A/N: This chapter is covering a period of roughly two weeks, so things are pretty spaced out and might seem kind of choppy. I apologize if this is the case. Also, as a side-note, I am not having Xandria go to Edolas because 1. Only a few members of Fairy Tail traveled there 2. Xandria would not have been important to the plot 3. Xandria probably wouldn't have come into contact with the Edolas version of herself, considering that a. she would've probably been a super mega evil dark wizard or b. she would've been in the small farming town with her biological parents—which was where she should've grown up in the first place.
Edolas is mentioned at the end of the chapter (however it is an indirect mention) I just wanted to make it clear that the arc did occur; however, Xandria has no recollection of it happening because she was not involved.
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
Lucy was sick, and Natsu just didn't seem to understand what that meant. He was too caught up in his own excitement over the Hanami Festival to realize that Lucy's had been extinguished. What a clueless sod.
"You aren't coming Lucy?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms as he stared down at the pitiful blond beside me. I sighed, helping her upwards from her hunched position.
"The cherry blossoms in Magnolia are pretty you know!" Happy added, but Lucy just shook her head.
"I-I really wanna go… I was really looking forward to it…" She trailed off.
"Are you okay Lucy?" The dragon slayer pressed, and I frowned, giving Natsu a condescending look.
"She's got a cold, Natsu," I pointed out, and an understanding look filled his features.
"Sorry…" Lucy sniveled as she freed herself from my helping grip. "I'm going to sleep…" She stumbled away in the direction of her bed, plopping down on top of the covers with a thud.
"Take care of yourself." Natsu added, and turned towards the door, but I grabbed his arm before he could leave.
"Can't leave without me, flame brain." I stated, and cast a final look in the direction of Lucy's bed. "Lucy, do you need anything else before I leave? Extra pillows? Another blanket? Tissues, maybe?" I called, earning a loud grunt from the direction of the pink covers.
"No, I'm fine. You two go have fun while I waste away here." Her muffled voice answered, and I rolled my eyes. She was always one for theatrics.
"Yeah, yeah, poor pitiful you." I muttered, turning around towards the door where Natsu and his cat were waiting. "Just try to get better while we're gone."
A withdrawn sigh came from the bed and I gave Natsu a shrug. He opened the door of our apartment, bouncing down the stairs and out of the front door below. I quickly locked the door behind me and joined Natsu on the cobblestoned street of Magnolia.
"Man that sucks." Natsu drawled, dragging his feet behind him as we moved towards the park.
"It's too bad she caught a cold, after she was looking forward to it so much." Happy added.
"Oh well."
"I feel bad for Lucy."
"Maybe we could bring her back something." I piped up, looking at the two of them with the sudden idea. Natsu grinned.
"You know, you're a lot smarter than you look, star girl."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Wow Xandria! Look at you!" Levy chirped, and flashed me her signature grin. "You certainly got into the Hanami spirit of things!" She motioned to the dress I wore, the color of cherry blossoms, and I laughed.
"Lucy was going to wear it, but since she couldn't go she insisted that I did," I said. "It was very nice of her, but I don't think it suits me, do you? Pink isn't really my color—I prefer jewel tones."
"I think it looks great," A male voice from behind me drawled, and I turned. Standing before me was none other Bickslow, a semi-insane member of the guild who still associated himself with the beleaguered "Thunder Tribe" Laxus had once led. I inclined my head at him.
"Thank you, Bickslow," I replied.
The way he was looking at me almost made my skin crawl. For a moment, he considered me, and then he spoke again. "Tell me, Xandria, where have you been?"
"Excuse me?"
"Where have you been all my life?"
I stared at him—stunned—unable to believe absolute words that had just fallen out of his idiotic mouth. Levy and I exchanged glances, and finally I shook my head, scoffing.
"Hiding from you."
Bickslow guffawed. "I like you; you've got spunk."
"I'd rather you didn't like me at all."
"Oh leave her alone Bickslow." Another male voice cut in, and I turned, noticing a man with long green hair approaching us.
"I was only joking around Freed." Bickslow grumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance "Why do you always have to ruin my fun?"
"You could learn to be a bit more of a gentleman sometimes."
"And you'd know all about gentlemen wouldn't you, Freed?" Bickslow prodded, and his companion scowled.
"He really wasn't doing any harm," I stated with a shrug. "It was rather entertaining to listen to him, actually, only further confirmed my theory that all men are disgusting pigs."
"Hear that Freed? I'm entertaining." Bickslow boasted, but the other man rolled his eyes.
"She wasn't complementing you."
"Xandria, it's about to start!" Levy called, waving me over from her position on our mat. Casting one final glance at the two ridiculous men, I dashed towards her, grabbing the bingo card that she had saved for me from her hands.
"And now, we'll begin the traditional Hanami bingo tournament!" Mirajane announced.
"We've got a bunch of high quality prizes again this year! So everyone, give it everything you've got!" Makarov added, and I grinned, looking down at my card in anticipation.
"Everyone ready? Then please punch out the center circle. Let's bingo!"
"The first number is…"
"24!"
I grinned like a fiend and punched in the number that waited a space away from my middle. A little known fact about me was my inability to accept defeat at literally anything. Meaning that in the event I was ever participating in a board game, a game of cards, chess, softball, a sack race, recreational scribing, hide and seek, or bingo, I would fight, too and nail, until I emerged victorious. Nothing could sate my bloodlust except for the death of my enemies with the simple cry of "BINGO."
Mirajane continued to read off numbers, and I listened like a hawk to her sweet voice.
"8" Sigh.
"65" Punch.
"81" Sigh.
"12" Sigh.
"93" Punch.
"62" Sigh.
"37" Punch.
"5" Punch.
This continued, Mirajane reading off numbers and my heart rate growing increasingly faster as I struggled to be the first one to have bingo.
"13" Sigh.
"68"
"Bingo!" I screamed, jumping upwards from my seat on the ground as I punched in the last spot on my card to get five across. But at the same moment I said it, someone else shouted the same word, jumping up from their seat as well. My head snapped in the direction of the red headed woman, and I narrowed my eyes.
"Xandria…" She growled.
"Erza…" I spat.
We both stared each other down, unsure of what to do.
"Two bingos at the same time!" The master exclaimed, his voice giddy with excitement. "Well… both of you can't have the prize!"
"Clearly it's my prize," I scoffed, shifting into a defensive stance. Erza glared at me.
"Your prize?! You'll have to pry my prize from my cold, dead hands." She stated, reequipping into her heaven's wheel armor.
"Bring it on princess." I smirked, raising my hands as I prepared to cast my first spell.
"Gladly!"
"Wait!" A young female voice cut in, and suddenly Wendy darted between the two of us, an almost fearful look in her eyes. "You're both members of the same guild, you can't fight like this! Not in the middle of a park!"
"Wendy…" Erza trailed off, lowering her sword as she stared at the little girl. I sighed.
"Don't you at least want to hear what the prize is first?" Wendy prompted, and reluctantly I nodded, looking to Mirajane for an answer.
"The first bingo prize is a handful of herbs from Mt. Haboke that are said to increase magic powers and-"
"The herbs we picked yesterday?!" Erza exclaimed, cutting off the other woman. "And they're already wilted!"
"That's our prize?!" I blurted, dropping my stance. "You take it Erza."
"No, I don't want it. You take it."
And like that we both went at it again, the two of us arguing for the rest of the hanami festival in the loving way that all good friends do.
The strange sound of bells had greeted my ears, along with the ecstatic cries of my guildmates.
"Gildarts has come back!"
"Gildarts is here!"
"Everyone, Gildarts is coming!"
"Who is he?" Lucy asked in a whirl, and suddenly Mirajane and Erza materialized beside us, wide grins across their faces.
"He's Fairy Tail's strongest wizard." Mirajane stated, and Lucy's eyes widened.
"Stronger than Erza?!"
"Please, Erza isn't the strongest mage in Fairy Tail," I retorted and the red head glared at me.
"Oh and you are?"
"I never said I was—there are plenty of wizards stronger than me at this guild." I answered. "You, Mirajane, this Gildarts fellow."
"Erza isn't even in his league, Lucy." Mirajane continued, reining the conversation in. Lucy paused, observing everyone before she spoke up.
Lucy frowned. "But why is everyone so happy about him coming here?"
"It's only natural for everyone to celebrate." Mirajane said with a smile. "It's been about three years since he came back."
"Three years? What was he doing?"
"There are quests more difficult than S class, called SS class. But there are jobs even above those, called ten-year quests." She explained.
"No one has completed them for more than ten years." Erza added, looking at Lucy and I with smug superiority. "That's why they're called ten-year quests. Gildarts went on one even more difficult, a hundred-year quest."
"Hundred year quest? No one has managed to complete it for one hundred years?!" Lucy exclaimed, and Erza nodded.
"Right."
The crackling sound of static filled our ears, and a voice came creaking over a city-wide intercom. "Magnolia will now return to Gildarts' shift. Citizens please return to your designated areas."
"Gildarts' shift?" I echoed, and Erza motioned to the door.
"You'll know what it is if you look outside."
Lucy, Wendy and I all sprinted in the direction of the doors, each of us gasping in shock when we saw that the buildings around us and the streets below were being rearranged somehow.
"The city is moving?!" Lucy blurted.
"Gildarts uses crash magic." Erza explained, an amused look on her face. "He'll turn anything he touches into bits. If his mind wanders, he'll just walk straight through people's houses."
"How much of an idiot is he?"
"So they reconstructed the entire city, just for one man?" I inquired, and she nodded. And for what seemed like the hundredth time, I was once again floored by the peculiarity and stupidity of the Fairy Tail mages.
Suddenly silence overtook the guild, and a tall man approached the door. I blinked in shock, backing away from the entrance and into the crowd behind me as he entered the building, a confused look on his scarred face.
I was stunned by his appearance, not only because of his brashness, but also because of his presence. Gildarts was an attractive man, though even that may have been an understatement. He had that roughish charm I never failed to fall for—tall, dark, and dreamy, with a strong jaw and an even stronger body. Godlike on a good day and simply handsome on a bad, I couldn't help but blush a little when I saw him.
For a moment everyone remained silent. I cleared my head.
"Gildarts!" Natsu shouted, bursting forward from the throng of the crowd. "Fight me!"
"Right off the bat with that?"
"Welcome back!" Mirajane announced, stepping forward to greet him. Gildarts peered down at her, his confused look not going away.
"Miss, I was pretty sure there was a guild named Fairy Tail around here…" He trailed off, and she smiled at him. I frowned. Gildarts was breathtaking in the looks department, but as far as cleverness went, he seemed a bit lacking. I sighed. The beautiful ones were always the most dull.
"This is it." She stated. "Oh, and I'm Mirajane." His eyes widened.
"Mira? Oh! You've really changed!" He blurted, looking around the guild hall in shock. "And wow, the guild is brand new!"
"Gildarts!" Natu's voice rang out again, and the older man turned, facing the pink haired boy. He grinned when he saw him.
"Natsu? Wow it's been a while!"
"I told you to fight me!" The dragon slayer roared, jumping from his spot in the crowd and pouncing on top of Gildarts. The ace scoffed, catching him with one hand and flinging him upwards, into the ceiling. My eyes widened as I noticed Natsu's body stick in the roof, his outline being formed into the ceiling by the force of the other man's throw.
"Maybe another time."
"You ain't changed a bit, Pops." Gray exclaimed, a wide grin across his face.
"A man among men!" Elfman added. I chuckled. You've got that right.
"There are faces I have never seen before." Gildarts stated, turning his gaze so that he was staring at Lucy and I. "Things sure have changed."
"Gildarts!" A loud voice boomed, belonging to none other than our guild master. Gildarts' face lit up as he turned, noticing the small man.
"Oh, Master! Long time no see!"
"How did the job go?"
"No good. It's impossible for me."
"I see. Even you couldn't handle it?"
"Sorry. This'll be bad for our reputation.
"No, I'm just happy you came back safe and sound. You're the first one I know that's ever come back from this quest alive." Our master announced, and Gildarts nodded, turning away from him.
"I wanna go get some rest, so I'm heading home." The handsome mage drawled, moving towards the wall. "Man, I'm beat… Natsu! Come to my place later. I've brought souvenirs! Now pardon me."
I stared in shock as he exited, ignoring all of the doors and windows and simply blasting a whole in the brick wall with nothing more than the flick of his wrist.
Natsu lay passed out in his chair, bits of droll seeping down his cheeks.
"Let's scribble on his face!" Gray exclaimed, pulling out a marker. I grinned as he took the cap off and began to draw on the sleeping dragon's face.
"Gray, please stop these kinds of childish pranks." Lucy said with a sigh, and he looked up at her.
"Who're you callin a child, eh?" He grunted, quickly drawing more elaborate designs on Natsu's face. I grinned even wider, and Lucy's face flushed.
"You're even worse than a kid!" She blurted.
"Hey, ice mage, hand me the marker." I ordered, and he placed it in my waiting hand, a smirk on his face.
"Try and top that."
"Oh I will." I said, accepting the challenge with a crack of my knuckles.
"You too Xandria?!" Lucy squeaked in irritation, her voice rising to a much higher octave. Suddenly though, before I could even bring the marker to touch Natsu's skin, he jerked upwards and into reality.
"Is there a fight?! Let me in on it!"
"Lucy! You woke him up!" I grumbled, and out of annoyance I pegged the marker at her, hitting her on the back with a loud thwack.
"Ow!" She complained, giving me a dark look before she pulled a mirror out of the purse she carried at her side. "Natsu, Here." She handed the mirror to the Salamander, and he peered into, pulling away in disgust as he realized that his face was covered in markings.
"What!? Who drew this on me?!" He demanded, his face heating up. I snorted, trying to suppress my laughter at how ridiculous he looked.
"You know there's only one other person who'd stoop to your level right?" Lucy prompted, and then cast a glance at me. "Oh wait, I meant two." Luckily though, Natsu had already pounced on the other boy.
"Gray!"
"You wanna go, bud? I punished you for your loud ass snoring, is what!"
"You bastard!"
"Why are Mira and Elfman going to the church on a day like this?" Lucy inquired, and I glanced upwards, lazily looking her over from over the top of my book.
"Oh, that's right."
"It's almost the anniversary of Lisanna's death."
"Lisanna?"
"Mira and Elfman's little sister. It was two years ago… an accident on a job. When it gets close to the anniversary, those two start going to the church."
"I see…"
"Now that you mention it, you do remind me a bit of Lisanna."
"I do?"
"Weren't Lisanna and Natsu really close? I've heard stories of the two being together before."
"Yeah, they were, kind of like Lucy and Natsu."
"Ah, there's nothing to do…"
"With it raining like this, its hard to get motivated to go on a job."
"I wish something interesting would happen…"
A strange feeling overtook Alexandria as she stood up from the table after the events of the day, but other than that the girl, along with many of her guildmates, would know nothing of the true events that had taken place. The only change that Xandria noticed was the new girl, Lisanna, who had arrive, along with a shift in mood among her friends. But she shook the aura of mystery off and left the matter as it was. She had more important things to do than worry herself over matters that didn't really concern her.