Disclaimer: - I, UzumakiKarin3397, do not own Fairy Tail and any related matter. It all belongs to Mashima Hiro-sama. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original Spells, Magic, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.
"Speech"
Spells
Letters / Written Information
"Telepathic Speech"
Chapter 5
Over a year had passed since Jude Heartfilia visited the Dragneels in Magnolia to deliver their maids, cooks and butler. In that time, nothing major had occurred except the spreading of the knowledge about the marriage of the Heiress Heartfilia to the famed Salamander causing a stir when the Sorcerer's Weekly released the news along with the recent promotions of the Salamander and his young wife to S-Class. Another stir was caused within the Council when they got wind of the fact that Siegrain had joined Fairy Tail to be closer to his brother, Mystogan. The news had caused the old Councillors to sweat in fear at the thought of the powerhouses, Fairy Tail was now hosting. Added to the fact that Gildarts' presence was now more frequent in the Guild and with the sudden rise of Cana Alberona as an S-Class caused most of the legal and all of the Dark Guilds to shiver in fright.
As of now, Fairy Tail could boast of being the strongest with nine active S-Class Mages of which, Gildarts, Siegrain and Natsu were considered to be Wizard Saint Class, though Natsu's inclusion into that informal classification was due to the rumors that he had easily defeated Siegrain in a spar and rivalled Gildarts in sheer power. Lucy's unique use of Celestial Spirit Magic had also gained her the title of the Light of the Fairies due to the fact that once during an S-Class Quest, Lucy was forced to combine the powers of Leo with the powers of Virgo through the use of the Star Dress Mix: Leo x Virgo to take down a moderately powerful group of Dark Mages single handedly with a single spell. The legend of the Lion Maiden Spell had spread to the farthest reaches of Ishgar and beyond to the point that Lucy was now considered the very manifestation of holy light.
Wendy and Carla had also made some waves with Wendy's raw power as a Dragon Slayer and her reputation as a upcoming Enchantress with Carla's claim to fame being the fact that along with her Transformation Magic, Martial Arts and Aera, with the boosts from Wendy's various enchantments, Carla had once destroyed a whole pack of Gorians without a single help. The fact that Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Happy, Gray and Erza had formed a Team wasn't missed as well and especially not the increase in strength of Erza and Gray. Mystogan and Siegrain, while known to be loners most of the time, were also seen teaming up to take on a couple of Decades Quests from time to time.
The fact that so many powerful and destructive Mages were suddenly forming Teams had caused most of the Magic Council to try and disband Fairy Tail out of fear of the backlash of the collateral they expected from such powerful groups of Mages only for Jude to subtly threaten the Council into incaction with the fact that their corruption was well known but ignored.
Also during this year, Lucy's knowledge of Celestial Spirit Magic increased to astonishing heights allowing her to formulate a way to bring about the birth of another set of Zodiac Keys. These ones are based on the Orient Zodiac. With the Permission of the Celestial Spirit King, Lucy and Natsu set about preparing the materials required for the forging of the Orient Zodiac Spirit Keys. Unlike the Golden Keys of the Western Zodiac Spirits, the Orient Zodiac Keys were being created out of blue gold. The ritual required that Lucy gather magically charged pure blue gold and then with the help of the Twelve Zodiac Spirits, create the magic formation that was used to catalyze the ritual. In the end, twelve iridescent blue keys were formed with animal symbols on the ends of the keys. After the formation of the keys, the ritual caused the keys to glow and fly away towards their future first wielders leaving behind only two keys that came to a stop floating in front of Lucy herself. The key of the Dragon that could be used to summon the Celestial Dragon King, Shen Long and the Key of the Dog that could be used to summon the Celestial Dog Spirit, Inugami.
As the year x784 creeped closer, Lucy and Natsu started to become tense in anticipation of the future that was sure to come about soon. Their anticipation wasn't missed by those who were informed of the previous timeline, causing them to prepare for the danger that was to come. Finally, the day came when Natsu and Lucy met for the first time in the previous timeline. That very morning, Natsu heard someone mentioning that a Salamander was seen in the Town of Hargeon causing the husband and wife duo to share a look before setting off for Hargeon to take care of the imposter. Accompanying them was Happy. Erza had went out to take care of a beast terrorizing a distant village while Gray was out taking care of a Vulcan infestation on Mt. Hakobe with Macao. Wendy and Carla had just returned last night from a Quest with Team Shadow Gear that required Wendy's expertise in enchantments, so the Dragneels decided to leave them here to rest.
The train ride to Hargeon, while terrible, wasn't debilitating to Natsu due to the intense training he had forced himself to undergo in the past three years, was over far sooner than expected causing the Dragneel couple and Happy to disembark and head towards the center of town where they knew that Bora would be using the forbidden Charm Magic to enchant the young ladies into boarding his boat so that he could capture them and sell them off as slaves in Bosco.
As the trio walked up to the group of screaming women, they caught sight of Bora in the center of the group of enchanted women. Natsu was about to walk up and smack the shit out of the pretender only for Lucy to intervene. As Lucy walked up to Bora, her beauty and grace drew everyone's attention to herself, Bora included. As Lucy reached Bora, the creep didn't even hide the fact that he was checking her out. Natsu, though enraged, had to admit that the long flowing bodycon dress Lucy was wearing was meant to be eye-catching. The blue and white ensemble perfectly highlighted his wife's voluptuous hourglass figure.
"So you are the famous Salamander from Fairy Tail, huh?" Lucy asked with a husky tone, almost as if she was flirting with the creep.
Bora, not realizing that Lucy was actually mocking him, smiled in what he believed was a charming way and said, "That I am, my fair lady. May I ask who you are? I could swear that I have seen you somewhere before."
Lucy winked flirtatiously at Bora and said, "That my dear fellow is the reason why I am here. Tell me, who do you think you are? And who do you believe that I am?"
Bora didn't even think before answering, "As you know, I am the famous Salamander of Fairy Tail. Though I am at a loss as to who you are. I am sure that I have seen you before but I believe that we haven't met in person before. How about you come to my yacht this evening and we can have dinner while we get acquainted?"
Bora didn't even have a chance to react before he found himself face first on the ground with Lucy's right leg painfully crushing his spine with her heeled boot grinding on the flesh of his back causing the man to scream in pain. The gathered women were shocked at Lucy's vicious actions and were about to protest when Lucy was enveloped in golden light. When the light dissipated, Lucy was revealed to be wearing her Star Dress Mix: Virgo x Leo as golden light started glowing on the ground beneath Bora. What drew everyone's attention was the fact that Lucy's new clothes were quite classy and bejeweled with frills everywhere and detached, frilly arm sleeves. As Bora turned his head and saw Lucy, he had a flashback to reading the Sorcerer's Weekly over the last year where there was a similarly dressed blonde woman featured as the Light of the Fairies. Her face was unfortunately hidden in the shadows.
"You are—" Bora began with a nervous expression only for the crowd of women to scream in surprise.
"—The LIGHT OF THE FAIRIES, LUCY DRAGNEEL!"
Bora paled in realization that he was being confronted by a genuine Fairy Tail Mage but before he could do anything, Lucy's voice pierced through the screams of the crowd. A crisp and clear tone filled with such a cold malicious intent that Bora shivered in fear as did most of the gathered women.
"You are filth, Bora, The Prominence. Ladies, hear me out! This piece of filth is Bora, The Prominence. He is a former member of the Titan Nose Guild and was expelled for illegal activities that include the use of forbidden magic like Charm Magic to enchant young women and slave trade! He is a Dark Mage wanted by multiple countries for his various illegal activities. Even at this very moment, Bora was using Charm to enchant all of you into becoming willing victims to his nefarious trade and he was using my husband's title to attract all of you."
At Lucy's words, Bora paled as the women he had gathered around him were enraged beyond belief. Lucy ground the heel of her boot into Bora's back one more time before kicking the worthless man in between the legs. Bora released a high pitched scream as Lucy jumped back and allowed the gathered magic to erupt in a pillar of golden light.
Everyone watched in awe as the pillar of light tapered off to reveal an unconscious Bora, frothing at the mouth and most of his exposed skin carrying minor burns from the intense light and ethernano. The women stared at Lucy in shock as Natsu walked up to his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist as Lucy snuggled into his side and waited. They didn't have to wait long before a group of Rune Knights walked into the scene.
The captain of the Rune Knights stared at the scene in surprise. After seeing the power and size of the pillar of light, he expected the area to be completely trashed. Instead, he found that the area was mostly unharmed with only a large burned circle of earth being the only evidence of the spell he witnessed. In the middle of the burned circle of earth lay an unconscious body with a beautiful blonde woman and a pink haired man standing closeby, surrounded by a horde of excited yet reserved women.
"What the hell happened here?" The Captain questioned as he and two of his subordinates walked up to the unconscious Bora. The Captain subtly motioned for his two subordinates to take the unconscious Bora away as he turned to Lucy and Natsu with an expectant look on his face.
"Just taking out some trash for you, Captain." Natsu said with a cheeky grin causing the man to scowl. He instantly recognized the couple. They were being heralded as the power couple of Fairy Tail, Natsu and Lucy Dragneel. The Salamander and the Light of the Fairies. While rare now-a-days, it wasn't uncommon for a Fairy Tail Mage to cause massive devastation while dealing with a simple issue. So the Captain gave Natsu a less than impressed expression and turned to Lucy for a proper answer.
"That was Bora, The Prominence. I am sure you know that he is a wanted man in multiple countries, right Captain?" Lucy asked with a cheeky grin causing the man to scowl in annoyance but nod in agreement. Lucy smiled and said, "He was claiming to be the Salamander of Fairy Tail in an attempt to gather his next batch of slaves. These women were being enchanted with Charm Magic. I didn't like the fact that he was smearing the name of my husband through the mud with his actions and decided to take him out. He is all yours, Captain!"
The Captain nodded as one of his men walked up to him and confirmed that the unconscious man was indeed Bora. Nodding in appreciation to the Dragneels, the Captain said, "The bounty will be forwarded to your Guild as usual. I thank you for not destroying Hargeon."
Lucy and Natsu nodded in acknowledgement only for Happy to state, "What about Bora's yacht? He did try to invite Lucy to his yacht tonight. I am sure that he was planning to set sail with his ill begotten goods in the dead of the night."
Lucy and Natsu shared a look before Natsu turned back to the Rune Knight Captain and said, "I will go and take care of the yacht. Please wait for me at the docks."
With his piece said, Natsu nodded to Lucy and walked off with Happy sitting on his shoulder. As the group watched Natsu walk away, the Captain turned to Lucy and asked, "Aren't you going to accompany him? I know that the Salamander is strong, but there are bound to be many of Bora's men on the yacht."
Lucy waved off the Captain's concern and said, "Natsu can take care of them with ease. Besides, he has Happy to back him up. I will see you later at the dock, Captain."
The Captain watched as Lucy walked away with the group of women moving aside with awed expressions. As Lucy walked away, a young white haired child rushed after Lucy, shoving her way through the group of taller women. Her blue eyes watching Lucy's back with admiration and a bit of desperation.
Lucy had walked into a small magic shop and walked up to the counter with a swagger in her steps as she noticed the young white-haired girl following behind her, trying to be subtle. As Lucy leaned on the counter and waited for the old man behind it to notice her, the white haired girl moved about the shop while looking at some of the magical items on display. Lucy smiled inwardly as she recognized the child and the keys dangling from the key ring at the girl's waist.
"Yes, may I help you?" The old man asked Lucy only for the blonde to pull out a stack of jewels from her requip space and place the bundle on the counter with a coquettish expression on her face.
"Show me all the Celestial Spirit Keys you have on hand. The price is of no consequence." The man was startled at the sight of the stack of bundled jewels before a greedy light entered his eyes as the man rushed about gathering what was asked.
The white haired girl watched in interest as the man brought out three boxes and removed the lids to reveal three keys nestled upon fluffy velvet beds. Two keys were silver and had the symbol of Canis Minor on them. The final was blue gold and hosted the image of a tiger.
"The silver keys are for Canis Minor, Nikola. They cost 20,000 jewels each. The blue gold is one of the newly discovered legendary Orient Zodiac Spirit keys, specifically the key of the Tiger. It costs 100,000,000 jewels." The man said with a greedy tone only for Lucy to frown as the little girl wilted at the quoted price.
"A hundred million jewels for the Tiger, huh?" Lucy asked with a dark expression on her face, startling both the shopkeeper and the little girl.
"Yes, mam!"
"Do you take me for a fool? I know for a fact that only three of the blue gold keys are active and only their powers are known and priced. The rest are completely unknown. Who knows if the tiger is really useful in combat or not. I offer you only ten million for the lot!" Lucy declared, causing the man to frown.
"Not possible, mam. A hundred million is the lowest I am willing to go." The shopkeeper said with a stubborn attitude only for Lucy to smile enigmatically.
"And what about all the banned magics and items you have in your store? What of them? Do I need to inform the Magic Council?" Lucy said with a surprisingly vicious grin causing the man to sweat in fear.
Trying to play innocent, the man said, "I don't know what you mean, mam. I do not deal in banned magic and items. This is just a small magic shop for travelling mages. I don't have much to offer for most."
Lucy nodded in mock agreement and said, "Then you must have not realized that you sold Bora a Charm Magic ring. I hope the Council is as understanding as me. Now my price is final. Take it, or leave it. Besides, I know for a fact that the key came to you just by luck."
"And how would you know that, mam?" The shopkeeper asked with a nervous frown.
"Because I was the one who performed the ritual to create the Orient Zodiac Keys with the help of my twelve Golden Zodiac Spirits and with the permission of the Spirit King. I could have kept all twelve keys instead of allowing them to fly away to await their first wielders." Lucy stated in a matter-of-fact tone as Leo appeared in a flash beside her with a deep scowl on his face.
"You are quite the fiend. Trying to cheat my mistress!" Loke said with a dark glare causing the man to shiver in fright at the sudden appearance of the powerful Zodiac spirit in his shop.
"Alright! Just take them and go. I will take the offered ten million!" The man said as he took the stack of jewels, which surprisingly amounted to exactly ten million jewels. Lucy quickly took the three keys and turned around to leave. The white haired girl watched Lucy before making to follow her when Loke approached her and patted her on top of her head and said, "My, aren't you the cutest little Celestial Spirit Mage. What's your name, child?"
"Yukino Agria, sir!" The white haired child asked with wonder in her eyes as she spoke to the arguably strongest of the Golden Zodiac Spirits.
"Nice to meet you, Yukino. Why don't you come with us? My mistress wishes to talk with you." Loke said as he offered his hand for Yukino to take.
The young girl shyly took Loke's proffered hand in her own small ones and followed the spirit to where Lucy had decided to have lunch. A small and cosy diner that served some of the best fish stews in Earthland, or at least according to Happy, it served some of the best.
Yukino shyly took a seat opposite Lucy and fidgeted as Lucy called over a waitress and proceeded to place her order. Much to her surprise and embarrassment, Lucy decided to order a dish of Hargeon Sea Bass Stew with garlic bread for Yukino, herself even before the young girl could protest.
As the waitress left, Lucy turned her attention to Loke and said, "Thank you for the help, Loke. Tell Virgo to send out the information. I didn't expect the rumors to be true."
"Most of the time, rumors about such small shops are true, Lucy. Well, see you later and make sure that Natsu doesn't burn down Hargeon. I don't think even your father could help out in that case."
Lucy laughed out in mirth and said, "I am sure it won't be that bad, Loke. I am more afraid of what Happy will do. Who would have expected him to become such a powerhouse."
"I surely didn't expect such an outcome." Loke said with a chuckle before disappearing in a flash of golden light, leaving the two Celestial Spirit Mages alone with each other.
Silence dominated the duo as they waited for their orders to arrive. As soon as it did, both dug in as the oppressive silence seemed to get thicker with each passing second. After what felt like hours, Lucy finally looked up and addressed Yukino.
"Yukino Agria, right?"
Yukino's eyes widened in surprise as she asked, "How did you know my name?"
"Leo told me through our link, but that's beside the point. May I ask why you were following me? I don't think you are a Dark Mage, so I doubt it's for revenge. So what are your intentions?" Lucy asked, intimidating the young girl with her posh attitude.
Yukino gulped down her nervousness and said, "I saw how easily you defeated Bora and it is said that you are the strongest Celestial Spirit Mage. I am a Celestial Spirit Mage as well. I just wanted to ask you for some help in getting strong like you so that I could search for my sister, Sorano."
"And what happened to your sister?" Lucy asked with curiosity even though she already knew the answer.
"We used to live in Rosemary Village. We were very young when a group of Dark Mages attacked the village and dragged away many of the villagers with them, while killing the rest. My sister was one of the villagers dragged away by the cult. I just want to be strong enough to find out what happened to her." Yukino said with a pale face as she recalled the horrific events of her past.
Lucy smiled emphatically and said, "I have a friend who used to live in Rosemary Village before she was dragged away by the very same cult. I am sure that Erza could answer some of your questions about your sister. Why don't you come back with me to Fairy Tail? We accept everyone with open arms. That is unless you would rather not join Fairy Tail."
Yukino was startled at the offer before she smiled and said, "I would be honoured to join Fairy Tail, mam!"
"Lucy! Just call me Lucy. How many Zodiac Keys do you have, Yukino?" Lucy asked with curiosity, causing the white haired girl to pull up her key ring and reveal the silver key of the Bear Cub, the silver key of the Swan and surprisingly the blue gold key of the Rooster.
"Interesting keys you have. Polaris and Deneb are quite useful. If you are able to bond with them enough to use Star Dress, then I am sure the outcome would be quite surprising. As for the Rooster, Shang Yang. If I am not mistaken, his magic deals with the elements of the storm. Quite a powerful Spirit as well and with a great deal of potential uses. You have a bright future in front of you, Yukino." Lucy said with a smile before she took out two keys and handed them over to Yukino. One was of Nikola and the other was the Black Key of Ophiuchus. "Ophiuchus has been with me for three years but I know that he isn't truly happy with me as his mistress. Take good care of him, Yukino."
"Lucy? Why?" Yukino asked with surprise only for Lucy to smile reassuringly and state, "Because I have decided to take you on as my apprentice. It is only right that I give you a gift in honor of becoming my first and only pupil."
"Thank you, Master!" Yukino exclaimed with joy as she clutched the two keys to her heart before quickly placing them into her key ring before returning to her meal with gusto. Lucy watched the young girl with a smile as she remembered the strong yet kind mage she had become in the past timeline. Promising herself that Yukino would become greater than her counterpart, Lucy returned to her meal as she waited for Natsu and Happy to appear.
Evening was approaching as Lucy and her newly accepted apprentice walked towards the harbour. As they walked in silence, Yukino and Lucy felt a massive heat wave wash over them from the pier holding Bora's yacht. Both watched as the whole boat was set ablaze with golden flames and reduced to ashes while the flames curled around multiple unconscious men and women and with the gentle caress of a lover, laid the women on the pier while throwing the men with great force.
Shaking her head, Lucy smiled and muttered to herself, "You really have changed, Natsu. I remember how destructive you once were. Now look at you."
"Did you say something, Master?" Yukino asked with curiosity as she and her master reached the pier where a squad of Rune Knights rushed about arresting the men and checking up on the unconscious women with Natsu and Happy standing at the edge of the pier and staring out at sea in the direction of the Kingdom of Alvarez.
Lucy shook her head and said, "No, just talking to myself. Follow me, Yukino. I will introduce you to my husband and his Exceed partner."
Yukino blinked in surprise at the sudden declaration of her new master but like a good disciple, Yukino followed Lucy without complaint, even though she was quite nervous to meet the famed Salamander, rumored to be as hot-tempered as his flames.
"Natsu, Happy! Look what I picked up!" Lucy called out as she and Yukino were walking down the pier towards Natsu and Happy.
Natsu and Happy turned towards Lucy as the former smiled widely and the latter stared at Yukino with a confused expression on his blue cat face. "Lucy! You missed the party. I was sure that you and Aquarius would have loved to drown these idiots. And hi, little girl. Who might you be?"
Yukino blinked at the sudden change of subject as Lucy was barely phased by Natsu's random change of subject and said, "Aquarius and I will have to take a pass on this opportunity and this is Yukino Agria. She is also a Celestial Spirit Mage and my first true apprentice. She is going to be living with us while working as a Fairy Tail Mage. I hope that's not a problem, Natsu."
"The more, the merrier, Luce. Besides, Abraham and Virgo would love another person to look after. Nice to meet you, Yukino. Just call me Natsu and this fish loving Exceed is Happy." Natsu greeted with a highly cheerful and infectious smile, causing Yukino to start smiling as well.
"Nice to meet you as well, Natsu-san. I will be in your care for the foreseeable future as I study and train under Master." Yukino said politely.
Natsu waved off her polite words and said, "No need to be so polite, Yukino. Both myself and my wife hate formalities unless absolutely necessary. Just call me Natsu."
Yukino nodded in acknowledgement as Happy waved in greetings before taking out a fish from his sack and started to munch on it without a single care in the world. Yukino was surprised at the behaviour of the small blue cat but decided to ignore it in favor of listening to what Lucy began to say.
"Alright boys! Time for some new rules. Yukino is going to be staying with us, so I expect that neither of you bother her. That means you, Happy!" Lucy said with a playful glare causing the blue Exceed to whine in protest.
"But Wendy doesn't say that I bother her!"
"Carla does and that's enough for me to warn you. Now, Yukino, there are some rules that are specifically for you. First of all, we have a young adopted daughter living with us. She is a bit shy and needs a friend. I hope that you both will get along. Second, no casting magic in the house. Third, no experimentation or spars without adult supervision. And finally, respect the privacy of everyone in the house. Is that clear?" Lucy said with a smile.
Yukino nodded in acquiescence and said, "As you command, Master!"
Lucy nodded with a pleased smile before turning around and walking away with Yukino, Natsu and Happy following the blond Celestial Spirit Mage back to the Train Station and the very next train back to Magnolia and Fairy Tail.
Yukino stood at the entrance of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall with a nervous smile as Lucy stood beside her. Natsu and Happy had decided to head home and have the servants prepare a room for Yukino, stunning the young Celestial Spirit Mage at the fact that her new Teacher and her husband lived in a large mansion and was quite rich.
"Nervous, Yukino?" Lucy asked with a smile causing the platinum haired girl to take a loud gulp and nod in agreement. Lucy laughed and with a gentle pat on the girl's shoulder, said, "So was I. Now let's head inside and get you registered. What do you say?"
Yukino nodded in silence and was about to open the doors to the Guild and enter when Lucy stood in front of her and said, "Let me go in first. The Guild is well known for sudden guild wide brawls. All in good fun, but dangerous to the unsuspecting."
Yukino blinked at Lucy's words as the elder Celestial Spirit Mage pushed the doors open and strode in with her head held high and body tense to react at the slightest hint of danger. Yukino followed her new Teacher, trying to stick close to Lucy in hopes of being protected from sudden attacks such a chaotic brawl tends to be filled with.
It was a good thing that Yukino was cautious enough to follow in Lucy's footsteps as the Master-Disciple pair had barely entered the Guild Hall when a chair flew towards them. Yukino flinched at the sudden assault but Lucy's lips barely twitched as she glowed with a golden light before it dissipated to reveal her to be wearing an elegant kimono with fur lining and a hairband with floppy dog ears in her flowing blond hair and traditional zori and tabi combo on her feet. Star Dress Inugami, the manifestation of the power of the Orient Dog Zodiac Spirit. A golden glow suffused the pair just as the chair crashed into them. In a flash of golden light, the chair was repulsed from them and crashed into the back of a heavily muscled, white haired man, sending the man to the ground.
Everyone froze at the sight of the chair crashing into the white haired man and the bright flash of golden light. Mechanically turning to the source of the flash, most of the Guild Mages gulped at the sight of a glowering Lucy, but before they could react, Lucy was again engulfed in a flash of golden light as her ensemble changed into that of an exotic dancers, with her hair cascading down her back and weaved with golden chains.
"SHIT! That's Star Dress Libra!" Evergreen exclaimed just as Lucy's smile gained a sudden malicious curve as the blond bombshell of a Celestial Spirit Mage channeled the powers of Libra to ensnare the brawling mages in a super heavy gravity well, causing all of them to fall and crash into the ground with pained groans.
"What the hell is wrong with you all? The moment Erza or I are gone, you all start brawling without a care. The chair could have easily harmed an unsuspecting mage let alone a client coming to visit the guild to directly register a quest. Have some sense of control!" Lucy growled out as she glared at all the downed mages.
Before Lucy could continue with the scolding, a white haired woman, a couple of years her senior, walked up to her in a tight fit gothic design black dress with wavy platinum locks and black liner and eyeshadow highlighting her baby blue eyes. The woman placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder and with a smile, said, "Calm down, Lucy. It was just like another guild brawl. Only, this one got a bit out of hand. No need to be so draconian."
Lucy smiled at the woman and said, "Normally, I would have just ignored the brawl, Mira. You know that. But I will step in if I see that it is getting out of hand and you have to admit that it got way out of hand when Elfman decided to suddenly throw the chair at someone in the direction of the doors."
Mira was about to argue when she noticed Yukino hiding behind Lucy and shuddering in nervous anticipation. Realizing that the reason Lucy was so annoyed was the fact that the chair could have hurt the child following her friend, Mira suddenly gained a hard glare in her eyes as she noticed the similarities between her own little sister and the young child following Lucy. Turning on her heel, Mira strode up to Elfman and dragged her brother towards Lucy and throwing the shivering man at the blond's feet, hissed out, "Apologize to the child for scaring her, Elfman!"
Lucy released everyone from her spell as she noticed that Yukino's striking resemblance to Lisanna had awakened Mira's legendary protective instinct geared towards her siblings. Giggling, Lucy moved to the side to allow everyone to see Yukino for the first time. Everyone noticed the resemblance but Elfman was the only one who was strongly affected at the sight of Yukino.
"I am so sorry for scaring you, kid. I didn't expect Jet to duck underneath the chair. Normally, he just takes the hit!" Elfman said only for Mira to growl in annoyance at her brother's less than tactful apology.
Turning to Yukino, Mira smiled and said, "Hello, I am Mirajane Strauss and this is im idiotic little brother, Elfman. Nice to meet you."
Yukino looked up at Mira's smiling face with a start before she remembered her manners and with a bow, introduced herself. "Nice to meet you Mira-san! I am Yukino Agria and I am a Celestial Spirit Mage like Master Lucy!"
Everyone blinked at the girl's declaration as the words slowly sunk in. It took a moment before Cana burst out in laughter and said, "Damn, Lucy! I didn't take you for the kind to take on an apprentice. And what a polite little girl as well. The names Cana Alberona, kid. I am sure that you will have a great deal of fun here."
"Nice to meet you, Yukino. Would you like something to eat?" Mira asked as Lisanna made an appearance from behind the bar counter where the door to the Guild Kitchen rested. Lisanna was stunned at first at how similar Yukino looked to herself, but ignored her shock in favor of meeting the young girl.
"Ah~ How about a slice of chocolate cake?" Yukino asked with uncertainty.
Mira and Lisanna smiled as the former chirped out a cheerful, "Alright then~!"
As Mira headed to the kitchen to prepare Yukino's requested beverage, Lisanna guided the young white haired girl to the bar and took a seat across from her as Lucy headed up to the second floor and the Guild Master's office.
Yukino watched Lucy's retreating back with a nervous smile as Lisanna asked, "So, how did you meet Lucy?"
Yukino blinked in surprise before she began the tale of how she saw Lucy take down Bora with ease and then of herself following Lucy before the elder Celestial Spirit Mage noticed her and how Leo appeared and guided Yukino into having lunch with Lucy where Lucy offered to take her under Lucy's own wings. As Yukino finished her story, Mira, having returned with the slice of chocolate cake, had joined her little sister with the young Celestial Spirit Mage at the bar when Lucy returned with Makarov.
"So this is the child you spoke off, Lucy?" Makarov asked as a scrutinizing gaze flicked over Yukino making the girl feel very uncomfortable for a moment as Lucy nodded in agreement.
"Yes~! This is Yukino Agria and she is my first apprentice." Makarov nodded in acknowledgement before he smiled at Yukino and said, "Welcome to Fairy Tail, my dear. We here at Fairy Tail consider everyone as family. So in joining Fairy Tail, you're not only joining a Mages Guild, but also a family. If you have any questions about the rules of the Guild, just ask your Master or in case of her absence, ask Mira, Lisanna or myself. The second floor is off limits to all non-S-Class Mages of the guild, so please do not go up stairs unless a S-Class Mage invites you. Now have fun!"
With his piece said, Makarov turned and left as Mira vaulted over the bar counter and began to rummage in one of the drawers in search of the guild stamp. After a few moments of searching, Mira finally found the stamp. With a triumphant grin, Mira held up the stamp only for Lisanna to snatch the offending item away with a giggle as the younger Strauss sister turned to Yukino and asked, "Where and what color?"
Yukino blinked in surprise as Mira pouted at Lisanna for taking the stamp away before Yukino smiled shyly while pulling up the edge of her green top and revealing her left waist. "Here and in baby blue!"
Lisanna smiled as she gently placed the stamp on Yukino's left waist and activated the device causing a blue glow to emanate from the edges of the device before Lisanna took away the stamp to reveal the Fairy Tail Guild Mark stamped in baby blue resting on Yukino's slender waist.
"Congratulations, Yukino! Welcome to Fairy Tail." Lisanna smiled at the young girl causing Yukino to blush and nod as Mira and Lucy also congratulated the young girl before Lucy finally stood up and beckoned for Yukino to follow her. The young platinum haired Celestial Spirit Mage, having just finished with her slice of chocolate cake, followed without complaint but not before waving her farewell to Mira, Lisanna and the rest of the Guild – all of whom watched the young girl with curiosity.
As Lucy and Yukino left the Guild, Cana turned to her right and addressed the blond childlike apparition with a grin, "Didn't expect Lucy to run into her of all people, did you, First Master?"
Mavis shook her head but smiled nonetheless and said, "It was not in my calculations but it is good that Lucy found her. I think that the child will grow to be a formidable Mage under Lucy's tutelage. Afterall, Lucy is the only Celestial Spirit Mage in history to be able manifest and channel the powers of the Zodiac Spirits through her own body as Caster Magic."
"Not to mention the fact that Lucy was the one who created the keys for the Orient Zodiac Spirits. Shen Long must be as powerful as Acnologia to be so easily able to defend against Natsu and his Dragon God King Mode. Lucy can be considered to be the only person to have truly mastered Celestial Spirit Magic." Levy McGarden said as she looked up from her book on runes that Mavis herself had recommended the Solid Script Mage.
"I have to agree that the Orient Zodiac are just as powerful if not more so than the Western Zodiac Spirits. Still, did none of you notice that the child already has the key of the Rooster and the Black Key of Ophiuchus?" Mavis asked the two girls, causing Levy and Cana to widen their eyes in shock.
"Didn't Lucy say that the Blue Gold Keys would seek out the best candidates for their first masters and that they would test the worthiness of their selected candidates before forming the contracts?" Cana asked with a nervous smile.
Levy and Mavis nodded before the latter said, "Lucy said that the Rooster, Shang Yang would be the most harsh after the Tiger, Baihu and the Dragon, Shen Long. Shen Long's test would be mental, Baihu's test would be physical and Shang Yang's would be spiritual. From what I can gather, the tests aren't as simple as they sound."
"Spiritual Test? Does that mean a Test of Character?" Cana asked with confusion evident on her face.
"Must be, because that is the only thing I can think of that a Spiritual Test would entail. Unless the strength of will is also important." Mavis said before she stood up and with a slight wave disappeared, leaving behind to pensive Mages.
Wendy was lying on the settee with Carla when Lucy and Yukino entered the living room with Virgo suddenly appearing in a flash of golden light. Wendy sat up while Carla just yawned before rolling over with a lazy wave of her paw.
"Is this your new Apprentice, mama?" Wendy asked with a small smile, boldly calling the slightly older woman mother without any discomfort.
"Yes Wendy! This is Yukino Agria. Yukino, meet Wendy, my adoptive daughter." Lucy said with a smile as she gently pushed Yukino forward.
Seeing the welcoming smile on Wendy's face, Yukino smiled in return and offered her hand to Wendy for a handshake. The budding Enchantress clasped the offered hand in her own dainty little one and shook before releasing Yukino's hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Yukino. I am Wendy Dragneel and the lazy white cat is Carla. I hope we can be friends."
Yukino nodded with a smile and said, "So do I, Wendy. What kind of magic do you use? I use Celestial Spirit Magic."
"Dragon and God Slayer Magics. To be specific, Sky Dragon and Sky God Slayer Magics along with Healing Magic, Enchantment, Advanced Enchantment and High Enchantment, though highly susceptible to failure for Advanced and High Enchantment." Wendy said with a smile.
Yukino was a bit surprised at the varied and rare magics Wendy practiced but decided to ignore it in lieu of gushing over the fact that Wendy had gained quite a name for herself and was quite accomplished as an Enchantress. Yukino had read about her new friend and her prowess in Sorcerer's Weekly.
"That is so cool. It seems that your reputation is well deserved, Wendy. I hope I can be a tenth as good a mage as you." Yukino mused with a small depreciating smile causing Wendy's smile to falter a bit as Lucy placed a reassuring hand on Yukino's shoulder and said, "I am sure that you will be a great mage, Yukino. Everyone is different, so it is wrong to compare yourself with someone else. Everyone has a different growth curve. Do not try and force yourself to be someone you are not, Yukino. Believe me, it is the worst thing you can do to yourself."
Wendy looked up at Lucy with admiration in her expressive brown eyes as Yukino looked up at Lucy's smiling face and simply nodded in acknowledgement before Virgo finally spoke up.
"Princess, dinner is nearly ready. You and your young apprentice would please refresh yourselves, while I have the maids set up the formal dining room."
Lucy nodded in acknowledgement but not before stating, "Use the informal dining room if you please, Virgo. I would prefer to not have dinner there if it is not necessary."
Virgo nodded in acknowledgement as she walked away with a small smile gracing her usually stoic face as Lucy addressed Wendy and Carla. "Have you both had your bath?"
Wendy nodded in agreement as she said, "Carla and I had a long soak in the Ōnsen before papa and Happy returned. We were just lazing around, while waiting for dinner to be ready."
Lucy nodded with a smile as she clasped a hand on Yukino's shoulder and proceeded to guide the young girl out of the living room and towards the Ōnsen as a brunette maid joined them while carrying some dresses for the Master-Apprentice pair..
Dinner was a silent affair as Yukino was overwhelmed by the sheer opulence she was witnessing. The mahogany dining table and chairs were luxurious as were the silverware – made of real silver. Yukino had never seen such opulence, not even when she was serving as a child servant to an old widowed duchess who taught her the basics of Celestial Spirit Magic and then gifted her with Deneb's key. Lucy and Natsu were in a completely different league to her old mistress.
As for the Dragneels, there was no need for speech during dinner. Over the past year, it has become a habit to quickly eat dinner in silence before spending some time digesting the fine meals while resting in front of the fireplace and spending time as a family, discussing inconsequential things. While it was the norm for the Dragneels, to Yukino it was awkward, especially with all the maids and the butler standing ready to serve at a moment's notice.
After dinner, Wendy led Yukino to her new bedroom, which was consequently directly opposite Wendy and Carla's room. After helping the young Celestial Spirit Mage settle in for the night, Wendy herself turned in as Carla sat down with the Dragneel Couple and Happy to discuss a vision that she recently had before the white Exceed herself turned in for the night, careful not to accidentally awaken her roommate and best friend.
As the Dragneel Couple cuddled in their bed, Lucy and Natsu discussed Carla's vision and what it could mean. As far as Lucy and Natsu were concerned, Carla witnessed what was inevitable. The Quest to Galuna Island, but some of the details were a bit concerning. As the night deepened, the couple snuggled closer to each other and drifted off to sleep with worried thoughts floating about within their heads.
A/N:-
Hi Guys, UzumakiKarin3397 here again! I Hope you like this new chapter and remember to review!
OR AN EXTREMELY POISONOUS SCORPION WILL CRAWL UP YOUR FACE AND STING OUT YOUR EYES! ;p
KARIN