Good to be back. It's probably been a good week for guys, but it's probably been a month for me. Anyway, in this chapter, we're going to see Fox going on a mission, and then you're gonna see the royalty part from my tease last chapter.
Well, enjoy the story. I'm gonna go and get some ice cream.
Chapter 3: A Busy Day
"Thank you again, Fox-san!" a fat man with a small beard said as he kept bowing his head to Fox and Kurama as they unloaded the man's merchandise from the caravan. "Those damn Vulcans are always after my wine!"
"Think nothing of it, Meto-san," Fox said as he put the last merchandise down, a barrel of wine. This was one of Fox's frequent missions, escorting Meto's caravan full of alcohol. He's been doing this for six years, so he gets along well with Meto. "Besides, it's nice to visit Crocus once in a while."
"Well, here's the usual payment, and a little extra!" Meto said as he gave Fox a pouch full of jewels, the currency in this world. It was like ryo, only a different color and symbol, and a big bottle of sake. "This is my finest sake! Go and enjoy it, kid!"
"Thank you, Meto-san," Fox said as he sealed the drink in his left arm. "By the way, did you get that package?"
"Yes, it took me a while, but I got it," Meto said as he handed a small package to Fox, who nodded as he took it and hid it in his flak jacket.
"I'll see you next month, Meto-san," he said as the man waved at him.
"That was easy," Kurama said as he looked at Crocus, the Blooming Capital, and it was full of flowers, with petals flying in the air, a fitting location for the king's home. "So, what are we going to do now? Training or sightseeing?"
"It has been awhile since we saw the kingdom," Fox said, humming. "Let us take a break today and enjoy ourselves."
"Works for me," Kurama said as he yawned widely and started napping.
Fox just ignored his lazy companion. He's always been like that ever since he hatched. He remembered it like it was yesterday.
Five Years Ago…
"What an unusual egg," fourteen-year-old Fox said as he held the big egg with orange markings. "I wonder if it's a Dragon egg. Natsu-san might want to see this."
As he mused, the egg started shaking. Blinking, Fox looked at the egg as it started cracking. It then exploded as something unexpected hatched from the egg; it was an orange cat with wings. Fox stood there, looking at the creature in surprise, before his eyes narrowed at how weak it felt. The poor thing was frail, and it didn't have any magical aura on it.
His eyes widened as he saw that it was dying, giving small coughs.
"Shit!" he cursed as he took off his cloak and folded it, forming a bed, gently placing the newborn on it. Doing a few hand signs, his hands started glowing green. Thankfully, the Scroll of Sealing had medical ninjutsu. It wasn't his forte, but he can do the basics.
He placed his hands over the cat's body, trying to see what was wrong. After a minute, he saw that its magical coil was nearly empty. Since arriving here, he learned that, like how chakra is the life source of all living creatures in Elemental Nations, magic was the source of life here.
"Damn it," he cursed as he unfurled the scroll on his back, hoping to find something to save this creature. He quickly skimmed through it before he saw something. "Chakra transfusion?"
He read it before nodding. He pulled out a blank scroll, putting it to the ground, a brush and some ink. In one swift movement, he drew the necessary seals. He then gently carried the cat off his cloak and on the scroll.
"Please work," he said as he pulled a kunai and cut his palm. He formed a fist, causing the blood to cover his hand. "Fuin!"
He slammed his hand on the scroll, and second later, the seals started glowing. He could feel a chakra coiling inside the cat's body. He kept his hand on the seal as chakra paths formed inside the cat, until it wasn't dying anymore.
He gave a sigh of relief as he removed his hand from the seal. He felt his chakra reserves were drained, but he could easily recover from that. He looked up when he heard a little yawn. He saw the orange cat staring at him with red eyes before smiling. Fox stared at it before smiling as well.
Flashback End…
He gave a fond smile as he remembered that day. He named the little creature after his late friend, since their furs have the same color, as well as the same attitude when he's with others. It was probably a side-effect of having his chakra transferred to him.
Fox suddenly stopped as Kurama's ears perked up. The two suddenly disappeared in a swirl of leaves that flew with the petals.
In a forest just a mile away from the castle, a group of bandits were happily carrying a bounded girl about twelve years old with wavy green hair and dark green eyes, a gold coronet with a gem on the center was on her head, dressed in a white and pink dress.
"Told you this was an easy gig!" one of them exclaimed. "Bribe one of the servants, and we got ourselves a royal brat! Imagine how much the slave market is gonna pay for her!"
"Forget about the market! We can train her ourselves!" one of them said, leering at the poor girl. "We can sell her and play with her as long as we want!"
The poor girl started crying as some of the men started thinking that that was a good idea. Suddenly, there was a cold chill in the air, and the shadows started moving unnaturally.
"W-what's going on?" one them asked as they pulled out their swords and guns.
"People like you disgust me," a voice echoed through the woods as the shadows slithered towards them. "Shadow Grace: Black Vortex!"
The shadows started swirling and the bandits found themselves sinking into the darkness. They screamed and attacked at the shadows, but nothing. Only the girl was left alone as she watched her kidnappers disappear into the shadows.
Once they were gone, Fox appeared behind the tree as the shadows returned to normal, as if tamed by his mere presence.
"That was a waste of time," Kurama said from Fox's head before looking at the girl. "But at least we saved her."
"It's alright," Fox said in a gentle tone as he laced his finger with chakra, using it to cut the rope. "I won't hurt you. You're safe now."
The girl stared at him with surprised eyes before she started crying. Without warning, she lunged at Fox, wrapping her small arms around his waist. Fox blinked behind his headband before he petted the poor girl.
"C'mon," he said in a gentle tone as he carried her in his arms. "Let's get you back home."
"Judging from her clothes, and that crown on her head, she's the king's daughter," Kurama said.
"Then let us go to the palace," Fox said before they disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Inside the castle, it was chaos; servants were frantic as they searched for the missing princess, the healers moving around wildly as they tried to save the queen's life, the king sitting on his throne, unable to think with worry, and a man with curly hair and a long nose dressed in white armor barking orders to the soldiers.
"Find her Majesty!" he barked angrily. "If the princess isn't found by the end of the hour, all of you will be punished!"
"Excuse me," a voice said behind him. "But is this the girl you're looking for?"
Surprised, the man and everyone turned and saw Fox carrying the princess with Kurama, who raised a paw. "Yo."
"Hisui-chan!" the king, a short man with curly, blond hair and moustache, dressed in royal robes, exclaimed as he rushed towards Fox, the crown falling off his head. "You're safe, kabo!"
"Father!" Hisui exclaimed as she jumped off Fox's arm and into her father's. "I was so scared!"
Fox watched the scene and smiled behind his mask. He then saw the man in white armor walk towards him and bowed.
"Thank you, sir," he said in a grateful tone.
"Are you the one in charge of security?" Fox asked.
"Yes, I am Arcadios, Chief of the Cherry Blossom Knights," the man introduced himself. "May I ask for your name."
"Fox of Fairy Tail and this is Kurama," Fox introduced himself and Kurama. "If you are in charge, you might want this person."
His shadow suddenly moved and a person appeared. Arcadios eyes widened when he saw that it was one the newer servants.
"He was in cahoots with the bandits that kidnapped the girl," Fox explained as the shadow spat out the unconscious servant. "One of them said something about bribing."
"That bastard…" Arcadios said in a menacing tone. "Take him away!"
"Sir, do you think he poisoned the queen?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Poison?" Fox thought as he turned to them.
"Damn him, poisoning the queen as a distraction to kidnap the princess!" Arcadios cursed.
"Excuse me, Arcadios-san," Fox said, getting his attention. "But would you allow me to look at the queen? I may be of assistance."
"C-can you really help, kabo?" the king asked as he held his daughter tightly.
"I will see if I can," Fox replied simply.
"Alright, follow me," Arcadios said as he led the way to the royal chambers.
Fox found himself in an incredible bedroom, but his focus was on the king-size bed with red blankets and fluffy pillows. On the bed was a pale woman that looked like Hisui, with purple bags under her eyes, her breath ragged.
"Can you save mother?" Hisui asked with teary eyes.
Fox didn't reply, he just lifted his hands, causing it to glow. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes as he hovered his glowing hands over the queen, before stopping at her chest.
"Hm…It's a simple poison meant to stop the heart," Fox said as he pulled out a scroll from his pouch. He unfurled it and cut his finger with a kunai. "Another hour later, she would be dead. Luckily, I have an antidote."
In a puff of smoke, vials of potions appeared neatly in a row. Fox hummed before he picked up a vial with pink liquid. He opened it before he gently raised the queen's head, pouring the liquid in her mouth. She weakly drank all of it. Fox then gently lowered her head back to the pillow before resealing all the vials.
A minute later, the purple bags disappeared from her eyes, her skin turned less pale and her breath was steadying. A doctor quickly started checking up on her before turning to the king with a look of astonishment.
"She's alright!" the doctor exclaimed.
The king and Hisui started crying tears of joy as everyone else cheered. Fox simply watched them as Kurama's ears twitched in annoyance.
"They're as loud as all those idiots back home," Kurama said as he covered his ears. "Let's go home already."
Before Fox could reply, the king suddenly appeared, a grateful smile on his face as he dried his tears.
"Thank you, Fox-san, kabo!" he cried as everyone quieted down. "You saved my daughter and my wife! How can I ever repay you, kabo?"
"Please, there's no need," Fox said, raising his hands. "I was merely doing what was right."
"But still, is there anything we can do for you?" the king asked as Hisui suddenly hugged him again. She looked at him with teary eyes. He may not be able to see it, but he could feel her puppy eyes staring at him.
"Well…could you keep my involvement here a secret?" Fox asked, surprising everyone. "I would prefer not to have my name be known to possible enemies."
"Well…if that is your wish," the king said with a nod. "This incident will only be kept by everyone in this room, I swear to you Fox-san."
"Thank you," Fox said with a respectful bow. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to my guild."
"Um…Fox-sama," Hisui said as she stopped hugging him and removed a silver bracelet from her wrist. "Please a-accept this as thanks."
Fox was about to refuse, but Hisui was giving him the puppy eyes again. Sighing mentally, he accepted the bracelet, putting it on his left wrist.
"Thank you, Hisui-hime," he said, causing the girl to blush. He bowed to them before he and Kurama disappeared in the shadows.
"Fox of Fairy Tail," Arcadios said as he stared at the spot where Fox was standing. "I didn't know Fairy Tail had such an amazing mage."
"That boy…he would make a fine king, kabo," the king said with an approving nod.
"Fox-sama," Hisui said with a blush on her face.
The Next Day…
"Are you really keeping that bracelet?" Kurama asked as they rode the train back to Magnolia.
"It was a gift from a princess, it would be rude of me not to wear it," Fox said as he looked at the silver bracelet with jades attached to it.
"Well, at least we got a lot of jewels for handing over those bandits," Kurama said with a nod.
"Oh, we're here," Fox said as the train stopped.
"I want some ramen," Kurama said as he hopped on Fox's head. "Let's get that troublesome woman to make some."
"Don't call her that if you want to ask something from her," Fox said as he tapped Kurama's head, causing him to yelp.
After walking through the town, Fox and Kurama were back in their usual table, ignoring the noises his guildmates were making. He was about to open a bottle of sake when he felt someone walking towards him.
"Do you need something, Mirajane-san?" he asked as he faced the white-haired girl.
"Ano, I was wondering, if I could…talk with you," Mirajane said, squirming in a shy manner.
Fox seemed confused by that, feeling how nervous she is. She is one of the more nervous people whenever talking to him; her heart rate would increase and her blood would rush to her face. He worries sometimes about her health.
He mentally shrugged and stood up, pulling the other chair for Mirajane. She blushed and sat down, smiling widely. Fox ignored all the jealous glares from the guys who liked Mirajane.
"So, what do you want to talk about, Mira-san?" Fox asked.
Mirajane smiled and just took a breath.
Meanwhile…
"Give me that book, you little tramp!" an egg-shaped man with a wig and curly moustache dressed in an expensive suit exclaimed as he grabbed Lucy's arm, twisting it on her back. Lucy screamed in pain, but fought through it as she kept holding a book titled DAYBREAK. "That book is paid for by me, so the secrets within its pages are mine!"
"This book doesn't belong to you!" Lucy exclaimed as she struggled to get free. Her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered Fox's lesson.
Flashback…
It's been almost a month since Lucy accepted Fox's training, and she couldn't believe how much she improved. The weights didn't bother her anymore and when they were gone, she felt like as a feather. All that hellish training was showing results!
But there was still a problem, her hand-to-hand combat was still weak. She and Levy managed to translate the scroll, and she's been studying it, but her strikes didn't seem to be affecting Kurama, who just looked confused as she kept striking the same points in his body.
Fox seemed to have noticed too as she kept striking those parts as hard as she can.
"Stop," he said, causing the two to look at him as he walked towards them. "Lucy-san, you seem to be fighting differently."
"Oh, you noticed," Lucy said with a small smile. "Well, I was studying the scroll you gave me and thought it might work against Kurama."
"Levy-san already translated it?" Fox said in an impressed tone. "She did it faster than I thought. I guess it's time for the next step of your training."
"Eh?" Lucy said, tilting her head.
"What do you remember about the scroll?" Fox asked.
"Well, the fighting style is called the Gentle Fist, and it uses…chakra?" she said, remembering what she read. She was confused on what chakra is, never hearing it before. "It uses chakra to neutralize the various chakra points in the pathway."
"Excellent," Fox said in an approving nod. "Unfortunately, you can't use chakra."
"What!?" Lucy exclaimed in horror. "Then why did you give me this scroll!? Levy-chan and I wasted all that time for nothing!"
"Calm down, you blond bimbo," Kurama said, causing Lucy to glare at him.
"Lucy-san, do you know what chakra is?" Fox asked, and she shook her head. "Chakra is the combination of physical and spiritual energies. It is the life force of everyone where I used to live in. If I used too much of it, I will die."
"What!?" Lucy said, shocked. "Then why are you using it?"
"That's how I was trained," Fox calmly explained. "Like how you were trained using magic."
"Magic?" Lucy asked.
"You see, chakra and magic are very similar," Fox said as he pulled out a piece of blank paper and his brush. Lucy watched as he drew a body shape with small circles and lines connecting in the body. "Like how Kurama and I have a chakra pathway, you and everyone have a magic pathway."
"Wow," Lucy said as she stared at her hands, as if trying to see the pathway. "But what does that have to do with the Gentle Fist?"
"You can fully utilize the Gentle Fist if you add magic into your strikes," Fox explained. "You see, the purpose of the Gentle Fist is to damage the enemy on the inside. For example, if I strike an enemy right here," he pointed at where the heart is, "I can reduce the flow of magic, weakening him."
"Amazing," Lucy said before looking at Fox. "Can you show me?"
"Sure," Fox said before he turned to Kurama, who paled. "Come here, Kurama."
"Hell no!" Kurama exclaimed as he backed away from the two. "You stay away from me, you sadistic asshole!"
Fox simply smirked behind his mask before he disappeared in a blur, surprising Lucy. Suddenly, there was a howl of pain, causing Lucy to look at Kurama, who was clutching his right arm, tears of pain appearing in his eyes as he glared at Fox, who's pointer finger was covered in what looks like blue fire.
"You see?" Fox asked as he turned to a confused Lucy. "I hit Kurama's Chakra point in his arm, rendering it useless."
"But how?" Lucy asked.
"Hm…" Fox said, thinking of an example. "Imagine I was trying to block a flowing river. I used a big rock to stop it from flowing. My chakra acts like the rock, blocking the pathway."
"Cool," Lucy said with starry eyes. "Is this how you were trained, Fox-kun?"
"No, I was trained differently," Fox replied. "But I did know some people who used the Gentle Fist, so I have some knowledge about it."
"But wait, how can Kurama used chakra?" Lucy asked, staring at the boy as he rubbed his arm, trying to get the feeling back to it.
"When he hatched, his magical reserves were dangerously empty," Fox replied, shocking Lucy. "In order to save him, I had to transfer some of my chakra to his body. Now, he is a chakra user, like me."
He then clapped his hands, as if ending the conversation.
"Now then, let us focus on you utilizing your magic," Fox said.
Flashback End…
"Just like how Fox-kun taught me," Lucy said as she looked at her free arm. "Focus!"
Suddenly, a faint, white aura covered her fingers. Faster than the eye could see, she strikes the egg man on his wrist, causing him to scream in pain, releasing Lucy.
"You ugly bitch!" he exclaimed in anger, holding his wrist. "My wrist! I can't feel my wrist!"
"Just his wrist?" Lucy said, frowning a little. When Fox did it, all he needed was one finger to paralyze Kurama's whole arm. "I need to train harder."
"Give it up, you fat duke!" Lucy exclaimed as she pulled out one of her keys. "The tides have turned! If you give up, I might forgive you."
"A Celestial Spirit Mage, eh?" the duke laughed. "You are a fan of great literature, yet you use that phase wrong! The tides only turn if I am at a disadvantage! But you cannot defeat my Diving Magic! You won't be luck the next time!"
He then dove to the ground as if it was water. Lucy was on full alert as she did the basic stance of the Gentle Fist.
"You know, I was surprised by Kemu Zaleon!" the duke's voice echoed in the room. "To think that a man who was praised as a great writer would create such trash!"
"This isn't trash!" Lucy exclaimed, hugging the book. "This is his greatest work! But he only wrote it because you threatened him!"
"Threatened?" Happy whispered as he flew through the room, watching as Lucy kept dodging the duke's attacks.
"But that isn't what Kemu Zaleon wanted to write in this book, the truth is something else!" Lucy continued as she raised the book. "C'mon you fat weirdo! Take the bait!"
"What is it!?" Duke exclaimed in rage as Lucy simply stuck her tongue out. "What is the secret!"
"I won't give this book to you!" Lucy exclaimed as she put the book in her belt. "You have no right to possess it!"
"Lucy…" Happy said as Lucy did an unfamiliar pose. "You might want to call one of your spirits, since you're kinda weak."
"You're kinda weak," Lucy said in annoyance.
"Nooo!" the duke exclaimed as he panicked. "If that books holds all of my illegal activity, and if the magic council founds out, I'll be ruined!"
He suddenly pulled out a gold key, surprising both girl and cat. "Open the door of the Virgin; Virgo!"
"No way!" Lucy exclaimed in shock as a gorilla-looking woman appeared out of thin air. "She's a Celestial Spirit!"
"Natsu!?" Happy exclaimed with wide eyes. Blinking, Lucy looked and saw Natsu holding on to the maid's shirt. The duke was shocked at Natsu suddenly fire kicked his mage on the head, sending her to the ground.
He didn't see Lucy running in front of him at frightening speed. Her palm was coated in white aura as she thrust her palm to his chest.
"Shotei!" she exclaimed as she hit him on the chest. His eyes bulged out of his head as blood flew out of his mouth. "Take that you weirdo!"
"Wow!" Happy exclaimed in shock. "That was so surprising, seeing how frail and weak you are."
"What was that!" Lucy exclaimed as she chased after Happy, who flew away from her.
"That was awesome, Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed. "I didn't know you were so strong. Fight me!"
"No way!"
Fairy Tail Guild…
Behind his headband, Fox's eyes were twitching rapidly. It's been almost five hours since Mirajane asked to have a talk with him. The white-haired beauty kept talking about the guild and all the members, barely taking a breather.
He admitted that it was impressive the first hour, but after that, it got tedious.
Kurama was sleeping on his head, having stopped listening after thirty minutes. Fox would have dozed of too, but he didn't want to be rude.
And because Mirajane would sometimes ask him questions to see if he was listening, and there was a hint of murderous intent behind her cute pout. As expected of the former Demon of Fairy Tail.
"Thank you for the talk, Fox-san," Mirajane said after talking about Wakaba being inconsiderate to his guildmates, smiling at him. "I'm sorry if I bored you out of your mind."
"It's fine, Mirajane-san," Fox said as he shook his head. "The conversation was…informative."
"Well…I hope we can talk again, if you don't mind," Mirajane said in a hopeful tone.
Originally, she wanted to talk about him, to finally get to him, but she grew nervous, and when she was nervous, all she could do was talk about things she knows. But still, despite not knowing about Fox, she at least managed to get out more than one sentence out of her mouth.
Fox simply nodded, showing that he didn't mind. Mirajane had a big smile that simply lighted out the entire guild. She then quickly walked to the kitchen, probably to do her bar maid duties.
"Man, that was one loooong talk," Kurama said as he woke up, running his eyes. "To think she can talk for so long."
"It was refreshing to hear her talk at all," Fox said, remembering how the woman barely get a sentence out of her mouth when facing him. "And I learn a lot about the other, so it was a win-win."
"Maybe she wouldn't be so nervous if you weren't dressed like thats," Kurama said. "Wear clothes like a normal person!"
"I'm not normal," Fox said to Kurama.
Suddenly, two bowls of steaming ramen appeared in front of them. Surprised, Fox looked and saw a smiling Mirajane, the tray behind her.
"This is just a thank you for the talk," she said with a light hue on her cheeks.
"Thank you, but you didn't need to-," Fox said, before he stopped as Mirajane pressed her fingers against his lips. His eyes widened, since this was the first time in a long while that a female touched him.
"None of that, Fox-san," she said with a pouting face. "This is my way of thank you. Besides, Kurama-san is enjoying it."
Fox turned and saw his furry partner eating his share of ramen with gusto. He sweatdropped before looking back at Mirajane, still looking at him with that cute pout on her face.
"…Thank you, Mirajane-san," Fox said as he picked up his chopsticks, turning to his meal. His hand then slowly made its way to his face mask.
Everyone suddenly quite down as they stared at him in anticipation. Sweat rolled from their heads as their eyes focused on him until they were bloodshot. Mirajane just stood there, gulping nervously as Fox's fingers touched the mask. He lightly grips the fabric and was about to pull it down.
"We're back!" the door slammed open, causing a lot of them to jump in shock as they turned to the door, seeing Natsu, Happy and Lucy walking in the guild.
Their eyes then widened as they realized what they were missing. They turned back so quickly that their necks nearly snapped. They then saw Fox removing his hand from his mask, the ramen bowl empty.
"It was very delicious, Mirajane-san, thank you again," he said as he put his chopsticks down.
"SO FAST!" everyone exclaimed, some had their eyes bugging out of their heads.
"Stupid coals for brain!" Gray exclaimed as he threw his chair at Natsu, sending him flying. "Look at what you did!"
"What was that for, stripper!" Natsu exclaimed as fire erupted from his mouth, charging at Gray.
Lucy sighed as the two's fight caused another brawl in the guild. She looked at it before smiling lightly. She looked around the guild and saw Fox and Kurama on their usual table. She walked towards them, skillfully dodging the chairs, tables and bottles thrown around the place.
"Fox-kun! Kurama!" she greeted happily.
"Greetings, Lucy-san," Fox said as Kurama raised his paw. "Are you done with your mission?"
"Yup!" she said happily. Though that happiness died when Fox formed a dreadfully familiar hand sign.
"Fuin!" he said as her wrists and ankles glowed. Lucy then found herself feeling heaver than the last time, going on all fours.
"What was that for!?" she exclaimed as she struggled to get up. "Hey, they feel heavier."
"You were getting to used to your current weights that I have to make them heavier," Fox explained as he pulled out a chair for Lucy, which she took. "Whenever you're not on a mission, you need to keep those weights on. But I will deactivate them when you're on a mission."
"Oh, is that why you deactivated them?" she asked, remembering that the day before leaving, Fox deactivated those seals.
"During a mission, you must be fully prepared for everything," Fox said. "In a mission, you must always expect the unexpected, or else it will cause you greatly."
Lucy hummed as she thought about it. She was surprised when the duke turned out to be a Celestial Spirit mage. Thankfully, she was more shocked when Natsu appeared with her from the Celestial Spirit World.
"Well then, I shall see you tomorrow at 7 am," he said as he was about to stand up.
"Um, actually," Lucy said, causing him to stop and turn to her. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about the mission."
Fox blinked before he turned to Kurama, who just shrugged and sat on his head, closing his eyes again. Seeing no harm in it, Fox simply nodded and sat back down, causing the girl to smile before taking a deep breath.
Later…
Fox learned something today, he learned that women can talk for hours without end. His eye was twitching again as Lucy was telling her about her fight with the duke, a proud smile on her face. She spent the last three hours about the mission, which surprised Fox since he could summarize the whole story to five minutes. In a mission, all that matters are the objective, the possible enemies and the results. But Lucy seemed to be telling about every single detail, from her buying a maid outfit, to being rejected because the duke preferred misshapen girls, to reading the book, etc.
He mentally sighed, but feeling her smiling face, he guessed it wasn't so bad.
"And then we just went home without getting paid," Lucy finished with a slight frown. Truth be told, the ones who requested the mission weren't really rich, they were just pretending to be, so she didn't mind. But still, all that hard work and nothing. "So…how do you think I do?"
She was waiting nervously for his opinion. Honestly, she wanted his opinion more than others, after all, she was strong because of him.
"It was adequate," he said, causing Lucy's face to hit the table, not expecting that.
"What do you mean adequate!" Lucy exclaimed. "I kicked that weirdo's ass on my own!"
"And that's why it's adequate," Fox said, causing Lucy to look confuse. "You did well, beating the duke on your own, and that means you are improving. But all the strongest mages are in teams."
"But Fox-kun, you always do missions on your own," Lucy said, causing Fox to give a small chuckle.
"He laughed again!"
"I don't believe it!"
"This must be a dream!"
Lucy sweatdropped as she looked at the nosy mages.
"I do have a partner," Fox said as he petted Kurama, causing the orange cat to purr. Lucy was surprised to see the narcistic cat like that. "I trust Kurama with my life during a mission, and he trust me."
Lucy lightly smiled at the scene. It felt nice to see the two being like this. It shows that Fox wasn't as cold as people thought he was.
"Which is why tomorrow, you will start training with your spirits," Fox said, causing Lucy to grin widely.
"Alright!" Lucy cheered, finally she can show off what she's made of. Suddenly, a small box was in front of her. Blinking, she looked at Fox. "What's this?"
"I was going to give it to you tomorrow," Fox said. "But think of it as a reward for completing your mission."
Lucy picked up the package and opened it. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was a pair of pink glasses with elongated lenses with mildly large frames with small wings on the edge with a heart-shaped ornament on it.
Lucy squealed happily as she hugged the glasses to her chest, jumping up and down like an excited kid, getting everyone's attention. Fox nodded, sensing her elation.
"I'm glad you like th-gah!" he said before he was interrupted as Lucy suddenly tackled him to a hug, pressing her breasts on his face. The two fell to the ground as Lucy tightened her hug, unaware that he was suffocating.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she exclaimed as Fox waved his arms, trying to get free. Everyone watched as he slowly stopped moving, his fingers twitching.
"What a way to go," most of the male mages thought, blood leaking from their noses.
"Hey, blondie!" Kurama called, getting Lucy's attention. "Your big breasts are suffocating him!"
She blinked before looking down. Sure enough, Fox was twitching on the ground, losing consciousness. She quickly stood up, allowing him to breath.
"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, bowing repeatedly as Fox shakily stood up. She blinked as she noticed something; his face mask was drenched in red liquid. She blinked before she smiled slyly. "Fox-kun…you enjoyed that, didn't you?"
He simply turned his head away as he used a seal to clean his mask. Lucy simply smiled, pride blooming in her chest. She was happy that she got a reaction like that, especially to someone like Fox.
"Anyways," he said, his mask cleaned from nose blood. "I'm glad you like them."
"Like them? I love them!" she said with a big smile. "But how did you know?"
"Whenever you invite me over, the magazines you read are always dogeared about these pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses," Fox explained to her. "So, I asked a few people to get me one of these."
"But these are expensive!" Lucy exclaimed, since she's been saving to buy these pair. "I can't accept them."
"You worked hard, Lucy-san," Fox said. "You deserve them."
Lucy blushed from that, feeling happy.
"And I made a few modifications on them," he explained further, causing Lucy to look at them. "I added some seals to make sure they react to your unique magic signature and they are unbreakable. I also added another extra feature. Put them on and apply some magic to it."
Blinking, Lucy put the glasses on and did what he said. Her eyes widened as everything turned darker. She then saw something that looked like veins connected by glowing dots in everyone's bodies. Her eyes widened even more as she realized that these are magic pathways Fox taught her about. She also noticed that while everyone's pathways were white, Fox's and Kurama's were blue with a hint of red.
"Awesome," she said as she looked around, seeing that some magic reserves were bigger than others. "This is so cool!"
"Since you almost mastered the basic of the Gentle Fist, this will help you fully utilize the style," Fox explained as Lucy removed her glasses. "Though you'll tire yourself quickly if you used those glasses too much, so use them when necessary."
"Thank you, Fox-kun," she said with a smile.
"Like I said, you earned them," Fox said, a small smile behind his mask.
Lucy blushed again before she saw something. She suddenly smiled widely as she saw her new friends.
"Hey! Levy-chan!" she exclaimed, getting the blue girl's attention. She smiled as she saw Lucy, but grew nervous when she saw Fox.
Levy took a deep breath to calm herself down. She told herself she would befriend Fox, and she will. With a smile and a determined look, she, Jet and Droy walked towards them.
"Hey, Lucy-chan!" she greeted happily before turning to Fox and Kurama. "Hello, Fox-san, Kurama-san."
"Yo," Kurama said as he waved lazily.
"Hello, Levy-san, Jet-san, Planthead-san," Fox greeted politely. "It's nice to see you."
The duo looked surprise by his greeting while Droy looked depressed.
"Planthead?" he muttered as he touched his hair style. Jet can't help but chuckle at his friend's predicament while the two girls giggled.
"How was the mission, Lucy-chan?" Levy asked, turning to the blond.
"It was great!" Lucy said with a grin. "But we didn't accept the reward money, though."
"Really?" Levy said, surprise. "But that was such a huge reward."
"Well, my teammate's a blockhead," Lucy said before smiling a little. "But it just didn't feel right, taking the reward after knowing the truth."
Levy looked at he friend before nodding, understanding a bit.
"So, how did the mission go?" Levy asked and Lucy's eyes brightened as she told her friend the mission, offering them a seat, this time she made it short, at least twenty minutes.
"Wow," Levy said with amazement in her eyes once Lucy finished the story. "You're amazing, Lucy-chan! I didn't Celestial Spirit Mages are so strong."
"Well…I wouldn't be strong if it wasn't for Fox-kun," Lucy said shyly as she gestured at Fox, who was drinking sake. "He taught me how to fight."
"But I don't get it," Droy said as he looked at Fox with disbelief. "No offense Fox, but you're a C-class Mage. How did you make Lucy so strong?"
"Droy!" Levy said as she elbowed the guy before turning to Fox. "I'm sorry about that."
"But I do agree with him," Jet said, also confused. He grunted when Levy elbowed him too. "Ow! S-sorry."
"It's alright," Fox said as he waved his hand, not really insulted.
"By the way, Fox-san," Levy said as she turned to him. "Lucy-chan told me that you lent her an incredible book."
Fox turned to face Lucy, who gave a sheepish chuckle before turning back to Levy, who was looking at him hopefully.
"Well, I didn't really tell her to keep it a secret," he thought before nodding at Levy. "Yes, I lent her my book."
"Well…Lucy-chan told me that it was a really great book," Levy said nervously as she pressed her pointer fingers together. "And I was wondering if you could let me borrow it, please!"
Fox sweatdropped as he could feel Levy looking at him with adorable puppy eyes, pouting cutely. Once again, he could feel his will weakening against that dangerous attack.
"…You can," he relented, causing to Levy to suddenly grab his hand, shaking it.
"Thank you, Fox-san!" she exclaimed happily. Lucy smiled as her two friends slowly get along. She then walked towards Levy.
"See, Levy-chan!" Lucy said as she went to pat the girl on the back. "I told you Fox-kun is a nic-."
She stopped when she accidentally pushed Levy into Fox, unaware of her own strength. The two fell to the ground, causing dust to explode.
"Levy-chan!" Lucy, Jet and Droy exclaimed in worry as the dust settled. Everyone's eyes suddenly widened at the scene in front of them.
Levy was straddling Fox's waist as Fox's hands rested on her hips. Levy's lips were then firmly pressed on Fox's mask, her eyes wide with shock.
"Wah!" she exclaimed as she quickly stood up and started bowing in apology. "I'm so sorry!"
Fox didn't say anything as he lied there, completely shocked. He felt a sense of dejavu, remembering something like this happening years ago.
"Bwahahahahahaha!" Kurama laughed as he fell to the ground, holding his gut.
"Hahaha!" Makarov laughed, sitting on the bar. "Fox, I didn't know you were such a sly dog!"
"F-O-X!" two angry voices exclaimed, getting his attention. He sat up and saw Jet and Droy glaring at him in anger and jealousy.
"How dare you take advantage of Levy-chan!" Jet exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Droy agreed, cracking his knuckles. "We're going to teach you a lesson!"
Yup, it was really familiar.
"Kurama!" he called, getting his partner's attention. "Escape plan: Gamma Alpha 7!"
Kurama nodded before he pulled something from his small pouch. He pulled out a fish three times his size.
"Catch!" he exclaimed as he threw the fish to Jet and Droy, who caught it without thinking. "Hey Happy! These guys have a biiig fish, and they don't want to share!"
"Roar!" a voice exclaimed, causing the two to look and saw Happy flying towards them, claws sharp and a crazy glint in his eyes as drool spilled from his mouth.
Jet and Dray tried to drop the fish, but it was glued to their hands. They screamed when Happy hit them, causing a dust cloud of pain and tangled limbs.
"Give me that fish!"
"Happy, stop!"
"Not the face, please!"
Most of them laughed at the funny scene, not noticing Fox and Kurama disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Makarov simply smirked, lighting up his pipe.
"It seems you're starting to open up, Naruto," he muttered to himself before looking his guild.
Lucy frowned a little as she stared at a blushing Levy, who seemed to be in a daze as she touched her lips.
Lucy wasn't the only one frowning.
Mirajane was feeling jealous, an angry aura covering her form with a lifeless smile on her face. Even though it was an accident and the mask covered his lips, it was still a kiss. Cana was feeling the same as she frowned and started drowning her jealousy with a few more barrels of alcohol.
"This could be interesting," Makarov said calmly.
And done! Hope you liked it. I know this is like The Demon of Fairy Tail, but it is inspired by that story, but after the next chapter, it will be original, with ideas inspired by The Fox Scroll. I will also include other Naruto characters in future chapters, so don't worry.
Also, in cased you guys guessed, this is a harem, and you already guessed who're in it. But here's the list, just in case: Lucy, Mirajane, Cana, Levy, rest will be revealed in the future.
Also, Fox can use a magic called Shadow Grace. It's kinda like Blackbeard's power from One Piece.
Anyway, next chapter, battle with the Grim Reaper! See you later!