and he clenched his hand into a fist. He rubbed his chest at the ache he felt. What was that? To the kid, he soothed, Don't worry. I'll get my dad. He can help you—
No!
Gary winced at the booming thought.
I… no 'my dad'. I… I…
Okay. Okay, Gary soothed as he got off the bed. I can help. Can you tell me where you are? What's around you?
I… Dark… The child was really trying, but he could not keep the sheer terror from his voice. So dark… No like dark… I…trapped… Help.
Gary snuck to his door and opened it. Checking the hall, he saw the other doors were closed and not a sound of stirring was made. I can help you, he promised. Can you see anything else outside of darkness? Do you know where you are or anywhere I should head? He padded to the first floor.
Out…side…
Gary slipped on his shoes and glanced up the staircase to make sure no one else had awakened. Okay. He headed for the front door.
No!
Gary paused.
Not…there…
Perplexed, Gary told the child, But this leads to outside.
Wrong…out…side…
'Wrong outside'? But Gary spun around and looked at the back of the home. The backyard. Glancing at the stairs once more, he tiptoed past the foyer and into the kitchen to go to the back door. He opened it and slid outside with the careful shut of the door following him. Chilling winds misted around him, but he paid them no head. He scanned the backyard, but he saw no sign of life. I can't see—
There.
Gary felt almost a nudge of his body and his eyes swerved to land on the Cursed Ice. You're trapped in there?
The child took a moment to answer. No… Key…to outside… Dark… Trapped… Ice make no more trapped…I think…
I see. Gary was slow to get off the deck and onto the property. He looked left and right to make sure he was safe as he approached the Cursed Ice. He kept a safe distance, but he observed the Cursed Ice that looked like shadows had formed it with that fuzzy glow and the dark intent it oozed off in waves. With it nighttime and closing in on the witching hour, something about the Cursed Ice felt stronger than it had when he first arrived. It felt so…compelling…
A whisper flitted in his mind, but he could not catch what was said. But it did not matter with his eyes transfixed on the Cursed Ice. My dad says I'm not supposed to touch the ice.
Out, the child pleaded. Trapped. Please. Out.
Another whisper passed.
Gary could not even look away if he tried.
Have you ever had a feeling of entrancement? It could be when you are just sitting down and your computer screen is reflecting in your eyes and you are typing all focused and concentrated and then…a blank feeling takes over you. The same could be said for jogging down your usual root with music in your ears and your blood is pumping and then…your mind wanders. Your eyes are focused and your body repeated the action you were doing before. You keep typing or jogging, but your mind has checked out and you have no idea what sort of stasis has beholden you, but you just cannot pull yourself out of it.
Gary stepped towards the ice.
A few more whispers buzzed in the back of his head.
He kept walking.
The child crooned, relieved. Yes. Out. Key. No more trapped.
He kept walking.
Gurgles and giggles helped the whispers into a murmured chorus.
Ceruleans were vacant.
Gary's hand stretched out. The Cursed Ice would soon be in reach, and then he could feel it. The whispers told him so. He would touch the ice and he would free—
"Gary!"
An ice-cold hand clasped his shoulder.
Gary was frozen. He blinked, but the vacancy was not free from his eyes. "Hi, Dad."
A puff of frost. "You were sleep walking," Gray told him. "C'mon. Let's get you back into bed."
"Okay."
Gray steered Gary away from the Cursed Ice without a glance back, without a glance to show black splotching his arm. None of that matter as he helped Gary back inside, back up those steps, and back into bed. Gary's eyes remained blank as he laid down, but Gray lingered before he murmured, "Get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."
Gary did not blink. "Okay, Dad."
Hesitating, Gray left the bedroom and shut it behind him. He did not need to glance over to see Lyon was waiting for him, worried. Lyon asked of him, "Did he—?"
"No." Gray shook his head. "But he was about to." He looked at his arm to see the black splotches receding into his skin. And if he did…
Lyon studied Gray before his eyes went to Gary's door. "We'll just have to work harder to keep him away," he determined. "Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he isn't going to turn. Nothing is absolute, Gray, remember that."
"Did you notice what time it is?"
Lyon frowned. "What?"
"It's the Devil's Hour," Gray relayed. "It's called the witching hour, but it's also the Devil's Hour." A despondent look under those dark blues. "This isn't just a coincidence, Lyon. He's all the way in his room and he felt compelled."
"Then, we'll leave," Lyon decided. "He isn't safe here—"
"Where is he safe?" Gray scrubbed his face. "We can't chance it if it happens in another location. No. We have to stay." He glanced at his son's bedroom door. "We just have to hope to shit she was wrong. He won't deal with what I'm going through or what my father went through, Lyon." Raw protection for his son flared in his eyes as his jaw went taut. "I will become the one who dies with this."
Lyon nodded and patted Gray's shoulder. "Get some sleep. I'll go downstairs and guard the area in case he wakes up."
"No, you should sleep. I'll do it." Gray's tone held no room for arguing. "I need to do it."
"Okay," Linus allowed, stepping back. "Just don't overdo it." At Gray's grimace, Lyon murmured his good night and abandoned him to go back to his bedroom.
Gray sighed and looked at the closed door with heavy scrutiny. He won't become me. I promised Juvia and myself he wouldn't turn. He'll stay safe. His fists tightened. He has to.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"That wasn't the last time.
"During my time at Arcticados, I was fine during the day. I trained and laughed and was normal.
"But every night at around two in the morning, I heard a voice pleading for me to let them out…
"…and I couldn't stop it."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The clock was two in the morning on the dot.
The moon was full and fanned herself with clouds, still peeking enough to see what was happening on Earth Land.
Gary's eyes opened, vacant.
Like every night, he rose from his bed, awake but not awake. He knew someone was waiting for him downstairs, but he left his room without a sound to his name. But he did not descend down the stairs. He headed to the end of the hall where a locked door was present. The door had been neglected in his walkthrough of the house.
But he knew better now.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"My dad or Lyon would be there to stop me, but my body found new ways to escape. They even tried hiding the Cursed Ice, but it didn't matter. It was a beacon, and I was drawn to it. I couldn't resist, I…
"I couldn't stop what happened."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
His hand went onto the knob. The traditional lock was there, but there was a Magic Lock in place as a backup measure. It did not matter to him. His Magic would do whatever it needed to do. Ice crackled over the knob until it broke and the Magic Lock had frozen over and cracked down.
The door tilted open to reveal stairs.
He kept walking.
It was as if he had heard abrupt movement from outside when frost misted from his hand and ice barricaded the door so he would not be interrupted.
He climbed up the stairs as quiet as a mouse.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"My body just kept moving. I was aware, but I wasn't aware.
"It was almost as if I was possessed, but that doesn't sound right either.
"I was compelled to follow through and to let him out."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He got to the top. The attic, unlike most attics, was finished and looked like it had been a makeshift studio for sculpting ice. But he did not care about the leftover tools and unfinished projects and designs. He only cared about one thing. He turned to face the back of the attic where the Cursed Ice awaited him.
And his father.
Black had shuddered up Gray's arms and part of his face, but he resisted the tyranny of Black Magic swayed with a Curse pulsing through his veins—the madness, the grieving chaos, the filth of despair. Because he could not afford to focus on that right now. He was the one thing that stood between Gary and the Cursed Ice.
"Gary," Gray rumbled low, staring into the cold, dead eyes of his eldest, "you need to turn around and go back to bed. You won't be touching this ice."
"He needs to get out." Gary's words were stuck in a lilt, words said not on his own behest. "I have to let him out. He's trapped."
"He isn't trapped," Gray negated. "That voice is controlling you."
Gary did not flinch, but his head tilted in such an eerie way. "He says you're controlling his freedom," he relayed. "He says you're the one who is trapping him."
"I'm protecting you," Gray corrected, tense. "Gary, listen to me. That voice—whatever it is telling you—none of it is true. It's trying to get you to do what it says and use you so it gets it way and its free—"
"And then what?" Gary questioned in that chilling, emotionless lilt. "He just wants to be free. He's scared."
Gray shook his head. "It isn't scared. It's just trying to make it sound like it is, so you'll agree to what it says—"
"He doesn't like being called an 'it'," Gary absently remarked. "He's a kid like me."
"That thing isn't anyone or anything," Gray swore to his son. "Gary, please. You're strong enough to fight this. You don't have to become me. I don't want you to become me. You deserve to have a life without having this thing inside you."
Gary's eyes flickered, and specks of silver flirted with the blues of his eyes. "'Become' you?" he echoed. His tone edged to something icy and something else crept into it. "We won't become you." Ice crowded over his hands into claws as a second voice joined Gary, angry and spiteful. "You stole half of a power." Icy-blue-silver locked away ceruleans. "I am that power."
Gray slowly slid into a defensive stance. "I don't want to fight you. Just listen to me and go back to bed. Don't listen to that voice."
"No. No more trapped," Gary snarled. "I will be free!"
And he rushed towards Gray.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"My dad has told me he's saved the world…he had to face the reanimated body of my grandfather…he had to fight his best friend…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Ice jerked up in spears as they aimed for Gray, but he deflected them with his own icy barricades that he pushed back. Gary did not care as his hands turned to knuckles and he punched into the barricade with ease. He slid down as his icy claws raked Gray's thighs, but Gray grabbed him and tossed him back. Gary was not one to stay down, and his hands clapped together before his mouth and split apart as he breathed a maelstrom of snow and ice unto Gray.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"But he told me fighting me that day… That was the worst and hardest fight he's ever done."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The windows burst. They had been frozen over and cracked under the pressure in a literal sense, but it did not matter as glass splattered and ice began to maul Gray's body. He would have been near-blinded if he had not heard Gary's steps and rolled away before Gary could lunge at him and maul him. But he took offensive as icy chains lashed out and wrapped around Gary's wrists and ankles to hold him still. Gary wreathed and snarled, but he broke free of the chains and swiped his hand for icy knives to shoot for his father.
Gray deflected the blades, but he realized it was just a cover for Gary to bypass him and rush for the Cursed Ice. The mist of ice and snow was difficult, but with the moonlight pouring in, shadow play held him at an advantage. He matched Gary's shadow step for step and he grabbed his son before he could get close to touching the ice. The scuffle was bleak. Gray wrestled Gary away from him, but his son was dedicated to mauling him in cold blood and cutting him deep with those claws.
But that was the intent.
Because when Gray had taken his last step back, he lost his balance and lost his grip on Gary before grabbing him as he fell. His reaction time was impressive. He gripped himself to the windowsill with ice as his glue agent, but when he looked down at Gary—
Blues widened.
No…
Gary was not Gary. He was an iced clone of Gary.
The Cursed Ice gleamed.
Vacant blues reflected that Cursed Ice.
Gary opened his mouth in a despairing shout.
Lyon and Linus, who had been yanked out of their sleep, had broken down the ice barricade and made a break for the stairs.
Gary held out his hand as he reached for the ice.
The voice whispered, relieved and grateful, Freedom…
Gary touched the ice…
…and shadows and ice exploded.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"The Polar Calamity was my fault as much as it was Skade's.
"When he came to, he was confused, but he was angry my dad had kept him imprisoned. My dad did his best to fight Skade, but Skade was right. My dad had been given half the power of a Devil Slayer because my grandfather was living half of life when he passed it on. Not even a reanimated to handle the weight of this sort of power.
"But we had been born as a true Devil with the heart of a man."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The screams and sobs haunted you for endless lifetimes.
Homes and livelihoods were not spared as people vaulted in this direction and that. Fires spread as children were picked up and some were even trampled on in the crisis. When the world looked like it was ending in ice and fire, it showed what a person was made of. Would they abandon people in need or would they scrap self-preservation for those who could not act upon self-preservation? Soot and smoke searing clothes and skin, the people of Adélie City were in a panic as ice and snow kicked up and blinded them all in a winter dust bowl. The emergency horn sounded, but the screams overrode its call for collection and levelheadedness. Emergency services would be too late to handle the mass pandemonium, and the people knew it.
Through the chaos, a woman and a little girl hurdled through it with bags full of herbs and spiritual talismans. They were unafraid to get to the heart of this problem and did so with honor.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!
It took a mere second.
They had seen the creature in the mist with glowing silver eyes, battish wings, walking on all fours, and its shadows ringing something vile to it. They had looked into the eyes of the Devil.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!
Cursed Ice spiked all around the creature. A stray path of it headed in the direction of the woman, but the girl was faster. She protected her mentor—
SPLAT!
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I admit that the Bureau's capture of Skade and me isn't something I fully remember. It took them a few months until they forced Skade to communicate with me and gave me control of my body…
"And then it took them months to break me and him and build us into their ideal experiment.
"A weapon.
"And when I met Invel Yura…that's when I became…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Hello."
The cage might have been clean, but he was not. Sweat and grim and blood not his own covered his body. He was only a child and his body had been pushed to limits that forced him to be muscular, forced him to break normal limitations. Black hair scarred with white and his right eye icy-blue but his left eye cerulean, he looked like a freak with his horns and his tattered wings and his stubborn tail. His claws were the only part of him he could control at will after numerous experiments, trainings—beatings. And if this training had taught him anything, it was to keep his head down, his eyes blank, and his tears away.
"You will look at me when I speak to you, boy."
He winced, but he lifted his head. He had never seen this man before. It was always Nurse and Doctor who visited his cell and those guards he just called "Pets" to Doctor. But this man looked different. The man's eyes carried a hellish winter that could freeze his own within a heartbeat.
"What's your name, boy?"
"I don't have a name," he replied in a voice barely above a whisper. "I'm an experiment. We don't get names."
The man did not like this answer. "You are my property as of now. The Doctor has given you to me." A fact. No room for arguments. "Now. Before you became the Doctor's experiment, what was your name?"
A name…
Yes… Yes, he had a name before he came to the bad place. And he had nearly forgotten it.
"Gary," he spoke. "Gary…Fullbuster…"
The last name had unnerved the man, but the reaction was more murderous than stunned. But the man composed himself, spine straight, chin raised, eyes wintry. "You don't deserve to have that filthy name tied to you. That name breeds imperfection. But you're not the Doctor's experiment anymore. You're mine to perfect."
He said nothing. This was a test for him to object, cry, protest. He remained blank.
The man lowered his chin to study him. "My name is Invel Yura," he declared. "I'm the only one you will ever know who is the perfect winter. But I will make you surpass me and become better. You will become the perfect winter. You won't have the Doctor anymore and you have no family. I am your family. Your father was spineless and imperfect. I will father you properly."
Invel crouched to become eye level with this shell of a boy, beaten, submissive, empty. "You're disgusting now because you're imperfect, but I can change that. Do you want me to make you perfect?"
Another test.
"Yes." Submissive. Expected.
Invel searched his face. "You will become what I say you become when I say it," he instructed. "I expect a perfect effort from you for every test I give you. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
Invel nodded and straightened himself. "Release him."
One of The Pets stepped forward, silent, and unlocked his cell, but he did not move. He had not been told to move.
Invel held out a hand. "Come. You're filthy. Perfection isn't filthy."
He took the hand and crawled out of his cage, head down, eyes low, tail limp, and wings loose. A pose of submission.
"You serve a greater purpose than you could ever know," Invel told him. "Others have come before you, but you will be the one that towers over them all. You will be perfect." His hand reached out and grabbed the boy's chin to look into those blank eyes. "You will become…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"…the Morningstar…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
•
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"My days in the bureau were relentless. Invel claimed he was my new family. He would make me perfect. But he made me into a monster.
"I was his Morningstar.
"I killed. I learned skills to help me become the perfect weapon. I was paraded like a purebred animal.
"I wasn't 'Gary Fullbuster'.
"I wasn't The Doctor's experiment.
"I wasn't anyone.
"I was nothing…
"…and that went on for three years."
•
"I never wondered what happened outside of the bureau. It wasn't my place to wish for anything more than what Invel had given me. Because I learned fairly quick when I thought about my family and my life before this, I couldn't stop crying.
"The Doctor never liked crying.
"Invel liked it even less.
"So I didn't cry. I gave a perfect effort to every test given to me.
"Until…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He stayed in the cage, cooped up and unthinking. The blood, the screams, the sobs, the smell of torn flesh and piss and sweat and fear—it blended together to make him mindless and numb. He could vaguely remember a life where he had never saw a soul he would claim or blood splattered on the floor or when the pain stopped.
It was not worth wondering about it now.
STEP… STEP…
A presence was outside his cage. He had not been given permission to look.
So he did not.
"Hello there."
He was not ordered to greet back.
So he did not.
"We're going for a walk, Morningstar."
The cage door opened.
"Please come here."
He shuffled out of his cage and waited obediently at her side. He had grown in his years of being in the bad place. Taller, fitter, but his mind had all but withered away under fear and bloodshed. The presence grabbed his hand, and he did not resist.
"Off we go."
He knew every single step they walked. He knew the direction, the speed, their location—it was nothing he could ever pride himself in knowing. He had been trained for this. This was part of his purpose to become perfect. But he asked no questions and said nothing. That was also part of his purpose.
Become the perfect winter.
Stay silent.
Never fight back.
He did not question it nor fight back when the presence had blinded him. Cloth had been wrapped around his eyes before he felt cloth wrap around his entire being. Another test. A kidnapping test, it would seem. Invel rarely instated this, but the Doctor had been adamant he learn how to deal with these scenarios. He let this presence carry him with his ears tuned to everything that was happening to him.
It took a while until he was placed and he recognized he was in some sort of car, but he said nothing, hollow, blank, waiting for orders.
And they drove.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"To this day, I don't know who that person was. They sounded feminine. They could have been another nurse, but I was never given orders to look at them. I thought they were under Invel. Another test.
"I hated those tests.
"They drove for approximately nine hours, thirty-six minutes, and forty-five seconds southwest.
"Invel and the Doctor had been smart. I never knew where I had been taken. Every environment I had been put in was so randomized and was barren of landmarks to anchor myself. The people I killed spoke a variety of languages, but I could only know the languages were different. I didn't know their language's name or origin. I had been given countless maps to study around the world, but in this instance…
…I had no idea where I was."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The blindfold was taken off.
Like always, he analyzed his surroundings. He was in a forest biome this time. How interesting. The grass was a healthy green, thick and lush underneath his bare feet. The trees had been given room to breathe. No one had cut their branches nor sought to uproot the younger trees. Birds chirped and squirrels chattered and, as his ear twitched, approximately fifty-five paces east was a thin stream that had a moderate fish intake.
"You're free," the person whispered to him. "Find your home, Morningstar. Find who you were before this."
And they retreated.
He listened as the presence got back into their car. The car was out of his ear's vicinity after thirty minutes, but he never turned around to look if it was out of his sight. He stayed still.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I couldn't do anything. Invel hadn't given me the order to do anything.
"You might think I was stupid for not leaving at first chance and maybe I was, but I couldn't make myself do anything outside of breathe and normal bodily functions.
"I thought this was a test to see where my loyalty was—to see how perfect I had become.
"So I waited…and waited…and waited…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He was a shell.
For three days and three nights, he stayed where he had been placed. His stomach protested, his muscles hurt, his lungs burned, but he could not move. It did not matter how hungry he was. It did not matter how thirsty he was.
He was never given orders.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"The fourth day was when I passed out. Without orders to eat and drink, I couldn't survive very long. When I came to, I was weak. I was thirsty and hungry, but I hadn't been given orders.
"I had thought Invel was trying to drive me into my own death and…I didn't care.
"I wasn't perfected to care about my life or my death.
"I was perfected to follow orders.
But when I laid there, not alive and not dead and ready to die because this was my test and I wasn't given orders, something happened to me."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
His lips had been parted on his behalf, and liquid was forced into his mouth. While his mind was a haze, his body knew how to swallow and his dry mouth was relieved from the stress of it all. Water. He was being given water.
The water trickled out, but whomever had forced water down his throat was not done. His lips were part again and he was given another liquid, but it did not taste like water. It was rich and watery, yes, but it tasted like it was supposed to be your most favorite food in the world. Like you were supposed to treat this like a treat and treasure this like a treasure. His body took in this broth, this whatever it had been, but he had not begged for more once it was finished. He laid there without orders.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I can't tell you who it was that had saved me from dying, but I remember how they smelled and felt. They smelled…pure… They smelled like a good memory and they felt warm and sad.
"Another presence joined them. They smelled and felt different. I could feel power without ever seeing them. They were strong, but it was like that strength was muted and quiet.
"For two months, these two people were around me and I had no idea who they were or what their names were. They made sure I ate and drank and was just around someone. The warm and sad one carried me to a stream and bathed me. They set me into a routine…
…and that's when the nightmares started."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He saw them.
The bodies were decayed en masse. Chunks of them had been missing, and he was to blame for jaws to tongues to eyes to arms to genitalia. He was to blame for these moaning souls who wept blood and begged for his mercy were ripped to shreds and could never become hole again.
He tried so hard to help them as they sank into their murky graves to be forgotten, unloved—murdered. But he could not save them when every touch from him caused them to spiral and shriek and to rot in this Hell even faster than before.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He did not even know he was whimpering and howling as he wept in his sleep. His body flailed as he tried to hold onto those he had killed. He tried to soothe them, but he failed. He was their executioner, their reaper, and he was trying to save them from the graves he had dug for him.
He was a monster.
The warm and sad presence was the one to hold him when he shrieked and cried. They restrained him as his claws slid out and he was frantic, but they never cared. They held him firm. Their voice slid over the laments of the dead in his head, but the words were musical and too foreign for him to recognize.
He cried for another minute.
He was out like a light in the next.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I don't know how many nightmares I went through, but it was the same. The warm and sad presence would lull me back to sleep. The both of them would care for me during the day.
"The cycle went on for those two months…
"But when my body was back functioning as it should and I could open my eyes, I realized something.
"Those two presences… They were gone."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
His eyes cracked open, but he was not blinded in light. Shadows from the leaves of the tree had shielded him from sunlight but not from such bright colors. A little hungry and thirsty, he tried to sit up, but his muscles protested. He had not used them in two months, not really. The presences had been kind enough to stretch him out, and they helped him when he stumbled to use the bathroom, but he had never been up and about on his own.
Grunting, he forced himself up and blinked and blinked until such bright colors were not an assault to him. He was still in this mysterious forest.
His nose twitched.
He looked down to see two wooden bowls had been left with water and that broth he had become to rely on it.
But he knew what that meant.
He knew those presences had abandoned him.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I think…that's when I experience a conscious emotion for the first time in three years.
"I felt…loss. I guess those two had become new family to me and without them, I felt so…lonely…
"But I knew I couldn't stay here. Even so, I was weak and I needed to find food and shelter by myself. There was no one to give me orders. There was no one to feed me. There were no tests.
"I was free.
"But at what cost?"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
His nose was what led him. His feet were not the best shape, and neither was his steadiness. Sure, he had gotten up, blind, when he needed to do his business, but that did not mean his arms, back, and neck had been worked other than stretches. The mass he had built had been destroyed during his days laying with Death and had only come back a quarter by the time he could move his entire body.
But he smelled something peculiar during this trip.
He moved through the bushes and the trees, but he held himself back when his ears picked up noise. Careful, he crept closer to peer past the leaves—
His eyes widened.
A village.
A village of other humans.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"You should know this part of the story, right? I tried to talk to other people, but they shunned me. They called me a 'monster', a 'freak', an 'abomination'…
"I was chased out of the village and back into the forest, but even the animals feared me and tried to get rid of me…
"And as you know now…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
WHOOSH…
White wings fluttering in the breeze.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"…my loneliness changed when I met the one person who could bring me back to my past self…
"But those three years…a lot happened.
"And I wasn't the only one who changed in those three years, right, Angel?"
"No. No, you weren't."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Fairy Adventure
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"When Gary left, I knew I couldn't stay around and be sad. In my mind, he was going to be gone for the summer and when he returned, I had to give it my all against him to beat him…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Lights out, Nashi had tucked herself under her covers and pillows with her L-Pad (after sweet-talking her papa into passing it to her without her mama looking, the silly man). After some fiddling, she had finally managed to set the countdown and labeled the final day: MY WIN AGAINST GARY.
I've got until August when he comes home, Nashi told herself. So I've gotta train every day so I can beat him.
GARA-GARA-GARA…
Frowning, Nashi shut down her L-Pad and came up from the covers just as her window was shoved open, but she was not afraid. She rolled her eyes and hissed, "Use your own window for once, Igloo."
"Shut up." Igneel had ducked into the bedroom, a little scruffy but his eyes gleamed.
Nashi grinned. "Mama and Papa are gonna kill you when they find out where you're going…" she sang.
Igneel scowled. "And you're not gonna say anything."
"Like I want to," Nashi scoffed. "How was your little crush tonight?" She giggled when her room warmed and she knew her brother was fighting anger and abashment. "Did you kiss her?"
"No!" Igneel fought to keep his voice down. "She just read me a story."
Nashi giggled. "Ooo-la-la…! Igloo and his crush sittin' in a tree…!"
"Fuck you," Igneel snarled.
"You know Mama and Papa don't like you saying all those bad words," Nashi chided her brother. "They're gonna ship you off to Granny's if you keep being bad."
"No they won't."
"Yeah they will," Nashi taunted, "and you'll never see your crush again." She waited for Igneel to lash out at her.
But his tone came small and anxious, "No they won't."
Nashi sat up and turned on her bedside light to see Igneel looking…nervous for once. Those angry onyx eyes were scared at such a prospect. She took pity on him. "What you're doing is wrong," she softly told him. "It's wrong to steal and explode things and say bad words all the time. If you keep doing it, they really will send you away."
"They wouldn't." Igneel shook his head. "I can't leave. She's so sick and weak and she doesn't have friends. I'm her only friend."
"That girl you visit?"
Igneel nodded. "She tells really nice stories." The poor boy looked over-the-moon smitten. "And she smells really good, and she always fixes me when I get hurt from a fight and she's so warm. She said she'd give me more macaroni cookie things."
"Macaroons," Nashi corrected as she watched her brother. "You really like her, huh?"
Igneel colored as pink flames tinged his hair. "She just needs me to protect her," he excused. "She's always in her room. She's so lonely, so I bring her things."
"Does she ask for those things?"
Igneel hesitated. "No…"
"Does she know you stole those things?" Nashi pointedly asked.
Igneel shuffled his feet. "Yes…" He picked at the band-aid on his arm. "She doesn't like it when I fight. And she doesn't want anything I bring her." He looked so frustrated. "But I bring her nice stuff!"
"She probably doesn't want things you stole," Nashi told him. "Why can't you just ask Mama and Papa to buy you stuff?"
Igneel scowled. "'Cause they'd say, 'no' and they're assholes."
"No, they aren't," Nashi argued back. "You're making Mama sad every time you steal something or set something on fire."
"Why does she care?" Igneel snapped. "She doesn't get it. All of you think I'm a freak."
"And I bet your crush thinks you are one too!" Nashi retorted. But she regretted it when she saw Igneel look so hurt and shattered. "Igneel—"
Rage took Igneel's face, but rather than fuel it with literal fire, he fired back, "You're a frigid bitch and I hope you die!" He stormed away.
Nashi scrambled out of the bed to try to stop him. "Wait! Igneel, I'm sorry—!"
But Igneel crossed to his room and slammed his door. A moment later, the telltale signs of destruction were drummed up.
"What's going on?"
Nashi winced as her parents exited the master bedroom, concerned. "Igneel's upset again…"
Lucy and Natsu exchanged a look before Lucy came to her daughter and herded her away. "Come on, Nashi, back to bed," she murmured. "Don't mind Igneel. He's just…different."
Nashi and Lucy came back into Nashi's bedroom. Nashi climbed into her bed, remorseful, and she murmured, "I really hurt his feelings." She looked at her mother in sorrow. "I'm sorry, Mama."
"It's okay, baby." Lucy tucked Nashi in. "I know you two fight all the time, but it's different for Igneel." She hesitated. "But if he does get violent—"
"Mama, he hasn't." Nashi rolled her eyes. "And even when we fight, it's not like he has a chance against me." She regarded her mother. "If he hurt Luna…are you going to send him away?"
Lucy gaped. "No!" She shook her head. "No, Igneel belongs at home here." She brushed Nashi's hair back. "Where did you get that idea?"
Nashi swallowed, guilty. "I might've said that to him…"
Lucy sighed. "I never want you to lose your voice if Igneel does something wrong," she promised her daughter, "but telling him that isn't right."
"He's the one calling me a 'bitch'," Nashi argued weakly.
"I know." Lucy's expression pained. "He calls me that too. But we have to be patient with him. He'll…come around." A weariness filled her eyes. "Just try to come to me or Papa if Igneel calls you a swear word, okay?"
Nashi nodded. "Okay."
"Get some sleep." Lucy kissed Nashi's forehead. "You've got to be in top shape to train to beat Gary."
Nashi nodded firmly. "Right! I'm gonna train hard all summer and when he gets back, I'll be twice as strong as him."
"Of course you will, baby." Lucy pulled away and turned off the lamp. "I love you to the stars and back."
Nashi snuggled into her blankets. "I love you too, Mama. Night."
"Night, baby." Lucy left and closed the door behind her.
Nashi sighed as she closed her eyes. Mister Cael?
Yes, little one.
Do you think Igneel can be fixed, so he's not so angry and Mama and Papa aren't always upset and Luke doesn't get his stuff burned and smashed?
Cael sighed. Fixing someone would require them to be broken. Igneel isn't broken, little one. Your mother was right. He is different. But it will take time for him to understand he is different. Time and patience.
I guess so. Nashi yawned. Good night, Mister Cael.
Good night, little one.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"It wasn't like this was the first time I had seen Igneel lash out and I knew it wouldn't be the last. But his story isn't mine to tell and neither is Luke's and neither is…her story either…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
•
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Chapter Five
Gone
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"It was the next day when I took Misty's offer for spell help after my regular training. I wanted to hit the ground running to get the edge on Gary.
"So imagine my surprise around two weeks later the news we had gotten…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Am I doing it?"
"Why not open your eyes and see?"
Nashi cracked open her eyes for a wide beam to take her face when she saw several plates floating in front of her. "I did it!" she squealed. "I'm making them levitate!"
"Very good," Mystogan said warmly. Their training was in the Dragneel Residence much to Mystogan's insistence in the dining room, but he had cast a net on the off-chance the plates would fall. "Do you think you can manage putting them on the table?"
Nashi nodded and concentrated. Pushing and pulling with levitation felt like you yourself were holding the items, but your limbs had extended. She set the first plate down where her mother sat and the second plate where her father sat. But it was becoming harder and harder to keep some plates floating while one plate moved and the next plate teetered until the connection snapped.
Mystogan did not panic. His hand was already out and his power covered the plates. Easily, he set them down before a chair. He caught Nashi's frustration and smiled. "Hey, you're improving really fast," he encouraged. "Don't get too upset."
"But I couldn't move all the plates," Nashi complained.
"For you to be able to move them at all is impressive," Mystogan complimented. "It takes a lot of time and practice when it comes to Rudimentary Magic." He laughed at Nashi's grumpy pat and rubbed her head. "Try not to be too upset. I'm sure you'll get it soon."
Nashi peered up at him. "Really?"
"Well, sure!" Mystogan's smile broadened. "I can already tell you're a strong Mage. You'll master levitation in no time."
Nashi's eyes sparkled, but her happiness dampened when she caught a flash of messy black hair and soft blues and she remembered that cold touch. "Yeah," she murmured. "I guess I will."
Mystogan frowned over the dejected look on Nashi's face. "Something wrong, Nashi?"
Nashi shook her head. "No." She stared determinedly at the plates. "I want to try one more time," she declared. "I bet I can move three plates this time!"
The HCL began to ring as Mystogan chuckled, "All right. If you're really that determined, let's try it one more time. Do you remember how to start?"
The HCL was picked up as Nashi rubbed her hands. "Mmm-hmm!" She gathered her Magic as she extended her hands out in front of her.
Mystogan watched as Nashi's power roped in the plates and she began the burdening task of raising them when he felt eyes on him. He looked to see someone had hidden. Cocking his head, he moved a little closer and heard a little sniffle. Concern befell him. He peeked out of the dining room to see Luke there with his glasses and the burnt remains of his book. "Are you okay?"
Luke rubbed his nose and nodded. "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Luke." Mystogan bent over a little to inspect the burnt book and saw the beginnings of the title. "It looks like this is a spellbook," he presumed. "Did Igneel burn it?"
"He was just upset," Luke reasoned. "I wasn't paying attention when he was talking." He peeked up Mystogan, shy and unsure. "I saw you were teaching Nashi spells, so I just wanted to look, and…and maybe…" He shuffled his feet.
Mystogan frowned. "'Maybe' what?"
Luke never got to finish when Natsu came into the kitchen, tense and fraught with grief. He saw Luke and Mystogan and he asked, "Where's Nashi?"
"In here, Papa!" Nashi came out of the dining room, eyes bright and smile big, as she slowly brought the plates with her. "Look, Papa! I can—!"
"Princess." Natsu put his hands on the island. "There's something you should all know…"
Nashi lost her cheer. "Is Mama okay?" she fretted. "Is Lu okay?"
"They're fine," Natsu assured, jaw taut. "But it's…about Gary." Onyx eyes darkened. "He's been kidnapped. He's missing, he's…gone."
CRASH!
Hickories wide, Nashi could not even comprehend the plates had crashed. He's…gone?
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"From what Papa had explained to us, Gary had been abducted. We weren't privy to the Polar Calamity. How could we be?
"Uncle Gray was adamant to have Aunt Juvia stay while searched, but Aunt Juvia refused. Master had been alerted, and Aunt Juvia wanted to be there every step of the way for the searches.
"The Dragon Slayers from Fairy Tail and Sabertooth went with my aunt Juvia to Arcticados to start their search. I remember Gary's abduction made it onto international lacrimavision. Queen Hisui even lent Fairy Tail high access with the MBI to track him down. There had been cases of Magic Hunters and traffickers abducting magical children to sell them in the black market, so everyone was on edge.
"When Papa and the others left, Meredy came to stay with us with her kids and Julia and Silver. It was a full house, but none of us wanted to be alone. We couldn't imagine what happened. And after the death Fairy Tail had from a job gone wrong, we could only think of the worst."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The moon was high and the stars were bright, but a perfect night meant nothing when the world was tilted on its axis.
Nashi shared her room with Julia since Ultear was adamant she and Rose stay with their mother in the guest room and that was fine for both girls. But neither Nashi nor Julia could get much sleep and that much was obvious. They stayed quiet and lost in thoughts as the night marched on.
"Nashi?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I come sleep with you?"
"Yeah."
Julia abandoned her sleeping bag to climb into Nashi's bed. They laid side-by-side, but their eyes were wide open and red-rimmed from all the tears they had shed and withering hope. Nashi wanted to comfort Julia, but what could she say that she did not believe?
"I wish I was stronger."
Nashi looked over at Julia, who looked at the ceiling.
"If I'd been stronger, I could have protected him. I could have gone to Arcticados and I could've done something," Julia murmured. "What good is Magic if I can't even protect someone I care about?"
Nashi did not know what to say. She had felt as useless as Julia.
"I overheard Aunt Meredy and Aunt Lucy talking to a detective," Julia whispered. "They said they found traces of Anti-Ether where Gary was taken. Hunters took him. They took my brother. He was supposed to be training, and they took him." Her voice shook.
Nashi reached down to hold Julia's hand as silent support.
"My Magic would have been useless," Julia whispered, a tremor clear in her tone now. "What good is Magic if I can't protect the people I love from stupid Hunters? I hate Hunters. They took Gary away and we don't know if we'll ever see him again, N-N-Nashi."
Nashi murmured, "We'll see him again."
"How do you know that?"
"Because he promised me he'd come back," Nashi told her. "He wouldn't break a promise and he wouldn't want you sad." She struggled to drudge up words of comfort. "Mama says Magic doesn't bring sadness—it brings joy. Don't let having Magic make you sad."
"But it can't do anything against those stupid Hunters who took him," Julia cried.
Nashi blinked when her eyes burned with tears. "We just have to figure out another way to protect him so not even Hunters can get him."
Silence.
"Another way…"
Nashi nodded. "Yeah. We'll figure out a way to protect him from Hunters, Julia." She squeezed Julia's hand. "I promise."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"After that night, Julia stopped practicing her Magic. She seemed okay, but she withdrew a little from everyone. I never knew that her story would take a turn, but that's not my story to tell either.
"The entire summer was spent dedicated to Gary's abduction. Uncle Gajeel pulled his connections in both the Magic Council and in the black market, but we never heard a thing. Aunt Juvia came home and she caused Magnolia to go into storm for three days until she collapsed from the stress.
"None of us could rest or even breathe knowing that Gary had been stolen. I clung to that promise he made me, but when summer ended…
"…it felt like it would be a promise broken…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
•
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Chapter Six
Around 3 years later…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Those next two years were the hardest we had faced. We were constantly searching for any sign of Gary. We'd follow up with any leads or any tips given even if they turned out to be bogus. I think it was Gary's abduction and other things that caused my parents to keep Luna hidden in Magnolia.
"I trained hard and became a Fairy Tail member, but the day I got my guild mark after my birthday felt so hollow. It was a day I was hoping to share with someone. I couldn't even celebrate. I got my guild mark and came home crying. It felt wrong to be in the guild when he wasn't even there, but Uncle Gray was the one to push me to stay in Fairy Tail…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Her mother had picked out her prettiest dress for her and had brushed and braided her hair, but it did not matter. The guild mark on her shoulder, pink laced with blue, did not even matter. Huddled in her room, swept into her comforter and stuffed animals, all she felt was this emptiness from what should have been an auspicious day. Eyes cried her, her throat felt raw and her eyes burned.
KNOCK-KNOCK.
"Nashi?"
Nashi sniffled. "Uncle Gray?" She sat up as she saw the haggard Ice Mage come in with gentle eyes and she swiped her cheeks to make sure they were dry. "Hi."
"Hey, kid." Gray revealed a bag he had brought with him from the supermarket. "I'll never forget you're my only niece who likes vegan ice cream." His eyes flickered to her shut blinds. "And outside is lookin' pretty beautiful right now, and I brought two spoons." He smiled. "Come share some ice cream with me."
°•°•°•°
They sat on the deck together and Nashi could not help but remember the last time Gary and she were sitting here, eating ice cream, trying to get a rise out of the other. Gray had pushed the carton into her hand and they did a little "cheers" before they slowly dug into the ice cream. She smiled a little when his face wrinkled at the taste and he asked her, "You really like this stuff?"
"Yeah. It tastes really good." Nashi added in light jest, "But if you're too chicken to eat more of it—"
"I never said I wouldn't eat it." Gray took another spoonful out of spite, even if the taste was not as pleasant as he hoped.
"Gary…said that to me."
Gray looked over at Nashi to see her eyes tainted in dejection as she looked down at the ice cream. His blues fell over to the sky. The weather in July in Fiore was always crystal clear, all blue skies and sunshine. But their grief dampened the colors and the feelings of warmth. He knew that. And his heart broke for the girl next to him being familiar with the inability to those colors and feel that warmth.
"We won't stop until we bring him home." He meant every word. He felt every word.
"Yeah…" Nashi swallowed when her eyes stung. "I know…"
Gray glanced down at her. "Did your parents ever tell you the story of when Fairy Tail disbanded?" When Nashi cocked her head, he carried on as he leaned back and looked at two swallows zipping into the forest: "It wasn't that pretty of a time for us. We had just finished the war with Tartaros. We'd lost so many people… We're all just lost. Gramps had disbanded the guild and at the time, we didn't know why. Some of us accepted that, for now, we just needed to heal. But your mom and dad, well…" A long sigh. "Your dad left with Happy. He just…needed time like all of us. He took it hard with the war and he needed to get stronger. He promised your mom he'd come back, but the idiot left her a letter instead of telling it to her face."
He shook his head. "Dumbass." But the insult came out more of an endearment. "We all went our separate ways to get stronger, start a family and settle down, figure out where to go from here… But your mom never gave up hope we'd all come back one day. Crazy woman kept tabs on us the best she could. She might not have been all that receptive to Natsu when he came home, but she carried that torch for Fairy Tail during that year we were all separated. She knew we'd come home. She'd been waiting for us. Because even without our guild marks, Fairy Tail still connected all of us together."
"I know getting your guild mark today wasn't easy. I know you imagined it differently. You imagined Gary seeing you get your guild mark and you could tell him you're a Fairy Tail Mage. I know. We all know what this day meant to you. But I just want you to know being in Fairy Tail still connects you to him. Living and training and smiling—it connects us all together."
Quivering lips.
"We're all in this together," Nashi whispered in quotation. "Papa always says that."
"Your dad is a lot of things," Gray murmured, "but he means what he says. I thought he was just a sad sap or something. But it's true. It doesn't matter how far apart we are. We're all in this together."
SNIFF.
Gray rubbed Nashi's head as her arm came over to cover her eyes with fat tears glomping her cheeks. "It's okay to miss him," he soothed. "It's okay to wish he was here for this. But it's okay to keep living. He wouldn't want you to give up Fairy Tail. Because when he comes home, he'll be waiting for you there." Those dark eyes closed. "Sadness is just another wall that blocks you from moving on. I know it's hard to get past it, but you got to breakthrough," he told her. "So cry now. Because when Gary comes home…"
WHOOSH!
A Shadow Bird with wings dark as night and eyes a filthy red cawed as it circled around a glistening white bird.
"…you'll have to show him your biggest smile to welcome him back."
Nashi sniffled and hiccupped, but when it got too much…
…she wailed.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I couldn't stop. The tears… I couldn't make them stop. Uncle Gray let me cry until I passed out. But I took what he said to heart."
•
"For the next year, I did everything I could to train as a Fairy Tail member. It was like it was a distraction. I took any job and did anything asked of me.
"And it wasn't until spring when I would receive a special request…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"They want me to what?"
Summertime agreed with Magnolia with low winds, abundant summer harvest, fresh fish, and the weather just hot enough where you might sweat a little, but you would not get sunburned. The Fairy Tail had picked up all sorts of jobs in the summertime now that magical creatures were out and about and no longer tethered to their young. While the guild had sprung back into itself, it had lost and gained members within the last three years. Esme and Veronika had packed up and left, though Esme had done so on agreeable terms while Veronika's was quite the exit. Ezra was gone for the summer at Wolfheim's insistence Ezra train with him at his private estate. But they had gained quite the oddball pair in Coeus with his mask and trench coat and Constantine as a Lacroid who served no master and yet he was interested in humanity.
Nashi had grown, but her hair received more inches than her body. Pink hair had been pulled into a braid on the sides to meet in the middle and give her a silk ponytail. Luna was the one insistent of the little butterfly clip. She was in the Master's Quarters with visible confusion staining her face as Erza showed her the client contract.
"They want you to cast a blessing on the entire village as well as exorcise the evil energy," Erza relayed. "Now that Exorcists are few and far between and have not been successful in warding off whatever evil is lurking around the town, they have reached out specifically for your help."
This shocked Nashi. "Yeah, but… I don't think I can do something like that." Can we?
I am not an Exorcist, no, so you do not have the power to bend spiritual energy and separate and contain it. But we do have the power to purify. It's close to an Exorcist's power and will do the job needed to be done, but it won't be the same as an Exorcist.
"I spoke with your parents since this mission is out of the country," Erza told her. "You would be going all the way to Giltena for this mission. Thankfully, the village uses Minstrish, but you'd be given an interpreter. Your parents agreed it's your decision." She added wryly, "And your mother made it clear your father wouldn't intervene and send reinforcements."
Nashi snorted. "I can't believe he sabotaged my first job like that," she muttered.
"He won't now. You have my word on that as well," Erza promised. "You're more than welcome to have an accompaniment, but, in the eyes of the Magic Council and Magic Society, you are a Legal Wizard who can work independently. The village will be paying for your airfare and provide meals and anything else you need."
Nashi hummed. "So all I'm doing is purifying the village, huh?" She grinned. "Sure! Going to Giltena seems like fun!"
"Wonderful." Erza handed Nashi a pen. "Then let's read over the contract together, we'll sign, and we'll get you started for your first special request."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"In hindsight, for this small town in Giltena to find me was a red flag. It wasn't that I was a no-named Mage. I earned the title Angel Princess when I went to the Inter-Guild Training Camp and I'd done exhibition matches. But I should have known a Traditionalist village would have never known who I was.
"But I took the job.
"My family was there to send me off. Papa was a wreck. He kept trying to insist he could sneak Happy into my luggage—not that Happy was, well, happy about the suggestion. But I went to Giltena on my own as my very first special request.
"And I was so stupid.
"So…so stupid…"
"Angel, it's okay. You couldn't have known."
"But I should have known. I should have known.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The Traditionalist Giltenan village reminded her of the charm of Infiorata Town from the one time she had been there when her parents wanted to buy new furniture for her mother's office. It was rustic and without a lick of technology, but she found that pleasant and nice. The people spoke Gordost in their conservative dress and slacks. It was an important attribute for men to have a full beard while, for women, their hair was knotted and hidden in bonnets and were poised to be demure. Forest surrounded the entire village and that was the way the villagers liked it. The houses and stores and the schoolhouse and the church—all were handmade out of brick and mortar or wood. Horses and carriages were the popular way and only way to get by in the village with the occasional bicycle allotted for errand-running. With no main roads passing through, the streets were made of brick and you saw no wandering tourists unlike in Infiorata Town.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
« This is Barri Village or also known as Barri Grove is located in the Slava Region of Giltena. As a Traditionalist Town, they adhere to the "old ways" which are viewed as conservative. »
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Nashi was staying with her host family, a sturdy father, her nurturing wife, their two sons who enjoyed woodwork and hated school, and their youngest daughter who was at the age where she could learn to sew and cook. The children spoke more Minstrish and so did the wife than the father, but that was all right with Nashi. The father looked at her strangely and his eyes accused at her guild mark. The wife turned out to be her interpreter and Nashi could feel she had such a kind energy about her like her own mother.
"So where should I get started?" Nashi asked Lada (the wife). "For me to start purifying, maybe I could start going house to house and asking people what things they want purified?"
Lada blinked in surprise. "Oh, no, my dear, we don't need our possessions purified," she told Nashi. "We require your assistance defeating the evil that lurks in the woods."
"'The woods'?" Nashi echoed.
Lada nodded, concerned. "Yes. There is a dark creature that stalks around our village. Several times it has entered the village and we have driven it out, but we fear it will come for our children. Even the animals can sense its evil."
A magical creature maybe? "I see…" Nashi rubbed her chin. "Has anyone seen what the creature looks like? Maybe if I can get a picture or a description of it, I can track it out in the woods and capture it."
"'Capture'?" Lada laughed at the absurdity. "You misunderstand our request, my dear. We don't need you to capture the beast." Her smile widened. "We need you to kill it."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Lada explained to me the creature had gone door-to-door on some nights as though waiting for someone to step outside and kill them. They heard its voice. Some of the littler children thought they heard the voice of a boy and would try to open the door if it wasn't for their parents. The authority figures in Barri had claimed the creature possessed Black Magic similar to Dunters. They told me stories that the creature could use the voice of someone's loved one to lure them into opening the door. The church had provided Holy Salts and Holy Water and blessed houses and even set a curfew.
"I was so naïve to believe them.
"After speaking to the villagers, I decided to leave the forest after dinner with my host family. Normally, a person would hunt during the day, but I need to catch the creature active. I wasn't on board with killing the creature, but I thought I could use my powers to calm it."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
AWOOOOOOOOOOOO…!
Several birds fled into the night sky.
The moon had covered her sight tonight. She was not interested in the affairs of this night and might check in later when she felt more involved. The forest was still alive at night. Just because the moon did not want to lend her sight did not mean other animals gave up the hunt. Some had burrowed for the night and would not rise until the sun did, but many others were eager to stretch their legs and wings in the darkness. An owl swept down as it preyed upon an unsuspecting mouse. A wolf crept in the underbrush as he watched weakened doe huddled against a tree, obviously in pain from the efforts earlier in the day to take her down. The fish had found little grooves to rest in for the evening, gills fluttering, but they remained alert in the event of danger.
Nashi scoured high and low in the forest. Animals did not bother her. They sensed she was of good heart and mind and had no reason to treat her as prey. A pink orb of light bobbed before her to scout ahead and light a path and she followed, but at every turn, she found nothing that remotely resembled the creature.
I think this 'evil creature' doesn't exist, Nashi muttered.
I can sense traces of Curse and Black Magic, but none of it lingers for too long for a direct trail to it, Cael murmured. A creature of both Curse and Black Magic is highly unusual but not unheard of.
Do you know what it could be?
I have a few guesses, but there is a high chance we are dealing with a Devil.
Nashi paused. A Devil? Like Satan?
No. Satan and the Devil are not synonymous in truth, only in mortal interpretation. Devils are derived from both Curses and Black Magic. As an asset, they are valuable. They have a power not even Demons could achieve. But as an enemy, they are formidable. As my successor, you have the power to purify part of the Devil, but I implore you to be careful. For a Devil to skulk around and hide from me, it must be powerful.
Nashi swallowed. Should I really kill it?
If this Devil truly is terrorizing the village as they claim and cannot be calmed, I will assist you in putting it down. But if it can be calmed, we should relocate it to somewhere it can thrive without mortals.
That lifted a weight in Nashi's heart. Thanks, Mister Cael. She looked at the sky. Do you think it's safe tonight?
The breeze breeds a perfect night for it.
Nashi grinned. Sure beats walking around the forest. She readied herself—
A distant cry.
Nashi's eyes widened. Did you hear that? It sounded like a kid!
Hurry, Cael urged. The Devil might have struck!
Right. Here we go. Nashi readied herself as her power expanded…and she was off.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"It took an entire night for me to track down the source and another full day. I followed the trail of destruction. Fallen branches and disgruntled animals. I rested in the forest, but I woke up at daybreak for Cael and me to keep searching. We got the trail of darkness and we latched onto it. I was nervous, but I was ready. If I could just calm the creature, maybe I had a chance of having it see reason. And if I couldn't…
"…then I'd have no choice."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The sun was still in its earlier phases of setting, but it gave enough light for animals to get to work for traveling, hunting, and bathing. Nashi continued her walk in the woods with an adventurous butterfly on her shoulder to keep her company. She could sense animals had gone scarce as she felt claw marks that had assaulted unsuspecting trees. She kept going until the darkness trail was overwhelming.
Little one, be careful, Cael warned. Look with your Sight. I feel something close.
Nashi swallowed, and pink consumed her eyes. The world to her was in energies and soul. She saw the life energy of every tree and thread of grass, but beyond that, she saw souls. And she narrowed in on a dark blue soul with swaths of silver and black around it that was nestled against a rather large tree. Something had attached to the soul, but she overlooked it for now. There. That must be the creature. Is it a Devil?
I'm afraid so.
Nashi pulled herself out of her Sight. Here we go. She looked at the butterfly. "You might not want to see this."
As though the butterfly agreed, it fluttered away.
Nashi crept forward.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what the creature would look like. I just know the village needed to be safe."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Nashi had gotten far enough where the dark soul was within a good distance from her bow. She just needed to see her target and get a clear lock on it. She climbed on a tree with low branches and settled herself in position. Summoning her bow, she pulled back the invisible string for her Freedom Arrow to emerge. Her eyes remained wide and clear as she nudged the leaves to make way for her to see the creature—
Hickories widened.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"So when I saw the creature, I realized…this 'creature'…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The arrow was gone.
The bow disappeared.
Nashi dropped to the ground and crept forward until another tree was her hiding spot. She peeked from the tree to look at the terrorizing evil, the monster, the Devil. But all she saw was a boy, dirtied and wounded. His battish wings served as the only protection he had from the elements with those horns on his head and his tail wrapped around his legs in comfort. His hair was a stark-white, but it was tainted with dirt and some soot. He sniffled, head tucked in, body shaking, and he looked like the poorest thing in the world.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"…he was just a boy who looked different from everyone else."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He's…a kid, Nashi realized in both surprise and sadness. And he's hurt, Mister Cael. She bit her lip. I should help him.
Little one, wait. Cael pressed an urgency through their bond. Dark Creatures are notorious for their disguises and misdirection. You can't be for certain it isn't trying to lure someone innocent to attend to it only to claim your life.
Nashi knew she should take that into consideration. She knew Cael was right. She remembered the warnings from the village, but… But he's hurt, she insisted. He looks so sad and lonely. I don't think he's a monster at all. He just needs help. He just…needs a friend right now.
Little one—
If he really is just acting, I'll get out as soon as I can, Nashi promised. But please. We said we'd see if we could calm it down. I have to get close to him and find out for myself. Let me do this, Mister Cael.
Cael sighed and his resignation thrummed between them. Be careful, little one.
I will. Nashi took a breath…
…and she took the first step.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"For relentless days, Skade and I had been chased by animals who hated us and had to avoid the Traditionalist hunters who tried to shoot us.
"The only kindness I had gotten was from the person who brought me here and the two presences that nursed me to help. No one else wanted me around.
"I had tried so many times to speak to the villagers, but they treated me like a murderer. They threw stones and torches and shot at me. I tried to show them I just needed help. I was so lonely. I tried to show them I was nice, but the more they chased me the way and the more the animals hated me, night after night, I kept thinking if this was how it worked before… If I was doing this right…
"But I just realized no matter how hard I tried, I was Invel's Morningstar.
"And I'd never receive kindness."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
CRUNCH-CRUNCH.
He tensed, afraid, and his wings protected him. Panic and fear fueled his blood, but he was rooted to the ground.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"All my life, I was told about stories of Demons and Dragons and Gods. Maybe if I had paid more attention to those stories, I would have known that the moral was anyone had the potential of good and bad, but so many other stories and movies taught me who was good and who was bad. You weren't supposed to show kindness towards evil.
"But I…I couldn't… I couldn't let him sit there hurt and afraid. It felt…wrong."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
She hesitated when she saw him shiver and cocoon himself in his wings. Hoping it came across as a gesture of goodwill, she let her power unfurl on her back and kept her slow pace as though approaching a scared animal. Her hand was out, low and palm up and open. Aunt Wendy had taught her to do that to animals to show she had no weapon and she meant no harm. Voice soft, she called, "Hi."
He shivered and withdrew even more.
She tried again, gentle. "It's okay," she soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you." She tacked on, eyes calm, "I just want to be your friend."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Invel's test were complex and intricate. Sometimes, he would never even tell me what the test was, only if I passed or if I failed. Before I watched Nashi, there was one other he had given to me.
"A Demon.
"This Demon was different than the Demons seen now. It was docile and kind. Now I know the Demon came from Galuna Island. Invel hadn't told me what my task was, but I spent time with the Galuna Demon. He was smart and funny and tried to make the best out of everything. It took a while for me to smile back and answer without fearing, but I liked him. He was a friend.
"But my test came.
"Invel gave me the order to kill the Galuna Demon.
"I had disappointed him. Perfection didn't need 'friends'. Winter survived on its own.
"But I could never forget what a 'friend' meant. It was a threat to Invel's order. It was kindness and laughter and strength and bravery.
"And she told she wanted to be my—"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
'Friend'? He perked at the mention of it. She…is friend?
Curiosity and wariness lit him, but he could not resist. His wings curled back—
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I saw him. A Devil."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Cerulean and hickory connected.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I saw her. And she was…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Winds chased around the two of them and tussled his white locks and her pink tresses. They had never seen anything like the other, not in real life. To others, he might have looked off-putting with his horns and tail and those wings with talons on the points, but he just looked like a boy. And she might have looked ethereal in that pink and white dress and her wings of snow-white spread, but…she was just a girl.
"Hi," Nashi helloed, keeping her voice light. "It's nice to meet you." Her eyes skimmed his scrapes and cuts in sympathy. "I'm sorry about your wounds…" She brightened. "But I can heal them," she insisted. She brushed back a lock of her hair. "I'm Nashi from Fairy Tail." She bent as she offered her hand to him. "Wanna be friends?"
He looked at her hand then to her wings then to her smile. She was so bright and pure and warm. All he knew was darkness and blood and cold. But he could not take his eyes off her, entranced and in awe. He had heard about things like her before his time with Invel when he could speak to the others and during his time with his only friend in the bad place. They all told him he would know when he saw one. And she… She was… "A…A…An…gel…"
Nashi frowned. "Huh?"
"An…gel… Angel… Angel." He liked the sound of that. He looked at her pointedly. "Angel."
"'Angel'. But I… My name isn't…" Nashi sighed, smiling anyway. "Okay. I'm 'Angel'. That works. What's your name?"
"Name?" He looked uncertain. Or maybe it was more uneasiness. "I…name… Called…Morningstar."
"'Morningstar'?" Nashi saw him flinch at the name. "You don't like that name?"
"No." His eyes drifted to the grass. "Morningstar means…monster."
Nashi understood. He must not speak Minstrish. "I get it. I wouldn't want a name that means 'monster' too." She brightened as she thought of an idea. "We can always give you a new name," she suggested. "Or a nickname."
His eyes drew back to hers, curious. "New…name…?"
Nashi nodded. "Yeah! You can choose whatever name you want and that'll be your new name until you want to change it to something else," she told him. "What do you want as your new name?"
His brow furrowed as he thought about it. Then he gave her a hopeful look. "Choose?"
"Yes." Nashi nodded encouragingly. "You can choose."
But he shook his head and gestured to her. "Choose."
Nashi pointed at herself. "Oh… You mean…you want me to choose?" When he nodded, she frowned. "Oh, well… But it's your name. Don't you want to choose your new name? It's really your choice."
"'Choice'…" He tested the word. Foreign. "I no…get choice… Orders…" He looked frustrated with his lack of vocabulary. "I have…orders… No choice. Do as told."
Nashi saddened. "Oh, that's too bad. I'm sorry." She sat before him and furled her wings so they lay placidly behind her. "My parents give me chores to do," she related. "I hate doing them, but I have to or else bad stuff happens."
"'Bad stuff'?"
"Yeah, like they'll take away my L-Pad or I get grounded," Nashi told him. With a roll of her eyes, she huffed, "Igneel gets special treatment though. Well, he used to, and he still does, but it's different now. Before when Igneel had chores to do, he'd get upset. He actually set Mama's broom on fire, and he shattered a mirror when he was told he had to clean it. He's a little calmer now, but sometimes, he still throws tantrums." She blushed when he stared at her, abashed. "Sorry. I guess I talk a lot."
"Do not…mind?" He nodded, certain that was the phrase. "Do not mind. I…not speak."
Nashi giggled. "You'd get along with my brother, Luke. He doesn't talk that much." Her giggle faded into sadness. "But it's more because Igneel talks over him. I hate that he feels like he has to be quiet all the time." She eyed the boy and placed her head in her hands which were propped by her elbows resting on her thighs. "If you don't mind, how come you're all the way out here?"
"Unsure," he replied. "Brought here. No orders."
Nashi frowned. "So this isn't your home then?"
He shook his head.
"Do you have a home?"
He hesitated. "Once," he confessed. "But…no more…"
"I see," Nashi murmured. Maybe his parents abandoned him here then. That would make sense. Maybe he didn't always look like this and, when he did, his parents just left him here. That's so sad, though. "Everyone deserves a home." Her eyes flickered to him. "How about this? I'll help you find a name and a new home for yourself." Her smile turned sheepish. "But I can't promise your home will be in the village. They aren't too happy with you."
He bobbed his head. "Humans find me…scary," he believed the word was. "Forest nice. But animals not…like me."
"I guess the question, is where do you want to live?" Nashi asked. "Do you want to live with the villagers or in the forest?"
"Forest." He did not want to go back to the village with their guns and stones.
"All right. The forest is your new home." Nashi got up and dusted off her dress before she extended her hand. "We'll just change the animals' minds about you. But…" She scrunched her nose. "First thing is first. You need a bath."
He looked down at himself and subtly sniffed his scent. "Smell fine."
"You smell gross," Nashi countered. "Come on. You need a bath desperately."
He scowled. "Smell fine," he insisted. But when she looked at him expectantly, he grumbled and he accepted her hand. "Angel is mean."
"Your BO is mean to my nose," Nashi replied in good-humored retort. "You'll feel a lot better after a bath and we need to get all your wounds cleaned anyway so I can heal them." She glanced around. "I think I saw a stream…somewhere…"
He pointed to his right. "River is five-point-seven-three meters east."
Nashi squinted at him. "How did you know that?"
"Orders," he answered as though simple.
Nashi was colored impressed, and she laughed. "Wow. I get turned around in my own backyard." She led him eastbound. "East it is! Time for a bath!"
He sulked and sniffed himself again. "No bath," he tried to growl, but it came out in a mumble. "Smell fine."
"Boys and their need to smell like BO," Nashi grumbled, shaking her head. "You'd like my brother, Igneel. It was a battle to force him to shower every single day and now it's battle for him to not overdo it cleaning." Her eyes tinged with grief. And you'd get along with someone else too…wherever they are.
°•°•°•°
"Grrrr…"
SMACK!
"Stop touching it, you baby!"
Once Skade was as clean as he could be without any soap and he was dry—he shook off the water like a dog and Nashi was none too pleased about that—and had redressed, Nashi had him sit down in the grass so she could look over his wounds. While her bag did contain her emergency kit, there was no need for that right now. With her magical teapot, she poured healing sand onto his wounds, but—
"Grrr!"
"Stop growling! You're fine!"
—this mysterious boy tended to be a little bit dramatic…
Nashi smacked his hand away when he tried to wave off the sand. "Grow up already and let me heal you," she scolded. "Goodness, you're being so ungrateful." She poured sand onto his knee wound and rolled her eyes when he tensed and growled. "I can do that too, you know." She mock-growled at him. "See? Ooo, so scary."
He scoffed. "Angel sound like baby now."
SMACK!
He rubbed the back of his head at that hit before he glared (more like pouted) at her, but Nashi was not backing down. "Mama says I'm a young lady, not a baby," she bit. "And it's rude to insult the person who is helping you. You should be thanking me instead of growling at me like that."
She did have a point, even if he disliked it. He dipped his head. "Thank you, Angel."
"Better." Nashi beamed as she withdrew her teapot. "And I think I healed everything. You look good as new and you smell way better. Maybe the animals will want to be around you now." She dismissed her teapot. "Are you ready to try—?"
GUU…
Both Nashi and he looked down at Nashi's growling stomach.
She flushed at the amusement in his eyes and the twitch of his lips. "So I'm hungry. Big deal," she muttered as she rubbed her stomach. "I've been searching for you and I only stopped to sleep and take a bath." She pathetically looking around her and remarked, "I'm not that great of a hunter. Maybe…I should go back to the village—"
"No." He winced at Nashi's curious look. "I…" He lifted his chin. "Hunt."
"Oh." Nashi smiled. "Okay! Sure! I can build a fire and make sure we have fresh water. I feel silly for not bringing food with me in my bag, but I didn't think I'd be out here so long." Her eyes tendered. He probably would have though…
He frowned when he saw the look in her eye again and abruptly got up. Taking a sniff, he pointed behind her. "Deer. Hunt them."
"What?!" Nashi got up and pushed him back, ignoring his bewildered look. "No! You can't hunt deer!"
His brow furrowed. "Not…understand." His eyes sharpened. "Deer meat poisonous?"
"What? No!" Nashi shook her head. "But you can't hunt the deer!"
"Why?"
"Well…" Nashi struggled for a good reason, but she was coming up for nothing, and her shoulders drooped. "Fine. Go hunt your deer." She grimaced at the river. "I'll be fishing."
"Hunt fish," he told her simply. "Easy." His tail whipped around as he waded back into the water.
Nashi's eyes owled. "Wait, what are you—?"
He put a finger to his lips to silence her as his eyes skimmed the water. His tail continued to whip until ice forged on the tip of his tail into a spearhead. He stayed still and his tail fell still as well. Just breath. Just his chest heaving. Then—
SPLASH!
Nashi flinched away, but once the splashing stopped, she looked back and had to gap when she saw the boy had speared two broad whitefish with the kill quick and both fish not even able to flop around and grimace in their deaths.
"Easy," he reiterated. He stepped out of the river and showed her the speared fish on his tail. "Good?"
Nashi sweatdropped. "Yeah, but we still need to clean and cook them," she reminded. "Still, that was really amazing. My papa hates fishing because he never gets a bite and you get it after a minute." She laughed to herself as she remembered her father's frustration. "I can't fish to save my life, but I know how to prepare a fish." She looked around. "Well, this is as good as a spot as ever to set up camp, right? Let me get everything set up and then you can go hunt"—she grimaced—"meat."
He frowned. "Fish meat."
"It's not meat," Nashi defended.
"Fish meat," he insisted.
"It's not red meat," Nashi amended in a huff. "Ugh, you sound just like—!"
Deep ceruleans.
His frown deepened when that look crossed her face. Grief and pain. He really hated that look. He stepped towards her and searched her face. "Angel…sad?"
"Huh?" Nashi mustered a faint smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just… There's this person I haven't seen in so long and I guess… No, I know I miss him and…" She sighed. "Forget it. Let me get our camp set up, okay?" She drew away from him to tend to her bag.
And he frowned after her when something unsettled his chest.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
That night…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
BO… BO…
An owl hooted in the distance while a pack of coyotes had encountered an enemy stray. The moon was awake and alert tonight with her little stars and she decided to peek in on the camp of a Devil and an Angel. Nashi had done a great job setting up their makeshift camp and had laid down a camping blanket. Making a tent had never been her forte even with her father helping her and with it summer, she slapped on bug spray (and forced him too even if he was confused since he had never gotten a mosquito bite before) and set up her sleeping bag outside. The fish had been prepped and cook and she asked no questions when he had returned with prepped meat to pierce and lay by the fire.
Bellies full and with fresh water left over, the pair of them were left in the company of a warm fire, friendly stares, and the ripples of the river.
To keep him entertained, Nashi pointed out the constellations. "That's Pisces," she named proudly. "The brightest star in Pisces is the 'Kullat Nunu'. I mean that's the unofficial name, or that's what Mama says. It's even brighter than the sun." She giggled to herself. "My aunt Yukino has the Celestial Star Key to Pisces and I really like them. They're a mama and son, actually, but the son is really funny. He calls everyone 'mom'."
"'Mom'…"
Nashi looked over to see him in thought. "Do you remember your mama?"
He shook his head. "No," he said softly. "No mother. Alone."
"I'm sorry," Nashi whispered.
He shook his head again. "No sorries. Need no mother. Like alone." Those icy-blues looked quietly despaired. "Always alone."
"Well… You're not alone anymore," Nashi pointed out with a little smile. "I'm here. I'll be your friend. I won't leave you alone unless you want me to. I promise, okay?" She held out her pinky. When he looked at her in confusion, she laughed. "It's a pinky promise, but I'll promise as a Heartfilia since I'm not a Celestial Spirit Mage." She reached for his hand. "See? You do it like this." She fisted his hand and raised his pinky before hooking their pinkies together. "See?" Her smile brightened. "It's a promise."
His brow furrowed as something tickled his memory. It flashed before him. Ice around him and a pinky hooked onto his own. But it was gone in a moment.
"Are you okay?"
His eyes met her concerned ones, and he nodded. "Okay." He released her pinky as his eyes trod back to the night sky.
"Can I ask you something?"
He nodded. "Yes."
Nashi tried to find a way to put this. "Why did the villagers say you were tricking them and stealing from them and everything? I don't think you did any of that. And why did you keep going back when they were mean to you like that?"
It took him a while to formulate a response. "Alone then…not alone," he explained. "Brought here. Alone. No orders. Then…found." He visibly grappled for the correct term. "Nice. Warm. Sad. Felt sad and warm. Two…people."
"You mean humans," Nashi corrected.
To her surprise, he hesitated. "No. Not smell…human," he got out. "People. Not humans. Nice. Good. Help me. Save me from…dying."
"That was nice of them," Nashi complimented. "How come they aren't here?"
Hurt settled on his face. "Left. Alone now."
They abandoned him, Nashi filled in. They left him all alone in the world again. "What happened next?"
"I… Alone? No… Lonely. Yes. Lonely," he sounded out again. "I…never lonely. It hurt." He touched his chest. "Here. Hurt. Heart. Chest. Everything hurt."
"They left you and it hurt your feelings," Nashi murmured in interpretation. "Mama says that's called 'heartbreak', the worst kind of sadness."
"Heart…break." The term felt right. "Yes. Heartbreak." He paused, arranging his thoughts. "I…no more alone. Wanted…people. I…wanted…" He growled. This was angering trying to piece together words and grammar. He never had to speak so much before outside of agreements and repeating an order.
Nashi understood his unspoken words. "You didn't want to be alone," she filled in for him. "You wanted to be around. You wanted to be…wanted." She laid on her side to face him. "Is that what you mean?"
"I…think?" he questioned, confused. "Wanted…want. People wanted me. Left. Lonely. Wanted want again. Yes." The hand on his chest tightened. "Felt…nice…wanted. People nice. Smelled people. Smelled humans. So hungry. So thirsty. Lonely. Wanted people."
"So that's why you went into that village," Nashi realized in a soft sadness. "You just wanted friends. You didn't want to be alone anymore." Her brow furrowed. "They kept saying you were this monster who was trying to kidnap their children and steal their food, but…you were just wanting help."
He swallowed. The pain in his chest was back. "I…monster…"
Nashi sat up and shook her head viciously. "You are not a monster," she growled. "Those people are monsters. They were so rude and horrible to you and you just wanted to be around people!" She glared at the sky like the moon was at fault and even the moon cowered behind wisps of clouds. "That's so cruel to you! You never deserved that!"
"N-N-No…"
Nashi looked down—
DRIP.
DROP.
Tears leaked from icy-blues and feathered his cheeks.
He's…crying? Nashi thought. "Hey…" She tried to wipe away his tears. "Don't cry."
"Monster… I…" He sniffled. "Monster… Hurt…people… Dreams hurt. I am Morningstar."
He's been having nightmares about what happened to him. He must have been treated so badly before he was abandoned here. Nashi sucked in air and let it stream out in a quiet breath as she extended her power like she had done so to Luna so many times now. She could feel his agony and his soul-sucking despair, but she blanketed it in warmth. "You're not a monster," she whispered to him in reverence. "My mama and papa told me I'll meet all sorts of people who are different than me. And they told me just because people are different doesn't mean their hearts are too. It doesn't matter what you look like. It matters what's in your heart."
He tried to shake his head, sniffling as the tears came down and he could not stop. He could before. But now, he… "I am monster," he told her. "Hurt…so many… No more… No more orders… No more tests… I… I…"
"What do you want now?" Nashi asked of him.
"I want…" He sniffled again. "I want…not lonely. I want…not scary. People. I want…want. But people….humans…I am scary—"
Nashi cut him off with the gentle shake of her head. "What those villagers said doesn't matter," she soothed. "What you want matters. It doesn't matter if you might look scary. It matters what's in your heart. And we'll find you a new home with people who like you for you." She paused as her eyes went to the sky. "My papa used to tell us this story… He called it The Ugly Dragon."
He sniffled, but he looked up at her with those water icy-blues.
"Papa said the Dragon was born, but he looked different from the other Dragons," Nashi narrated. "And because he looked different, his parents didn't want him and they made him leave the nest. The ugly Dragon tried to find a new home. He tried to fit in with the werewolves, but the werewolves chased him away. He tried to fit in with the Demons, but the Demons chased him away. And he tried to fit in with fish, but he scared all the fish away. He tried so hard to find a home, but…nobody wanted him. And he was sad. He felt sad and alone and he kept saying, 'I'm lost'."
She swallowed. "But then…the giant heard the ugly Dragon crying, and the giant took him back to a place where there are fairies and pixies and other cast-out Dragons and wizards. All of those people were pushed out of their homes too, but the giant said to the ugly Dragon home isn't where your mama and papa are. Home is with the family you choose is. And the ugly Dragon finally knows where he belongs."
Nashi's eyes softened as the stars winked in her eyes. "You can be like the ugly Dragon. You don't ever have to go back to a place where people won't like you. We can find you a new home with people who like you. If you want, you can even come back with me to Fairy Tail. I'm sure everyone would like you. My little sister is really nice and sweet. She'd like you."
"She would?" Hope emboldened his question. "She would…want me? People…want me?"
"Fairy Tail isn't perfect, but we don't turn our backs on anyone who needs a home." Nashi gave him a firm look. "But you should decide where you want to belong. We'll find you a home and a new name, okay? You won't be a monster in your new home. You'll be you. And Mama says people should always be themselves, okay?"
He nodded and rubbed his cheeks. "Okay."
Nashi smiled. "Good. Starting tomorrow, we'll go around the forest, so you can meet the animals and see if you want this as your new home. And if you don't, I can bring you back to Fairy Tail and Master will help you. She's really nice and fair, I promise." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "And I won't leave you alone. We're friends. Friends don't leave each other alone, okay? It's a promise."
"Okay," he murmured. "Promise."
Nashi yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"Angel tired," he remarked. "Sleep. Will watch."
Nashi's brow furrowed. "Watch?"
He nodded. "Watch. Villagers… Hunters… Will watch."
"Oh. Thank you." Nashi yawned again. "If you get tired, just wake me up and I can watch too, so you can sleep." She shifted onto her other side. "Thanks for watching. Good night."
"Good night," he murmured softly. His ears twitched as he listened as her breathing evened out with the next minute or so. It was just him, the moon, the stars, and the fire. He was alone, but…he was also not alone. He had a friend. A friend who would help him find a home. Home. A place he could belong and never feel lonely. Where he would never hurt anyone ever again.
Still…
In a small voice, he whispered, "I'm lost."
And he waited.
Nothing.
He sat up, ears perked, and he tried again. "I'm lost."
And he waited.
He waited for his own giant to find him and take him to a place he would not be a monster.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The next morning…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Sun up, baths taken, and breakfast eaten, Nashi and he crouched behind bushes with a field of wildflowers for them and a healthy herd of doe and their fawn grazing. With it being summer, they did not need any stags to pair off with and they enjoyed their time together bonding with their little ones. Their ears might have twitched when a squirrel chattered or a few birds passed by, but otherwise they were content.
Nashi whispered to him, "Okay. Does are pretty easy. Or at least at home they are." She showed him the soybeans she had brought with her. "Animals like my little sister a lot more than me, but they still like me. But this should help." She handed him some soybeans. "Wait here until I get their attention okay."
He nodded, though nervously.
She smiled at him and soothed, "It'll be fine. Don't worry. We've got this, okay? Repeat after me. We've got this."
"We've got this," he parroted.
"Yes, we do," Nashi teased. "I'll be back." She took a breath before she slowly rose and allowed her wings to furl on her back. She knew that had caught the attention of the herd, but as usual, they did not mind her. Some went back to grazing while others remained alert but not on edge. She crossed into the patches of wildflowers with her wings dragging behind her and the soybeans in a loose fist. One of the doe must have scented them for she cautiously came over to Nashi.
Nashi bowed low.
The doe was inclined to do the same.
Nashi opened her fist to show the soybeans. The doe looked at her for a moment, but she must have found what she needed when she came over and lapped up the soybeans without an issue. Nashi chortled over the sensation of the doe lapping her hand, but her other hand came over to brush the doe's neck. Her ears flicked, but she did not care. When she finished her snack, she remained for Nashi to pet and some of the other doe and fawns looked at the pair of them, curious.
Nashi looked over her shoulder to see he had quickly disappeared behind the bushes and sighed. "Excuse me, miss," she whispered, "but I'll be right back." She abandoned the doe to trot back over to the bushes where he hid, anxious and not as confident as she thought she had been. "Come on. Your turn."
He shook his head.
Nashi playfully rolled her eyes as she held out her hand. "Come on. It's your turn."
He hesitated and looked like he would bolt, but he placed his hand in hers and allowed him to guide her up. The doe and fawn were on immediate alert the second they saw him and his horns and leathery wings. Afraid and hurt at their mistrust, his tail drooped.
"They're just nervous," Nashi whispered to him. "Don't worry. I've got you." She expanded her power over the anxious energies she felt from the herd's souls, blanketing them in her warmth and security like Cael had taught her over the years. "Come on. I won't leave your side."
He swallowed and nodded.
Step by step, they entered the patch of wildflowers, all eyes on them. He tried to keep on and squeezed her hand several times when he felt like either the herd would bolt or he would.
Nashi had stopped them just shy of a majority of the herd and whispered to him. "Show them the soybeans."
Shakily, he extended a hand and showed the crushed soybeans in his palm. When nothing happened, he shot her a nervous look.
"Wait," she soothed.
He waited and felt like he could not breathe.
It took one curious fawn to set him on edge. This one had not grown as quick as the other fawns and still looked unsteady. Either it had been born late or it was simply different than the others. It wobbled over, nose guiding its movements. Its eyes went to Nashi then to him then zoned on the soybeans. But the fawn hesitated.
"You need to bow," Nashi instructed.
He nodded and, in a slow movement, he bowed low to the fawn.
The fawn bowed back and had no issue burying his snout into the boy's palm to munch on the soybeans.
For a moment, the boy looked surprised, but happiness lit those ice-blue eyes. And that happiness faded back to anxiety when Nashi took his free hand and put it on the fawn's neck and pushed him into stroking the fawn's neck. When she pulled away, he threw her a panicked look, but as he kept stroking the fawn, the fawn did not seem to mind and its eyes closed as though it enjoyed the sensation. The boy blinked, stunned, then those ice-blues softened.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Do you remember the story Angel read? I called it 'Alone'.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
He looked over to ask her something—
Icy-blues widened.
A few birds had perched upon her shoulders and arms. She laughed at the silly little birdies as one perched on her outstretched wrist and she brought it close to blow a raspberry on its chest feathers. It whistled at her, pleased, and she smiled as another curious dawn approached her. She tried to bow with the birds on her, but the fawn still bowed back and nudged her.
And his eyes gleamed as he watched her looking like a vision amongst nature.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Zutto naite bakari ita
Zutto zutto hitori de sabishikatta
Suki ni naru no ga kowakute
Mata dareka o ushinaitakunai yo
Dakara zutto dakishimete ite…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Those days weren't just casual fun to me. Those days brought about memories I'd keep with me for a lifetime."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
CRASH!
This rabbit was fast.
He hated that.
He crashed through the underbrush. His speed could be faster, but he had not been pushing himself like he did at the bad place. Still, he hated to lose.
And this rabbit was fast.
The cotton-tailed cretin dodged him with a series of zigzag maneuvers and using its small size to its advantage when wriggling underneath fallen logs and such. But he was relentless and he would not give up his hunt so easily. But he was so focused on his hunt that he did not see he was approaching a cliff until the last possible seconds he had to save himself from diving off the ravine.
Catching his breath, he looked over the edge.
His eyes sparkled.
Leagues of land awaited exploration with rising and falling mountains and hills and birds and flowers and trees… Greens blurred together in a beautiful patchy print before him, stretched out and free. Even the wind smelled wild and untamed. He took a heavy gulp of air and felt the breeze tussle him as his wings began to spread—
A shadow passed over him.
He watched in fondness as Nashi took to the skies, wings like that of an Angel, and she let the wind sink her and float her. His own wings furled in close to his back, but he watched her and that was enough for him.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
In my Life nanigenai mainichi ni idaiteta
Love for you sarigenaku au tabi ni omoi fukurandeta
Kimi to deai mainichi ga irodorare imi aru mono e to
Kawatteta n'da Oh my precious thing forever
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Her scream woke up the birds (who were not pleased at all about that).
He did not understand what he did wrong. He had dragged back his prey for their dinner tonight and he had made sure he had not hunted deer. Instead, he had caught them three rabbits and he had even been lucky enough to take down a clumsy lynx. He looked feral and wild and quite proud of his catch…
…but his eyes went wide and his tail drooped the moment Nashi screamed and looked revolted and ready to lay into him all at the same time.
This was going to be a long night.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Ima nara tsutaerareru yo
(ienakatta 「suki」tte kotoba)
Mou ichido hito o suki ni
(nareru chikara o kureta kimi to)
Take my hands saa ikou
(I believe in you donna shunkan mo)
Futari nara kitto egao de sugoseru kara
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Today was the day he would catch a zander fish. He knew it and he was determined as he used his tail as his spear again, covering it in ice. His (now clean) tattered loose pants were pinned up from the clothespins Nashi had brought with her and he looked like a madman as he stood in the water as Nashi watched him with a few other animal spectators who were curious what on Earth Land the strange human was doing.
He kept still and he waited…
…and he waited…
…and he waited—
A flicker.
His eyes shifted. There.
His tail speared into the water and his claws slid out as a precaution to kill the thing once it emerged. He gritted his teeth as he hauled the big fish out of the water—
SLAP!
He froze, gobsmacked, when the zander had smacked his cheek with its tail and flopped and floundered until it could launch itself back into the water.
Nashi tried. She really tried not to laugh, but his face… She burst into peals of laughter unabashedly and never noticed his rage towards the loss of fish had evaporated into a sense of wonder hearing her laugh.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Zutto kimi ni todokeyou
365 nichi no ai no uta o
Kimi ni deaeta 「kiseki」 ga
Mune no naka de (afuredasu you ni)
More than 「I love you」kanadeyou
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"We spent so many days and nights out in that forest. It feels like it was in a different lifetime when I look back on it now."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Night times were special and treasured and somehow they both understood that without saying a thing about it. Once their day of play and exploration had come to a close, they set up a new camp to eat dinner, slather on that foul-smelling spray (if you asked him, he tried many times to coax her out of making him wear it, but she was adamant), and he would listen as she spewed facts about the stars her mother told her or stories about her guild. His vocabulary and grammar had come back to him bit by bit. He could not speak like her, but he could get close.
"What is your family like?"
"You really want to know?"
"Yes."
Nashi hummed. "Well, let's see… My family is pretty big. I told you about my mama and papa. Mama is so nice and beautiful, but she packs a punch when Papa pisses her off. Papa can be silly. Everyone says he scary, but I've never really seen him scary. He's always been such a pushover and lets us do what we want when Mama isn't looking. But he's really strong. Then, there's Igneel. He can be really mean, but he's trying hard not to be and—"
"Does your family make you look sad?"
Nashi frowned. "What do you mean?"
"There are times…you look sad," he relayed to her as best he could. "You will go quiet like you are thinking of someone. Is it your family?"
Nashi knew what he was talking about. Her eyes crystaled as she remembered those deep ceruleans. "No," she softly murmured. "No, he…he isn't my family."
"'He'?" he echoed. He frowned. He did not like how his gut twisted. "Who is 'he'?"
Nashi smiled, fond and twisted with sadness. "He was…my rival at first. And maybe my friend," she told him. "He was such a jerk to me though, but there were times he could be so nice. But he never stayed nice for long. But… I'll never forget when he took care of me during ohanami." She further explained, "Ohanami is when we get to view the cherry blossoms back home. We normally do it at the end of March and that's when Magnolia's rainbow sakura tree blossoms. But I got really sick that day. Talk about bad luck."
She sighed through her nose. "Anyway, Mama stayed behind to take care of me. She told me on her first ohanami that she got a nasty cold and it's not like I hadn't been to other ohanami."
She yawned. "Anyway, I was pretty much out of it. But I felt this…touch. And I woke up, and he was there taking care of me." A light pink danced on her cheeks as her eyes sparkled in the memories. "We fight like cats and dogs or, well, that's what Mama says. But just for that day, we didn't fight. He just…stood by my side and took care of me. We didn't really talk, but… I don't know. It just felt…different." Hickories gleamed.
Icy-blues shimmered.
He looked up at the stars as his hand laid over his heart. "'Different'," he echoed.
His hand tightened over his heart.
Different.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Kaeri no HOME tsunaida te hodoite
Te furu kimi o yobitomete
Dakishimeta sono karada
mamoritai to omotta kokoro kara
•
Asa mo hiru mo mainichi no seikatsu subete sou kaerimichi mo
Tsutaetai koto ga aru kotoba ni dekinai kotoba ga aru
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Day after day…we'd find new ways to make everything count, didn't we, Angel?"
"Yeah. We did."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
One afternoon, a snake had gotten the best of them. He had thrown Nashi behind him as the snake made itself tall. and he bared his teeth as he circled the snake, spitting and growling at it like a rabid dog. Another day, Nashi and he enjoyed running with a wildcat, climbing as it jumped up rocks and trees. A senior fox had taken interest in him and Nashi and they chased after it for the senior fox to show them chipmunks climbing through the brush and stopped them both when a mother bear and her young were traveling.
Another day, Nashi had woken up to see him wide-awake and, to her surprise, with feathers in his hands and eggs in his hands. He watched in compounded interest when she carefully taught him how to cook eggs (and silently impressed he knew which eggs to grab) with the cookware and basic spices her uncle Loke had been insistent she bring with her. She was no cook by any means, however, and had to pout when she made messed up and burnt what should have been breakfast. But he was not so despaired.
Gently, he nudged her aside to make use of the rest of the eggs. He replicated her movements (though she was a little sour he somehow knew how to crack eggs without getting any shells in them) and he understood to wait for the eggs to be a solid white before removing the entire pan from the fire and he presented his work to her for approval—
He could have fallen over seeing Nashi in comical tears of joy as she salivated over the sunny-side-up eggs.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Zutto matteru yo
(kimi kara no MAIL)
Hayaku aitakute
(kimi no kokoro no sukima e)
Sono fuan mo harewataru you ni itsu demo utau yo (lada lada la)
Tada kimi no egao ga mita ikara ( I will give you my words )
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Are you ready?"
The sun was yawning into the horizon for the night as some animals winded it down for the night. Gold-orange meshed with the ebbing blue of the sky and that was that. Nashi and him were standing on the edge of a cliff with a vast expanse of ravine dripping in trees and wildlife before them. The winds were gentle, their air taste right, and their wings could be trusted.
But he looked at the birds flying and he was still unsure. "I…do not…know…"
"Don't worry."
His eyes caught her soft smile and patient eyes.
She promised him, "I'll be right there with you."
He knew her word was good. She had stayed with him this long. He just had to be brave now. He nodded his consent to her.
Her smile widened, and she looked down over the cliffside. "The draft is coming." Her eyes glittered in excitement. "Here we go!"
Together, they jumped off the cliff.
Their wings expanded.
WHOOSH!
Nashi laughed as he flailed a little when the updraft hit the curve of their wings and they were soaring into the air and climbing higher heights than he could dream. She was elegant and graceful with her white wings that felt so soft and strong combined, but he felt like a newborn with his wings, uncoordinated. Before, he would be punished for this level of foolishness. He was perfected and ordered through precision drills and that threat of winter crept into his anxieties—
"Woooooohooooo….!"
His eyes roamed to see Nashi as she helped him glide. Eyes closed, she felt the wind and the freedom that came from flight. There was something so liberating about defying gravity when it came to flight. To fly, it was… It was freedom. It was the lift of that invisible restriction you had when you were born with two legs and wingless. The worries you felt, the stress of home life and of work, the depression from a failed relationship, the anxiety from not being good enough—that was tethered to the earth. But up here, oh, you felt like those worries and cares were gone. You did not even feel them. You felt a rising euphoria that filled your chest and your head like you had thought of the happiest little thought and you could never feel cold again because you felt so free and warm.
He felt free and warm.
It was not that one with wings could forget how to fly, but like all muscles, wings could atrophy when not used to their full strength every day. And it was not as though he let his wings atrophy while he was with her. He often flexed and stretched them and glided down from trees or hopped from here and there, but after his scrap with the birds, he had been reluctant to use his wings.
Until now.
Tentatively, he let go of her hand to let his wings flap experimentally. He could tell she was sticking close to him to make sure to catch him if he fell but seeing her rise and sink with the wing and watch her angle at the tiniest of changes brought back that muscle memory and insight he once had. He tasted a change in the breeze and in synch, both of them curved the wings to follow the tidal breeze to the left.
She laughed.
He smiled.
She shot him a challenging look as she ducked down. He followed her. They dove to skim across a wide river, both of them parting as they ducked out of the way from rocks and whatnot.
SPLASH!
He was temporarily stunned when magical flying fish had come to sail with them for a short while, but Nashi merely laughed as her hand drifted down to swim the water. She glanced up to see a flock of birds and could not help it when she angled up to join them. He had caught her and tried to stop her, but at her encouraging smile, he followed her lead.
The Alicantos preferred to travel in flocks, but they were receptive to other birds in desperate need of their own flocks and often picked up strays. Nashi joined their formation and whistled to which the leader whistled back, pleased. She gestured for him to join her and after a moment's worth of hesitation, he came into the flock and prepared for them to strike him.
She whistled and nodded at him.
He whistled.
The lead Alicanto whistled and the others began to sing in acceptance.
She smiled at him.
He shyly returned the favor.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Angel had given me more than just a friend. She returned my freedom to me. She returned me to me."
"I didn't do anything."
"You did so much, Angel. So much."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Mou hitori janai kara
•
Zutto kimi ni todoke you
365 nichi no ai no uta o
Kimi ni deaeta 「kiseki」 ga
Mune no naka de (afuredasu you ni)
More than 「I love you」
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Wings furled, the pair of them sat on the top of a rock tower formation splotched with trees and bushes and grasses. The goats and powerful big cats would most likely enjoy the climb to ascend to this height. From their vantage point with their legs swinging off the ledge, it was almost like they could see the entire world. They saw the expanse of the grove and how it spilled into a healthy ravine full of life. They saw a few adventurers pitch a camp in the forest (and made a mental note where their locations so they could avoid them), but they could see more. They saw the ocean glitter in a kaleidoscopic violet and lavender and magenta as the sea swallowed the burning sun. They could see docks and boats with sails so high and tall that it looked like those boats belonged to gianst.
Both of them scented the air as a zephyr galloped around them in circles before departing.
"You know…"
He turned to her, curious.
"We never did find a name for you," she told him. "Did you find one that you liked? Maybe a Celestial name? Or an animal name?" She shot him a cheeky smile. "We could name you 'Zander'."
He snorted, but he could not withhold his own grin. "I should call Angel 'meat-hater' then."
"Shut up." Nashi nudged his shoulder. "You like bloody meat and I like cooked fish. It's whatever." She sighed as she leaned back and slightly against him. She smiled a little when she felt his wing expand to shelter her. "But we really do need to find you a name."
"Why?" Now he looked grumpy. "I like having no name."
Nashi shot him a half-amused and half-exasperated look. "So you want to be called nothing for the rest of your life?"
"Yes." Now he gave her a cheeky smile. "Hello. I am Nothing."
Nashi guffawed as he snickered. She sighed out her amusement and took a lungful of air. "Well, you should still have a name. That way when we find you a home and a family who loves you, they have something to call you."
"Angel should choose."
Nashi frowned. "Why me? Don't you want to choose?"
He shrugged. "No. I chose the name 'Angel' for Angel. So Angel should choose a name for me."
Nashi raised an eyebrow. "I could tell you your name is 'Stupid Jerk' and you'd be fine with it? Or Zander?"
He huffed and rolled his eyes, but he ended up smiling. "Yes, Angel. Whatever you choose."
Nashi pretended to hem and haw, kicking her legs. "Hmm… Well, Zander is a good name." She broke into giggles when his tail ribbed her side in soft punishment. "Fine, fine, I'll be serious about this." She thought long and hard as they watched the violet sky chased out the golden sun.
PYUUU…
The wind tickled them, embraced them, and went away.
"You know…"
He looked at her.
"I had to learn a lot during one of my exams to become B-Class," Nashi informed him. "I wanted to learn more about the gods, so Misty let me borrow some books of his and I… I heard about this god in the east… They're the god of winter and hunting. When I heard about the god, it made me think of—" Her words caught.
His hand crept to lace with hers as his wing curled around her more.
She leaned on him for support. "But he's…he's gone now… And now when I think about that god, I think about you. Your powers are amazing. You're like…winter itself, you know?"
Maybe before, hearing such a thing would trigger him, but for her to speak about him in this light, he took it as soft praise to his abilities. He nodded along.
"So then… If you're really okay with me choosing a name for you, then I choose that one." She leaned her cheek against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "From now on, your name…is Skade."
Icy-blues rounded.
Something inside him…freed.
He could not stop it when his body shook and he felt…overwhelmed. Something was happening to him. Something in him was changing, but—no, that was not right. Something was not changing. Something was emerging.
Nashi frowned when she felt Skade shiver. "Skade? Skade, are you okay?" She pull away and opened her eyes—
Hickory clashed with cerulean.
She could not help it. "Gary?"
His eyes filled with tears as he nodded. "Nashi," he croaked out. "I… I'm so—Gah!"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Did you really have to smack me that hard?"
"You grossly underestimate me if you thought I would respond differently."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"What was that for?" Gary cried as he rubbed his cheek. While his black hair and deep blue eyes had returned and the horns and fail had abandoned him, the wings, it seemed, were a permanent fixture to his anatomy. "I didn't mean to—Nnngh!" He teetered when Nashi had tackled him into a hug. For a moment, he froze. But the tears were back, and he hugged her twice as fierce.
Nashi could not help it when she sobbed into his chest. "I knew it!" she cried. "I knew it, but why…?"
"I couldn't change," Gary whispered to her. "I was stuck. I could hear you and see you, but I couldn't do anything." He pulled back to see her sniffle as countless tears flooded down her cheeks. "How did you know?"
"You idiot," Nashi cried. "I can See." She rubbed her cheeks. "The day I saw Skade, I looked at his soul, but something wasn't right. I checked again while he was sleeping, and I saw he had two souls." She shook her head as he brushed aside her hands to wipe her tears for her. "I thought I was seeing things. I-I-I thought I was going crazy, but Mister Cael helped me look even more and I could…"
"You could what?"
Nashi shook her head as she nuzzled into his chest. "I could sense you, you stupid dog," she cried. "I could feel you. But I-I didn't think you'd… Why…? And how…? How are you…? W-Why are you…?"
"I have so much to tell you," he whispered. "And I promise I will, but please, I just…" He buried his nose in her shoulder as he trembled and tried not to sob.
Nashi sniffed. "It's okay," she breathed. "You came home. You kept your promise." She smiled through her tears. "You came home."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"We didn't talk that night, did we?"
"No… We just cried a lot. God, we were a mess. It wasn't until the next day you told me…"
"Yes. I told Angel about my connection to Skade. How it started. How I was taken. How I was…turned into the Morningstar. I couldn't make it through it, but I needed to say it. I had to get it out."
"I never minded when he needed to stop. He had been through so much… The day after, we didn't do much. Neither one of us was hungry, and we were both so drained and tired…"
"But the next day, we went back to the same routine. We ate and got dressed, and we met the animals, and as the sun was setting, we took a walk…"
"We flew, didn't we?"
"Yes, Angel. That's how you and I walk."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
They kept the flight brief. It took Gary a moment to remember how to balance himself, but he did the same as Skade as he watched Nashi and copied her movements with a few adjustments. They breezed through the air in a tense yet amicable silence. They passed through pillars of rock and peaks and flew alongside some geese before dropping down low. Nashi led and Gary followed. There was no question of that. Their wings were trusted. The air was true.
Nashi led him back to the peak from that day. She landed in a flourish and him then after. She sat down, but there was no need for too much distance between them. His wing spread to cover her as though natural with their fingers only five centimeters apart from closing the distance.
"Do you hate me?" Gary asked this in a quiet breath.
Nashi shook her head.
"Are you leaving?"
Nashi shook her head again.
But Gary saw the gentle shake of her hands. "You're shaking… Are you scared of me?"
"I'm not scared of you," she promised him, tone hushed and calm even if her hand trembled. "I'm just scared for you."
He looked away from her. "You shouldn't be," he told her, the wind carrying away his words. "You know I'm a monster. And when you leave to go back home, I…I can't go with you." He looked at his hand that was responsible for so much bloodshed. "My parents… My family… I don't deserve them." His voice quivered. "I can't… I can't…"
"You can."
Her hand wrapped around his own.
"Your family won't think you're a monster," Nashi eased. "They miss you. We've all missed you. And they'll love you for you."
But he shook his head. "You don't understand—"
"No, I don't," Nashi agreed with him. "I don't." She thought about it for a moment. "If you really don't want to come home…I could stay with you too."
"No." He shot that down. "You should go home and go back to your family and Fairy Tail—"
"But what's Fairy Tail without you?"
His eyes bounced to her to catch the subtle pink on her cheeks and the shyness in her eyes.
"When I got my guild mark, I couldn't even celebrate…because you weren't there," Nashi murmured in soft confession. "I hated being in Fairy Tail and you weren't there. I hated you were gone. I hated Hunters took you. I hate that you went to such a bad place ,and they treated you so wrongly. I hate that you feel like you can't go home. But…"—her hand squeezed his—"I'd hate it even more if I found you, but I had to go back home without you."
"Nashi…"
"I'm staying here with you until you're ready to go home. I know we belong at Fairy Tail even if you don't. But I can wait. And we'll show everyone you and Skade aren't monsters. You're just some stupid jerk," Nashi teased him with a smile. "So don't worry. I won't leave your side."
Ceruleans shimmered.
"You ran away."
Nashi's smile broke into a puzzled frown.
"When I left for Arcticados, you ran away," Gary remembered. "You kissed my cheek and then you rushed off with Looney."
"Oh." She felt hot all over. "Right."
"I thought you were a coward for running away."
"Hey!" Nashi glared up at him—
Stunned hickory clashed with soft cerulean.
"But I was a coward, not you." Gary swallowed. "I don't want to be a coward anymore, okay?"
Nashi swallowed too. "I can't have my rival be a coward."
"Then… Can I be brave like you?"
Nashi nodded. Neither realized the distance between them was closing. "I already think you're brave," she whispered.
"I'm not brave," Gary whispered back. "Not until I do this." He dipped his hand.
PYUU…
With the breeze cantering around them and the burning sun drowned amongst the glistening horizon, it felt like the world was hushed and calm and set aside one moment of peace for such an auspicious occasion.
The day the Devil kissed an Angel.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Shinjiru koto wasureteta zutto shinjitakatta
Mou mayowanai kimi to futari de
Haru mo natsu mo aki mo fuyu mo aruite yukou
You are my beautiful sky
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Some say it can take two hours to fall in love… Some say it takes less than 10 seconds… But sometimes, it takes just an instant you know…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The stars were out and the moon was just right. Their makeshift little camp had gotten the addition of a pitched tent due to Gary's due diligence (much to Nashi's grumbling when he boasted how he had not lost all his kills). The fire had been put out, and they had chosen a spot close enough to the riverbank. Predators were no longer a big concern now that the animals were familiar with them.
With the moon as their witness, two children slept more soundly than they had in their lives. She was loosely sprawled into him, wings into her back while his sheltered her from the cold. No nightmares or tears struck him, and she did not have to rouse herself to help calm him down when he panicked and whimpered.
They were at peace.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Zutto soba ni ite hoshii
365 kai no KISS o shiyou
Kimi to sugoshita 「kiseki」 ga
mune no naka de (kagayaku you ni)
More than 「I love you」 kanadeyou
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Some say children can't fall in love and maybe it's true for them. But a child's love isn't the same as an adult's love. The worries and stress that an adult faces aren't the same as a child. A child can love freely and without reservation. It's a pure kind of little love that has room to grow.
"It's a true kind of love.
"And once you feel it, you can't forget that sensation…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Sekaijuu de
hitotsu dake no ai no
uta o towa
ni utaou…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"That's what I want to say…
"But I was so stupid…
"So, so stupid…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Nashi awoke at first light. It was a heavy task to do, but once she was awake, trying to fall back asleep was pointless. She moved to sit up, jostling his wing and her own, and she rubbed her eyes with a yawn. Looking down, she saw Gary quietly sleeping with a relaxed expression on his face. He was finally awarded a good dream like he deserved.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I just couldn't stand the thought of those villagers thinking he was some monster. He didn't deserve to have lies spread of him. He deserved happiness and acceptance.
So I…I just wanted to give him that. I thought I could make the villagers understand.
"I was naïve. I was stupid."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"What do you mean you haven't killed it?"
Nashi winced as the questions were fired at her in shrill shrieks and aggressive growls. The villagers had swamped her when they caught her return, eager for the news she had killed the monster that would haunt their homes. And now they swarmed around her in an angry stir with words of hatred spilling over and their unnecessary fear making her flinch.
"We hired you to kill the monster!" one father roared at her while his wife backed him up in Gordost. "You said you could do it! We want its head!"
Nashi shied away when the villagers surged around her with their unrighteous fury with demands flying in Minstrish and Gordost, but she felt Cael's strength and tried to keep calm and determined amongst the people. "You don't know him," she argued. "He isn't a monster! He doesn't deserve to die! He just wants a home—!"
"And he'll kill all of us and steal our homes!" came the shrill cry of a nursemaid.
"He'll kill our children!" came sob.
"No!" Nashi shouted, desperate to be heard. "He doesn't want to kill or hurt anyone! He just wants friends! I know! I've spent time with him—!"
The priest of the village narrowed his eyes as a disgusted sneer mauled his face. "And you, too, have been tainted by his power."
"What? No!" Nashi shook her head. "Please, you have to listen to me—!"
"The girl has been tainted!" the priest cried to the villagers. "She has grown close to the monster who lurks around us and desires to kill us all!"
Tears filled Nashi's eyes as she beseeched, "He isn't like that! Please, he's just hurt and alone! He's actually really nice and friendly!"
"A monster with a heart?" One of the sheriffs gave her a disapproving scowl. "It sounds like the little girl is in love with this monster. He has possessed her and brainwashed her. A mere child."
"No!" Nashi cried. "He isn't like that—!"
"She's defending the beast because he poisoned her with his sin!" the priest declared and the villagers gasped with their eyes darting to Nashi in wariness, pity, and hatred. "He's conspiring against us! He knows we want him dead and he's using our own aid against us!"
"Please!" Nashi begged. "Please, just listen to me! He just wants freedom—!"
"He'll kill us all if we let him wander free!" the sheriff thundered and the villagers surged with agreement. "He'll come for our wives! Our children! Our sick and elderly! He'll kill us all one by one until he takes our home from us!" The villagers howled and shouted their distress and rage. "He even turned one of purity against us! We can't waste any more time!"
Nashi cried out when a rough hand grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?" She struggled against the arm and saw it was the husband of her host family had grabbed her. "Y-Y-You can't do this! He's just like us! He just wants friends!" She glanced back in horror as the sheriff began spotting fearmongering rhetoric in Gordost and the villagers heartily agreed as putrid hatred glared in their eyes and boiled their blood. Her own hatred burned in her stomach as her Magic ached inside her. "I won't let you hurt him—Ah!"
CLICK!
Nashi grimaced the pain of being shoved onto the ground, but…her powers… They were gone. She looked at the cuff on her wrists and she knew them from the lessons her parents had given her. Sealstone cuffs held her prisoner. "No… No, please!" She shot the host father a desperate look, but he could not meet her eyes as he picked her up. Tears stung her as she screamed and kick. "No! Don't hurt him! Please! He doesn't want to hurt anyone! He's my friend! He's my friend!"
But no matter how much she had shouted and sobbed, the host father would not relent. He carried her back to the house, but he did not take her inside. He walked onto the grass and circled the house. Stooping down, he unlocked the doors to the basement. He sighed when Nashi kept screaming and headed down into the darkness. He had a firm hand about him when he set her down and she was not able to get away when he held her steady. Pulling over hope, he tied her to one of the poles that held up the basement before pulling back, about to walk away—
"Please!" Her voice broke. "Please listen to me! You have to help me! Let me go! This isn't his fault! I can save him! We'll leave! W-W-We'll go anywhere and leave this place alone, but please…! Please just let me get to him. He's my friend."
For a long time, the host husband did not respond. Then his voice came out smooth as whiskey and gruff in his Giltenan accent. "Friend. Monster. Not matter to my people. Your friend is…different. People do not like what they do not understand."
"Then I'll make them understand!" Nashi urged. "I'm the one they hired for this job! I can do this—!"
"No." The host husband's hands fist. "You were first option. There is other option."
Nashi froze. A trickle of dread shivered down her spine and she wanted to be wrong. "Who?" A whispered question as though she did not want to ask it.
The host husband looked at her with sympathetic dark eyes. "Hunters."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Do you remember 'Alone'?
"In that story, the Devil Boy waited many days for the Angel Girl to return. He didn't know where she went. He woke up and she was gone.
"I had left to try and convince the people to give him a chance. But in the end, I was held as a prisoner until the Hunters arrived and later…
"…as bait."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Nashi?"
It had been too long since he had seen her and Gary could not stave off the worry anymore. He searched for her in the usual places that he remembered Skade and her visit often. A butterfly grotto. The echo cave. Their secret place by the river. A burrow they found from one of the thickest trees in the forest. He took the skies in hopes to catch a glimpse of her wings, but as the sun was setting and he had no sign of her…
His eyes turned to the one place he dreaded.
The human village.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Do you remember 'Alone'?"
"In that story, the Devil Boy waited many days for the Angel Girl to return. He didn't know where she went. He woke up, and she was gone.
"I couldn't stand it. I was panicking. I didn't have a choice. I got as close as I could to the town and waited for moonrise. Once the moon was up, I went in the village to find her."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
STEP… STEP…
Gary shot the darkened houses nervous looks, wings close and hands shaky. He waited for some wandering straggler to find him and scream, but no one had approached him. No one was outside. It was as though the entire town was deserted and that set him more on edge. The quiet was unnatural. Not even the horses stirred. But as he skulked around in the darkness, he found the dim light in one house.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"They had drugged me. I remember they had found me in the basement. I tried to fight back, but they injected me with Anti-Ether serum and a sedative."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Curious and wary, he approached the only house with the lights on. He ducked past the porch and the windows until he got to the only window that glowed a temperate orange. With a gulp of courage, he edged to the window and peeked inside.
His heart dropped.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I felt so hurt and betrayed. For the second time, someone who cared for me had abandoned me. I felt like I was destined to be alone.
"…and that's when they caught me."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
PA-CHINK!
He blinked and his brow furrowed when he looked down at the dart in his arm. But it took him only two seconds of smelling and feeling when icy-blue took over his eyes and he rapidly tore the dart from his arm—
CHINK! CHINK-CHINK!
Two minutes.
It took two minutes for his aggression to fade out, for his balance to be knocked from under him, and for him to be on the ground. He had tried to snarl, but a cloth had been forced into his mouth and nose and his accidental inhale cost him to take up that heady scent of relaxation. His eyes blurred with him on the ground, numb. His ears twitched as he caught several pairs of feet around him, quiet but not quiet enough that he could not hear them.
His thoughts grew jumbled and incoherent, but he focused on one. An…gel…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"You know the story from here."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The cage.
A choking whisper.
White wings.
"Morningstar."
Vacant hickories.
Numb ceruleans.
"I believe you know, Eveningstar."
The perfect winter.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"You know the test they faced. An unfair and immoral choice. And from that, I lost my wings. But…there was more to that.
"I lost my wings and gaps of my memory happened. Through the pain and trauma, cutting off my wings was like cutting the umbilical cord to a majority of my true power. And through that, they pushed me into becoming the 'Eveningstar'. But I was…imperfect.
"From the glimpses, I retained most of my human emotions. But Invel was determined to build me into the perfect heir of Zeref…"
"That's when he collared her. And for weeks, she worked as his fighting slave. He pitted her against me for weeks to sharpen her instincts.
"I was raised for slaughter.
"I was raised as the vilest soul she could take and drive her into the madness.
"And, as you know now, she never did kill me. She hesitated. And she tried to go after Invel…
"But after that… Invel was…rattled. I'd never seen him so unperfect. He would never touch Angel, but he took out his anger on me before he sent us to the cage and out of his sight.
"I had a feeling of what was coming. If Angel couldn't kill me under Invel's control, he would do worse to make her submit. I knew she'd be turned into something she should never be, but we couldn't escape. We would never escape. My escape already caused extra precautions to be put in place. Alone, both of us didn't stand a chance…"
"…but we weren't alone."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
EEEH! EEEEH!
"Code Violet! Code Violet!"
Gary never slept well in the cage and he was glad for that right now. With Nashi blank and against the wall with her iced color, he was the one to be a little confused when he heard shouting and bullets and felt the shiver of Magic and Curses. He backed away from the cage when the floor rumbled and the ceiling crackled. He grabbed Nashi and pulled him close to him. Hackles raised, he did not care anymore if Invel needed him.
He would never let Nashi become Invel's Eveningstar.
He waited with his teeth bared and his claws out as he huddled around Nashi. The rumblings and the shootings and the power slices continued, but as quick as a whisper, someone was in front of his cage. No trust was given without reason, but his nostrils flared and his aggression faded into a wary inquisition about this person. Cloaked and lithe, they stood before him with kind eyes of silver with little flecks of green carrying through.
"Here you both are." Her voice was mature and soothing, but there was something musical about her voice. Familiar and yet not familiar. An accent he should know. Her hand came out to touch the cage doors—
SNAP!
The cage door slid open.
She extended a tanned hand to him, calloused from hard work.
"Well?"
He looked into such kind eyes.
"Are you ready to leave this place with your mate, child?"
He looked at her hand with visible uncertainty and kept Nashi close. Freedom was close, but he had to access if this was another trap. If they would be abandoned. If this was a test. "She needs help," he told this strange woman, tone strangled and hoarse. "She's hurt. They hurt her."
"They took her wings. I know, child," the woman sympathized. "I can't get them back. But I can help her. I swear I will help her and you."
But he was still hesitant. "Do you promise?"
Those kind silver eyes intensified as those flecks of green glow. "On my honor and my life, I promise."
The heaviness in his chest was removed within an instant and he slid his claws back in. He jerked his head in a nod. "Okay." He scooped up the collar Nashi into his arms. "Who are you?"
"My name is Sera, Gary Fullbuster," she greeted as she held out her hand further. "Come. Keep your mate close. We must go."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Chapter Seven
Meeting
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The yurt had a mystical feel to it, but it was still homey all the same. A hearth in the shape of a stone fireplace was cleaned out and the dancing flames almost seemed alive if you stared at them for too long. Memories from long travels filled the yurt, but it was nothing a child would understand without a woven story to be told with it. Energy thrummed in the air and powered the yurt from the dishes that washed themselves to the reshelving books and even the stoke for the power and the little broom and pan that collected the ashes.
Gary was more worried for Nashi, who had been shut into a separate room than he was uncomfortable. He waited in nervous breath for just any sign of news and kept pacing with his wings dragging on the floor.
"Gary Fullbuster."
Gary paused in his pacing to see Sera. Skin honeyed and hair in black ringlets with drips of white, she maintained her cloak as she beckoned him back down the hall. "Come, child. My friend will need much time to heal your mate."
He cast the door a nervous look, but he swallowed. "Okay." He came out of the hall, unsure what to do with himself.
"You must be hungry," Sera presumed. "Sit with me." She led him into the kitchen. The cookware had a mind of their own as the teapot and two teacups came over to sit at the table, preened and ready. Just as both sat down, a healthy broth was served to Gary while Sera helped herself to pouring the tea.
Gary looked at the broth in suspicion.
"I gave you my word I would assist you," Sera told him as a honeycomb and two sugars came over to splash into her tea. "My word is good. I know you can feel it."
Gary swallowed. "I'm not all that hungry…" He cast another glance to the hallway.
"I know you worry for her, but you must eat," Sera told him gently. "If you have no strength left, how will you support her?"
Gary took those words to heart and took hold of his spoon. Scooping up some of the broth, he blew on it before he inhaled it.
He froze.
Sera sensed something amiss and frowned. "What's wrong, child?"
He swallowed his spoonful and admitted to her, "Someone who took care of me… They gave me this." He studied her closer. "But…you don't feel like them. Or smell like them."
Sera looked visibly troubled at the mention. "Someone fed you this?" She shook her head. "No, that's impossible," she dismissed. "There are no others like me in this realm and that broth is something only my people know of."
"What are you?" Gary asked. "Where are you from?"
Sera smiled. "I am someone who has been around for a while," she answered in vague. "I come from somewhere far away from here. Both myself and my friend." She poured him some tea.
"Why did you save us?" Gary had to know. "Why are you helping us?"
"You think I'm going to betray you." Sera said this as a polite fact as she set down the kettle. "Your concern and caution are admired, child, but you don't need it around me. You wouldn't have trusted me to bring you here if you thought I would hurt you or your mate."
Gary still kept his guard up. Her power… It's hard for me to sense. But I felt it once with that person who took care of me. I know I did. "Just because you won't hurt us now doesn't mean you won't hurt us later," he pointed out. "So why are you helping us?"
Sera studied him, gauged him, then she gave a concise answer. "There are others like the both of you in this world you called home. Not with your powers. Never with the same powers. But others like you who were mistreated and vulnerable or their powers are wanted to be weaponized and abused. You and Nashi Dragneel are rare, yes, but you deserve a choice in how you use your abilities just like those others." She nodded to the teacup. "Drink your tea."
Gary eyed the teacup and gave it a subtle sniff. Satisfied, he took a sip and quickly two more gulps at the flavor.
Sera's eyes sparkled in amusement. "You like it?"
Gary froze. Then he cast his eyes to the side. "It's okay…" His ears burned when Sera chuckled. "So what do you plan to do with us? And the others like us? What happens to them?"
"Nothing."
Gary's face went flat.
Sera sighed. "My word is true, Gary Fullbuster," she murmured. "My friend and myself don't ask for anything in return in exchange for your freedom."
"Bullshit," Gary called, ceruleans narrowed.
Sera tilted her head. "Did your mate ask for anything in return when she assisted you?"
Gary froze again.
Sera sipped her tea. "I'm well aware the dangers of this realm," she told him. "I've lived long and I've seen much of the atrocities that humans and others are capable of. But my father told me it is my responsibility to protect those who can't protect themselves." Her gaze roamed his face and his wings. "We didn't think a 'Devil' would exist again in this place," she admitted to him.
"What's a…'Devil'?" Gary asked her. "Like in the bible?"
Sera shook her head. "No. Devils are very rare creatures," she informed him. "In you is a power no other living person can carry at full capacity. You carry Black Magic, but you also carry a Curse with you. Any mortal would be ripped apart at the intensity, but you were born into it. It takes someone strong to be able to have a full sense of self with your powers."
Gary's stare drifted to the table. "I'm not that strong." Words hushed and tinged in self-loathing. "I've done a lot of terrible things."
"But would you do them again?"
"No!" Gary's eyes jumped to hers in disbelief and pain—
But she looked at him in soft regard. "There are many like you who are forced to commit unspeakable sins." Her eyes went to the kitchen window to watch as birds fluttered by. "Their tormentors broke them and beat them into submission. You can't disobey. And you're driven to lengths you never would to on your own."
DRIP.
DROP.
A tear splattered onto the table.
"You've committed so much underneath someone else's orders," murmured Sera. "And I don't know what he made you do. But I do know that the burden of those orders will carry with you. A monster wouldn't feel remorse for their actions. A person would. And you are first and foremost a person, Gary Fullbuster."
"I… I'm not…" Gary hiccupped as the tears just would not stop. "I don't…deserve t-t-to be a person."
"I don't think that at all." Sera came closer to rub his head. "You didn't deserve to be stolen from your home. You didn't deserve to be given orders. And you didn't deserve to be put through such things. But you deserve to be a person, Gary Fullbuster, with a home and a family."
Gary shook his head. "But…they won't want me," he whimpered. "Th-Th-They… I'm not… I'm not…"
"I can't force you to go back to your home," Sera told him. "We have time until your mate's healing is enough. Once she's healed, we'll give you both the choice of where you want to go and will escort you there ourselves. If you want to come home, we'll help you. But if you don't want to go home, think long and hard on where you want to go."
Gary nodded and croaked, "Okay."
Sera stood up from the table. "You've both had a long day. Why don't I show you your room? My friend will continue to work with Nashi Dragneel until she is no longer needed."
Gary soundlessly nodded.
Sera had let him to a quant guestroom with a large bed with excellent craftsmanship, green walls, and a half-finished mural had decorated the ceiling, but it was nothing special. Just a meadow of bleeding hearts half-baked. He looked at his temporary safe space, but his eyes kept drifting up to the mural. "What's that?"
"A painting, but my friend nor myself can finish it," Sera told him as she aimed a fond smile at the ceiling mural. "We just aren't inspired anymore and have abandoned it." She noticed Gary's fixation on the flowers. "We have leftover paint and brushes," she let him know.
Gary hesitated and his eyes drifted downwards. "No. That's okay. Thank you though. I just want to make sure Angel's okay."
"Very well." Sera gestured to the entire bedroom. "Your wish is your command in the room. Clothes, baths, whatever you need—the room will adhere to whatever you require of it. It's enchanted to meet your needs."
"Thank you." Gary felt the appreciation came out weak, but he did mean it. "How long until Angel is awake?"
Silvers saddened. "That's for her to decide," Sera answered. "The loss of an Agent's wings is a violent affair and traumatizing. It carried a part of her Spirit with it. She needs to choose if she wants to continue on missing a part of herself."
"She won't remember?" Gary was torn between relief and sadness.
Sera shook her head. "Her wings were a vital part of her being. The memories she shared with them will be forgotten." When Gary offered nothing more in return, Sera grabbed the door handle. "I'll retrieve you for dinner. Please rest—"
"If I find her wings…would she remember again?"
Sera glanced over to a somber Gary.
"If I could fix her…would she remember she…?" His lips pressed together, trembling.
"She might," gave Sera tenderly. Her eyes went to the mural. "But my father told me…chosen mates…they transcend memory. Perhaps she will have forgotten her time with you now. But you can make new memories she can enjoy. And she can love you again."
"Why do you keep saying that word?" Gary looked over at Sera, eyebrows scrunched together. "You keep saying 'mates'. Like as in soul mates?"
Sera frowned. "Couldn't you feel it?" She sighed in sad realization. "Without her wings, I suppose that connection is gone." Before Gary could question her, Sera explained, "There are special creatures in this world who take on partners called 'mates'. The gods, Dragons, Demons—powerful beings that can create a lifelong bond with someone of their choosing if they desire it. But most are selfish and fickle creatures who Claim whatever tickles their fancy. But a mate is þinn hjerta." She placed her hand over her heart. "Your heart."
"My heart." Gary touched his chest.
"Yes." Sera nodded. "It's weak. The connection must have been forged when she had her wings. But she created a bond to you that you accepted. You became her heart. And she became yours." Silvers gleamed. "It says a lot about your powers. It's rare for children to find that connection amongst my people. We call those fortunate enough to find their chosen blessaður or blessed."
'Blessed', huh? Gary nodded. "I see…" His head turned as he expanded a wing. "It feels…wrong. Having wings when she doesn't."
"Do you want them gone?"
Gary looked at Sera in shock. "You can do that?" He grimaced. "Invel… He told me I wasn't supposed…" His teeth gritted. "But…if she doesn't have hers, I can't… I…"
"If you want them receded, I can do that for you," Sera assured him. "Your appearance is your choice." She took a step back. "I'll let you—"
"I want them gone."
Resolved ceruleans clashed with silver.
"I won't try to fly without Angel," Gary determined. "She's the one who taught me how to fly for me. It just…won't feel right."
Sera nodded and stepped towards him. "Very well." Her hands came up, but when he shied away, she paused. "May I touch your head and chest?"
Gary swallowed and bobbed his head.
Sera's touch was bare and delicate as she slowly inhaled and quietly exhaled. "Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Try to relax." Sera's eyes rolled closed and her power seeped out.
Gary tensed, and a flush of psychedelic colors thrummed over his skin in a shimmer. He felt this strange power that felt light and whimsical and yet down to earth at the same time wash onto his back. It was almost as though a flood of water was on his back in a relaxing heat. He felt his wings cave under the pressure, but the pain he expected never came. His wings folded and withered until his back was barren.
Sera drew back and her power sapped back into her chest.
Gary looked up at her in wonder.
Sera gestured to the mirror. "See for yourself."
Gary darted over to the mirror to see… "My wings… They're gone! I look like a human now!" He twisted around to get a few of his back, but he frowned when he saw marking on his back, black and shadowed. "Wait. What's this?"
"Your power left a physical symbol behind," Sera told him. She saw his worry and soothed, "It will be easy to learn how to conceal it, but for the moment, you won't need to." She stepped back to the door. "Enjoy your room. I'll return for dinner." She left with the soft click of the door closing behind her.
Gary abandoned the mirror to crawl onto the bed. Back on the bed, his only choice was to look at the half-finished mural of the bleeding hearts. But he tore his gaze away to lay on his side and curl into a ball. Please wake up soon, Angel. He closed his eyes. If you won't have memories of us…then I'll help you make new memories.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Our stay with Sera and her friend was long to me. Angel was under severe mental stress from losing a part of herself, spiritually, and part of her soul and Sera's friend would not leave Angel's side for a minute or she would go under.
"As for me, I waited. The first few days, I didn't really leave my room except for meals. Everything was hitting me. Those days were rough. I know it was Sera who calmed me down when I had my nightmares. I never really met her friend. I knew her friend would leave at night to eat, but she'd be back with Angel once I left my room.
"A little over a week in my stay, I came out of my room to ask…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
KNOCK-KNOCK!
"Come on."
The office Gary stepped into was full of quality wood and smelled of ink and paper. Two owls were stationed within the study, but rather than be in a cage, they had their fair share of nests and perches to sit on and both were dozing off, content. Scrolls were placing themselves in their right compartments on a shelf and some had taken the liberty to seal and tie themselves off. A few scrolls were open as feathered ink pens scrawled upon them. Sera sat behind a grand desk that had been carved with a crest that meant nothing to the average person, but she did not peek up from her work as she asked, "What is it, Gary Fullbuster?"
"I…need to do something."
Sera looked up to see Gary shuffled his feet.
"I can't…stop thinking about being back at the place," Gary confessed. "I keep thinking he'll come through the door and he'll… I keep hearing his orders." His teeth gritted. "I can't take it. I need to do something, I…"
Sera hummed. "I think I know something you can do."
Gary looked hopeful. "Really?"
"Yes." Sera stood. "And I think you'll like it."
°•°•°•°
"I don't know about this…" Gary and Sera had entered his room, but his bed had been cleared out of the room in exchange for a tarp on the floor. He had even been given an apron and a plethora of supplies at his disposal and the sky was the limit with whatever he needed. He looked at the half-baked mural, then back to Sera. "I'm not an artist…"
"Everyone is an artist," Sera told him. "Art isn't raw talent. Art is trial and error, pushing yourself, and learning and perfecting upon skills. As you grow, your art grows with you. So you see, everyone is an artist." She gestured to the mural. "And I think you will enjoy art."
Gary did not look convinced. "I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Start with a drawing," Sera encouraged him. "Draw what you want to paint on a piece of paper. Then draw it on the ceiling and paint it."
"But…" Gary still looked a little lost. "It's your home."
Sera shrugged. "It's my home, yes, but it's also yours until Nashi Dragneel is healed." She gave the mural a conspiratorial grin. "And I think you'll make the mural even better than how we could envision it. Paint what comes to your heart and the picture will take its shape." She waved at him. "Happy painting." And she left him alone.
Gary glanced up at the mural. My heart, huh? He rooted around for a pencil and paper and sat down on the tarp. My heart.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I can't deny seeing those bleeding-heart flowers sent something through me. For the entire day, I'd spend drawing out what I wanted to convey. The next day, I sketched my design onto the ceiling and…
"…and I began to paint.
"Angel was making slow and steady progress. I knew she needed time. I was under Invel for three years, but I had learned to handle the pain. Angel had been forced to stay awake when her wings had been cut off. I had to look into her eyes when she turned into a Demon.
"I understood she needed more time to recover.
"So every day I worked on my painting. I'd sleep for a few hours and join Miss Sera for meals, but I stayed in my room painting. Sometimes, one of her owls would join me. Sometimes, they'd both keep me company. They must have known I could fly because they kept trying to get me to the window, but… I just couldn't. It felt wrong to me.
"So I painted.
"I lost myself in the colors I'd made and the vision I had. A painting from the heart. My first painting.
"It wouldn't be until two weeks later until I got the news."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Gary Fullbuster."
Gary smiled as he looked at the mural and came back down from the ladder he had built from ice. "Miss Sera… I think… I think it's—"
"Gary."
Gary's smile faded when he caught the somber look on Sera's face. "What? What's wrong?"
"It's Nashi." Sera's eyes glistened. "She's…"
Gary's stomach dropped. No…
SPLAT!
The brush dropped from his hand.
He ignored everything Sera had to say when he rushed out of the bedroom. He did not care anymore. He ripped open the door to Nashi's bedroom and he ignored Sera's friend in the room. His eyes were only on a pale Nashi who rested in a stasis, chest barely moving. He fell to her side and touched only to pale.
She felt cold.
Something in him snapped.
The tears came with a vengeance as he shouted and pleaded. The memories of those three years in Hell combated with the present. That he failed to protect her when she had shown him kindness. That Invel had won. He screamed and sobbed as he held her hand like she could break at any moment as he begged her to stay, live, come back, but she never said a word under the spell of impending Death. The moment Sera had tried to touch him, he turned on her, watery eyes a fierce icy-blue, but she backed off and he turned his attention back to Nashi as he stutteringly whispered his pleas.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"When I had calmed down enough, Sera and her friend explained it to me. Angel's body would not be receptive to Sera's friend's care. She had done everything she could do. Before, I didn't think so, but now I know she did. Angel needed human medical attention now. Because her wings had not been surgically removed and they had been sawed off, she needed surgery to get rid of the access bone and tissue and muscle.
"Invel's collar had worked as a suppressant to her incredible pain. Once the collar was gone, even unconscious, Angel's pain was excruciating. Her body was shutting down.
"It left me with no choice."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"We'll go."
The night had washed in like the tides on the sand. Autumn was at hand with its colorful leaves and lukewarm breezes and troublesome games of wilting some flowers and tiring the animals more and more each day. The fire had been stoked and looked alive and well as it reflected in Gary's full eyes and Sera's own.
"That choice is yours," Sera told him. "You're not being forced to go anywhere—"
"I don't have a choice," Gary flatly said. "Angel needs help. I can't leave her behind. I have to stay with her." He looked out the window for a moment. "And I'm sure Aunt Lucy and Uncle Natsu are looking for her. It's been months since she took that job to come to kill me."
"Your parents must be worried sick about you too," Sera told him.
Gary shook his head. "They shouldn't be." He looked at his hands. They shouldn't worry about a monster. I couldn't even protect Angel. How am I supposed to face Uncle Natsu and Aunt Lucy and tell them she's dying because she tried to save me? His hands clenched into fists. "Where's the nearest hospital?"
"We can arrive there in an hour," Sera told him.
"Okay." Gary rose from his seat. "We're going to need a plan. They're going to ask questions—"
Sera shook her head. "The medical staff won't ask questions. A friend will take care of that," she assured him. "But if you go with Nashi Dragneel to the hospital, not only will your parents be called, but you will find yourself investigated." Her eyes softened when Gary's jaw went taut. "You've been missing for three years, Gary Fullbuster. And Nashi Dragneel has been missing for several months. We can find a story for you or—"
"No." Gary's fists shook. "I won't be telling them a story. Angel doesn't deserve for everything she went through to be just a story." He stared into the flames. "I'll tell the truth. I won't leave anything out." Invel… I would have been fine if you gave me orders. If you kept me. But you hurt someone I care about. And that—ceruleans intensified—is something I can't let you live for.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"We left that night and got to the hospital around two in the morning. A friend of Sera's was there to wait for us and the staff asked no questions. Angel was kept in complete privacy. And while she recovered, Sera had given me a Compact.
"This is your choice, she told me without saying a word. I could keep living on the run…or I could face my home.
"I made my choice."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Natsu and Gray had been the ones to come first. Eyes wild, clothes wrinkled, they had stormed into the hospital. The staff, however, predominantly spoke Gordost and Natsu looked like he was about to spit fire until they heard a small voice call from them. The moment they turned, both men could not believe it. It did not matter they had heard his voice. It did not matter he had assured them of his location.
Gary stood before them, ruffled black hair down to his shoulders but his clothes clean, and his eyes watery.
Gray took one step closer to him as though he was seeing things, as though this was a complex and delicate illusion and he would shatter it.
Gary sniffed. "I've missed you, Dad."
Gray crossed to Gary in record time, and he hugged him. His hold was tight as tears pressed in the corners of his eyes and he whispered how much he and the entire family have missed and loved Gary for the three years he had been gone. Everything broke. Gary clung to his father, tears dampening Gray's shirt, as he apologized over and over and over.
But Gray refused to hear it.
His son was home.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Everything got chaotic after Dad and Uncle Natsu came. Angel's surgery was a delicate process. The doctors assumed she was an Aberrant, but because Aberrants were uncommon in this side of Giltena, they had to stabilize her while they found a qualified surgeon to remove the remainder of bone and muscle from her wings. The surgeon wouldn't arrive until two days later, but Angel had been stabilized.
"Uncle Natsu couldn't leave her bedside. And I never blamed him.
"Dad never pushed me for an explanation of what happened in those three years. I knew he knew what I went through had been horrible. Maybe he thought I didn't want to rehash the past and, for the moment, I just wanted Angel to wake up, so I could tell her how sorry I was.
"Once Angel's surgery was underway, Dad helped me speak to the rest of our family. Mom was a mess. Julia had seemed…different. Something about her eyes had changed. I think Silver could have dominated Mom with him physically creating a river of tears.
"I spoke to Master too. I thought she'd kick me out of the guild. My guild mark and Angel's had been burned off our bodies. The Doctor hadn't minded my guild mark, but it made Invel angry. He used his ice to burn it off me. Angel's guild mark hadn't been as traumatic, but it had been removed. I begged her to let Angel rejoin. It didn't matter if I could never come back to Fairy Tail, but Angel deserved to be there.
"Master had told me a guild mark is just a tattoo just like the guild hall is just a place. We are Fairy Tail.
"Dad just let me cry when she told me that.
"Between Dad and I, we were quiet. He had rented a hotel close to the hospital. I wanted to stay and sleep there, but Uncle Natsu had promised to tell us the minute Angel was awake. So Dad and I slept at the hotel.
"I could tell by the way he looked at me in the mornings that my nightmares had manifested into something physical.
"But he never made me speak about them."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I'm sorry."
The hotel was more of a courtesy hotel for relatives of in-patient residents. The room Gray had rented was nothing special, but it got the job done for him and Gary considering they only came back to sleep and shower and spent their day at the hospital. Gray had bought Gary some new clothes and shoes. His old clothes would never fit him anymore.
Gray looked at his son over the rim of his coffee. "For what?"
"I…" Gary's hands tightened on his knees. "I don't mean to make you lose sleep. I should be controlling it better, but I just…" He did not know what to say.
"You are not a burden."
Gary blinked when his father knelt before him, those dark eyes serious and honest.
"You are not a burden," Gray repeated. "I don't care if you have nightmares every night or if you have to cry. You're not a burden. You're my son and I love you. Cry as much as you need to, but you are not a burden." He placed a hand on Gary's shoulder. "You are my son. And you will never be a burden."
"B-But I'm…" Gary swallowed, throat raw. "I have… I'm not…human…anymore. How can you love me?"
Gray's answer never changed. "Because you're my son human or not. We love you for you, Gary, every part of you." He rolled up his sleeve to show the shadowy tattoos that had spiraled up his arm. "You inherited something from me. I shouldn't have tried to keep you away from it. I should have taught you about it so you could control it. But I can't think like that now." He pulled down his sleeve. "You're not alone. You're not a problem. You're not responsible for what happened to you or to Nashi—"
"Dad, you don't understand." Gary's voice broke. "I should have protected her. She got into this because of me—"
"Nashi's pain is not because of you." Gray would not give on this with his voice firm. "Nashi's pain is because of some sick and twisted bastards. Her pain is not your responsibility. Her pain is not your fault. Your pain is not your fault. And when you're ready to talk about that pain, we can talk. But whatever happened to you there will never change the fact that you – are – my – son." His voice cracked as a burn festered in that intense gaze and connected strongly with gleaming cerulean. "And I love you no matter what. And you and me—we are going to figure out your power together this time at your pace when we go home."
"You want me…home?" Gary whispered. "I'm not…lost anymore?"
Gray let out a shaky breath, but he smiled and shook his head. "No. We're taking you back home where you belong. You'll always have a home with your family." A tear leaked and when it dribbled off his chin, it forged into a snow crystal. "So please come home."
Gary sniffed as a tear leaked. But when it abandoned him, it fluttered into a snow crystal. "Dad, I… I want to go home."
"I'll take you home." Gray lurched forward and hugged a shaking Gary. He kissed his temple and embraced him tightly. "We're going home."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Angel's surgery took thirty-six hours, fifty-minutes, and twenty-six seconds. We were there when the head surgeon told us not to worry about the bill and that Angel would wake up in the next hour. But it was possible she'd have amnesia from the event that had taken her wings.
"But I knew better.
"I knew she wouldn't remember meeting me—meeting Skade… The memories she had with her wings would be gone. She'd be my grounded Angel…but I'd love her anyway.
"She was smiling when I saw her. She was happy to see me, but the look in her eyes…
"She didn't love me.
"I didn't mind. She was alive. She risked everything to save me. And if I could show her just a fraction of the kindness she gave me, that'd be enough."
"Her recovery to travel would take at least four weeks. Uncle Natsu had donated his blood and it would help her recover faster, but there was no need for me to be there. She didn't need me. So Dad and I would go back home while Uncle Natsu and Aunt Lucy could rotate seeing Angel recover. It looked like Sera had even taken care of making it seem like I entered Giltena legally…"
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The Sky Boat was at full capacity. A therapy cat yawned in its soft cage and was given a seat next to his adolescent owner. A pudgy boy with his loud hair in a topknot was pestering his mother for snacks while she shared exasperated amusement with the Melandian father. A single father was trying in vain to calm his infant daughter as he bounced her up and down and patted her back. The flight attendants help out a struggling older lady put her baggage in the overhead.
Gary had the window seat while Gray had taken the aisle. Reading glass on, Gray was doing as much as he could to respond to the email thread between him, Erza, and a few trusted friends and guild members. Exhaustion ran through Gary like it was his lifeblood as he watched the orange sky.
WHOOSH…
His eyes sparkled.
A shadowy bird was singing as a gleaming white bird soared with it and together, they rode the winds higher into the sky.
Angel… Gary watched as the birds enjoyed such delicious freedom. You'll fly with me again. I promise. You might remember it, but… I'll work hard. And I'll do my best to make sure you feel that freedom again too. He yawned.
"Get some sleep." Gray rubbed Gary's head. "The flight's a long one and everyone will be waiting for you when we get home."
"Sure, Dad." Gary sagged against the wall and let his eyes droop. But it won't be home until Angel comes back…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"My return was in the news. I hadn't realized so much had been made about my capture. When I got home and after seeing all my family, we made it back to Magnolia so I could hide from the press. Master and my family thought it would be best for me not to comment, but I couldn't. Angel had suffered so much because of me.
"I couldn't be silent.
"But…it didn't matter.
"The words I spoke about were true, but…no one had listened to me. Invel was confirmed to still be in prison. The Bureau of Magical Development had been swept top to bottom, but The Room, The Nurse, The Doctor, The Pets, The Cage… None of it existed.
"People thought I had just been so heavily traumatized that my mind was piecing together a story to make sense of it. Articles came out that I had been captured into child trafficking for magical children. They tried to tie me to the intergang relations in Seven and in Giltena. I even mentioned Barri, but it hadn't mattered.
"No one believed me. My truth was…just a story to them…
"Even within the guild, many knew I was telling the truth, but some thought I had just been severely traumatized and not everything I told was true. It set me into a spiral. I couldn't take people telling me what happened wasn't true. My parents were worried about me. My mom wanted me to talk to somebody. My dad wanted me to heal. Even though I said I had accepted what happened, I hadn't. I couldn't. I couldn't get Invel's orders out of my head.
"I couldn't be around people. I kept seeing every face of someone I killed. I kept thinking Invel's orders would sneak up on me. I felt like I was going crazy. I just…I couldn't take it.
"…I wanted to die the monster I was."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
This had to work.
He knew it had to work.
His room was a comfortable enough place for this. He had dinner and dessert with his family. Entertained Silver. Teased Julia. He spoke with his parents. Everything was fine. And he had been told Angel would be home. She would not need him. She had family who would love her and protect her better than he could.
This had to work.
He had dressed in his pajamas and sat on his bed, hair wild and eyes hollow. He looked down at the syringe in his hand.
The syringe with black serum inside.
I had to use a lot of the money I put in my savings three years ago just for one syringe. Gary looked at his weapon of death with vacant eyes. They said…this is a higher concentration of Anti-Ether. He looked at his naked arm. He put his hand on his arms and with no words, a band of ice squeezed down on his bicep. He waited and waited until his vein was up and out. Frost sighed from his mouth.
A whisper of winter.
"Don't disappoint me, Morningstar."
Ceruleans dilated.
I won't hear him anymore. Everyone will be safe. He held the syringe to his vein with a shaky hand. It'll be easier for everyone. No one believes me. But I'm a monster. I killed all those people. Angel… She lost her wings because of me. I'm a monster. I'm just…the Morningstar. He bit his bottom lip as he began to pierce his skin. I won't hear him anymore. Everyone will be safe from me.
The needle slid under his skin.
His thumb rested on the pump.
I don't…deserve this, Gary whispered. I'm nothing. He won't control me anymore after this. I'll be free. I'll be free.
His thumb trembled.
He took a breath…and—
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.
His entire body froze.
Someone had knocked on his window.
With a trembling exhale, he took out the syringe and placed it on his bed. The armband disintegrated. Robotically, he got up from his bed and turned his attention to his window. He pulled back the curtain to see something had been left for him. He opened the window to take in the first of the gifts. A potted bleeding heart had been left for him, a little wilted from the cold. A note was tied to the stem and he read it:
To remember your mural
He set aside the potted flower and took the second gift. A wooden box had been left for him and he unlatched it and opened it. Paint containers with the primary colors of the rainbow and a few brushes had been set aside for him and came with their own note.
For your new work
He set aside the wooden box to see keys had been left for him with a note strung along to them and a little map folded into a square.
Payment for your mural commission
He looked at the keys to see two different wings had been added as keychains. One wing was glossy and ivory while the other was ebony and matte. His thumb trailed the wings and it was like he could hear the winds guiding him, floating him, and sinking him. He could feel the rush of freedom.
DRIP.
A tear blotted the white wing.
DROP.
Another tear blotted the black wing.
In the comfort of his room with his mouth pressed shut, Gary fell to his knees as he crumbled and the moon bathed him her light. And he could not see it. But that bleeding heart…a drop of water fell from its petal…and it turned into an ice crystal.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"I never lied to Tesla. My art did become the only way to express myself and my parents did buy me art supplies…just more of it. But Sera had been the one to introduce me into the only place in the world where I could be understood with all the thoughts in my head.
"And I never lied to Angel.
"My house in Caracole was from a commission and investment. It was payment from my unofficial first commission to Sera. And it also served as her investment in me.
"I never told anyone about that night. I got rid of the syringe and never tried it again. Through my art, I didn't hear Invel's orders and I didn't feel myself spiral. But my thoughts didn't necessarily get better. I alienated myself from Skade. I never called him that name. He represented everything I had gotten away from. He represented that I was a monster. That's why we were always at odds. I hated myself for have him tied to me. The Doctor had ordered an Exorcist to get rid of him, but nothing worked. Skade was permanently tied to me. Even if we were two souls in one body, in reality, we were two sides of the same soul.
"And we both denied that for so long."
"Until…Angel…"
•
"I recovered and came back to Magnolia. I couldn't remember much from my time in Giltena. I remembered the parts of the job, but my back surgery was chalked up to a training accident gone wrong. For years, I had been taught to keep the true nature of my wings under the radar. People were allowed to see my wings when I had on my armor, but no one was allowed to know outside my family that my wings were a part of by being. So to the public, they just thought I wasn't capable of the spell anymore.
"They were wrong.
"I came back to Fairy Tail and I was glad to see Gary. I challenged him when I saw him and…we fell into a rhythm. It wasn't me trying to give him life and freedom and kindness. It was him trying to do so to me. He wasn't the stupid jerk that teased me for my pink hair. He was the stupid dog who chased after me."
"I could never stop chasing you. I couldn't stop trying. I couldn't stop hoping you'd hear my words."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
The Fairy Tail Guild had grown all these years. Some had gone and others had come, but the more things changed, the more things stayed the same. The chaos could never be forgotten or set aside even for a day. Chairs were thrown, fights broke out, booze was shared—as expected of Fairy Tail. Not a day went by that something crazy had not happened and that would not stop now. But even the guild members could put aside their disputes to chuckle as Nashi, age seventeen, avoided Gary, age nineteen, as he chased her around as though he had all the time in the world and Nashi booked it like she was about to knock on death's door.
She made a desperate attempt to dash out of the guild hall, but Gary eagerly bounced after her while the townspeople merely sighed that the Ice Devil of Fairy Tail was in hot pursuit of the only woman he wanted—the Angel Princess.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Maybe you'll laugh at us…or say it was a fairy tale. It couldn't possibly be true…but it is."
"This is the start to our story and every word of it is true. The woman I fell in love with is an Angel."
"And I… I'm starting to fall in love with a man…who is the Devil."
"This is the beginning of our story, but it isn't over."
"We both have so much to do, both on our own and together. So we're going to keep making new chapters to our story."
"The story of…"
"The story of…
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
•
•
•
The story of…his Angel…and her Devil.
•
•
•
The moment the blinding pink faded, not even the stadium would crumble. The air went still. The brutish creatures were gone, unable to withstand the flash. Invel and Priest and the altar servers said nothing. Tesla kept an unconscious Luna close while Cullen secured both of them. Kyler was half-conscious, chest faintly moving. But no one said anything. No one could say anything. It was like some force kept them all quiet and waiting.
Even the moon rushed her clouds away to peek inside.
WHOOSH…
A faint pink outlined snow-white wings as they spread into the moonlight. Wind ruffled rolls of pink hair doused with locks of black.
Ceruleans widened.
Those boots, white encrusted in gold, crawled up thigh-high with bands of script from the Original Language expertly on the metallic material like each symbol had been delicately crafted with the steadiest of hands. They landed with poise on stable land.
And then they began to walk.
The skirt was in the same metallic material of a Holy Ring, something off-world and unable to be touched by normal means. Inscribed with the Original Language, the light pink loincloth dripped down to scrape by knees. The inside showed symbols from every religion known and unknown to man that had been, was, and would be. A gem of half rose quartz and half ruby had been placed at the navel. Breast armor was of sound material with a sculped wing on each breast and a strange symbol that would not make sense to those who were not intimately bound to the Presence. The arm vanbraces molded up to halfway to the bicep perfectly, scrawled with Original Language and would never fail to protect in battle. Winged pauldrons connected to a flowing cap drenched in cherry blossom.
Gary could not breathe.
The staff was nothing in comparison to the Staff of Miracles, but it was an off-world material of gold and held a ring with seven keys that would never work except for their owner.
A smile.
They stopped before Gary and folded their wings.
A hand came up to remove the solid eyeless helmet that covered the top of their face and head and tucked it under an arm.
And another hand extended towards Gary.
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."
A wider smile.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry about your wounds, but I can heal them."
Hickories coddled in soft love.
"I'm Nashi from Fairy Tail."
Gary stared in awe at the woman before him in her majesty, those wings that had mesmerized him from first glance, that smile that made his heart race, and those eyes—oh those eyes!—that could never lie to him and told him he was a goner. He stared at the same woman who had seen him for him all those years ago.
He stared at an Angel.
DRIP…
..DROP…
"I know your name. I know what you've done and what you've did and everything in-between. I know who you are. I know." Nashi's hand came to slide onto his cheek and wipe away the shed tear. "I'm here to tell you I'm not lost anymore, my sweet Devil. I'm home."
His scarred hand smoothened over hers.
Even in his tears, even with the taste of blood on his lips, he saw everything he could ever want right in front of him…and he could not help but smile and hold her hand and anchor himself to her, the one who told him he was worthy enough to belong—to be found.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Welcome home, Angel."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
Zutto kimi ni todokeyou
365 nichi no ai no uta o
Kimi ni deaeta "kiseki" ga
Mune no naka de afuredasu you ni
More than "I love you" kanadeyou
TO BE CONTINUED…
Chibi-Luna pops in on the class. "Good day—!" Her jaw drops when she sees the students in an even bleaker and drearier mood than the day before. "What happened now?!"
"Teacher," one student groans, "we're still not emotionally recovered…from today's episode…"
Chibi-Luna gawks at her class full of drained students. "B-B-B-But it ended on such a good note!"
"But the story was so sad, Teacher," one student sniffles. "They went through so much! It isn't fair, Teacher!"
Chibi-Luna sweats as more students mutter and mumble about the atrocities they witnessed and the atmosphere turns even darker and darker. "O-Oh, dear! U-Um, well, let's get this Fairy Lesson started, okay?" she titters nervously as she scrambles to turn on the projector and pulls down the screen. Five different Chimaera show on the projector. "Today, we'll be talking about Chimaera!"
She sweatdrops as the students continue muttering and mumbling. "Um, so, let's start with Binary Chimaera or Primary Chimaera!" She goes to the next slide to show a quadrupedal Chimera amalgamated of a dog and jaguar and the bipedal Aryal with his body made from a lion and a bat. "So Binary Chimaera are Chimaera comprised of two creatures. These Chimaera are the most common Chimaera which is why they are called Primary Chimera."
She goes to the next screen to show Hill in his Chimera Form as well as another Chimera made of a bear, wolf, and an eagle. "This is a Meta-Chimera or a Chimera made of three creatures. Meta-Chimeras are not considered rare, but they aren't too common in nature."
The next slide shows a few disturbing Chimaera who were mishmashes of horses, wolves, elephants, snakes, and then some. "These are Para-Chimaera which are Chimaera made of more than three creatures. These creatures are rare and illegal because they aren't naturally made. The reason these Para-Chimaera might not look stable is because the more creatures a Chimera is made of, the less stable their form takes."
She goes onto the next slide that says NOBLE VS INTELLIGENT. "As we've seen, there are different types of Chimaera. Most Chimaera act like normal animals, but there are two types of Chimaera that don't. Noble or Royal Chimaera still have their animalistic instincts, but they are capable of controlling other Chimaera and are more resistant to Taming. Intelligent Chimaera, however, are pretty much the same as humans with complex thinking, feelings, and speech. Intelligent Chimaera are capable of advanced Magic, but because they are still considered 'Chimaera', they have protective rights and their prides are hidden to prevent poachers and traffickers from getting to them and…"
Chibi-Luna sweatdrops at the still-dreary mood in the classroom and sighs. "Well, that's the Fairy Lesson for today."
She looks at you with a serious expression. "While the story today was about Nashi and Gary, you did see a little about Igneel and Luke's personality as children and their relationship and the reason Luke wasn't assertive with Igneel when Igneel destroyed his belongings or hit him. Igneel's disorders of ADHD combined with CD or conduct disorder effected his entire family, but it also affected Luke severely.
"While people understand children with severe ADHD and CD or oppositional defiant disorder and other disruptive mood disorder need care and special attention, the siblings often need care and special attention. As you saw with Luke, he often defended Igneel's actions and hardly spoke up when his belongings were destroyed and remained quiet and unassertive.
"It's thanks to my parents' care that Igneel and Luke found the right help," Chibi-Luna continues. "While Igneel struggled with his impulses and he did snap and Luke is still a little reserved, thankfully, they've curbed their behaviors considerably growing up and their improved their relationship, but my brothers still have a lot to go. It might not look like Luke was traumatized, but I remember him being so quiet growing up. He never really had fun since he was hovering over Igneel to keep him back from fighting and he was normally with Misty or in his room. Even without Igneel home, Luke is still unsure what to do with himself in social situations."
Chibi-Luna sighs at the memories. "If you're a sibling of someone who has ADHD coupled with CD or ODD or a disruptive mood disorder, you still have a right to be heard. The feelings of your sibling is important, but it's also important for you and your family to heal from abusive behavior.
"Author-san and one of her brothers has a sibling who has ADHD and ODD and the relationship caused great discord, many fights, a lot of tears, and even the brother abused desperate to move out to live with Author-san. Not every person diagnosed with ADHD will show this level of abuse. In fact, ADHD is a spectrum that deserves to be recognized for that spectrum. No two people with ADHD will share the same symptoms nor will have CD or ODD. But please remember both the diagnosed sibling and you deserve help to learn how to have your voice heard and have a healthy relationship to the world around you and each other."
Chibi-Luna takes a breath. "And Author-san does want to remind she does promise lighter arcs right after this one. But Fairy Adventure will have a mixture of true darkness and light and a warning that comes with it…and perhaps a few references from many different mediums who inspired this work."
Chibi-Luna smiles. "Thank you all for listening to the story of my big sister and Gary. Next time, on Fairy Adventure, A MOMENT TO BREATHE." She looks stunned when her students glare at her and she waves her hands. "Don't give me that look! Author-san promised the next arcs would be lighter!"
The students growl darkly, "We're going to hold Author-san to that."
Voices of Characters in Order of Appearance
— • — • — • —
Gary Fullbuster – Griffin Burns
Nashi Dragneel – Lauren Landa
Gary Fullbuster (child) – Cristina V
Ezra Strauss -
Orochi -
Eliana "Ellie" Strauss (child) -
Lance Dreyar (child) -
Erza Fernandes – Colleen Clinkenbeard
Lucy Heartfilia-Dragneel – Cherami Leigh
Ena Fernandes – Xanthe Huynh
Mystogan Fernandes (child) - Brika Palencia
Igneel Dragneel (child) -
Luna Dragneel -
Natsu Dragneel – Todd Haberkorn
Luke Dragneel (child) -
Silver Fullbuster (child) -
Julia Fullbuster (child) -
Shoshone -
Hill -
Cael -
Romeo Conbolt -
Olivia Redfox – Laura Bailey
Galileo Redfox -
Linus Vastia (child) -
Skade (child) -
Invel Yura – Clay Wheeler
Gray Fullbuster – Ryan Reynold
Sera / Checkmate – Jeannie Tirado
• — • — •
Additional Voices
Opening Narrator – Mary McGlynn
Description Narrator – Mary McGlynn
Closing Narrator – Melissa Fahn
— • — • — • —
⌜OPENING THEME
⟪ Your Hands Grasping Even Yourself ⟫
Noisycell
Lyrics by
Noisycell⌟
•
⌜ENDING THEME
⟪ More than I love you -365nokiseki- with MAY'S ⟫
SOFFet
Lyrics by & Composed by
SOFFet⌟