A/N: Sorry to keep those of you following in the dark. Been crazy as hell where I'm at now. And if it's not my problems IRL that's bothering me, it's my inner problems. For those of you who get it, I appreciate your understanding. Anyway, here's the new chapter. Hope you like it. Ikuzo!
Chapter 5 Fairy Tail Investigations
Fairy Tail Guild Hall
Later that day, Makarov had called Team Natsu and Yusuke back to the bar. The Young Spirit Detective was relishing his victory with a frothy mug of beer.
"Ahhh, nothing like a cool drink after a fight well won", He said to himself, "Not a bad choice, Mira. You sure know your booze".
"I aim to please", Mira replied with a smile.
"I must say, I was quite impressed with your abilities, Yusuke", Makarov said, "I can see why Koenma sent you to me".
"So, you do know Koenma", Yusuke said, half surprised.
"That's right", Makarov confirmed, "I've had many dealings with affairs involving the Spirit World. I've managed to meet some interesting people involved with Koenma during my younger years. Back in my youth, I became good friends with your master, Genkai".
Yusuke, who had just taken another mouthful from his mug, immediately spat out the contents in surprise. Erza, Lucy, and Gray had immediately moved out of the way to avoid the spray but Natsu had unfortunately used Happy as a shield. The poor little blue cat was suddenly soaked to his fur with beer and spit.
"Blech! Gross"! Happy groaned.
"What?! You knew the old hag too"? Yusuke said in surprise.
"Of course", Makarov said with a nod, "We met back when I was still a young member of Fairy Tail. Back then, Genkai had decided to travel to Earthland to study the different fighting styles developed here. She was full of piss and vinegar, that old gal. Always serious, always finding a new opponent, always calling anyone who annoyed her a...".
"Dimwit"? Yusuke asked knowingly, "I know. Can't remember a time when she didn't call me that".
The Spirit Detective and the Guild Master both chuckled at the feeling of nostalgia.
"I remember once I challenged her to a spar", Makarov recalled, "You can imagine my surprise when I lost. I asked her once, long ago, if she would do me the honor of-".
"Master", Erza said sternly, well aware of his lascivious behavior.
"Joining Fairy Tail", Makarov said narrowing his eyes.
"Heh, you thought he was going to say something dirty, didn't you"? Happy joked as he wiped himself off with a towel that Mira handed to him.
Erza blushed slightly from embarrassment but said nothing.
"She turned me down though, saying that she prefers to work alone", Makarov continued.
"That sounds about right", Yusuke said with a nod.
"But with you here, Yusuke, I believe that she is with us, in spirit, at least", Makarov said with a warm smile, "Genkai was always welcome here, and now, so are you".
Yusuke had a trace of a smile as he nodded his head. He'd never admit it, but it felt nice knowing that he was welcome.
"Now, onto business", Makarov said, clapping his hands, "Because of your skills as Spirit Detective, I've come up with a new business venture for Fairy Tail".
"New business venture"? Erza repeated curiously.
"What kind, Master"? Lucy asked.
"To put it simply, it's merely a trial run to see if it will gain favor with the Magic Council, as well as other guilds", Makarov explained, "The short version of it is that we're going to form a group that specializes in cases that are normally given to the Rune Knights, mostly incidents involving other wizards or occurences of the supernatural variety".
"Like some kind of special investigations unit for wizards"? Gray asked.
"Precisely", Makarov said with a nod, "However, unlike the Rune Knights, other guilds and even civilians will also be able to make requests. The idea is to reach out and touch base with problems that, in essence, cannot be dealt with by conventional methods. The council has already approved the trial run, with the condition that you submit a monthly report on all the cases you've worked on".
"Awww, paperwork"? Yusuke whined, "And I was just starting to get sold on the idea".
"Trust me, I know how monotonous it can be, but I always believed the results will be worth the effort", Makarov reassured, "There's also the fact that they'll be paying you personally".
Yusuke's demeanor changed as the words reached his ears.
"I'm listening", he said with slight interest.
"From what they've told me, you will be paid 80 thousand jewel for each commission you receive", Makarov elaborated, "Which I can assure you is nothing to sneeze at. Beyond that, any commission you receive from civilians or other guilds are set at the price of 50 thousand, plus interest should the case involve any unforeseen circumstances".
"Whoa! 80 thousand"?! Natsu said incredulously.
"I don't believe it"! Lucy added.
"Guessing that's a lot"? Yusuke said turning to Erza.
"Very", Erza replied.
"Nice", Yusuke said with a smirk.
"While the payroll is good, the idea for this unit is to extend extra services involving the public trust", Makarov continued, "The council also believes that by implementing the unit, the numbers of Dark Guilds in Fiore will decrease".
"Dark Guilds"? Yusuke said curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"Basically, they're bad guys", Happy piped up, "So what you're saying is that Yusuke will get paid to bring down the Dark Guilds"?
"That's the idea", Makarov said with a nod.
The old Guild Master turned to Yusuke and looked at him with a stern face.
"But know this, under no circumstances are you to engage until you have gathered enough intel from the Dark Guilds", he said firmly, "We can't afford for you to make mistakes. And if something important were to be lost or overlooked, or if innocent civilians were caught in the crossfire, the punishment will be beyond the worst pain imaginable".
"I'm no stranger to pain", Yusuke said apathetically, shrugging his shoulders.
"I'm sure you aren't, but the fact is that you need to abide by the rules of law that the council has set for this endeavor, otherwise they'll have the means they need to shut us down. Not just your team, but the entire guild as well", Makarov said firmly.
"They have been very eager for a chance to shut us down, and if you were to step out of line, they'd have all the evidence they'd need to do so", Erza mused.
"That's right", Makarov said with a nod, "Which is why I'm pairing you with Natsu's group to make sure you stay on a tight leash".
"Oh come on"! Yusuke protested, "You don't trust me enough to do this on my own"?!
"Oddly enough, no", Makarov said dryly.
"He's trusting us to keep him line"? Lucy asked, "He does remember who he's talking about, right"?
"I'm gonna say no", Happy noted.
"Well we are Fairy Tail's strongest team, makes sense that he'd want us to keep an eye on Yusuke", Gray said.
"I'll personally see to it that we will follow the rules set for us, master", Erza reassured.
"Very good", Makarov sighed, "Anyway, aside from the commissions you receive, you are still allowed to take on normal job requests. Just remember, make sure you have your facts straight before going in gun's blazing, and keep the body count to a minimum. I realize that most Dark Guilds won't go down without a fight, but that's no excuse for taking a life. Your top priority is to protect and serve the public. Bringing down the Dark Guild's, while important, is not your sole focus. Can I trust you to remember all of this"?
Yusuke had remained silent for the most part, mostly because he didn't know what to say. Before all of this, he took cases as Spirit Detective because that's what was expected of him, and mainly because the end of the world was at hand. This investigation unit was completely new to him, a new game with new rules. As much as he enjoyed working alone, and even though he never had the best track record of getting along with others, he had to admit that most of the people in the guild were quite impressive. Or at least Natsu was, he hadn't gotten around to assessing everyone else's skills as of yet. That said, the others had to have had some pretty good magic if Makarov were to place him with their group.
"Eh, what the hell? Got nothing else to lose, right"? Yusuke thought.
The young spirit detective turned to the Guild Master.
"You can count on me", he said with a smirk.
"Glad to hear it", Makarov said with a smile, "Starting today, you all will be apart of Fairy Tail's new investigation unit. Do a good job, and the council will make this a permanent faction of the guild".
"Right! We won't let ya down, Gramps"! Natsu said eagerly.
"Aye sir"! Happy said.
"80 thousand jewel for one job...it's like a dream", Lucy said swooningly.
"You do realize that we'll be splitting it in equal shares", Gray pointed out.
"How much is that anyway"? Natsu asked, "Uhhh, 80 divided by, one, two, three...six people including Happy, is uhhh..."?
"13 thousand jewel, plus change", Erza finished.
Lucy's face paled as she processed both Gray and Erza's words. She groaned in misery as she subconsciously fell to her knees, rather devastated that her dream of earning easy money was torn asunder so quickly.
"Don't worry, Lucy! We'll still be able to take regular jobs, so that means we can add it to whatever we make during the cases", Happy said reassuringly.
"Yeah but, earning all the money I need for rent from the cases seemed so much easier", Lucy muttered.
"Get up, you're embarrassing yourself", Yusuke said apathetically.
"Shut up! Don't shrug off my sadness like it's nothing"! Lucy protested.
"I can't believe the old man paired me up with you", Yusuke muttered.
"It's not exactly a dream come true for me either pal, so stuff it"! Lucy shot back.
"Anyway, I'm sure you'd like to get settled", Mirajane said stepping out from behind the bar, "Follow me and I'll show you where you all will be working.
Fairy Tail Guild Hall - Upper Level
Later, after Yusuke was finished drinking, Mira led him and the rest of his new team up the staircase behind the bar. They followed Mira up the stairs, all the way up to floor on the upper level. The eldest Strauss sibling led them down a dimly lit hallway which was illuminated by light lacrima hanging from the walls.
"The master already found a place where you all can use as an office", Mira said, "Most of the rooms on the upper floors are used for storage, so there might be some things you need to move out. Some of the things up there can be used for work, but be sure to run it by me first".
"Y'know, this is pretty exciting", Lucy said, "We're going to be part of an investigation unit. Just like in all those old detective stories"!
"Not to mention we'll be making history as the first one to be established within a guild", Gray added, "That's not something that happens every day".
"All the more reason why we need to make sure we set a good example so that the business will be able to expand", Erza brought up, "The more units within guilds, the more people we'll be able to help by extension".
"No need to worry about that, Erza,", Happy said confidently, "We're Fairy Tail's strongest team, after all. With the 5 of us, we're sure to make a big splash".
"No doubt about that", Natsu said.
"Five of you? And what am I, chopped liver"?! Yusuke asked irately.
"Ohh right, sorry Yusuke", Happy said nervously.
"Hey that's right, since Yusuke's a Spirit Detective we should have no problem getting our foot in the door", Lucy pointed out, "His experience will probably make things easier".
"Oh sure, let me do all the work while you guys hang back and shoot the shit, that's real fair", Yusuke said, rolling his eyes.
"So you're okay with it"? Happy asked.
"Can't you tell when someone's being sarcastic, you dumb cat"?! Yusuke exclaimed.
"Here we are"!
Everyone turned their attention to see that Mira had led them to the furthest door at the end of the hallway.
"Well here it is, your new office"! Mira said, presenting the key, "Since Yusuke will be taking the lead, it only seems fair that he does the honors".
"Wait, wha-me"?! Yusuke said in disbelief.
"Well you are the seasoned detective, it does make sense that you call the shots", Gray pointed out.
"We're with you all the way, Yusuke, just as long as I get to fight ya, again", Natsu said with a smirk, "Right, Happy"?
"Aye, sir"! Happy replied.
Yusuke raised a brow as he looked to his guildmates, all with somewhat supporting glances. It'd been a long time since he had felt this kind of level of trust. In all fairness, he was still new, and yet they seemed so willing to put their faith in him. He didn't know whether to pity them or thank them for it. Regardless of what he thought, he knew he'd have to get used to it, sooner or later. So, with a short sigh, he reluctantly took the keys.
"Well, this is it", Yusuke said as the lock clicked open with a turn of the key, "New life starts now".
As he finished the sentence, he suddenly found himself silently struggling to push the door open.
"Uhhh...now"? He said as he pushed on the wood of the door, "I said, NOW"!
"Having trouble with the lock"? Mira asked.
"It's not the lock", Yusuke insisted, "Something's blocking it on the other side".
"Here, let me at it", Natsu said, stepping forth.
"No, you'll just break it, let me open it", Gray said, lightly pushing Natsu aside.
"I want to do it"! Natsu insisted.
"Well too bad! Cause I'M doing it"! Gray retorted.
"Hey! Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumbass"! Yusuke exclaimed, already fed up with their antics, "We don't have time for your shit at the moment, so why don't you both come over here and help before I kick BOTH your asses"!
Natsu and Gray both said nothing, replying only with terse glares as they reluctantly went over to help Yusuke with the door.
"Well, he managed to get those two to stop, so I guess that's a point in his favor", Lucy noted.
"Yes, it's a little comforting knowing I won't always have to be the one to break those two up anymore", Erza said in agreement.
"Man, what's behind this door? A pile of bricks"? Gray said as he struggled to push it open.
"Try complaining some more, that'll get it open faster", Natsu grunted.
"I don't see you making anymore progress than me, flame brain", Gray replied bitterly.
"If you both've got the strength to argue, then you're obviously not PUSHING hard enough"! Yusuke shouted irately.
"Oh yeah"?! Natsu and Gray both exclaimed, rather insulted.
Almost immediately, the door slid open, leaving the 3 men to fall on the floor in a pile. They groaned as they lay in the doorway to the now dark room, dimly lit by the hall light.
"Heh, how's that for hard enough, Mr. Spirit Detective"? Gray quipped as he rubbed his head.
"Ah shut up", Yusuke replied as he picked himself up.
Looking around at the pitch black scenery, Yusuke soon found a light switch. As the light lacrima it was connected to flickered to life, the 6 wizards were met with the sight of several boxes and different pieces of furniture that cluttered the room.
"I'll leave you all alone to organize your new work space", Mira said, turning to leave, "Have fun"!
As Lucy, Erza, and Happy all finally entered, they all took note of the interior space, or rather the lack thereof.
"Man, they sure packed away a lot of junk in here, didn't they"? Happy noted.
"Guess we've got our work cut out for us", Lucy noted.
"I think it's rather perfect", Erza said.
"What the hell are you talking about"? Yusuke asked incredulously, "There's gotta be at least a hundred and fifty piles of junk in here! It's going to take us days to move all this crap out of here"!
"A little hard work never hurt anyone", Erza replied, "After all, we can use the time cleaning out this room as a bonding experience. As we restore this new office of ours to it's former, junk free self, so too will we restore the ties we've developed as guildmates".
"She sure has a knack for turning lemons into lemonade, doesn't she"? Yusuke noted with a furrowed brow.
"That's Erza for ya", Happy replied.
"I don't know, I think she has a point guys", Lucy said, "And besides, Mira said we could keep whatever stuff we find in here for the office. Maybe we'll end up finding something cool in all this junk. That's not so bad, right"?
"She's not wrong there", Gray said with a shrug.
"Alright then, it's settled! I'm going to find something so cool for the office, it'll be the first thing people see when they walk in here"! Natsu said fiercely, smiling as he pulled up a box.
"Not if I find something first"! Gray replied, pulling up a box for himself.
"Looks like they already started", Erza observed, crossing her arms.
"Started competing, you mean", Yusuke added, "Morons".
"At least they'll be clearing this stuff out, so I guess that's a plus", Lucy said.
"Aye", Happy said in agreement.
It wasn't long before the built up amount of dust from all the boxes Natsu and Gray were opening, at a very quick pace for the sake of their competitive natures, began to fill the air. The 6 guildmates were quick to take notice as they all began to cough from the dusty, dry atmosphere.
"Man! I can barely...breathe"! Yusuke complained as he coughed.
"Someone PLEASE find a window so we can get some fresh air in here"! Lucy gagged.
"Aye"! Everyone, save Yusuke, exclaimed.
After locating one of the windows on the far left of the room, the air began to clear up in no time. With more reasonable conditions, the new investigation team set to work clearing out their new workspace. They managed to clear out most of the boxes, while the rest were being looked through in search of things they could use. Things like desks, some tables and chairs were taken after getting the approval, along with an old burgundy rug that Yusuke seemed to really like.
"You cannot be serious", Lucy deadpanned as Yusuke rolled out the rug on the floor.
"Why not? I think this rug's cool as hell", Yusuke defended.
"It's a total eyesore! I wouldn't even keep that rug even if it could be used to fly", Lucy retorted.
"Whatever, it's your loss", Yusuke said, shrugging her off, "I think this'll really tie the place together".
"Y'know, you should probably stick to detective work, cause you don't have much of an eye when it comes to interior design", Lucy quipped.
"Screw you, blondie, you don't see me criticizing you on how you do magic"! Yusuke said bitterly.
"Show me a better rug and I'll show you magic like you've never seen", Lucy said confidently.
Yusukes' eyes suddenly widened at what she may have been implying.
"Wow, didn't know you were so forward, blondie", Yusuke said with a smirk.
Lucy's face fell as she suddenly realized her faux pas.
"N-no no no, that-that's NOT what I meant"! Lucy said as her face began to glow red.
"Well normally I'd be happy to oblige you, but...", Yusuke said as he got up and dusted off his hands.
"That's NOT what I meant and you know it"! Lucy exclaimed insistently.
"Hey you two, flirt on your own time, we've still got at least 3 dozen boxes to clear out"! Gray said as he lifted up a box.
"We're NOT flirting"! Lucy exclaimed indignantly.
"Well, Lucy is, I'm not", Yusuke said with a smirk as he turned away.
"Shut up! That wasn't flirting and you know it"! Lucy said as steam began to come out from her ears.
"Tch! Whatever", Yusuke scoffed.
It was then Yusuke noticed a door a door behind one of the boxes near the very end of the north side of the room. After moving them out of the way, he slowly opened the door to reveal another room.
"Hey guys! I found another room"! He said, calling out behind him.
After turning on the light lacrima, he noticed that this room wasn't quite as cluttered as the one it was adjoined to. There was a dresser, a wardrobe, a desk, and a night table that stood next to what looked like a large wooden entertainment center cabinet. There was even a kitchenette, complete with a refrigerator, stove/oven, and sink, with an assortment of drawers and cupboards hanging above and below. As Yusuke looked around, he didn't notice the others enter behind him.
"What is this place? Some kind of secret apartment"? Natsu asked.
"They must've used this place to house members of the guild who weren't able to find homes", Erza guessed.
"Doesn't look like it's been used since before the master was put in charge", Gray noted.
"Judging from the amount of dust in here, I'd have to agree", Lucy said as she ran her finger across the dresser.
"Hey what's in here"? Happy asked floating up to the large cabinet next to the night table.
As he opened the doors, he was met with the sight of a wooden bedframe and mattress pressed up against the wall. He gasped as it slowly started to creak and began to lean forward. The little blue cat tried to fly away but the bed suddenly lurched forward at breakneck speed, landing on the poor cat.
"Happy"! Natsu cried out in concern.
"Cool! A Murphy bed"! Yusuke said, going over to the newfound discovery.
Natsu quickly went over the bed and reached underneath to pull Happy out from under it.
"Hang on, buddy, I got ya"! Natsu grunted as he pulled on his partners feet.
With a quick tug, Natsu pulled Happy from under the bed by his tail. The smallest member of the teams' fur was covered in dust and a large bump was present on his forehead, most likely a result of the bed frame falling down on his head.
"I liked it better when people hopped into beds and beds didn't hop onto people", Happy muttered as he rubbed his sore head.
Yusuke sat down on the mattress to further test it out.
"Hmm, it's still pretty firm", Yusuke assessed, "Usually it takes a few years for a mattresses to lose their shape. Guess whoever lived in this room never really got to break it in".
The young Spirit Detective then swung his legs over onto the bed until he was laid out on his back with his arms around the back of his head.
"Well, since it's empty, I guess I'll take it", Yusuke said.
"What? You can't just claim a room like that", Lucy said incredulously.
"Funny thing about that, I just I did", Yusuke said, lowering his eyelids.
"We don't even know if you'll be allowed to live in here", Gray pointed out.
"Look, I'm part of the guild now AND I don't have a place to live", Yusuke said with a frown, "I'm pretty sure I've met the requirements needed to be a tenant, alright"?
Without warning, Yusuke reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one out and placed it between his lips.
"Wait w-what are you doing"? Lucy said in disbelief, "You're not actually taking a smoke break, are you"?
"Why not? I've carried my fair share for now, besides I want a chance to settle in to my new room", Yusuke said with a shrug, taking a matchbook from him pocket.
"There's still a lot of stuff to move out before we're finished", Erza noted sternly.
"We've been at this for for three and a half hours straight, I think we've earned ourselves a break", Yusuke replied as he struck a match and lit his cigarette with it.
Erza was growing less and less patient with Yusuke's blasé attitude.
"We don't have time for this, Yusuke, now put out that cigarette and let's get back to work", Erza said firmly.
"No", Yusuke said defiantly as he took a drag from his cigarette.
Then, as if to throw fuel on the fire, Yusuke slowly sat up and leaned towards Erza. The remaining 4 wizards watched on in shock and horror as the hybrid Spirit Detective slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke into Erza's face. The red haired Fairy Queen scowled as the off putting smell of the tobacco laden smoke filled her nose.
"Is he out of his mind"? Natsu said in a nervous tone.
"He has to be to try and defy Erza", Gray replied, just as scared as the Dragon Slayer.
"He's dead", Lucy said with a horrified expression, "His only chance at life now is to run".
"A-Aye", Happy added.
As Yusuke smirked at her with his trademark shit eating grin, the young S-Class Wizard's glare hardened. He had been with the guild for less than a day and he was already working on her nerves. New or not, nobody had ever dared to defy Erza, and in such an insulting and crass way, at that. Reaching forward, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him close until their faces were mere inches away from each other. Despite being handled by one of Fairy Tail's strongest members, Yusuke was undeterred, which was made clear by the fact that he was still smiling.
"Put . it. out. NOW ", Erza said slowly in a gravely serious tone.
"You. don't. SCARE .me", Yusuke replied in a mocking tone.
Erza's eyes widened to a degree that rivalled that of her fellow guild mates. This wasn't average, every day defiance. Yusuke meant every word. She could tell by the look in his eyes and the way he held kept smile fixed to his face. She was surprised at first, but only at first. Because the realization that he had no respect for her seniority or for her in general began to sink in. As it did, it made her all the more enraged. Before she could get the chance to reply, that's when Makarov came in with Mira in tow.
"I see you found one of our old housing quarters", Makarov said, "It's funny really, I-oh. Am I interrupting something"?
Everyone, who had suddenly forgotten about Erza and Yusuke's sudden spat, were quick to react.
"No, nothing at all, master", Lucy said frantically, "Erza and Yusuke were just having a disagreement on whether or not now was a good time to take a break".
"Well we have been working for almost 4 hours", Yusuke pointed out as he wrenched his shirt free from Erza's grasp.
"And you've made such great progress, at that", Mira added, "It looks like you'll have the entire place cleared out by dinner time".
"Oh yeah, hey, I meant to ask", Yusuke said, positioning himself to where he was sitting on the side of the bed, "Since I don't really have a place to stay, and I am a member of the guild, would you mind if I used this room? At least until I find my own place"?
"Hmmm", Makarov said, rubbing his chin, "Well, we have used rooms like this to house guild members in the past, and it would save time in hunting down a place for you".
"Plus, they say working from home is much more productive", Mira pointed out.
After taking all of this in, the decision seemed undoubtedly clear.
"Alright then", Makarov said, "For the time being, I'll allow you to take up residence here in the guild hall, Yusuke".
"Really"? Yusuke said in surprise, "So, does that mean I get access to the food and booze here, too"?
"Of course not", Makarov replied, "I'm generous, not stupid".
"Meh, it was worth a shot", Yusuke said with a shrug, taking another hit from his cigarette.
Both Makarov and Mira couldn't help but laugh.
Sometime later, the entire room was cleared out, save for a few desks, tables, and chairs. With a fully useable space, the newest team of Fairy Tail was ready for business. Everyone stood and looked around at the emptied room with pride. All except Yusuke, who had opted to bringing his luggage into his new living quarters.
"Not too shabby", Natsu said, dusting off his hands, "If I do say so myself".
"Don't act like you're the one who pulled the most weight, moron", Gray said, "We all pitched in".
"Yeah, well I still got a lot more than you did", Natsu replied bitterly.
"The hell you did, I was the one who cleared out the most junk", Gray retorted.
"That's what you say, ice perv"! Natsu shouted, grabbing the front of Gray's shirt.
"Yeah and I'm going to keep saying it cause I'm right, flame breath", Gray snapped as he mirrored Natsu and grabbed him by the vest.
"Enough", Erza said, forcing the two apart in the usual way, "We just got this place cleared out, we don't need another mess to clean".
"She's right, guys", Lucy sighed, "Moving all that stuff took a lot out of me, I'm totally beat".
"I wouldn't mind a cat nap, myself", Happy said, stifling a yawn.
The little blue cat then glanced out one of the windows. The sky was already bright red and orange and the sun was already beginning to set deeper and deeper into the horizon.
"Wow, time sure flies when you've put in as much work as we have", Happy said.
"Man, I didn't even notice it was already that late", Gray said, looking out the window.
Natsu let out a big yawn as he stretched out his arms.
"Well, let's call it a day", Natsu said, scratching the back of his head, "We can start...whatever it is we'll be doing tomorrow".
"You forgot already"? Everyone said incredulously..
"In any case, we all put in a hard days work", Erza said, "Let's all get a good night's sleep and be back to start full days' worth of efforts".
"I'm all for that", Natsu said rubbing his eye, "See ya tomorrow, guys".
And with that, each of the friends said their goodbyes before making their way out of the office. Meanwhile, in his new living space, Yusuke lay quietly on the pull out bed, with most of his clothes haphazardly lying on the floor and on the hat rack. Beside his bed on the nigh table were his keys, his wallet, and an old framed picture with him and 5 others. All of them smiling, save for the small male on his left.
Fairy Tail Guild Hall - The Next Day
With each of them feeling well rested and ready to get to work, needless to say, the 5 members of Yusuke's newest team were ready to face anything. But none of them could have been prepared them for what was waiting for them at the office. Well, that is, one of couldn't have been. It started when Gray noticed Yusuke's absence within the office.
"Don't tell me he's still asleep", Gray said in a half annoyed tone.
"With how things went yesterday, I wouldn't blame him if he were", Happy noted.
"Either way, if he's as much of the "seasoned detective" that he claims to be, he should at least have the decency to be on time", Erza said in a stern and rather condescending tone.
"Well who's going to wake him up"? Lucy asked.
Everyone almost immediately turned to the person who asked the question.
"What, why me"? Lucy whined.
"Because, as the senior newcomer, you have to set good example", Happy answered astutely.
"I don't think Yusuke's the kind of guy to follow anyone's example but his own", Lucy said as a sweat drop formed on her forehead.
"Come on, Lucy, it's not like he'll kill ya or anything", Natsu said with a smile, "Man, I'm starving, I'm going down to get some breakfast".
"Ooh, me too"! Happy said eagerly.
"Count me in", Gray added.
Lucy sweatdropped as 3 of her friends began to pile out of the room.
"Best get on with it, Lucy", Erza insisted.
Lucy sighed. She dared not argue with Erza on this, lest she incur the wrath of Titania. And over something as considerably trivial as this, no less. So, with a reluctant sigh, Lucy headed towards the door leading into Yusukes' room. Swallowing down her apprehension, the blonde celestial wizard slowly opened the door.
"Alright Yusuke, up and up and at 'em", Lucy said, "We got work to-".
As Lucy entered the room, she was greeted by the sight of a shirtless Yusuke who stood at the sink in a pair of jeans, white shoes and his hair down, a towel draped over his shoulder, and a mug in his hand. As the blonde wizard hid her blush as she glimpsed his admittedly lean and muscular body, the Spirit Detective spit out what was in his mouth and wiped his mouth with the towel.
"Oh hey, didn't hear ya come in", Yusuke said, "I'll be out in a minute. I uhh, brewed some coffee, ya want some"?
"Oh uhh, no, I'm good", Lucy said nervously waving him off, "Take your time, no worries".
Yusuke shrugged as he walked over to the wardrobe to pick out a shirt. In the heat of the moment, Lucy decided to take one last look at at his exposed torso, and was completely surprised. There, all over the most of his back, were several faded traces of scars, given to him during the duration of his time as Spirit Detective of Earth. She could tell that some of the fresher ones were from his bout with Natsu the other day but the ones that were almost impossible to see were from previous fights.
"Guess now I know why he acts the way he does", Lucy thought, "No one can walk away with that many injuries without an inflated sense of pride".
As Yusuke finally pulled out a white collared shirt, he glanced back to see Lucy trying her best not to look at him.
"What's with you"? Yusuke asked as he slipped on his shirt.
"Huh? Oh! Uhh umm, it's nothing"! Lucy said, waving him off.
"Look, if you were trying to steal glances at me while I'm shirtless, I don't really mind", Yusuke said, smirking as he buttoned his shirt.
"It's not like that, okay"!? Lucy insisted as her cheeks suddenly turned pink, "Just hurry up, okay?! We've got work to do"!
"Tch, fine whatever", Yusuke said apathetically, buttoning the front of his shirt.
Later, after Natsu, Gray, and Happy had rejoined the others at the office, everyone had gathered around a large round table in the center of the room. Natsu and Gray sat at one side while Yusuke and Lucy took up the other. Erza sat at the far end and Happy sat atop the table.
"So, what've we got"? Yusuke asked leaning back in his chair, "Somebody send us something to do for our first team outing or whatever"?
"Actually, Mira handed this to me while we were downstairs getting breakfast", Happy said, using his wings to fly up onto the table.
He then set down a large brown envelope which Erza picked up. As she opened it and read the contents, Yusuke casted a curious glance at Happy.
"What is it"? Happy asked, noticing Yusuke staring at him.
"I'm sorry it's just...you're a talking, blue cat"? Yusuke said in disbelief.
"That's right", Happy said with a nod.
"And you're a member of the guild, too"? Yusuke said.
"Uh huh", Happy confirmed.
"And you can fly "? Yusuke said, still
"Aye sir", Happy said, nodding his head for a third time.
"...I don't get it", Yusuke said plainly.
"What do you not get"? Gray asked.
"I mean...he's not really a cat, is he"? Yusuke asked incredulously..
"Of course I'm a cat"! Happy insisted.
"That can fly and talk"? Yusuke said, still not buying it.
"Well, if he's not a cat, then what do you think he is, Mr. Detective"? Lucy asked cynically.
"I don't know", Yusuke said with a shrug, "A spirit beast, some midget in a cat suit with removable wings? Barring that, I'd just assumed you were some kind of demon that specializes in being annoying".
Happy's face darkened as he fell to his hands and knees.
"Is that really all you think of me"? He said in a depressed tone.
"Aww, it's okay Happy, don't you listen to him", Lucy cooed, rubbing Happy's head.
"What the hell's wrong with you"?! Natsu said angrily, "How could you say that about my little buddy"?
"By opening my mouth and using words", Yusuke said sardonically with his signature shit eating grin.
"Alright, that's it"! Natsu said, igniting his hands with his fire magic, "You're in for it now! I'll hit ya with everything I've got this-"!
POW!
WHAM!
Before anyone could blink, Yusuke had fired off his Spirit Gun at Natsu without so much getting up from his chair, and sent Natsu flying to the other side of the room. The pink haired mage hit the wall as if he had been thrown and groaned as he slid down with a black soot mark on his face.
"Lucky shot", Natsu groaned.
"Luck had nothing to do with it, dragon boy", Yusuke said with a smirk, blowing off the steam emanating off his finger tip.
"Alright! Listen up", Erza said, garnering their attention as she placed the contents of the folder down, "The Magic Council sent us a priority one issue to deal with. From what I read from the file, it appears that a group from a guild that deals in arms dealing has been spotted moving through Onibus".
"A what"? Natsu said confused.
"An arms dealer, Natsu", Gray repeated in a serious tone, "It's just someone who sells weapons".
"What's so wrong about that"? Natsu asked, still unaware of the threat.
"Natsu, it's illegal", Lucy explained, "Arms dealers are known for selling really dangerous weapons. And if they end up in the wrong hands, then a lot of people end up getting hurt".
"Yes, and that is why the council has brought this to us", Erza added, "it's our job to locate their command post, confiscate the weapons, and find out where their base of operations is located".
"Well then what are we waiting for"? Natsu said, suddenly full of vigor, "Let's find these punks and crush 'em"!
"I'm all for that", Yusuke said, sitting up, "Where do we start"?
"I suggest we leave immediately", Erza said, "The next train for Onibus leaves in half an hour and we should make haste if we want to beat the rush".
"Uggh, the train"? Natsu groaned, "Couldn't we walk"?!
"The more time we waste, the more we run the risk of those weapons ending up in the hands of mad men", Erza said seriously.
"What's Pinky's damage"? Yusuke asked leaning towards Lucy.
"Natsu doesn't like vehicles", Lucy explained, "He gets motion sick really easy".
"Seriously"? Yusuke said, casting a glance at the dragon slayer.
"Yeah, apparently dragon slayers and vehicles aren't very compatible", Lucy said with a deadpanned look.
"Damn that's pathetic", Yusuke said with a smirk.
"Hey, be nice", Lucy chided, "But yeah, you're not wrong".
"Well come on, let's get moving", Gray said, getting up from his chair.
"Awww, do we HAVE to take the train? Natsu whined, "I mean we could save a LOT on tickets if we walked. See, what we could do is-"
"Oh for the love of God, make it STOP"! Yusuke exclaimed irately, "Ugh, look. If it'll get dragon boy to shut his trap, we'll take Puu. He can get there faster than any train could, and we won't have to waste a dime".
"YES"! Natsu shouted eagerly, "Can we? Let's do that"!
"Yusuke, are you sure"? Lucy asked, "I mean, he's your bird. You think he won't mind flying us all there"?
"He's flown us all from the forest to the Guild Hall, I don't see that much of a difference", Yusuke said with a shrug as he got up from his chair.
"Yusuke, this won't be as short of a distance as that", Erza said, "Onibus is miles away and we don't know if-".
"Look! Do you want to get there in time or not"?! Yusuke asked in an annoyed tone, "Puu's fly time gets a good amount of miles. If I'm wrong, you can blame me for the fact that a bunch of apartments got blown to bits because the neighbor next door was an arsonist who put bombs in his neighbors' mailboxes".
As morbid as that sounded, Erza knew that Yusuke had a point. She was rather surprised at the fact at Yusuke's rather thrifty suggestion. Obviously, his intentions were self serving, but either way, she couldn't deny there were decent benefits to getting to Onibus his way. There was also the fact that they were working against the clock.
"I suppose the faster we get there, the better", Erza thought.
"Alright, I guess it would be the best option for this job", Erza said.
"Yahoo! No trains"! Natsu cheered.
"Whatever", Yusuke sighed, "Let's just get this over with".
And with that, Yusuke briskly headed for the exit, leaving the others rather bemused with his attitude.
"Hell of a pep talk", Gray said sarcastically.
"Yeah, really feeling the team spirit", Lucy agreed in an unconvinced tone.
Onibus - One Hour Later
Later that day, the newly formed Fairy Tail Investigations team had arrived outside the station atop the large Spirit Beast. Natsu was the first to hop off the large blue avian, smiling as he landed on the ground.
"Alright! We're here! Time to go to work"! He said energetically.
"What do you know? He's a lot more anxious when he's not about to puke his guts out", Gray noted as he got off Puu.
"That's Natsu for ya", Happy added.
"Alright, now that we're here, we should start asking around" Erza said as she and Lucy hopped off the large Spirit Beast.
"Yeah, we should split up and see if anyone has information about the arms dealers", Lucy said in agreement.
"Don't bother".
Everyone turned their attention to Yusuke, who was the last to descend from the large Spirit Beast.
"What are you talking about"? Gray said in confusion.
"We'd be wasting our time if we all went in separate directions", Yusuke said, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.
"How so"? Erza asked.
"Think! By the time we find out anything, they'll have gotten word, packed up, and begun setting up shop somewhere else", Yusuke elaborated.
"Then what do you suggest we do"? Lucy said, still not understanding Yusuke's train of thought.
"I may have an idea of how we can get some information quickly and without wasting too much time", Yusuke said with a smirk.
Not long after, Yusuke led the rest of the team through the town, leaving Puu out by the station. The others weren't quite convinced of Yusuke's vague plan, but seeing as how he was the only seasoned expert in situations such as this, they decided to withhold any objections. Soon, they found themselves standing in front of a rather seedy bar.
"And just why have you brought us to this kind of establishment"? Erza asked with a frown.
"If you want information about the bad guys, you start by shaking down the ones lower on the food chain", Yusuke said in a low tone.
"I don't like this one bit, guys", Lucy said in a wary tone.
"Me neither, but he does have a point", Gray said in a serious tone.
"Just let me do the talking and it'll all work out just fine", Yusuke said.
"Don't let your guard down", Erza instructed the others, "Chances are we'll be walking into a snake pit".
The others nodded, each with a look of determination on their faces. Yusuke looked back, a bit glad that they were taking this seriously. With a heavy sigh, Yusuke opened the door and entered the bar with his friends in tow. Everyone was almost immediately with the smell of stale beer and tobacco smoke. The air was filled with both the loud boisterous laughs and exclamations and the low pitched chuckles and murmurs of the other customers. As the other Fairy Tail members grimaced or frowned at the seedy and debaucherous establishment, Yusuke couldn't help but feel right at home.
"Couldn't we just ask around and not go inside the seedy bar"? Lucy asked hesitantly.
"You're asking this now"? Gray asked incredulously.
"Tch, look, you're the one who wanted to play detective, right"? Yusuke asked tersely, not bothering to look back, "Well...this is what we do".
The others couldn't help but reluctantly accept Yusuke's reasoning, mainly because they themselves had limited knowledge as to what real detective work was like. As they walked inside, Lucy stuck close to the others, should any problems arise. Happy was in the same boat as he nervously looked at the other patrons, who all began to leer at them. Natsu, Erza, and Gray all had on stern faces, fully committed to keeping their cool. However, between the three of them, only Erza was most likely to keep a cool head should a fight be instigated.
While the rest of his comrades stuck together, Yusuke took a seat at the bar.
"Gimme the strongest stuff ya got", Yusuke said.
The older barkeep nodded as he placed a mug in front of Yusuke.
"You new around here"? He asked as he filled the mug with a rather pungent beverage.
"Just passin' through", Yusuke answered, "Was in the neighborhood, and decided to wet my whistle".
"Seem to be hitting it pretty hard, though", the barkeep observed as he pushed the mug towards Yusuke, "Sure you don't want to start small"?
"Heh, I may look young, but I can hold my liquor pretty well, if I do say so myself", Yusuke said, smirking as he took the mug.
Yusuke brought it up to his lips, tilted it back until almost more than a quarter of the contents poured into his mouth, and quickly swallowed as the bitter taste of the drink filled his nose.
"Ahhh, not bad", Yusuke said with a smirk, "Anyway, I'm in town on business. Think you could help a guy out"?
The other Fairy Tail members who sat next to him watched in awe at Yusuke's behavior. They were admittedly taken aback by how calm and collected he was compared to the other day. His stand offish behavior truly differed to the attitude he currently displayed.
"He's sure changed from how he was yesterday", Gray observed.
"That's putting it lightly", Lucy noted.
"I suppose even someone like him has a professional side", Erza relented.
"Bet ya he'll start cracking skulls the minute he gets a lead", Natsu said, "Just like they do in the stories".
"I'll take some of that action", Gray said in a rather eager tone.
"Come on, guys, have a little faith in the guy", Lucy said.
"Hey guys", Yusuke said, getting their attention, "I found a lead".
Unknown Alleyway - Minutes later
"Ack"!
As a middle aged man fell against a stack of trash cans in an alley, he slowly crawled away as a dark shadow loomed over him. The shadow was cast by none other than Yusuke, who stared at the man with a bemused look on his face. Meanwhile, his comrades all watched silently while a certain Ice Make wizard scowled as he reluctantly handed Natsu a small stack of bills. The Pink haired mage grinned as he looked at his prize from the bet. The tip from the barkeep led Yusuke and the others to a man known as Lester, an information broker who dealt in relaying info about the town and citizens to any and all local or visiting criminals.
"As someone who deals in the towns local crime ring, I assumed you'd be more of a challenge", Yusuke sneered, "Now tell us what you know".
"Hey man, I don't know nothin', ya hear? Nothing"! Lester exclaimed.
"You think I'm gonna buy that bullshit"?! Yusuke exclaimed.
"Look pal, I got rights. Besides, you ain't got no proof"! Lester said accusingly.
"You want proof"? Yusuke growled, "HERE"!
Yusuke then grabbed one of the trash cans and punched a hole threw it, allowing the fermented contents to spill out. Lester's eyes widened as he saw how easily the younger man managed to damage the metal can so easily. As Yusuke shook off the residue from his hand he looked back at his lead.
"Proof how much I'm gonna lose my cool if you don't CONFESS to what you know"! Yusuke exclaimed showing his fist.
Lester gulped as he shrunk back. Having seen this type of situation in the detective novels she had read, Lucy was inclined to say something.
"Psst, this is when the Good Cop usually steps in", Lucy whispered to the others.
"Oohh! I want to do it"! Happy said, waving his paw.
"No, I'm gonna do it"! Natsu insisted.
"Step aside, let a professional handle this", Gray said pushing them both aside.
"Since when is being a professional flasher considered good cop material"?! Natsu shouted getting in Gray's face.
"I'm more qualified than you, flame brain"! Gray growled pushing against Natsu's forehead.
"Enough", Erza said, breaking them up in the usual manner, "I'll handle this".
Erza stepped toward the two men. Putting a hand on Yusuke's shoulder, she nodded her head as she looked him in the eye, signaling that she'd take over from here. Yusuke sighed as he put his hands in his pockets and took a step back.
"Listen..Lester, was it? Despite the fact that you trade with criminals, you don't seem like a dangerous character", Erza said in a gentle but firm voice, "Even though my comrade would like nothing more than to beat you senseless until you give in, I'd like to offer you a way out".
Lester looked at Erza, rather taken aback by her gentle approach, as well as her beauty. He then glanced back at Yusuke, who leered at him as he began to crack his knuckles.
"Alright, alright, just...keep it cool", Lester said anxiously, "Whattya wanna know"?
"The name of the group from the Arms Dealing guild", Erza said seriously, "Who are they"?
"You must be talkin' about the Furnace Rats", Lester assumed, "They just showed up last week. They were lookin' for a place to lay low and store their merchandise".
"He makes them sound like common couriers", Lucy said with a frown.
"Guess even bad guys have a business system", Happy noted.
"They didn't say where they were from, all they said they were just passin' through to, well they didn't say where they were going to either. But they already paid me, so I hooked 'em up with a hideout", Lester continued.
"And where is this hideout"? Erza asked curiously.
"Wha? I can't tell ya that, they'd KILL me"! Lester exclaimed worriedly.
"What makes you think we won't"? Yusuke asked darkly, stepping forward.
Lester yelped as he jumped back, immediately frightened by Yusuke's presence.
"Stand down, Yusuke", Erza said firmly, holding him back with her arm.
"Come on, just one minute alone with him, that'll all I need"! Yusuke growled as he pushed against, eager to get at the man.
"I said, stand DOWN"! Erza said, managing to push him back.
"Alright! I'll talk! I'll talk"! Lester said frantically, "It's the Warehouse on the outskirts of town, near the river! That's all I know, I swear"!
Yusuke smirked as their man in question gave up the information they needed. Stuffing his hands back into his jacket pockets, he slowly made his way out of the alley. Erza shook her head as she watched Yusuke walk away. Despite the results, she disapproved the way he conducted himself.
"Thank you for your cooperation", Erza said, turning back to Lester, "As a sign of gratitude, we will refer to you as an anonymous source when we make our report".
"Uhh yeah, thanks", Lester said softly.
As the two members of Fairy Tail walked away, Erza casted a glance towards Yusuke. She felt an uneasy feeling beginning to grow in the pit of her stomach. For a moment, she truly believed that Yusuke would have murdered that man. His attitude, which she had assumed were simply a fondness for battle, showed subtle signs of blood lust. Despite the conditions of the situations, it was completely different from his fight with Natsu. Nevertheless, she believed that deep down, Yusuke was a kind person, but knew that her fears wouldn't rest, unless she tested him first. Which is exactly what she did.
"When we find them, I expect you to not to do anything crazy", Erza said in a serious tone.
"Yeah yeah, red, I get the point", Yusuke said nonchalantly, "Don't get your armored shorts in a bunch, I'm not planning on killing any of them".
Erza nodded her head, shaking off Yusuke's rather indignant response. Despite the delivery of the reply, she felt a bit more comfortable knowing her fears would not be realized.
Outskirts of Onibus - Later that Day
With some help from the locals, the members of the newly formed Fairy Tail Investigation unit managed to find the exact location of the warehouse. It was a large 2 story brick building about half a mile wide and stood as the single solitary structure amid a clearing in the forest outside of town with the river placed to its' left. A couple of meters from the warehouse, Yusuke and the others had taken cover behind a rock.
"Let's hope that guy wasn't trying to put one over on us", Gray said as he peeked behind the rock.
"There's something here alright", Natsu said, sniffing the air, "There've been a lot of people coming and going from this place. They've gotta be here".
"How do we know they haven't left"? Lucy asked, "How do we know they're still here"?
"Hang on a sec", Yusuke said, "I think I've got just the tool for the job".
Yusuke dug around in his jacket pockets to see if he still had it on him. After reaching into one of his inside pockets, he pulled out a small item that looked like a monocle lens with a green frame, accented by a blue tassel.
"Been a while since I had to use this", Yusuke noted, blowing off the dust that had built up on it.
"What is that thing"? Happy asked.
"Say hello to the Psychic Spyglass, a Spirit Detective's best friend", Yusuke said, "I can see through just about anything with this little baby. And I mean, anything".
He casted a glance at Erza in particular. The young Spirit Detective then smirked impishly as he gazed down at her armored torso and slowly began to lift the Spyglass to his eye. However, the scarlet haired mage suddenly caught on to his intentions.
BAM!
In the blink of an eye, Erza punched Yusuke across the face before he ever had the chance to use the Spyglass to see through her armor, sending him sprawling on his back.
"Will you PLEASE take this seriously"?! Erza fumed as she clenched her armored fist.
"He had that one coming", Gray said with a deadpanned expression.
"Aye", Happy said in agreement.
Yusuke smirked as he rubbed the darkened side of his face that Erza struck. He then turned his gaze back at the warehouse and brought the Spyglass up to his eye. Upon scanning the ground floor, Yusuke could see a small group of at least 15 men. There were also some crates and boxes, all with different labels. The one thing they had in common though was each of them was labeled with the name of a different type of weapon.
"Paydirt", Yusuke said with a smirk, "We've got our evidence. Time we make our move".
"Good enough for me", Natsu said, punching his fist into his palm, "Let's take 'em".
"Hang on, Natsu", Lucy said, "We need a plan".
"Lucy's right", Erza said with a nod, "I've already thought it over. We'll go in groups of two. Lucy, Gray and myself will go in first. Natsu, Happy, and Yusuke will sneak in overhead and..".
"Uhh, Erza"? Happy piped up, "Yusuke already left".
"What"?! Erza said in disbelief.
Erza turned around to see the Spirit Detective in question had indeed already left.
"That idiot"! Erza seethed, "What's he thinking"?!
The remaining 5 made their way over to one of the windows to see what was going on inside. Looking around, the only things that could be seen were the boxes and the group of men all gathering around at a large table.
"Guys, look up there", Lucy whispered, pointing upward.
The others shifted their gaze upward to see something on the skylight window on the ceiling. They immediately recognized it as Yusuke, who had begun to shift his arm back, his fist clenched and ready to be released.
"Not yet, Yusuke"! Erza cried.
But it was too late; With a loud crash, Yusuke smashed an opening in the sky light and immediately began to descend. The men inside could only watch in surprise as Yusuke appeared, as if out of nowhere, and then landed on the table in a crouched position. He smirked as he got to his feet and stood on the wooden table.
"Evening fellas", Yusuke said coolly, "Mind if I drop in"?
The men were far from impressed as each of them took out a firearm and aimed at Yusuke. Looking around, Yusuke could see a wide assortment of rifles and pistols were aimed at him.
"They're Guns Magic users like Bisca", Gray observed.
"He's surrounded", Lucy said in a worried tone.
Despite his situation, Yusuke remained unphased. In the blink of an eye, he suddenly vanished. All the men inside looked around to see where he had gone.
"Nice toys ya got there", Yusuke said as he reappeared about a foot from the table.
As the men turned towards Yusuke, they saw that he was he gripping his right arm by the wrist. His hand was balled up in a fist and the smirk which had adorned his face was replaced with a serious frown.
"But I think you'll find that I can outclass anything you've got"! Yusuke shouted as his fist began to glow with his Spirit Energy, "Shotgun"!
Before the men could react, they were bombarded with multiple shots of Spirit Energy from Yusuke's attack. Many of them managed to duck or evade the shots, but that made no difference to Yusuke. By the time the attack had dissipated, at least half of the men were already on the floor, groaning in pain. There was still a good handful of them still on their feet, but that only made Yusuke smile.
"I was hoping there'd be some of you still left to smack around", Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles, "Now who wants to go fir-".
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist"!
Yusuke was cut off as Natsu came in with a flaming fist which slammed right into one of the surrounding thugs. The others were completely caught off guard while Yusuke formed his signature smirk.
" 'Bout time you showed up", Yusuke said, "And here I thought I was going to have all these punks for myself".
"Heh, as if I'm going to let you hog all the fun", Natsu replied with a smile of his own.
"Kill them! Kill them both"! Shouted one of the men.
The remaining thugs recovered their senses as they took aim. Sadly, they never got the chance to fire their weapons as Erza, Gray, Lucy and Happy all burst through the door.
"Relieve them of their weapons"! Erza instructed.
"Leave it to me"! Lucy said with a grin.
The Celestial Wizard then pulled out one of the golden keys from her key ring.
"Open, Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer"!
In a quick flash, the mens' weapons, as well as their hair, were all cut to ribbons. The celestial spirit, Cancer, stood proudly as they all began to weep at their misfortune.
"Thought their guns could use a little off the top too. That okay with you, baby~"? Cancer asked as he flashed his scissors.
"Yeah, good job", Lucy said with a smile.
"I'll take care of the rest", Gray said, rushing forward with his fist placed over his palm, "Ice Make: Prison Cell"!
A giant cage made of ice appeared over the incapacitated thugs. With the fight seemingly over, Happy proceeded to place the ones that Yusuke knocked out into the cell with their co-conspirators.
"So uhh, wait, where did the guy with the scissors come from"?! Yusuke asked in disbelief.
"Oh he's a Celestial Spirit I have a contract with", Lucy said, "I'm a Celestial Wizard, and with my magic, I can summon spirits from the Celestial World to help me in battle".
"Well, that's...handy, I guess"? Yusuke said, still bewildered, "Didn't know there was another Spirit World out there, though".
"Gotta say, with that hair and that jacket, you got quite the unique sense of style, baby~", Cancer said, complimenting Yusuke.
"Uhh...thanks"? Yusuke said as his sweat dropped from his forehead, "But could you not call me that please"?
"I have half a mind to call you a LOT of things for the stunt you just pulled"! Erza said hotly stepping towards Yusuke, "What were you thinking?! Weren't you listening when I said I had a plan"?!
"Yeah, I heard ya", Yusuke said in an uninterested tone as he turned away, "I just didn't see any reason why we'd need to wait any longer to make a move".
"There is a process to our line of work that must be abided by", Erza said firmly, "Your reckless actions could've caused serious repercussions".
"But they didn't", Yusuke countered, "So what the hell are you getting so worked up for"?
"If this is your approach to situations like this, then I have to say I'm very disappointed in you"! Erza said crossly.
"Oh no, don't be mad, I'll do better", Yusuke said in a false hurt tone.
"Is this a joke to you"?! Erza exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well it's good enough to make me laugh, so yeah, I guess", Yusuke said with a shrug.
"I swear, you are the most-"!
"Guys, listen"!
"WHAT, NATSU"?! Erza exclaimed.
Natsu winced as Erza yelled at him. He quickly snapped out of it as he remembered what he was going to say.
"I think I hear more of them upstairs", Natsu said looking up.
Everyone else turned their attention to the other half of ceiling as the light patter of footsteps could be heard from the upper story.
"Heh, this'll be a piece of cake", Yusuke said with a grin, "You guys go contact the Rune Knights, I'll wrap things up here".
And with that, Yusuke set off towards the staircase that led up to the upper floor.
"Looks like I'm going to have to keep him on a shorter leash than I thought", Erza thought as began to follow after him.
"Erza! Where are you going"? Happy asked as he saw the scarlet haired mage head towards the stairs.
"To back up Yusuke, the rest of you head back to town and tell the local dispatcher to call the Rune Knights and tell them to come here", Erza said in a serious tone.
"Right", Lucy said with a nod.
"You got it", Gray added.
"Aww but I wanted to stay too"! Natsu complained, "Why do they get to have all the fun"?
"I SAID GO"! Erza shouted.
"Yes ma'am"! Natsu yelped fearfully.
As he ran out the door, Erza turned back towards the staircase and made her way upwards. Meanwhile, Yusuke had neared the door leading to the upper room. Suddenly, it opened up revealing another thug holding a Magic Rifle.
"You're pointing that thing in the wrong direction, y'know", Yusuke joked.
"Shut up"! said the thug, "I'm warning you, don't take another step"!
"Or what, huh?! You'll SHOOT ME"?! Yusuke shouted in disdain.
Before the thug could even pull the trigger, Yusuke rushed at him, knocking the gun out of his grip with an upward kick, which he then followed with a punch to the gut. Pushing the thug out of the way, Yusuke entered the room to find a dozen more thugs standing around a smaller table, three of which charged towards him. Flashing his trademark smirk, Yusuke ran towards his aggressors. He took down the one in the middle with a knee smash to the face. As the other two tried to grab him, he dodged them and grabbed them by the back of their heads and smashing their faces together, knocking them out instantly.
Two thugs fired their magic rifles at Yusuke. Having been able to dodge lightning in the past, dodging bullets was almost too simple a feat for Yusuke. The young Spirit Detective managed to swiftly evade the oncoming barrage of magic bullets. As he ran, he reached out and grabbed some books that were lying on the table and threw them at the shooters, who were almost immediately blinded by the objects thrown at their faces. Though their vision was temporarily impaired, it gave Yusuke enough time to rush in and slug each of them square in the nose with both of his fists. Before he could even pat himself on the back, Yusuke could hear the clicking sound of more guns. Upon turning his head, he could see the rest of the Furnace Rat mages aiming their Magic Rifles at him.
"Guess I'm more out of shape than I thought", Yusuke said to himself, "Normally, they'd all be on the floor right now. Should've let off another Shotgun blast coming in. Damn it"!
Just before they could open fire, Erza appeared and, in a flash of light, had called forth her One-Handed Sword from her Weapons Space. With a loud cry of conviction, she slashed her sword towards the multiple enemies, almost all of which fell back, their rifles, once again, cut to pieces. With the enemies now defeated, she turned back towards Yusuke, who did his best to not look completely gobsmacked, even though he totally was at the moment.
"Wow, Hiei's sword skills have nothing on hers", he thought, "Wait a minute, why the hell am I complimenting her"?
"Were you really planning on leaving none of them for me"? Erza said in a joking tone.
"It's not my fault you took your sweet ass time", Yusuke replied with a shrug.
"Don't move"!
They were soon interrupted by yet another member of the Furnace Rats, who had aimed a Magic Machine Gun at them. Given the fact that he was dressed in a suit, he was obviously the leader of the group.
"I'd take your own advice, pal", Yusuke said, aiming his right index finger at the Furnace Rat member, "Face it; your friends are all knocked out, and the Rune Knights are on their way".
"He's right", Erza said, stepping forward, "You have zero chance of walking away from this. Just drop your weapon and surrender".
"Forget it"! The Furnace Rat said, "I ain't losing to a bunch of punks like you".
"Go ahead, then", Yusuke said daringly as the tip of his index finger began to glow, "Pull that trigger and see what happens".
"Be reasonable", Erza warned, holding up her sword, "You don't need to necessarily end up like your friends".
The Furnace Rat wasn't about to let himself be done in like this. That said, he couldn't ignore the fact that he was outnumbered and they both took out the rest of his men without so much as breaking a sweat. With the circumstances overpowering his conviction, he reluctantly lowered his weapon. The two remaining members of Fairy Tail sighed.
"Turn yourself in to the Rune Knights as soon as they get here", Erza instructed, "Yusuke, let's regroup with the others".
"Right behind ya", Yusuke replied as he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets.
As they turned to leave, Yusuke saw from the corner of his eye that the Furnace Rat had begun to lift the weapon back up, with the intention of firing on Erza. Gritting his teeth, Yusuke quickly lifted his hands and took at aim at the man. With a loud hum, the tip of Yusuke's finger glowed brightly once more.
"Spirit Gun"!
A large blast of Spirit Energy shot out from the tip of Yusuke's finger, straight towards the Furnace Rat and hit him before he could even pull the trigger. Erza turned her head just in time to see the beam collide with the man and send him crashing out the window behind him. Her eyes widened as she heard the man scream as he fell through the window.
"YUSUKE"!
Outside the Warehouse - Minutes Later
It turned out the man had broke his fall on a tree near the window. Unfortunately, it broke several of his bones along with it. Despite the fact that he had saved her, the Fairy Queen was far from grateful. Yusuke frowned indifferently as Erza glared at him to point where you could actually feel the rage coming off her.
"I don't see why you're so upset", Yusuke said, "He was about to fill you full of holes, I had to take him down".
"You broke his back and shattered his ribcage! You were completely out of line"! Erza exclaimed furiously.
"He's a death peddling creep"! Yusuke said indifferently, "He's selling weapons to unstable nut jobs and you think I'm the one in the wrong"?!
"That's NOT how we do things in Fairy Tail", Erza said crossly, "If you're going to be part of this guild, you need to understand that we never sink to the same level as our enemies. If you had dared to go a step further, you could've KILLED him"!
"Well I didn't, now did I? And don't tell me you actually feel sorry for that sicko"! Yusuke shouted in disbelief.
"It's not like that at all"! Erza shouted back, "We needed him. He would've talked, but thanks to you, we're no closer to finding the location of the Furnace Rat guild".
Yusuke's eyes widened a bit. In that moment, he inwardly realized that, at the time, he completely overlooked that part of the mission.
"Okay, fine", he said softly, "That was stupid of me...but he deserved it. They all do".
Stuffing his hands back into his pockets, he began to walk away.
"Where you going"?! Erza said indignantly.
"You can take care of the rest", Yusuke said, placing his hands behind his head, "I'm heading back with Puu. You guys can take the train".
"What"?! Erza said in disbelief, "Hey! I'm talking to you! Yusuke"!
Her frustrated shouting fell on deaf ears as the young Spirit Detective had already begun making his way down the path that led back towards the town. Later, he had finally made his way back to the station where Puu was waiting for him.
"Hey pal, the others are going to take the train back", Yusuke said, petting Puu as he lowered his head, "Guess it's just you and me".
"Puu"! The spirit beast said.
Yusuke smiled for a bit, but it quickly left as he remembered what Erza said. For some reason, the way she talked to him, and the look that she gave him, had begun to eat away at him for some reason.
"Actually, buddy, I think I'm gonna walk the rest of the way", Yusuke said with a frown.
"Puu"? Puu said curiously.
"It's okay", Yusuke said reassuringly, "I'll just follow the tracks. I remember the way we came".
"Puu"! Puu said in a worried tone.
"Hey look, if you get too worried, or if I get lost, just come back and find me, alright"? Yusuke said, petting his large aviary friend, "I just...want to be alone for a while".
Though concerned for his friend, Puu nodded and slowly took off into the air. Yusuke watched as the large Spirit Beast flew upwards into the sky, back in the direction of Magnolia. Letting out a sigh, Yusuke stared out at the path ahead.
"Well, guess this'll give me plenty of time to be alone with just my thoughts", he said to himself as he slowly headed down the path.
Evening Express to Magnolia - Later that evening
Saying Erza was pissed off would be a major understatement at this point. As she looked out at the passing view from the train window, she couldn't help but ponder on all that had happened. It wasn't enough that Yusuke had to rush in with reckless abandon on their first mission, but then he left her with the job of cleaning up after his mess by explaining what happened to the Rune Knights. Luckily, they were willing to overlook the excessive assault due to the circumstances. But the whole ordeal left a bad taste in her mouth.
Yusuke was way out of line during the entire fight. He could have killed that man if she hadn't been there. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have and she was overreacting. The scarlet mage shook her head, dispelling any and all thoughts related to the matter. She decided it'd be best to let sleeping dogs lie. Her friends, however, were not so convinced. Not of the situation, and not of Yusuke's true nature either.
"Hard to believe he'd do something like that", Lucy said softly.
"I'd believe it. I had him pegged as the type right from the start", Gray said, crossing his arms.
"I just thought he was like you and Natsu, but now I'm not so sure", Happy said with a frown as he looked over from his ailing friend to the Ice Make wizard, "With the way Erza described what had happened, maybe we were wrong about Yusuke".
Despite her better judgement, the wizard known as Titania felt the need to come to Yusuke's defense. If only to buy time until she was convinced that her fears were justified. She turned towards he friends to speak.
"Maybe we were, and maybe we weren't", Erza spoke solemnly, "We could spend the rest of our lives debating this and still end up nowhere. Whether or not Yusuke's actions were tied to his true self doesn't matter. We completed the mission, and that's what counts".
"But Erza", Lucy began.
"End of discussion", Erza said firmly, "From here on, we should all just do our best to keep a close eye on Yusuke. I have a feeling such diligence would serve us well moving forward. That's all I'll say on the matter, and I don't want to here anymore talk of this. Is that understood"?
"You got it", Gray said with a nod.
"Yeah, sure", Lucy said hesitantly.
"Aye", Happy added.
With the conversation now ended, Erza continued to stare out the window. As she gazed out at the dirt path 10 feet from the tracks, she noticed a solitary figure, walking alone and smoking a cigarette. She wondered who it could have been out so far with it being so close to sundown. As the train passed by, the figure, who was revealed to be Yusuke, took a long drag from his cigarette, which had now been reduced to a smoky nub. As he tossed it into a ditch, he looked over at the train, wondering if he had made the right choice. His hesitation was dispelled as he remembered the same resolve he had when he was first picked to be Spirit Detective. Team or no team, he was on his own.
And for better or worse, he had to get used to it.
A/N: And lo, it is DONE. This one took a lot longer to write than I had originally planned. Okay, first, full disclosure, the scene in the warehouse was loosely based off my favorite scene in Batman Under The Red Hood. That was one of my favorite scenes featuring Jason Todd and I ALWAYS pay tribute to the things I'm a fan of. There'll be lots of those in the future. If there's one thing that holds true about fanfictions, there's always a reference if you read between the lines.
Second, I wanted plenty of dramatic content so they could get a general picture of Yusuke's "initial" character. By initial, I mean, this is how it'll be for him in the beginning. Remember, the guy lost his lover AND his teacher, two very important people in his life. Because of that, he's regressed into a state similar to how he was in the beginning. And after all, would you expect nothing less from a character who parallels that of Mike Hammer? Cause I sure as hell wouldn't. He has a long way to go, but don't worry. They'll see there's more to him than meets the eye. Characters like Yusuke are morally complex. Very layered, like an onion. And like an onion, there'll be plenty of moments in this story that'll make you weep, for joy and otherwise.
UPDATE: A new poll is up in regards for the Phantom Lord arc. It's on my bio. Details are there if you have questions
Anyway, y'know what time it is now? That's right! TEASER TIME!
(Up next: With the mission complete, Yusuke begins to settle in to his new life at the Guild. His team are now wary of him, but Erza can't help but shake the feeling that there's more to Yusuke than what he wants them to believe. Her answer will come when Yusuke does something unexpected for one of the Guild's future members. What will the answer be? What's Yusuke up to now? Find out NEXT TIME!)