The year was X796. The hot January breeze blew off of the ocean, ruffling the hair of many and causing the inhabitants of Moci to clutch their things tighter. The moored ships in the harbor rocked with the wind and the waves, forcing the newcomers to the port town to watch their step as they returned to dry land.
A young man leapt off the largest ship, his black boots connecting with the warped wood of the docks. He adjusted the collar of his jacket, the top of the fabric disappearing under thick strands of hair. He stretched his arms as he began to walk, his shoulders laden with the backpack containing all of the possessions he'd brought to Coracre with him.
He couldn't help but stumble slightly as he walked down the docks. A month at sea would do that, he thought to himself, amused. At least I don't have to go right into a fight. It would be most cumbersome.
The man wandered the streets of Moci, searching for something only known to him. People tended to step out of his way, instinctively avoiding his sharp gaze and purposeful walk. He exuded power and strength, evident in the set of his shoulders and the way he held his head high.
He paused in the middle of a street, glancing up at the restaurant sign hanging over the road. He seemed to deliberate for a while until a growl sounded from his stomach. He snorted, shaking his head and proceeding into the restaurant. Guess that solves that problem. I hate to waste time yet… well, everyone always thinks better on a full stomach, don't they?
He slipped into the building, the large number of people making him immediately regret the fur-lined coat he still wore. He dodged around waiters and patrons enjoying their midday meal, making his way to the bar where the only empty seat made itself apparent. He claimed it quickly and waited for the bartender to notice him. It didn't take too long.
"What can I do for you sir?" The man drawled, slinging a slightly damp dishcloth over his shoulder.
The man smiled, pulling his jacket off and revealing the tight grey shirt he wore underneath. He ignored the sound of women swooning. "Whatever the special is today and the largest cup of water you have. Some information would also be gladly appreciated."
The bartender frowned slightly, motioning at one of the waitresses as he leaned on the bar. "Information, huh? Say, where are you from? I recognize your accent but I can't place it."
"Ishgar," the man said, cracking his neck.
The bartender snorted. "Ishgar's a pretty big continent. Care to be any more specific?"
"Apologies. I'm from Fiore."
The bartender snapped his fingers. "That's it. We had some customers a couple of years ago from Fiore. It's a very identifiable accent. Hey, do you know any wizards? There's so many famous guilds and wizards from Fiore that you must know some."
The man nodded, stretching his arms again. His brow was furrowed slightly, but he answered the question the bartender had posed. "Yes, I've met many powerful and amazing wizards. I've even had the honor of working with some." The bartender's eyes widened in shock, but before he could press the foreigner any further, the man continued. "Do you happen to remember who those customers from Fiore were? I understand that it was a while ago, but I'm actually looking for some friends of mine, and any leads or information would be of great help."
The bartender drummed his fingers on the bar, thinking. Then he slapped the wood. "I'll get back to you on that." He turned away, serving the other customers while he thought.
The Fiorian sat in relative silence, sighing or mumbling to himself every so often. He was the subject of many curious glances, the handsome foreigner with broad shoulders and a tight shirt and a slight frown. The scars that carved his skin at random did little to lessen the intrigue. And on his face…
"Excuse me, sir." The man glanced to the right and found a young woman standing there. She blushed, clasping her hands in front of her stomach. The man stared, and she fidgeted under his gaze.
"Yes?" He asked, unable to look away from her flaming red hair. His voice was as smooth as the rounded rocks on the bottom of a river. Hair fell over his brown eyes, half his face hidden by the soft strands.
The young woman flushed an even darker shade of pink. "Er, I'm so sorry to bother you sir, it's just I heard you talking about wizards and Fiore and I just think it's so interesting and really want to know more-"
Her torrent of words was forestalled by a raised hand and a smile from the man. "Enough. Take a deep breath." She did as he instructed, red hair shifting with the rise and fall of her chest. The man's hand fell back against his legs, the other bunching in the fabric of the jacket hanging over his chair. "Now, what questions do you have for me? I am more than welcome to answer what I can."
"Are all the stories true?" She breathed, brown eyes wide and searching.
He chuckled slightly, dipping his head in acknowledgment. His gaze unfocused as he stared at her hair, lost in another world. "Most are. Many have been exaggerated far beyond belief. For example, when the Fairy Tail guild battled Master Hades of Grimoire Heart, it wasn't six against Hades and his entire army. He could summon shades, but the battle was actually just Hades fighting the five Fairy Tail wizards, their numbers and chances only improving once Laxus Dreyar joined their ranks."
"Oh I love Fairy Tail!" Her eyes glittered, dark blue dress swishing against the floor as she sidestepped a waitress. "They're just so amazing and brave."
"Indeed they are," the man mused, gaze still unfocused.
"Even though it's hard to pick just one," she continued on, "I have to say that my favorite Fairy Tail wizard is Erza Scarlet. She's my hero. I mean, we even look alike."
That caught his attention. He snapped his eyes back to hers, a sad smile slipping onto his mouth. "So you do." He sighed, thinking about that same Fairy Tail mage. "Although the color of your hair isn't quite right. Yours is very vibrant and closer to orange. Hers is, well, scarlet."
The young woman frowned slightly, twirling strands of hair around her fingers. "Isn't that another exaggeration? It's just a coincidence that her hair matches her name, right?"
The man snorted, brushing his hands off on his pant leg. "No, I do believe that I gave her that name while looking at her hair so I would never forget it." Then, before the woman could say more, he turned back to the bar, catching the bartender by surprise as he stopped before the foreigner. "Any luck?"
The bartender made a so-so gesture with his hand. "There were five of them. And their cats. They were loud and ate too much, but they paid well. I do believe they were wizards. At least, that's the only explanation for the fire and ice." He laughed nervously, remembering the destruction to the table that group had sat at. Then he furrowed his brow. "Actually, I think I saw them in town again several months later. They stayed at The Shores, the most expensive hotel right on the water, if my memory serves me right." He turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, sir, but that's the best I can do. It was two years ago, after all."
"That's alright. You've been plenty helpful." He rose to his feet, taking hold of his bag and jacket. He handed the man a small pouch, nodding graciously at the bartender. Then, pushing past the young woman still in shock at his statement, he left the restaurant, his new goal in mind.
The hot breeze assailed him instantly, ruffling his blue hair and forcing him to leave his jacket off. He shoved the garment into his bag as he walked toward the ocean. He really hoped they had more answers than the bartender did, but he supposed that little bit of information was better than nothing.
After perhaps an hour of searching, he finally found the hotel the bartender spoke of. It was certainly the most grand hotel in the port town. Towering several stories above the other buildings in Moci, he wasn't surprised that this was the last place they had been seen. If they had money in their pockets, they tended to spend it.
He stepped inside the hotel, ignoring the grand ceiling and intricate woodwork and instead proceeding straight to the front desk. The young woman smiled as he approached. "Good afternoon. What can I do for you today. sir?"
"I'm looking for some information. Do you know anything about a group of wizards from Fiore who stayed here sometime in the last two years? I know that is extremely vague, but it's all the detail I have."
The receptionist frowned. "I, I apologize sir. I don't recall anyone who matches that description."
The man scowled, hoping that the woman understood his anger was not directed at her but instead at the world. "They're extremely loud and probably ate a lot of food or destroyed something. One has pink hair and he always wears a scarf, another has dark blue hair she normally puts in pigtails, then there's a blonde, a man with black hair, and-" he needed a new breath before he could continue, "and a woman with scarlet hair. They might have had two cats with them, white and blue, and they can talk and fly. Truly, is none of this ringing a bell?"
The receptionist sighed. "It does sound familiar. But sir, I can't talk about other guests, especially not to a stranger. It's against hotel policy."
"Please," he whispered, the anguish clear on his face. "Please, I need to find them. They're my friends, and no one has seen them or heard from them in over a year. I just, I just want to make sure they're okay. Please."
She bit her lip, obviously debating something. Then she leaned forward, dropping her voice. "Sir, there's nothing I can say about them. However, I did overhear their plans at breakfast. Not that it was too hard; the fire wizard tends to shout almost everything." She paused for a quick smile. "They planned to head east. Something about looking for a key? I'm not sure, they talked of much that was beyond my understanding." She sat back in her chair. "That's all I can say sir, and even that was pushing the rules."
"Thank you," the man said, dipping his head deeply. "Truly, you don't know how helpful you were."
The receptionist winked. As the man turned to go, she called out to him. "I know their boat is still in the harbor," she ventured, "so it's likely they'll come back here one day, and they'll probably stay at Shores again. I can give them a message from you, if you'd like."
"That would be good." He paused, half-turned and staring at the wall. "Just tell them I'm looking for them and to wait here until we meet again. I'll attempt to check back in a few months." He started to leave once more.
"Wait!" She called again. She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry sir, but who should I say is waiting? That is, what's your name?"
The man smiled, and the red tattoo along the right side of his face lifted. "Jellal. Jellal Fernandes." Then the master of Crime Sorciere walked out of the hotel, the train station next on his list of places to ask about his friends.
It pleased him to know they had a reason for not returning right away to Fiore. He knew they would, of course, but it was more gratifying to have it confirmed by someone else. And it made sense that Lucy would be on the lookout for the key of the Water Bearer; he knew she had suffered greatly when she had been forced to sacrifice Aquarius's key in order to save the rest of Fairy Tail. But he wished they had made more of an effort to inform those they left behind about the change in plans.
The past year had been full of many sleepless nights spent worrying about Erza's fate. And of Natsu and the others, of course. He worried about all of them. Equally.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Who was he kidding? He couldn't lie to himself. It was impossible. He couldn't even fool Ultear or Meredy or even Erza herself. What use was concealing the truth in the depths of his own mind?
He shook his head, raising his face toward the sun. I should get word back to Fiore of why they stayed away. I'm sure Juvia would love to know that Gray has been adventuring and not consorting with whatever girl threw themselves at him or whatever her mind has come up with. He snorted, mind drifting back to Erza as it inevitably did. I would like to know if I were in her place. Well, if it were possible for me to be in her place. Damn, even my own thoughts betray my heart. Thank the gods Meredy isn't a mind reader; I'd never live it down.
Jellal sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked. "Erza," he said, letting the sun warm his face. "Where have you gone? Do you even want to come back home? Would you come if I asked? Or has our time passed? I'd hate to think that the road between us has diverged yet again, but… I don't see a future where our lives meet. Is that my own selfishness refusing to leave Crime Sorciere? Or is that my self-loathing refusing to accept that there may be a day when I deserve you?" He groaned, ignoring the looks he got from people he passed on the streets. "Maybe this was all doomed from the start. I can't believe that though. I'll never give up on you, Erza Scarlet. Even if our paths take us many more miles from each other and we speak only once every three years, you will still hold that one special place in my heart." He laughed quietly to himself. "And maybe when next we meet, I'll finally tell you what I haven't yet told myself. You've always been better at making me open up." He smiled, letting his mind drift away with thoughts of Erza, past, present, and future all twisting together in a collage of the woman he never wanted to lose.
Hahaha, I said things were changing, didn't I? The last chapter took place on October 11, X794, and this one picks up on January 9, X796 (honestly, the time line I have for this book and the next two (ahh) plus everything in between is just insane). So it's been a little over a year since we last saw our heroes. I wonder what may have happened during their search for Aquarius's key...
Anyway, if you haven't already, check out Moment of Friendship! It's going to be a collection of oneshots set in this world, and the first one is actually set in between this chapter and the last, and it offers a quick glance at what has been going on in Fairy Tail since Team Natsu left. I have no idea how often I'll upload here, but I don't intend on forgetting about it.
Hope you all enjoy this! Until next time!