Well, I have good and bad news.
Good news for me, no surgery any time soon, but possibly later next year, so, I can write uninhibited from this point on.
Bad news… well, it is bad news for this story, but good news for another… I finally found some time to play Arkham Knight, after my PS4 got stolen and had the best idea ever for A Man's Heart.
After all, there were two main twists to the game, one I saw coming a mile away: who the Arkham Knight was, which also gave me an idea for Wheel of Fortune, which I will get to after my AMH inspiration wears off… and the other, which I didn't see coming, but enjoyed immensely.
It also made me realise, that for the same reason it was done in the game, I like having an internal voice in the head of my MC, in all of my stories because of the unique view it provides into a characters psyche.
Oh, and that being said, if you didn't find Harley Quinn at least a little bit attractive in the game, you're probably batting for the other team. I cracked up laughing, before giving a sad sigh, when I saw a comment from someone on a video, saying that that was the reason their girlfriend banned them from playing the game…
The bad news for this story, manifests its part, in the fact that this means, I will take a break from this story, after next chapter, before the Tower of Heaven arc gets under way. I really want to take my time with the arc and explore the other characters around Natsu for a bit and how they've been responding to the recent changes I've implemented.
In addition to that, next chapter, you will start to see me veer off the canon track, as to how future developments will carry out, namely for the Oración Seis arc, but also, for how things will go down at the tower, as well as a few nods, to what may differ on Tenrou Island, when I get to it.
Back to the other stories yet to be updated… I haven't forgotten about them and I will update them soon… but, if there is something I've learned this year, once a good dose of inspiration kicks in, I can write thousands of words easily and churn out chapter after chapter, so I really think I should seize on this while I can.
Also, next chapter is done as well, so it will be up soon, after I look it over and then, I will move on to A Man's Heart. For now though, enjoy the chapter.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.
'Talking'
"Thinking"
*expression*
Flashback
Techniques
Chapter 5 – Making Waves
As Mira and Juvia comfortably sat on the train, as it carried them to their destination, Natsu was sticking his head out the window, trying to keep his stomach inside him.
'So, Juvia, what is the job?' Asked Mira pleasantly, from beside Natsu, snapping Juvia's attention to her.
'Eh, oh, yes, the job is to recover an artefact from some ruins.' Answered Juvia, looking away from Natsu, to the white-haired girl beside him.
'I see, well, with Natsu's nose, this should be rather straight forward.' Said Mira thoughtfully.
'Yes, Dragon Slayers are very good trackers. Juvia recalls a few missions with Gajeel involved in finding lost items.' Said Juvia.
'Hmm, it is a shame what happened to your guild. Jose really did take things too far, so only he is to blame, I suppose, but it is a shame for the rest of you.' Commented Mira.
'Yes, Juvia is quite regretful of Juvia's former guild's actions. Juvia feels responsible, since Juvia was the one to capture Lucy.' Said Juvia, somewhat sadly, causing Natsu to temporarily come back inside the train.
'Don't worry Juvia, a job is a job.' Said Natsu quickly, before his cheeks puffed out comically and he stuck his head back out the window.
'That's right. It was a job. Quite terrible of Jose to use it as a means to target our guild though. It also reflects poorly on Lucy's father, for simply sending people to get her, rather than finding her himself.' Added Mirajane, with a frown.
The train stopped at that point, causing Natsu to give a sigh of relief, as he brought his head back in.
'Yeah, but I don't like the idea of him wanting her, only to marry her off for money, Igneel would never do that to me.' Commented Natsu, with a frown of his own, recalling the full explanation of events he had heard afterwards, from Lucy.
'J-Juvia thought it was nice, that he was trying to find his daughter, but it seems Juvia didn't have the full story.' Said Juvia, with a hint of embarrassment.
'Well, none of us actually knew about Lucy's family, since she kept everything secret… I suppose we all have some burden we need to carry.' Said Natsu sadly.
Mira gave a sad hum at this, with Juvia also looking down in remembrance of her own troubles.
'That's what Fairy Tail is for though, a place where we can form a new family and share in each other's joy.' Continued Natsu happily.
Mira and Juvia both smiled at Natsu's words, before the train started up again and Natsu quickly stuck his head out the window.
'Ara, Natsu, how do you normally manage to ride the train with others?' Asked Mira in amusement.
'Like this…' Said Natsu weakly.
'What about Erza?' Asked Mira, her face straining as she said her rival's name.
'She knocks me… out.' Said Natsu, with a brief pause, as his queasiness intensified.
"Oh no, is there another love rival Juvia has to be worried about! Why do so many people want Natsu? Juvia has too much competition!" Lamented Juvia, misinterpreting Natsu's words.
'Does that help?' Asked Mira curiously.
'Well, I don't feel the train ride… but I don't like it very much.' Admitted Natsu.
'Juvia can help! Juvia did this for Gajeel when we were forced to take trains!' Said Juvia suddenly.
'Really? How?' Asked Natsu excitedly, as he stuck his head back in the train, only for a blob of water to engulf him, leaving only his head free.
'Juvia's water nullifies the motion sickness of the train.' Said Juvia proudly, as Natsu poked at the bubble of water surrounding his body, with his hand from inside of it.
'Hey, is this like before when you wrapped me up in that bubble of water?' Asked Natsu, before leaning over to his shoulder and taking a slurp, causing Juvia to blush.
'N-Natsu is drinking Juvia's fluids again!' Squealed Juvia in embarrassment.
'Huh, oh yeah, Happy did say something like that last time.' Said Natsu thoughtfully, as he stopped his drinking.
'How bold of you Natsu, drinking another woman's fluids.' Giggled Mirajane.
'Huh? What's that supposed to mean?' Asked Natsu in confusion.
'J-Juvia's water contains Juvia's essence in it. Essentially, Juvia is the water.' Explained Juvia shyly.
'Really? Is that why the water tastes so sweet then? You taste great Juvia!' Laughed Natsu, causing the blue haired water mage to blush, to the point that she now looked like a blue and red tomato.
'Natsu, that's quite a daring thing to say.' Said Mira in amusement.
'What do you mean? Try some for yourself, it tastes great.' Offered Natsu, causing steam to burst from Juvia's head.
'Ara, I don't think I can do something like that, Natsu.' Said Mira calmly, but there was a small blush on her face.
'So Juvia, if you are water, does that mean you can take control of all the water in the world?' Asked Natsu curiously.
'Juvia is not water, Natsu, rather, Juvia's power is the ability to control and become water. Juvia is solid normally, but can liquefy instantly.' Said Juvia, demonstrating her abilities by patting the train seat next to her, before raising her hand, which suddenly turned into a rippling current of water.
'Wow, it'd be really cool if I could turn into fire.' Thought Natsu, before feeling an odd sense of Déjà vu.
"Why does it feel like I've heard this before… why does it feel like I should already know this?" Thought Natsu in confusion.
Natsu's mind suddenly flashed back to a familiar steel room, which was flooded and saw a figure standing in the centre of it, only this time; the figure seemed to be melding with the water itself. The water was slowly shifting between liquid and solid, forming a pale person at times, before turning into water completely.
'Wake up Natsu.' Said that same voice Natsu heard last time, before he gave a small jolt.
'Sorry if Juvia startled you Natsu, but we are here.' Said Juvia, from in front of Natsu, as she made her dome of water dissipate from around Natsu.
'Uh, huh, what?' Asked Natsu in confusion.
'Well, you seemed to dose off a little, so Juvia and I let you rest. It has been a busy day for you after all, what with our mission, the Council meeting and then flying back to the guild with your magic.' Explained Mira, with a smile.
'Oh, thanks. Wait, did you say we are here?' Asked Natsu, with a yawn.
'Yep, so let's go mister.' Ordered Mira playfully, as she stood up and started to leave for the exit.
'Are you alright Natsu?' Asked Juvia worriedly.
'Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to you. Least painful train ride I've been on in my life. You need to come on all my missions, which need me to take a train from now on, Juvia.' Said Natsu happily.
Juvia's swooned at this happily.
'Of course! Juvia would be happy to!' Replied Juvia quickly, as Natsu started to stand, with Juvia quickly following suit.
'Well, let's get this mission started then!' Cheered Natsu.
As the trio made their way off the train station and into town, they noticed there seemed to be a lot of water damage to the surroundings. There were quite a few watery mud puddles and a few small shrubs had been uprooted it seemed.
'What do you think could have happened here?' Asked Natsu curiously.
'Maybe a flood.' Said Mirajane thoughtfully.
'Hope that doesn't complicate things.' Muttered Natsu.
As the trio continued to walk through the town, they noticed the people didn't look too surprised at the water damage, almost as though they were expecting it. All the houses had small fortifications around them, to withstand pressure and some even had small trenches around them.
Eventually, they reached a large house on the outskirts of the town, which was where their client was. Juvia politely knocked on the door and the trio waited for someone to answer.
'Oh, are you the mages?' Asked a rather short woman, reaching only to Natsu's elbow. She had blonde hair tied into twin ponytails, blue eyes and a very pale complexion. Her build was not overly curvaceous like Juvia or Mira's, but it held a modest appeal to it.
'Yes. Those two are Natsu and Juvia and I'm Mirajane.' Said Mira, introducing their group.
'Ah, I'm Umi, thank you for taking my request, please, come in.' Said Umi, before ushering the trio into her home.
Her living room was well decorated with pictures, showing various artefacts and rare creatures. She led the trio to a rather luxurious auburn couch, before seating herself in an arm chair.
'Before I begin, would you like some tea?' Offered Umi.
The three politely shook their heads, which caused Umi to continue speaking.
'I see, in that case, I'll get straight to it. You see, if you didn't notice from the pictures on the walls, I'm a treasure hunter and a rather good one, if I do say so myself.' Started Umi.
It was clear from her tone, that Umi held herself in high regard, but not overly so to the point of being obnoxious.
'Anyway, I've scoured the lands for numerous treasures and been successful in almost every endeavour, however, in my most recent one, I'm experiencing some difficulty.' Confessed Umi in disappointment.
'What sort of difficulty?' Asked Natsu.
'I'm sure you noticed the water all across town on your way here, correct?' Questioned Umi, getting nods from the trio.
'Well, to explain the flooding, I'll explain the artefact I'm seeking. Not too far out of town, about two kilometres north from here, there is a rather large and also very deep, lake. However, what interests me, is what lies below the lake. There are the ruins of a temple, hidden under the lake and rather difficult to gain access to at that, however, during one of my trips down to them, I noticed something.' Continued Umi.
'Wait, you went to the bottom of a deep lake for treasure hunting? How long can you hold your breath for?' Asked Natsu in shock.
'Not very long actually, but the lake is not always there.' Explained Umi, confusing the trio.
'You see, the lake only appears during the day, once the sun sets, the lake slowly dries up, to the point, that by early morning, there is no lake at all and the ruins are easily reachable.' Finished Umi.
'So what seems to be the problem then?' Pressed Natsu.
'I said they are easily reachable, not accessible. As the water dries up, a stone panel comes down and blocks the entrance. I've calculated every possible time and I could only ever find a brief, four-minute window, at which point I could get into the ruins and still be able to leave them. Nowhere near enough time to investigate them fully.' Sighed Umi in annoyance.
'In the few times I managed to enter the ruins, I found that they hold an ancient treasure, known as the Eye of the Storm, a magnificent sapphire ball, with a diamond embedded in the centre. Alas, I've never been able to properly search the ruins to find it. At one point, I considered simply staying in the ruins when they became inaccessible and simply leave the next day, but when I set a camera inside, I saw that the ruins themselves, also flooded, along with the lake. It is quite infuriating.' Griped Umi, as she pulled on her twin tails in annoyance.
'Hmm, in that case, this seems like the perfect job for Juvia.' Said Mira thoughtfully.
'Is that so?' Asked Umi curiously.
'Yes, Juvia is able to transform into water and can breathe under it indefinitely. Juvia will get you your treasure.' Said Juvia, raising her right hand and liquefying it briefly to show her ability.
'Excellent! This is excellent! If you can get me the jewel in the next twenty-four hours, I'll triple the reward!' Exclaimed Umi in excitement.
'T-triple.' Stammered Juvia in shock.
'Hmm, what's wrong Juvia, is that a lot?' Asked Natsu curiously.
'The original request had a reward of one million jewels.' Said Juvia.
Natsu blinked for a minute, before his eyes widened in shock.
'Three million jewels! Lady, you must be loaded!' Shouted Natsu in disbelief.
'Well, I am an expert treasure hunter. This house alone cost five million and it is the fifteenth house I own.' Explained Umi proudly, puffing out her chest.
'Good thing we didn't bring Happy with us then, he'd probably ask you to adopt him. You could buy him every fish in the world.' Said Natsu, with a chuckle.
-line break-
Back in Natsu's and Happy's house, a small blue furred creature twitched.
'Fish…' Mumbled Happy longingly, before wincing, as the image of a Winged Fish appeared in his mind.
'Ahh! No more fish please Mira!' Shouted Happy, sitting up on the couch quickly.
-line break-
'Hmm, maybe.' Said Mira, giving a small giggle.
'In any case, my offer stands and I'm a woman of my word, if you can get me the jewel before this time tomorrow, I'll triple the reward.' Repeated Umi, getting a nod from the trio.
'Not to worry, Juvia will do this even before twelve hours have passed.' Said Juvia determinedly, before the trio were led to the front door and bade goodbye to Umi, before heading to the lake.
'So, I know Juvia will be able to go there just fine, but what about us?' Asked Natsu, looking down at the lake, which was about three quarters full at this point.
'Not to worry, Juvia can fix this.' Said Juvia quickly, before producing a bubble of water, which had lots of little bubbles inside it.
'Anyone can breathe under water, with one of Juvia's water bubbles. They contain oxygen in them that can last for hours.' Explained Juvia proudly.
'Cool!' Exclaimed Natsu in excitement.
After Juvia had created two bubbles, one for both Mira and Natsu, the three dived into the water and swam down towards the ruins. As the trio ventured down, Natsu had been slowly making his bubble shrink, by drinking it. As they finally reached the entrance, Juvia was about to say something to Natsu and Mira and turned around to do so, before freaking out when she saw Natsu.
'N-Natsu, what happened to your air bubble?' Asked Juvia worriedly.
'Um oops, guess I drank it.' Said Natsu sheepishly.
'B-but Natsu, how are you breathing underwater?' Asked Juvia tentatively.
'What do you mean? Isn't that how it works?' Asked Natsu curiously.
'Clearly not Natsu, since I still have my bubble.' Said Mira, her head, still in the bubble Juvia had created.
'Hmm.' Hummed Natsu, rubbing his jaw in contemplation.
'In that case… I have no idea how I'm breathing right now… but somehow I am.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.
'W-well, in any case, Juvia was going to recommend that Juvia go in first and have a quick look to make sure it is safe.' Said Juvia, having shook Natsu's odd ability to suddenly breath underwater, off her mind.
'Alright, we'll be waiting.' Said Natsu, with a grin.
After a minute or so, Juvia exited the ruins and signalled for Natsu and Mira to come with a wave of her arm.
'The ruins are indeed flooded, but for some reason, nothing is floating in the water. Nonetheless, Juvia thinks it is safe.' Reported Juvia.
'Alright, let's do this then!' Cheered Natsu, before they all entered the ruins.
The ruins, contrary to their name, were actually in pristine condition. No water damage, no cracks to the walls, ground, or roof and absolutely nothing was broken.
'Whoa, this place is pretty neat. This would be a great place to live.' Said Natsu in wonderment, as he looked around.
'Considering it floods every day, you think there would be at least some sort of damage.' Commented Mira appraisingly.
'Well, from the water pressure, it seems that the temple itself is actually protected by the water.' Explained Juvia.
'Hmm, that's right, it is a temple, isn't it… wait, I just realised something, Umi never told us why this place flooded.' Said Natsu.
'…You're right… I wonder why that is?' Questioned Mira.
'In any case, I don't think I'll be much help here in finding the jewel thingy, since all I can actually smell right now is water… and Juvia… that's surprising actually… must be because you use water magic that your scent isn't washed away, even if you already smell pretty similar to water in the first place.' Said Natsu.
'Really? What does Juvia smell like then?' Asked Juvia curiously.
'Hmm, well, it is kind of like honey… but with a hint of lemon for some reason. That must explain why your water always tastes really sweet and fresh.' Explained Natsu.
Juvia gave a small blush, at being reminded of what Natsu had already drank… of her.
'Juvia understands. Thank you for telling Juvia.' Said Juvia, in less embarrassment that she expected.
"Does this mean Juvia is becoming more comfortable with Natsu?" Wondered Juvia, only now noticing, just how at ease she felt around Natsu, despite her infatuation.
"Warm… and soothing." Thought Juvia, feeling Natsu's presence.
Natsu's presence was like the perfect balancer for Juvia's. While she was cool, Natsu was warm, while she was calm, Natsu was energetic. It was like they were a complete opposite of each other, thought Juvia, as the trio swam, before her mind wandered away again.
"Opposites attract!" Thought Juvia happily.
'Well, considering this is a temple, there are really only three places a treasure could be: The highest level, the lowest level or the centre.' Said Mira thoughtfully.
'I suppose we could just split up and each search a level.' Suggested Natsu.
Juvia's mind froze at the very notion of splitting up… but for entirely different reasons than what Natsu had meant.
'Juvia doesn't think that would be wise. There may be hidden traps or other dangers around. It is best if we investigate as a group. The temple isn't that large, so it shouldn't take too long even if we all search together.' Said Juvia.
'Hmm, that is a good point too.' Agreed Mira.
'Alright, so where should we search first?' Asked Natsu.
'Juvia thinks the lowest level would be best, as if this is a jewel of water and the sea, it would make sense to be there.' Said Juvia.
'Ok, looks like there are some stairs leading down off to the right.' Said Natsu, his enhanced vision picking up the sight of a way down.
As the trio made their way down, Natsu couldn't help but marvel at the place.
'I can't believe this place is in such good condition, especially considering it is always getting flooded.' Commented Natsu, appraising the walls either side of him, which were crack free.
'Maybe there is some in-built protection or repairing mechanism, which maintains everything.' Suggested Mira, looking at the walls in interest herself.
'Do you think it could be the jewel or something?' Asked Natsu curiously.
'Maybe.' Said Mira uncertainly.
'Juvia sees something in the water.' Said Juvia suddenly.
As the trio reached the bottom of the stairs, they arrived in a very small room. The room couldn't have been bigger than two cubic metres and was very bare, except for the centre of it. In the centre of the room was a small pedestal, which was actually floating in place, in the water. There was a large ornate vase on the pedestal and instead of a lid, there sat the Eye of the Storm, a magnificent sapphire ball, with a diamond embedded in the centre, just as Umi had described.
'Wow, lucky us, we found it so quickly!' Exclaimed Natsu happily.
Juvia softly made her way in front of the pedestal and reached for the jewel. She narrowed her eyes slightly when she grasped the jewel and picked it up, but nothing happened.
'I guess that's that then.' Said Mira cheerfully.
'Three million jewels just for this… this is awesome!' Cheered Natsu.
'Yes, Juvia is happy as well… although, Juvia is also slightly worried.' Said Juvia, with a small frown.
'Why what's wrong?' Asked Natsu curiously.
'This feels too easy for Juvia.' Said Juvia, revealing her thoughts on the matter.
'Well, we can always take a harder mission after this if you want.' Offered Natsu, causing Juvia to smile happily.
'Very well then, Juvia thinks it is time to leave then.' Said Juvia happily.
As the trio swam back up the stairs and made their way to the entrance of the temple, the vase that had been left behind cracked.
As the three left the temple and made their way back to the surface, the vase suddenly split down the middle.
Once the three had reached the surface and made their way back on land, with Mira taking off her water bubble which dissolved into nothing, the vase started to gain finger-like cracks, spreading from the centre outwards.
'There we go, all done, now we just take this to Umi and we are done!' Cheered Natsu, before feeling a slight tremble in the earth.
Natsu suddenly quietened down and placed his head close to the ground, confusing Mira and Juvia.
'Natsu, what are you doing?' Asked Mira, looking at Natsu oddly.
'I felt something… and now I'm hearing something… like a really soft wail.' Said Natsu, with a frown, before flinching.
Seconds after Natsu flinched, Juvia and Mira heard a high-pitched wail, which sounded somewhat muffled.
Almost instantly after Mira and Juvia heard the wail, it quickly intensified, causing Natsu to drop to his knees and grab his ears in pain.
The water in the lake started to become agitated, lapping over the lip of the basin and beginning to swirl in the middle, forming the beginnings of a whirlpool. From the centre of the whirlpool though, the water started to rise, taking shape. Mira and Juvia noticed something begin to form.
First, a vicious looking scaled head, not too dissimilar from a dragon head, formed out of the water… quickly followed by eight more. Two thick webbed wings came into sight along with a heavily spined, scaly body. Four claws started to form, each possessing three spiky projections off each claw. The water suddenly started to darken however, becoming a deep purple, before solidifying. Instead of a construct of water, a purple scaled creature, one that could only be a Hydra, was revealed. The creature was covered in purple, with darker shades of purple on its limbs and head, while its underbelly was a soft violet. It claws however, were pure black and its eyes were two pools of coal. Its long, thick, heavily spined tail twitched and Mira and Juvia both noticed the tip was not purple. It was a dark red, the colour of blood.
'Ugh, what the hell was that for?' Shouted Natsu, to the beast, having finally regained himself.
'Kreeeee!' Screeched the Hydra, irritating Natsu.
'Well too bad! Our job was to get that jewel, so it doesn't matter how you got it!' Shouted Natsu, surprising Juvia and Mira.
The Hydra screeched again, causing Natsu to narrow his eyes.
'Hey, Juvia, Mira, let me handle this, alone.' Said Natsu darkly.
'Natsu what do you mean?' Asked Mira.
'That thing just insulted me and Igneel and I don't give a rat's ass about how many mages it has killed already, I'm taking it down!' Growled Natsu.
Juvia looked at Natsu uncertainly, before glancing to Mira.
'What should Juvia do then?' Asked Juvia to Mira.
'I guess we'll just let him fight it then. It'll be good for Natsu, he hasn't really had much of a chance to let loose lately.' Sighed Mira, before leading Juvia a little bit away, which caused the Hydra to screech again.
'They aren't running! I'm going to kick your ass then we are going to calmly walk away, so bring it on fish stick!' Shouted Natsu, lighting his hands on fire.
The Hydra's throat rumbled, before launching a highly pressurised bullet of water at Natsu. Natsu dived to the side and flipped off the ground, before bringing his hands to his mouth.
'Fire Dragon's Roar!' Shouted Natsu, unleashing a wave of flames at the Hydra.
The Hydra ducked underwater, allowing it to avoid the attack, and also kicked up lots of water, which snuffed out the flames quickly.
'You think that will help you?' Shouted Natsu, before getting a running start and jumping into the water.
The two girls watched on in surprise, as they suddenly saw a burst of orange in the water, quickly followed by three of the Hydra's, ripping through the water, no longer attached to the main body, which crashed harshly into the ground around the lake.
Natsu was suddenly launched high into the air, shooting out of the water like a rocket, before the Hydra emerged from the water, now sporting twelve heads.
'You think having extra heads is going to scare me! Twelve heads are just as stupid as nine!' Shouted Natsu, causing the Hydra to screech again, before Natsu launched a large ball of fire down at the beast, sending it back into the water and kicking up a wave, which battered the nearby soil, towards the edge of the lake.
Natsu felt the air leave his lungs, as a sudden jet of water shot up at him and slammed into his stomach. The Hydra, seemingly leapt from the bottom of the lake, and swung itself around, so its tail was on a direct collision course with Natsu's body. Natsu's lungs were once again, forcefully made to expel all the oxygen in them, as the Hydra's tail slammed into his ribs. Natsu quickly regained himself though and grabbed onto the scaly appendage tightly.
'I've got you now.' Growled Natsu, before giving a mighty heave.
The Hydra's eyes widened in shock, as it felt itself being lifted up, by the tiny creature on its tail.
'Rrraghhhh!' Roared Natsu, as he hefted the massive creature up into the air, causing it to fly over his head.
'Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!' Shouted Natsu, as he ignited his fists and blasted a wave of fire from his feet to propel him up.
As the Hydra momentarily became weightless in the air, Natsu was upon it and launched a continued barrage of fiery fists, with each strike causing an explosion. Natsu finished his assault with a wicked uppercut, which launched the Hydra into the air, even higher. Natsu then quickly angled his body down and once again, shot fire from his feet, propelling him to the side this time, allowing him to land safely on land, as the Hydra plummeted to earth.
Juvia and Mira instantly grew worried, as a mass of that size hitting a body of water could cause serious damage, if not on impact, by producing a mini tsunami. However, their worries were unfounded, when the Hydra's body morphed, becoming water once again, before splashing down. True, a massive amount of water was kicked up, but it could have been much worse if it had been a solid mass that had struck the surface.
'Well, Juvia, was that still too easy for you?' Asked Natsu, with a grin, as he walked over to the two mages who had watched his fight.
'That was very impressive Natsu, I've never seen you fight like that before.' Complimented Mira.
'Thanks Mira!' Said Natsu happily, before looking at Juvia.
'What about you Juvia?' Asked Natsu, to the currently still unresponsive mage.
"Natsu is covered in water! Look at all of Natsu's muscles! Juvia doesn't think she can handle this!" Shouted Juvia internally.
'Juvia, you alright?' Asked Natsu, as he walked closer to Juvia.
"Natsu is so close to Juvia! What should I do?" Cried Juvia.
'Natsu, what were you saying to the Hydra before?' Asked Mira, distracting Natsu.
'Hmm, oh yeah, that.' Said Natsu, turning to Mira.
'He was acting all full of himself, saying that the jewel belonged to him because a few hundred years back, the people of this area gave the jewel to the Hydra, to appease it, to stop it attacking the area with floods. Then he started insulting me because I smelled like a dragon and laughed at how weak dragons were. I sure showed him though. He wasn't even an actual Hydra, just a nasty spirit, pretending to be one, that's why he turned to water after I knocked him down a few pegs.' Explained Natsu.
'Does that mean we need to put the jewel back or this will happen again?' Asked Mira in concern.
'Nope, he won't be coming back after that. Its spirit was in the vase and the jewel was keeping it there. Without the jewel, he can't keep stealing energy from the water and surroundings to sustain himself, so he's gone. Good riddance. Calling dragons fakes and then not even being real himself.' Grumbled Natsu.
'Hmm, I guess it's for the best then, if it was damaging the land.' Said Mira.
'That it was, that thing was the reason for the constant flooding too.' Said Umi, as she suddenly appeared a metre away from the trio.
'How the hell did you sneak up on me?' Shouted Natsu in shock.
'One doesn't become a master treasure hunter, without becoming incredibly light-footed. The amount of pressure sensitive traps I've avoided, just in the past year alone, would boggle your mind.' Said Umi proudly.
'Well we got you your jewel thingy anyway, pretty easily too. How did you have so much trouble?' Asked Natsu, only for Mira to playfully slap him on the shoulder.
'Natsu! That's rude. Besides, it was only thanks to Juvia allowing us to breathe underwater that we could even get in there.' Chided Mira cheekily.
'I guess…' Said Natsu uncertainly, looking at Umi in suspicion.
'Well, since there is no problem being completely upfront now… when I went inside the temple one time, I saw the warning of the water spirit, didn't really want to test my luck though.' Said Umi, before raising her hand to her mouth and laughing pompously.
'I knew it! You could have at least warned us about the spirit though, if anything, it just would have made me more excited.' Said Natsu, with a frown.
'You would be in the minority then, because when I revealed the truth before to other mages, they dropped the request.' Said Umi calmly.
'Well, they weren't Fairy Tail mages! We always get the job done!' Cheered Natsu, puffing his chest out.
'Hmm, well, I'll remember that for the future. In any case, come back to the house and I'll give you your jewels. Although, I'll be holding on to this.' Said Umi, before taking the gem from Juvia and examining it.
'Magnificent. Well, come by the house soon. I'll probably be moving somewhere else in the next day or so… unless you don't want your reward.' Said Umi cheerfully, before laughing again and walking off.
'She's weird.' Said Natsu, once Umi was no longer in view, before looking around and spotting something.
'That's weird, those heads I punched off the Hydra are still here.' Said Natsu in surprise, walking over to the three severed heads.
'Hmm, this gives me a great idea.' Muttered Natsu to himself.