A/N: And we're back.

I don't own Fairy Tail.

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 24: Twin

August 1st, X784

A young man strolled through the streets of Coleus Port, the sun shining down onto his deep, bronze skin while his teal hair shone in the sunlight. The man looked all around, his stormy gray eyes briefly landing on a small group of four wearing cloaks, a brief scowl appearing on his face before he continued to look around through the busy, crowded streets on the port. Eventually a falcon flying down into the crowd caught his attention as it landed on the shoulder of a violet haired man, but a flash of teal and deep bronze skin is what really caught his eye.

"Rocco?" he muttered to himself before he noticed the four, cloaked figures beginning to tail the teal and violet haired men he saw, waiting for them to pass before beginning to follow them himself.

"All right! Port Coleus! Took long enough to get here," Vincent complained loudly as Jinjo let out a caw from atop his shoulder, Iva shooting him a harsh glare, but not saying anything as she sped up her walking pace.

"Yeesh… What's got her mad this time?" Vincent asked no in particular while Rocco shot him a frustrated look of his own.

"Might as well say it's her fault it took so long while you're at it, sandbox."

"I mean… it is. Could've been here two days ago and missed a hell of a lot of trouble," Vincent shrugged as Rocco picked up his own speed while Vincent tried to match it, "Look, I'm just saying the last few days have been a mess and it all could've been avoided."

"And it's her fault it wasn't?" Rocco snapped back.

"Well… Kinda, yeah. That bounty hunter was after her."

"And you don't think he wouldn't have attacked a train? Or gone after us here instead?"

"Look… I'm just saying…"

"Will you two shut up!?" Iva shouted, having abruptly stopped, "I've been through a lot of shit the last few days and I'm not in the mood to listen to your crap!" she continued to scream, getting a lot of shocked looks from the crowd around them as Vincent's face suddenly twisted into a scowl.

"And you think we haven't!? News flash, princess, we were there right in the middle of your shit too!" Vincent shouted back, the two stomping closer to each other as Jinjo flew off into the air as they continued to scream at each other.

"Hey! Hey! Knock it off!" Rocco tried to shout over them as he tried to get between them, unaware of the four cloaked figures closing in on them.

"Do it," Iva faintly heard a voice say over the noise of the crowd before a torrent of blue fire erupted from a figure in the crowd as Iva narrowly managed to drag both Rocco and Vincent down to the ground as the fireball soared over them and crashed into a nearby building, screams erupting all around them.

"What the hell?" Vincent gawked as he watched the scene unfold, watching a man run out of the burning building as he was consumed by the blue flames.

"We've got more friends by the looks of it," Rocco growled as he suddenly took on his Hippocampus Take-Over, narrowing his eyes at the four cloaked individuals standing before them as all the people around them ran away screaming.

"More bounty hunters?" Vincent questioned as he stood up as Iva stared them down, particularly narrowing her eyes at the figure that unleashed the fireball.

'The hell is with that guy's scent?' she thought to herself as she sniffed the air, scrunching her brow up as she tried to see under the shadow of their hood, only able to see a faint red glow from their eyes.

"Be a dear and retrieve the Dragon Slayer, brother," one of the other figures, decidedly possessing a female voice, commanded, as the fire-breather let out a low growl in response, smoke rising up from inside their cloak before quickly dashing towards Iva as she scrambled to her feet, wincing before Rocco suddenly jumped in the way as water covered his hands and floated in front of him as he braced himself to grab onto the charging figure, locking hands with him as steam hissed through the air as blue fire coated the figure's own hands.

"You're not taking her," Rocco growled as he stared down the figure before leaning back and then bashing his head into the figure's face, sending him crashing down into the ground before turning his head to look back at Iva, "You okay?"

Iva looked up at Rocco for just a moment before looking away and gritting her teeth, "I'm fine," she muttered as she stood up, her Dragon Scales appearing across her body as she rose.

"You lot have got just as much fire in you as the bounty hunter suggested then," the female figure mused, "Good. We'll put that to good use," she stated before the figure next to her let out a gurgling noise, turning her head to see blood gushing out of the other figure's mouth as an arm covered in red splotches with sharp black nails protruded from the center of their chest.

"The hell?" she gawked as she looked behind her dying companion to see a man with bronze skin and teal hair staring at her before throwing the now dead body down onto the ground.

"Leave," he commanded, the female figure tensing up for just a moment before moving to turn and leave.

"Come, you two," she ordered as the fire-breather climbed to his feet and the third figure began to follow her, quickly vanishing from sight in a whirl of magic.

"Who the hell?" Vincent gawked as he looked between the new arrival and Rocco, "The same face?"

"Is that your…?" Iva questioned as her scales disappeared.

"Donovan… Van," Rocco muttered, clenching his fists as his Take-Over dissipated before marching over to Van, who was wearing an expression that showed he was quite pleased with himself on his face before Rocco pulled back a fist and punched Van right across the face, "Where the hell have you been!?" Rocco shouted as Van's hand went up to his face, pressing it up against his now bleeding lips.

"Nice to see you too," Van chuckled as the noise of armor clanking in the distance could be heard.

"Hate to interrupt this reunion, but unless we feel like being questioned by the Rune Knights, we better split," Vincent pointed out as Van gave Rocco a look.

"Don't worry, Rocco, I'll be right behind you the whole time," Van said as Rocco let out a huff.

"You better not disappear on me," Rocco warned, "C'mon, let's get out of here," he said as the four of them took off into an alley way.

. : + : .

The four of them sat down in an Encan restaurant, seated on small cushions around a low table, the quiet noise of people talking and eating in the background as Rocco stared daggers into his brother.

"So… Anyone gonna fill me in?" Vincent asked as a waitress finished pouring him a glass of water.

Rocco let out a heavy sigh as Van casually leafed through a menu while Iva dug through a salad.

"This is Van, my twin brother," Rocco eventually stated.

"That's Donovan," Van corrected, "Rocco's the only one getting away with that nickname," he added as he brushed a lock of teal hair out of his face, briefly glancing over at Iva and giving her a sly smile as she sat there with some lettuce sticking halfway out of her mouth, leering at him in response.

"Look… Where the hell have you been the last three years, Van?" Rocco suddenly questioned.

"Around," Van answered plainly, rolling his eyes when Rocco shot him another glare, "I've been moving around Fiore, doing odd jobs here and there."

"Still haven't joined a guild then?" Rocco asked.

"I told you, guild life isn't for me," Van replied as he closed his menu, having decided on what he wanted.

"We could really use you in Phantom Hearts," Rocco added.

"My answer isn't changing, Rocco," Van stated, "Still, didn't think you were the type to settle on working in a team."

"It's a temporary thing," Vincent huffed as Iva reached across the table and took Vincent's as of yet untouched salad, "What the hell? I was going to eat that!"

"Too slow," Iva said as she reached out and held Vincent back with one of her hands, pushing on his face as she bit a leaf off of the top of the salad as she did so.

"What brought you all to Port Coleus anyways," Van asked as Vincent sat down in a huff, having retrieved his now mostly eaten bowl of salad from Iva.

"That's a bit of a guild secret," Vincent huffed.

"Vince," Rocco snapped.

"Yeesh, fine," Vincent said with a roll of his eyes, "We're here to retrieve a spell tome for our guild master."

"That's not exactly a job for three mages," Van pointed out.

"The Rune Knights have it," Rocco explained, "It belonged to Jose."

"That asshat, eh?" Van mumbled, stroking his chin, "Heard he got what was coming to him."

"More or less," Rocco answered before a waitress came back to the table to take their orders, Van speaking up again once the waitress was gone.

"Still though, stealing from the Rune Knights is no simple task. Especially if those guys in the cloaks decide to come back."

"Yeah, I've got a plan though," Vincent answered.

"Need any help then?" Van asked as Vincent shot him a suspicious look.

"We need all the help we can get, Vince," Rocco pointed out, "Van can hold his own."

"Did more than you in that last fight," Iva stated as she leaned onto the table, propping up her head with her hand.

"Shut it, gecko," Vincent snapped before taking a moment to think, "Ugh… Fine, just because those freaks in the cloaks might still be around and they could mess up what I have in mind, but you've got to help keep them out of the way if they show up again," Vincent stated as he pointed at Van.

"Fair enough," Van shrugged.

"All right, lean in and I'll explain, but keep quiet," Vincent began as the four of them leaned over the table, listening to what Vincent had to say.

"So… What we'll need is a distraction to draw the Rune Knights out," Vincent began to explain in a quiet whisper, the other three nodding along as he spoke.

. : + : .

Nika stood in her office, filled with irritation at the man sitting at her desk, in her chair as she stared him down as he simply looked back at her with his dark eyes, an amused look on his face as if he found her irritation to be entertaining.

"Haven't those mages of yours returned yet, Veronika?" Siegrain asked, smirking as Nika twitched in irritation at the use of her full name, "Here I thought it was such a simple task too? Surely it couldn't have been so difficult to find a few pieces of wood."

"Councilman Siegrain, with all due respect, they're searching for splinters in the middle of a forest," Nika countered.

"A simple task, as I said," Siegrain said dismissively, "Such a poor performance does not inspire confidence in your guild, Veronika. Perhaps I was right after all to bring forth the motion to disband your guild then if your mages cannot find a few pieces of wood."

"But…!" Nika began to respond before Siegrain held up his hand, interrupting her.

"Worse yet, for all we know, your mages have found and absconded with the fragments of Lullaby in some misled attempt to extract the Demon Flute's power."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Nika snapped as the smell of ozone filled the room, sparks jumping off of Nika.

"Control your temper, Guild Master. You wouldn't want me to mistake your actions for a threat, would you?" Siegrain suggested as a malicious smirk appeared on his face. The look in his eyes daring for Nika to lash out at him again as Nika bit her lip so hard it bled.

"Of course not, Councilman," Nika growled as she tried to let go of her anger before a knock on the door was heard.

"Enter," Siegrain called out.

"Apologies for interrupting," Irma called out as she stepped into the room, "Nika, Raoul and his team have returned," she announced as Nika's face lit up, Siegrain briefly scowling, but quickly hiding it.

"Very good. Shall we go greet your mages then?" he suggested as he rose from the desk and stepped around it, stopping next to Nika before she led them back out into the hall and into the main room.

"Raoul!" Nika called out as the man's face lit up at the sight of her, "How did the mission go? Did you find them? None of you are hurt, are you?"

"Hey! One question at a time please," Raoul chuckled before his eyes landed on Siegrain, his expression quickly darkening, "I see the Council sent a representative…"

"Do please give your report, mage," Siegrain said, "I'm… eager to hear it."

"The mission was a success, first off," Raoul began, smirking as he watched Siegrain's face fall into a scowl, "We were confronted by Dark Mages from the guild Banshee Claw who were after the pieces, but we were able to find and secure all the pieces," Raoul explained while pulling the sack of Lullaby fragments from his pouch. We took some damage, but nothing permanent," he added as Dr. Darling began escorting Kord and Lulu to the infirmary with Izzy not far behind.

"Very good then," Siegrain stated as he took the parcel from Raoul, opening it up and confirming the contents, scowling for just a moment before a seemingly pleased smile crept onto his face, "On my authority as a member of the Magic Council, I verify that this mission was completed in a satisfactory manner. I will be eagerly watching your career as a Guild Master, Nika Anastasia, as well as the careers of your mages," he declared as he casually tossed the parcel up into the air with one hand, "You two!" he called out as two Rune Knights he had posted by the doors saluted him before he tossed the pouch to one of them, "Secure that artifact," he ordered as one of the Rune Knights caught the pouch, before saluting him.

"The Magic Council will be dismissing the case against us then?" Nika questioned as Siegrain placed both of his hands behind his back.

"We shall, for now," the Councilman answered, "We shall be watching, as we do with all guilds, so be sure you keep your guild in line."

"Of course, Councilman," Nika responded as Siegrain stepped away and towards the door, leaving the guild of Phantom Hearts behind him as Nika let out a long held in breath of relief.

"Thank god," Nika sighed as Raoul moved next to her and pulled her into a side hug.

"Never a doubt in my mind that we'd be fine," he said, a warm smile on his face as Nika looked up at him, blushing slightly before pulling herself away and clearing her throat.

"Anyways!" she began, "With the success of that mission, I'm pleased to announce that nothing is standing in the way of our new guild's establishment! We have the Magic Council's approval and trust and we've got to work hard to prove that their trust is well placed! We will live up to and surpass the legacy of Phantom Lord!" she declared, earning an applause and cheers from the mages in the room.

"One day this room will be packed to the brim with mages of the guild," Raoul said.

"You think so?" Nika asked.

"With you at the helm, I know so," Raoul stated, smiling down at Nika once more, the shorter woman smiling up at him.

. : + : .

Far, far away in a tower that stood high up above the see, reaching up into the heavens themselves, a man with blue hair and a red tattoo on his face stood staring out at see in the direction of Fiore.

"Nika Anastasia. A more interesting piece on the board than I initially believed it seems," the figure stated as he stepped away from the window and towards an extravagant chess board, placing on it a golden piece with a lightning bolt atop it.

"Perhaps she will have some relevance after all, despite my initial dismissal of Phantom Lord's remnants," the figure was brought out of his thoughts though by the loud, echoing footsteps of a large man wearing a turban and an eyepatch and possessing a metal, prosthetic jaw.

"You called for me, Jellal?" the large man asked.

"I did indeed, Simon. The time will soon be upon us," Jellal answered, "Inform the others to begin preparations for the retrieval of Erza Scarlet. It will soon be time to bring her home, to the Tower of Heaven."

Credits:

Donovan "Van" Ivers – MyDearWatson

A/N: And there we are, Chapter 24! I know there was a bit of a wait between this one and the last, but I'm still acclimating to my new job and there's been a lot of other problems going on behind the scenes as well. But I should hopefully be in a better position to write more frequently again now.

Anyways, just a couple more chapters for this arc left now and then we can move into the next one, so that's exciting, especially since we're going to be entering the first canon arc of Fairy Tail that I'm going to be involving Phantom Hearts with.

But I'd like to thank Grimnack, Benthino, MyDearWatson, wjolix98 and Hawk725 for the reviews. They are appreciated as always.

That's all for now.

Your host,

Dreadburner94.