Your Time, Part 2
While Judith and Virgo drag the half-scorpion demihuman over to his comrades, Darren, Alicia, and Lucy make their way to the Merlion statue where they see Natsu, Wendy, Yuri, Estelle, Karol, and Sheena huddle around a couple. As the three gently push Yuri and Sheena out of the way, Darren gasps and widens his eyes in shock to see Taki kneeling on the floor and placing Mitsuha's head on his thighs while his wife lies on the floor in pain. As Mitsuha groans and breathes heavily while clinging onto her left upper arm, Darren looks horrified to see the huge bite mark that is now plastered on her left shoulder.
"Mitsuha, hang in there!" Taki cried to her in anguish.
"What happened?!" Darren inquired.
"While we were trying to place the cuffs on one of the demihumans, she thrusts her head forward and tries to bite me with her fangs." Sheena explained grimly as she turns her head to the half-snake demihuman, who is kneeling alongside her comrades with her cuffed wrists placed behind her back. Her tail is also restrained by one of the sides of another pair of cuffs grasped around it while the other side is around the chain of the pair of cuffs on her wrists. Gray, Erza, Happy, Carla, Virgo and several other teenagers stand behind the demihumans to keep an eye on them while Judith is busy summoning her tablet lacrima as she holds out her right hand to the side. Sheena looks back at Mitsuha and continued, "She pushed me out of the way in time, and the demihuman ended up biting her shoulder instead. I'm so sorry."
"I-It's okay. I helped you because…I wanted to." Mitsuha said to Sheena with a weak smile.
"We should call an ambulance now!" Taki cried as he looks up at Natsu and the others.
"We can't. The hospitals in your world do not have the cure for our ailments." Estelle replied.
"What?" Taki said incredulously.
"Only my healing magic can!" Wendy quickly replied before Taki loses control of himself over their current predicament. "It can remove the poison from your wife's wound."
"But Wendy…the Magic Council says we Earth Landers are not allowed to reveal our magic in other worlds as much as possible." Natsu said to her in concern.
"I have no choice!" Wendy cried to her fellow Dragon Slayer. "I can't let him lose his wife. And besides," She paused to shrug her shoulders. "It's not like Fairy Tail had a reputation in obeying the rules of the Magic Council for long anyways, right?"
Natsu could not help but chuckle at Wendy's response. "That's a good point." He said while folding his arms.
Wendy turns her head to Darren, Alicia, Lucy, Estelle, Yuri, Karol, and Sheena, who all nod to her in approval. The Sky Dragon Slayer walks over to Taki and Mitsuha and kneels beside them.
"If I may?" Wendy calmly asked Taki.
"You better be right about what you say." Taki said, frowning at Wendy.
"I am." Wendy said solemnly. She proceeds to place her hands gently on Mitsuha's wound. The Sky Dragon Slayer closes her eyes and an aura of light blue energy forms above Mitsuha's shoulder. Taki and Mitsuha widen their eyes in awe as Wendy slowly heals the wound. The couple could see about half of the bite mark has been erased from Mitsuha's shoulder. But soon after, the aura below Wendy's hands disappears, and the Sky Dragon Slayer moan as she wobbles about.
"Wendy!" Lucy cried as she quickly goes over and catches Wendy by the back of her shoulders before she hits the ground. "Are you okay?"
"Ngh…I'm fine…" Wendy said as she slowly opens her eyes and look up at everyone around her. "But I fail to complete the healing process. I only manage to heal half of her wound, so I just delayed the poison from consuming her entire body."
"I think I can feel my legs again though." Mitsuha said to Taki. Darren and the others watch as Mitsuha slowly gets off from Taki's thighs and sits up on the floor. As the couple now slowly stand up, Taki carefully pulls his wife up on her feet and Mitsuha finds herself standing perfectly fine. She turns to Wendy and bows to her. "Arigatou."
"You're welcome." Wendy said as she bows her head back.
"If Wendy can't remove the poison from her completely, then we'll have to get her to do it." Sheena said as she and her friends glare at the half-snake demihuman and her comrades who are still kneeling on top of the small stairway that is a few meters away from the Merlion. Everyone including Taki and Mitsuha walk over to the demihumans who all smile mockingly at them.
"What's the matter, children? Feeling hopeless because you fail to help someone in your current pitiful state?" The half-snake demihuman said with a sick lopsided grin.
"Shut up and give us the cure to her wound!" Natsu demanded as he holds up his shaking fist in front of her.
"Mmm, I can't." The half-snake demihuman rolls her eyes.
"What?!" Lucy yelled furiously at her.
"She's right." The half-scorpion demihuman said with a smirk. "All her poison is meant to be permanent and irreversible." He paused as he turns to Darren. "So is mine if I had been able to land my stinger on you, boy." Darren silently glares at the half-scorpion demihuman as Judith finally finished summoning her tablet lacrima in her hand.
"Why are you doing this? What have these people done to you?" Alicia asked the demihumans.
"Humans like you will never understand the pain we demihumans have endured." The half-scorpion demihuman said icily as Judith walks up to each demihuman and uses her tablet lacrima to scan their faces as she stands in front of them.
"But humans and demihumans are starting to coexist with each other again after the battle of Crocus. You could have learned to do that as well." Estelle said.
"You expect us to learn to live with the humans who threw us out of our homes?! Never!" The half-octopus demihuman yelled at her.
"Even if you won't forgive humanity, bringing harm to innocent people who have done nothing to you does not justify your hatred towards them." Sheena said.
"You're a fine one to talk, considering it is your race that made us what we are today!" The half-octopus demihuman snapped as Judith finished scanning the half-scorpion demihuman's face. She walks back to Natsu, Lucy, Darren and Alicia and holds up her tablet to show them the portraits of all four demihumans along with their names and personal information.
"According to the Magic Council's Fiore citizen database, their names are Xavier, Xerxes, Ximena and Mike." Judith said to her friends.
"That's me!" The half-wolverine demihuman yelled cheerfully as he heard his name.
"Shut up, Mike!" The other three demihumans shouted at him in annoyance. Mike cringed in response.
"And they are all from…Petunia." Alicia said as she, Darren, Natsu and Lucy widen their eyes.
"The same hometown as the former Nature Dragon Slayer, Laurent Mendy." Natsu said grimly.
"That's right!" The half-snake demihuman, now known as Ximena, hissed at them. "To honour our late and beloved mayor, Francois Mendy, and his son Laurent, we will do anything to make the humans who now control our hometown pay for what they have done to us!"
"You don't understand." Darren said, trying to reason with the demihumans. "We have been to Petunia. The humans living there have since learnt the error of their ways, and they are still waiting for you all to come back."
"Even if we believe what you say is true, we will never accept that filthy human Lacus Clyne as our mayor!" The half-scorpion demihuman, known as Xavier, yelled. Gray walks past Mike and Ximena and makes his way over to Natsu, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Wendy, Karol, Yuri, Estelle, Judith, and Sheena.
"It's no use talking to them right now. Now that we know they don't have the cure for the poison, we'll just have to find the mastermind behind all of this. Back at the Sun Village years ago, we reverted to our older forms after I made the one responsible for the spell to lose his cool. If we can find their leader, we can get her to reverse this spell which will get us back to our normal forms. That way, Wendy can finish her healing spell on the civilian this time." Gray said to his friends.
"Right." Natsu said before he, Lucy, Darren, and Alicia walk over to Ximena. "We know you four are working for someone. Tell us who and where she is."
"As if we will ever tell you!" Ximena yelled at him.
"I guess the spell not only lower their magical capabilities, but also their intelligence." Xavier said mockingly before he and his comrades burst into laughter. But Mike throws his head back and kept laughing maniacally long after the others have fall silent. Xavier, Xerxes, and Ximena slowly turn their heads to him in annoyance.
"SHUT UP!" The three demihumans shouted at him, causing Mike to cringe again.
"Sorry." Mike whimpered.
"If you don't cooperate, you will suffer heavy consequences from the Magic Council." Erza said sternly to the demihumans.
"Like what?" Ximena turns her head to Erza with a sneer. "Lock us up behind bars? Doesn't matter. As long as our leader is able to get what she wants from the Magic Council, our mission is already a success."
"Heheheh. So go ahead and do whatever you want to us. We can take it." Mike said, smiling goofily.
Taki and Mitsuha glare at the demihumans for their unwillingness to cooperate, knowing that time is not on their side. The couple turn to each other for a moment before Mitsuha groans and wipes the sweat off her forehead.
"What's wrong, Mitsuha?" Taki asked in concern as he holds onto his wife.
"I…I'm feeling thirsty, Taki-kun. Can you get me something to drink?" Mitsuha asked softly.
"Okay." Taki said worriedly before turning to Sheena and Karol. "Can you look after my wife for me?"
"Sure." Karol said as he and Sheena hold onto Mitsuha's arms to support her.
Taki turns and walks over to the children standing at the left side of the dome. He noticed one of them holding a cup of orange juice and asked him politely, "Excuse me, can I borrow your cup of orange juice? I promise to buy you a new one when we are able to get out of this situation."
"Of course. Your wife needs it more than I do." The child said as he holds out his cup of orange juice to him.
"Arigatou." Taki bows to him with gratitude before taking the cup from his hand. He turns around and walks his way back to Mitsuha. But suddenly, he stops near Ximena and without warning, throws and splashes all its contents from the cup onto her face.
"Whoops, my bad." Taki said sarcastically.
"Agh! Hey!" Ximena yelled at him in annoyance.
"Taki-kun! What did you do?!" Mitsuha cried to him.
"Sorry, Mitsuha. I accidentally spilled your drink because her tail was in the way." Taki said to his wife apologetically.
"What?! No, it wasn't!" Ximena cried exasperatedly.
"Darn it, Taki!" Mitsuha chided her husband as she gets her arms off from Sheena and Karol's hands and storm over to him. Knowing that they are about to get into a fight, Natsu, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Gray, Wendy, Yuri, Estelle, and Judith quickly move away from Taki, Mitsuha and the demihumans and walk back to Karol and Sheena. They, Erza, Happy, Carla and Virgo blankly watch the couple arguing with each other. "How am I supposed to keep myself hydrated now?!"
"Don't blame me! Blame her!" Taki yelled back at her as he jabs his finger onto Ximena's right shoulder.
"Please don't touch me." Ximena said to him.
"But you're also a part of it!" Mitsuha shouted as she jabs her own finger in front of Taki's face.
"Oh, and I supposed by that logic, you're going to blame me for the lack of toilet paper in our hotel room when we first got inside there?!" Taki yelled at her.
"Well, if the shoe fits." Mitsuha said icily. Taki grits his teeth at her and holds up his hand. Mitsuha yelps and closes her eyes as she prepares for the worst. However, Taki turns to Ximena and slaps her across her face instead, much to the shock of everyone around her including her comrades and excluding Mitsuha.
"OW! Why did you hit me for?!" Ximena cried.
"Because as angry as I am right now, I don't want to hit my wife." Taki replied as he glares back at Mitsuha.
"But you didn't have to hit her!" Xavier shouted at him.
"And who are you to budge into our argument, old man?! You're not my grandfather, so shut up!" Mitsuha snapped back at him. Xavier stares blankly at her for a moment before he sadly looks away and lowers his head.
"I'm not that old." Xavier whimpered.
"You know what? Screw it, I'm done with you." Mitsuha said to Taki before she turns to her right and walks past Ximena and Xerxes. Erza moves out of the way and now stands behind the half-octopus demihuman.
"Oh really, Mitsuha?! After everything I've done for you, such as renovating your family shrine, building your braided cord shop, and getting us an apartment of our own, this is how you repay me in return?!" Taki shouted back at her as he stands where he is.
"Yes!" Mitsuha stops and whirls about, looking back at Taki with her eyes narrowed. "Because if you really are that clumsy, no wonder why the ceiling of my braided cord shop fell!"
"I thought my former company used the best and finest wood in all of Japan to build your shop!" Taki shouted back at Mitsuha as he throws his arms up in the air.
"Well, why don't you get them to build a nice walking frame for you as well?!" Mitsuha replied while standing behind Ximena on her left. The more Taki and Mitsuha shouted right in front and behind her, the more Ximena tremble as she cannot keep her tolerance from their angry barrage of accusations at each other any longer.
"And why didn't you notice the cracks on the ceiling sooner since you're the one who is mostly standing behind the counter whole day?!" Taki yelled back at Mitsuha as he walks up to her and Ximena.
"At least I got the most important job in the shop while you mostly stay in the back doing paperwork and finances!" Mitsuha shouted as she leans her head forward to Taki and beside Ximena's left ear.
"Oh, if you hadn't got me to be your financial manager, your business would have gone busted long ago!" Taki snapped back as he also leans his head closer to Mitsuha and beside the half-snake demihuman. Suddenly, Ximena yelps as Mitsuha pulls the back of her long hair.
"You take that back, Taki!" Mitsuha shouted back at her husband.
"Not until you take back what you said about me being a klutz!" Taki yelled as he suddenly grabs the strands of hair in front of Ximena's forehead, causing the demihuman to yelp in pain again.
"Do something! They are hurting her!" Xerxes cried to Erza pleadingly as the couple continue their rambling and accusations at each other while hurting his friend at the same time.
"Sorry. Not my business to intrude an argument between a married couple." Erza replied flatly as she holds up her hands.
"What?! What kind of people are you?!" Xavier cried in disbelief.
"Aren't you a demihuman like us? Help us, will you?!" Mike cried to Judith.
"But I thought you said you all can take on anything?" Judith smirked at him with her hands behind her back.
"I lied, okay?! So please! Just stop this!" Mike begged. As Mitsuha and Taki continue pulling Ximena's hair, it causes tears to form in the half-snake demihuman's eyes.
"I never thought you would still be the same whiny brat back when we first met!" Taki yelled at his wife while giving another yank to Ximena's hair.
"Why you little-" Mitsuha tried to yell back as she prepares to give a hard pull to Ximena's hair of her own. Unable to withstand the mixture of irritation she felt from Taki and Mitsuha's argument, the physical pain they are inflicting on her, and the feeling of hopelessness she felt from being used as a punching bag for the irate couple, Ximena finally cracked and erupted with pure rage.
"ENOUGH!" Ximena screamed at the top of her lungs. Taki and Mitsuha fall silent as the half-snake demihuman sob and breathe heavily. She looks at Natsu, Lucy, Darren, Alicia, Gray, Wendy, Yuri, Estelle, Sheena, Judith and Karol with tears rolling down her cheeks and whimpered, "I'll talk. I'll tell you who and where our leader is. Just get these two to stop arguing and hurting me! JUST…STOP!" As Ximena finished with a harsh sob, Taki and Mitsuha smile at each other at a job well done.
"Married couples, right?" Yuri asked Alicia and Lucy.
"Mm-hmm." Alicia and Lucy slowly nod their heads. Darren, Natsu and Estelle shudder as they imagine they will experience the same thing as Taki and Mitsuha with their future spouses.
6 Years Ago…
The dark brown-haired demihuman girl sat at the edge of the water tower built at the northwest part of the town of Petunia. A warm smile plastered across her face as she sits there and watches the humans and demihumans below her go about their daily lives together in peace and harmony.
She soon snaps out of her thoughts when someone makes a few knocks on the tower's wooden canister behind her.
"Guess who?"
The girl perks up and playfully rolls her eyes. "Mmm…Salamander?"
"Very funny, Arielle." The boy laughed as he walks over and sits beside the girl. "But it's actually your friend, Laurent."
"I know." Arielle chuckled. She and Laurent glance at each other before looking down at the town below them. They spotted a group of three children consisting of one human and two demihumans playing football with each other before one of them could hear his mother calling him to come back inside their house for dinner. He picks up his ball and waves goodbye to his friends before making his way home. Arielle and Laurent slightly turn to their left and notice a human exchanging gifts with her demihuman friend as she stands outside her home. The two of them converse with each other as they do so, and they end by bursting into laughter. Arielle and Laurent turn their heads again, this time to their right where they see a demihuman mechanic grabbing a lacrima orb from his human partner while standing at the top of a small ladder. He inserts the orb into the lamppost, and it lightens up the section of the town. The mechanic closes the glass case and climbs down the ladder so he and his partner can give each other a pat on their shoulders.
"It's nice to see humans and demihumans living and working together side by side." Arielle said.
"Yup." Laurent nodded. "Life in this town is calm and peaceful because of that. Which is why it is my duty as the Nature Dragon Slayer to keep it that way."
Arielle sighs heavily. "I can't believe your parents are already making you the defender of this town only at the age of 12."
"Well, when you grow older and become as hardworking as me, you'll understand their decision." Laurent said. There was a minute of silence between the two friends before the Nature Dragon Slayer looks back at Arielle and notices the worried frown on her face. "What's bothering you?"
Arielle stays silent for a few more seconds before she finally musters enough courage to share her thoughts.
"Laurent," Arielle said worriedly as she turns to her friend. "We have always been hanging out with each other for years. But now that you got this big responsibility on your shoulders, I don't know if life between us will ever be the same again."
"I'm sorry Arielle. This is important." Laurent replied regretfully. After placing her feet on the edge, Arielle sighs again as she wraps her arms around her legs and curls herself up. Laurent smiles weakly as he places his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be fine. I know this job will keep me busy from spending time with you. But no matter how far we may feel from each other, you will always be my friend."
"What if this doesn't work out?" Arielle said softly. "I'm scared. I hate it when things around me change."
"I know that sometimes it's hard for people to accept change. But give it some time. The pain will last. And when we are much older, we will get to hang out with each other again. I promise." Laurent said reassuringly.
Arielle stayed silent for a few moments again to contemplate what her friend had said. She has mixed feelings about it. On one hand, she will never get to hang out with her best friend as often as they use to because of his new job as the defender of Petunia. But on the other hand, her friend is right. If he doesn't focus more on his job, this peace and stability that the humans and demihumans of Petunia worked so hard to achieve will crumble, and it would be selfish of her to force Laurent to spend more time with her rather than the people who need him the most. She not only cares for Laurent, but her hometown as well. And if she and Laurent wish to preserve this view that they have seen and admired since they first became friends, she must let her friend go and do what is more important for everyone.
"Alright." Arielle said. "I'll wait."
"Thank you, Arielle. I'm glad you understand." Laurent said to her gratefully.
"Just one thing though." Arielle said as she removes her legs from the edge of water tower and leave them hanging again.
"What is it?" Laurent asked.
"If I ever get into trouble, will you carry me in your arms?" Arielle said as she playfully winks an eye at him.
"Of course, I will." Laurent smiled and winks back at her. Arielle giggled in response.
"Thank you." Arielle replied before they both look back down at the town. As they do, Arielle lifts her tail up and thought of linking it with Laurent's. But she places it down a few seconds later, thinking that she will confess her love for him some other time.
Arielle reminisced that moment she and her friend had together while sadly looking down at the small photo of her and Laurent standing close to each other and smiling for the camera, which she stored securely inside her locket. She had always regretted her decision in not admitting her true feelings to Laurent sooner since the tragic day that led to the exile of her race from Petunia. She and her friends would later spend the next two years searching for him and hoping to be reunited with the boy she loves. But her hopes and dreams were crushed when they eventually found his grave and body at the West Forest.
Arielle takes a gulp and closes her locket as her resolve to make the humans of Petunia pay for what they have done to them grows stronger. Even if the relations between humans and demihumans are improving after the battle of Crocus, it will never bring back the boy she loves the most. She will never rest until the humans of Petunia have received her retribution.
As she stood at the middle of the alleyway, she could hear six of her accomplices jumping down from the rooftops of the buildings at the other end behind her and landing safely on the road several meters away from her.
"We are here, Arielle." A male teenage demihuman with wavy shoulder-length green hair and cat ears said to her. He also has a green cat tail on the back of his waist and wears a long-sleeved dark grey tunic, a black belt with a silver buckle around his waist, dark tan pants, and black boots.
After successfully fighting back the urge to cry, Arielle dematerializes her locket and turns around to face her comrades with a solemn frown.
"Did anyone spot any of you on your way back?" Arielle asked as her comrades approach her.
"Nope. If anyone did, I would have detected them with my senses." A woman with bat ears and dark purple bowl cut hair replied to her with a smirk while placing her hands on the sides of her hip. Her eyes are covered by strands of hair dangling in front of them and she also has two sharp fangs sticking out and pointing downwards from her upper lip. She wears a tight sleeveless dark purple suit that still exposes the sides of her torso, a dark grey belt with a silver square buckle around her waist, dark purple pants, and black boots.
"Good job, Arlene." Arielle said to the half-bat woman.
"While on the way back, I noticed the Praetorians entering the dome to keep the hostages company. If any of them dares to rebel, they'll put them in their place." A man with spiky bright purple hair and green scaly skin said with his arms folded. He wears a pair of black goggles over his forehead, a mask made of a long white cloth around his eyes, a sleeveless light grey vest with a sleeveless white shirt with blue polka dots underneath it, black wristbands around both wrists, two brown belts with silver buckles around his waist, dark grey pants, white knee guards and black boots.
"They wouldn't rebel, Spinner. They have no magic like us." A female demihuman standing beside Arlene on her right replied as she stuffs her hands in her pockets. She has long white hair that goes down to her back, a pair of large yellow horns growing out from her forehead and curved upwards, light grey skin and wears a black tank top, a brown shoulder pad with three silver spikes over her left shoulder, a brown belt with a gold buckle around her waist, light blue tattered jeans, and brown boots.
"Don't underestimate them, Caitlin." A male demihuman who stands beside Spinner on his left replied. He has a pair of antler horns on his bald head, brown skin, and wears glasses, a dark blue long-sleeved jacket with a black shirt underneath it and a yellow tie around its collar, a black belt with a silver buckle, dark blue pants, and black leather shoes. He adjusts his glasses as he said, "There's gotta be a reason why these humans have not been controlled by anyone else throughout their lifetime."
"Probably because they are the only existing race in this world. Tch, how disgusting." A male demihuman standing beside the half-deer demihuman snorted as he turns his head away from him and the others. He is barefooted and hunched over, has light blue hair and wolf ears, a light blue tail on the back of his waist, and wears dark grey pants and a light blue long-sleeved jacket that is left unbuttoned, exposing his muscular chest and abdomen.
"Enough." Arielle said to her comrades sternly. "We have plenty of time to debate after we finished the third and final phase of our plan." She turned to the half-cat demihuman. "Giuseppe, make contact with the Magic Council in Era."
"Got it." Giuseppe said as he waves his left arm and summons a large screen and keyboard in front of him. As he types rapidly on the keyboard, Arielle turns to the half-deer and half-wolf demihumans.
"Charles, Warren, keep watch of that side of the alleyway." Arielle said, gesturing them to the other end of the alleyway behind her.
"Understood." Charles said as he and Warren walk past their leader and head over to their newly assigned positions.
"Spinner, Caitlin, guard the other side." Arielle ordered them. "Keep an eye out for meddlers."
"Roger that." Spinner said as he and Caitlin nod their heads to her.
"And Arlene, get to higher ground." Arielle said to Arlene as Spinner and Caitlin turn around and walk away.
"You got it." Arlene replied to her leader with a salute before she spreads out her arms and bat wings underneath them. She briefly kneels and leaps herself into the air to glide up to the rooftop of one of the buildings on the side of the alleyway. As Arielle turns to Giuseppe and watches him, she places her hands behind her back.
'Soon Laurent…the humans of Petunia will receive our retribution.'
After Xavier, Xerxes, Ximena and Mike reveal to Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Taki, Mitsuha, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia the identity of their leader and where their hiding spot is located, Judith searches through the citizen database on her tablet lacrima. The Praetorians also willingly surrender their gauntlets to them.
"There we go." Judith said as she found the portrait and information of the dark brown-haired demihuman girl they spotted on the rooftop of the Fullerton Hotel earlier. She shows her tablet lacrima to Darren, Alicia, Sheena, Taki, Mitsuha, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy and the rest of Brave Vesperia. "Her name is Arielle Dugarry. She is also a demihuman born in Petunia. This is our target."
"They also said their hiding spot is in an alleyway in Hong Kong Street. It's a road in the Clarke Quay area which is thankfully only a fifteen-minute walk from here." Darren said. But he widens his eyes when he realized that they are now in their younger forms. He groans and said disappointedly, "Or should I say, thirty-minute walk from here since we are now smaller."
"Only eight of us will be able to get out of here." Sheena said as she holds up one of the Praetorians' gauntlets. "Each demihuman has a pair of these gauntlets, but they only need to use one of them to get through the dome."
"Why does each of them have a spare gauntlet anyway if they only need one?" Lucy asked.
"Because our leader always like to keep spare items with her and her accomplices just in case things don't go the way she wants." Xerxes said to her.
"How convenient of her." Yuri remarked as he folds his arms.
"Anyways, the gauntlet can only detect the presence of its user when it is in use. So, if any of you are thinking of grabbing each other's arms and daisy chaining ourselves out of here, think again. You'll end up cutting off that person's limb once you're out of the dome." Sheena explained to everyone.
"Ugh, you just have to mention that don't you?" Darren shuddered as he grabs his wrist and moves his hand and fingers around.
"These two will definitely have to leave the dome and come along with us." Sheena said, looking at Taki and Mitsuha.
"I apologise for referring you two by your first names. But your names are Taki and Mitsuha, am I right?" Darren asked the couple.
"That's right. I'm Taki Miyamizu." Taki said as he and Mitsuha smile at him.
"And I'm Mitsuha Miyamizu. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mitsuha said as they both bow down to Darren and his friends.
"Nice to meet you too." Darren said as he and his friends bow back to them. "I'm sorry we could not find us a way out of here sooner."
"It does not matter. All I care is getting my wife fully recovered." Taki said while Mitsuha nods her head.
"I'll go along with them since I know full well where Clarke Quay and Hong Kong Street are." Darren said to his friends.
"I'll come along too." Wendy said. "That way, once we have dealt with Arielle and get my older form back, I can heal Mitsuha right away."
"Thanks, Wendy." Darren said as he and Wendy smile at each other.
"Arielle definitely won't be alone when you meet her since she still has six more accomplices with her." Alicia said as she steps forward. "I'll come along too."
"Me too." Lucy said as she places her hand on her chest.
"Me three! Let's show that Arielle girl who she's messing with!" Natsu grinned while holding up his fist.
"I wish to volunteer in helping Taki and Mitsuha too." Sheena said as she walks up to Mitsuha. "Let me make up for my carelessness."
"Arigatou, Sheena." Mitsuha smiled at her as she places her hand on her shoulder.
"The rest of us will stay here and take care of the civilians, as well as keeping an eye on the Praetorians." Erza said as she walks up to Darren while holding one of her katanas she had summoned earlier in her right hand. She holds up the katana to Darren, who solemnly bows his head to her. Darren takes the sword from her and Erza said to her former apprentice, "Good luck out there."
Karol also goes up to Alicia and hands her a spare pair of yo-yos. Alicia smiled at Karol as she takes the yo-yos from him.
"Thank you, Captain." Alicia said.
"Good luck, Alicia." Karol replied to her with a smirk before turning to Darren, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Sheena, Taki and Mitsuha. "And good luck to all of you as well."
Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, and Sheena nod back to Karol and their friends before they, Taki and Mitsuha put on their gauntlets. The eight of them walk over to the side of the dome facing the quay alongside the One Fullerton shopping centre. Natsu and Darren are the first to place their gauntlets against the dome, and to their relief, their arms phased right through it.
"Let's go, everyone." Natsu said to everyone behind him and Darren. The eight of them phase through the dome and enter the quay, with Wendy and Sheena being the last to step out of Arielle's makeshift prison.
"Follow me. I'll show you the quickest way to Clarke Quay from here." Darren ordered everyone as he now takes the lead of the small group. Taki and Mitsuha cling onto each other's hands as they follow Darren from behind. Natsu, Lucy, Alicia, Wendy, and Sheena walk behind the couple to make sure nothing bad happens to them during their journey.
After walking past a few restaurants, they turn to their right and go through a passage between both buildings that made up the shopping centre. They walk up a flight of stairs and arrived at the sidewalk along the road where the Fullerton Hotel is located at the other side. On the right side of the road is a pedestrian crossing on the left side of the Esplanade Bridge. Darren leads them to the crossing and presses the button on the pedestrian light. As everyone wait for the light to change, the Sky Dragon Slayer walks up to Mitsuha's side as she wants to converse with her and Taki.
"You two fought each other a lot back there. I hope you both didn't mean anything you say to each other." Wendy said to Taki and Mitsuha concernedly.
"Oh, don't worry. We already had that same argument back in Japan." Taki smirked as he winks an eye at her.
"Yup!" Mitsuha giggled. "And besides, even if we have our differences every now and then, we're still a couple," She and Taki smile at each other. "And a team."
"That's sweet." Lucy smiled at them.
"You two must really love each other." Alicia said. "We promise we'll save your wife, Taki."
"Arigatou." Taki said to her.
"Taki, Mitsuha, I know the current situation we are all in right now must be very sudden and scary for you two." Darren said to the couple concernedly. "You must be wondering why there is a large dome over the Merlion Park right now, why are there half-animals back there, and how my friends and I are able to fight them off. We have an explanation for all of this, but I'm concerned you wouldn't be able to digest all of it."
"Taki and I used to swap bodies with each other during our youth." Mitsuha admitted with a lopsided smirk.
"What?" Darren uttered as he, Natsu, Lucy, Alicia, Wendy, and Sheena all stare at the couple dumbfounded.
"And I once drank Mitsuha's bottle of alcohol to travel back in time and switch bodies with her one last time to work together and save everyone in Itomori before their town was destroyed by Comet Tiamat." Taki explained calmly. As everyone continue gazing blankly at them, Taki smiled cheerfully and said, "Explain everything to us along the way. We can take it."
"Uhhh, okay." Darren finally responded before the pedestrian light turns green. They all walk across the road together as Darren and his friends begin explaining their adventure back in Earth Land to the couple.
For the next ten minutes, Darren, Alicia, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy and Sheena tell Taki and Mitsuha about their adventure as they walk past the Fullerton Hotel and alongside the Singapore River. They explain to the couple how Darren, Alicia and many other people from Earth were transported to a world called Earth Land by a machine invented by Cornelia Corningston, and some of them would later be captured and recruited into her false organization called the Abbey, whose purpose is to form an all-out nationwide war in Fiore to help her gather enough souls to revive her master, Mard Geer Tartaros. Darren and Alicia were fortunate not to be found by the Abbey upon their arrival and they would later become friends with Sheena, Team Natsu and Brave Vesperia. Their meeting with the two guilds however would plunge them into a mission to save Earth Land from the Abbey and later Cornelia and Mard Geer themselves by getting the people of Mizuho to assist them in battle and borrow their sacred power known as Volt's Lightning. Although thousands of people sadly lost their lives during the war and from a mass suicide conducted by Cornelia, Fiore was eventually saved, and they used her machine to transport all the surviving people from Earth and other worlds back to their homes. To show off some of their magic to the couple, Natsu snaps his fingers to create a small flame above his fingertips while Wendy forms a small orb of wind in her hands. Taki and Mitsuha are astonished to learn the existence of other worlds beyond their solar system, as well as other human beings who possess magical and supernatural abilities.
"That's incredible." Mitsuha commented as Natsu and Wendy put out their fire and orb of wind. "I'm amazed that there is such a fascinating world out there."
"And I'm amazed Darren and Alicia can transform into such great fighters in a short amount of time." Taki added.
"Yeah, Erza is simply the best." Darren chuckled.
"And so is Judith. Earth Land may be a fascinating world, but it was also filled with danger and violence back then." Alicia said to the couple. "I could still remember how confused and afraid I was waking up in a world that I was completely unfamiliar with. Thankfully, I was found by Karol, Judith and Estelle."
"And I remember how grateful I was towards Sheena for helping me beat up some crooks who demanded money from me and gave me a place to stay afterwards shortly after arriving in Earth Land." Darren looks over his shoulder and smiled at Sheena, hoping his comments will cheer her up.
"Ah, it was nothing." Sheena grins sheepishly as she rubs the back of her head.
"It's nice that you both made so many friends in Earth Land too." Mitsuha said to Alicia and Darren as her eyes softened. "But I bet after you return home, you both feel painful believing that you will never see them again for the next 2 years and 4 months."
"It was." Alicia said grimly. "We have so many wonderful memories with our friends in Earth Land that it was hard for us to say goodbye to them."
"We know that feeling too when Mitsuha and I thought we would never see each other again for the next 5 and 8 years." Taki said.
"What makes my return home more painful is the fact that I have to travel to Tokyo and help give the Yoshimuras closure by telling them how Wataru died. Even though I was almost killed by him on several occasions during my time in Earth Land, he was still a human being who was tragically brainwashed by the enemy." Darren sighed heavily. "I have always wanted to visit Tokyo, but not like this."
"I'm sorry you could not save his life." Taki said apologetically as he places his hand on his shoulder. "But while it is good to remember your past, you also have to learn to let go of your grief. Realize that sometimes the things that you could not prevent were never your fault, because it was beyond your control. The fact that you still tried to save Wataru's life as he committed suicide shows that you truly are a good person."
Darren stares wordlessly at Taki for a moment to contemplate. "Thank you, Taki."
"You're welcome. It's something my father learnt from my grandmother-in-law to let go of his grief over the death of my mother." Taki smiled at him.
Before everyone knew it, they have arrived at Boat Quay, a historical place situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River on its southern bank. Many years ago, the place once served as a busy trading port crowded with boats and cargo ships. Merchants would place their goods such as spices and porcelain into these boats and transport them to other parts of the world. Today, the quay now serves as a pedestrian mall, with its historic shophouses now converted into restaurants, pubs, and eateries.
"Here we are. This is Boat Quay, the most iconic part of Clarke Quay." Darren said to everyone. "Once we walked through this place, we will arrive at South Bridge Road where Hong Kong Street is located."
When Taki hears Wendy breathing heavily, he turns his head to the Sky Dragon Slayer and asked, "Wendy, what's wrong?"
"I…I'm starting to feel tired from all the walking." Wendy said wearily. Taki turns and kneels to her level, gesturing her to hop on his back.
"Need a lift?" Taki asked Wendy. The Sky Dragon Slayer stare at Taki for a moment before she carefully gets on his back and wraps her arms and legs around him. He slowly gets up and wraps his arms around Wendy's legs.
"Are you sure about this?" Wendy asked.
"Don't worry. I'm a lot stronger than you think." Taki replied to her with a smirk. Wendy and everyone else smile at him before they all walk into the quay together.
As they walk through the area, they notice some of the dining patrons, who are sitting at their tables at the side of the river, looking down at their phones in shock as they read or watch the news that a mysterious dome has been formed above and around the Merlion Park. A few of them even left their tables and stand at the very edge of the river, trying to see if they can get a view of this dome from the distance of their current location.
"Looks like the news have quickly been broken out." Lucy said worriedly.
"I hope the Magic Council has a solution for all of this after we catch Arielle." Natsu said, sharing her concern.
Suddenly, Mitsuha cries in pain as she clenches her left upper arm, causing everyone else in the group to panic.
"Mitsuha!" Taki cried. He and the others widen their eyes in horror as the other half of the bite mark on Mitsuha's left shoulder is slowly reappearing.
"We don't have much time." Alicia said. Everyone nods their heads to her before they hurriedly rush through the quay and continue their journey to their exact destination.
Sovereign: I would like to thank Ushindi, AquaBluey, LayLay lives and Darth Necron for reviewing, and Crimson-Tuna-Sub for checking out my story.
Stay tune for the third and final part of the OVA!
Chapter Revised on 19th October 2021