Hey, look, I know it's a short chapter, but it fit thematically as the place for a chapter break in my book formatting, so...
Sorry! ごめんなさい！( ° ー °〃)
I will probably post another (normal length) chapter tomorrow.
But really, I had to give it...
{-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-}
Erza, Carla, Wendy, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Aki, and Zeref were standing outside the guild hall, Zeref and Aki hanging back anxiously. Both Wendy and Natsu seemed to have come to an agreement not to mention their dragons, for which Aki and Zeref were greatly relieved and appreciative.
Now, Natsu showed no reluctance as he kicked the doors open, hollering, "WE'RE BACK!"
Everyone in the guild hall looked up, saw Zeref and Aki lingering behind their brother, and leapt to attack.
Fortunately, they had predicted and prepared for this: Lucy and Wendy stood to the left, Jellal the right, and Erza replacing Natsu in front. Natsu had insisted on punching any who protested when they had made the plan, a course of actions that wasn't all that far from his usual 'I'm back' routine.
As Natsu fought half the guild, Makarov appeared at the group's feet, startling Lucy so badly she leapt backwards, hands flying to her keys before realizing who it was.
"Zeref and Aki, right?" He raised a hand, grinning.
The two nodded nervously.
"I received Erza's letter explaining everything that had happened on Galuna, and your claimed reason for going there. All of you, stay. You two, come with me." Jellal, Erza, and Lucy and Wendy, both of whom wanted but were too scared to protest, hovered awkwardly at the entrance as Makarov lead Aki and Zeref away.
He passed through the warring guild, nodding at Mira, who looked curiously at them as they headed through a door behind the bar.
Entering his office, Makarov hopped onto the desk, spinning around. "Care to explain why you kidnapped Natsu and Wendy?" he demanded without preamble.
"We needed to retrieve the Book Deliora," Zeref answered plainly, he and Aki stepping forward. Both had known they would be interrogated, and both had readied themselves to answer any questions the shrewd master of the Fairy Tail guild sent their way.
"And you had to do it without even trying to explain what you were up to?"
"We didn't need to do that," Aki replied. "We didn't think of it before leaving."
Makarov raised an eyebrow. "And after?"
"We didn't have more than half a day before the cultists caught us," said Zeref.
"Half a day?" Makarov repeated. At their blank looks, he added superciliously, "You didn't think about it after you arrived?"
Zeref frowned. "It was only half a day," he repeated, looking confused.
"Half-" Makarov started incredulously, but paused, tilting his head to the side as he surveyed them. Finally, he sighed. "Okay. Show me your hands."
Zeref and Aki obeyed, pulling the black gloves off – they had insisted on wearing them and jackets through the guild so no one would see their scars, not wanting another Lucy or Wendy situation – and holding them out. Makarov took his left and her right, examining them closely. "This is a Transmogrification mural," he muttered, scowling. "Idiots." Aki's eyes widened, and he glanced up at her. "What?"
"It's just, I'm surprised that you know."
"I am a wizard saint, girl."
She shook her head. "I meant that you knew Transmogrification was the wrong runic system to use," she clarified.
He blinked at her, then chuckled. "Well, then, would you two like to join Fairy Tail?"
A ringing moment of silence.
"EEHHH?"
"Don't- don't you have any other questions?" Zeref spluttered.
Makarov snickered, eyes glinting with amusement. "Why would I have any other questions?"
"I mean- what with- we are the Black Mages, you know?" Aki stammered.
Makarov nodded solemnly.
"And you don't want to know anything about us?" Zeref all but demanded.
"I already know about you both."
Both stared, agape, at the smirking little man.
Finally, Aki managed, "You're not concerned that we would, like, kill everyone here?! I mean," she added uncomfortably, fidgeting under his raised eyebrows, "we wouldn't, but aren't you concerned, what with our reputation? Why would you- Don't you- I don't understand," she ended, baffled.
"Gildarts!" Makarov shouted, ignoring the both of them.
A large, cape-wearing man with orange hair entered, forced to bend slightly to avoid hitting his head; Aki let out a choked squeaking sound.
He seemed to recognize her, too, patting her head. "Heya, little girly," he greeted jovially.
"You-you- you're still-" Aki spluttered, taking him in, "you're still alive!"
Gildarts grinned. "Yep."
She stared up at him. "You're still alive," she repeated, as though reassuring herself. "You're really… really alive…"
"So this is Zeref?" Zeref nodded, squawking in surprise as his head was patted as well. "You're both so tiny!" snickered Gildarts.
"Gildarts told me about meeting you in the forest, Aki," Makarov said cheerfully.
Aki didn't speak, still staring with an expression of inexpressible, disbelieving relief as Gildarts sat down on the nearby couch.
As the silence stretched on, Zeref nudged her. "What?" she asked him crossly, an impression rather put off by the wetness of her eyes. He nodded towards Makarov. "Oh."
Makarov waited expectantly, but Aki had gone back to staring at Gildarts. "Aki, would you-"
Gildarts cut off any chance of Aki hearing Makarov's words as he swept her up into the air, laughing.
"No! No, no, no!" she blurted frantically, wriggling.
Gildarts paused, grinning broadly at her high above his head. "You're not gonna kill me. I hear your curse was broken."
Aki stopped wiggling, then, slowly, she started to smile. She let out a couple laughs, rubbing at her face, but soon was hanging her head. "I'm really sorry-"
She squeaked as Gildarts shook her. Waiting till she let out a reluctant giggle, he assured her, "I'm fine; you were cursed; it's all fine."
A frown and smile fought on her face, giving her the look of a twitchy drunk person – Zeref couldn't help laughing a little, remembering from before the curse how she had done the very same whenever he had refused to leave her behind.
Makarov coughed pointedly; Gildarts placed Aki back on the ground. "So, do you want to join Fairy Tail?" he asked again, barely restraining his mirth at their expressions.
"But-" Zeref started.
"Well?"
"What about-" Aki began.
"Stop asking if I know what I'm doing and answer!"
"Yes!" Zeref and Aki nearly shouted in response.
"Good." Makarov grinned faintly at their disbelief, pulling a stamp from his drawer. "What color, and where?"
Zeref and Aki looked at each other.
Eventually, she stepped forward, eyebrows creased, and took her jacket off. "S-silver, and- and a pink outline… here…" She poked her upper stomach, which was exposed by her dress. "If you- if you really mean it," she added, eyeing him as though waiting for him to say 'SIKE.'
Makarov nodded to her, but waited for Zeref to speak.
After a couple minutes of rapid and confused blinking, during which Makarov, Gildarts, and Aki all waited silently, Zeref scraped out, "Black and… gold outline…" He chewed his lip. "… on- right ankle."
Makarov flinched as though someone had shouted in his ear – Gildarts snickered – but said happily, "Zeref, put your foot up here."
Zeref removed his right shoe before doing so, tilting his foot so that his outer ankle was facing up. He looked rather ridiculous, balancing on one foot while wearing such old-fashioned, scholarly robes.
"Here?" Makarov checked, poking.
"Y-yeah…" Zeref muttered distractedly, eyes distant. Shaking himself, he repeated, louder, "Yes."
Makarov, a slight smile on his face, pressed the stamp to Zeref's knotted skin. Removing it, a black Fairy Tail mark was revealed, gold glittering at the edges.
Zeref gasped thinly; Gildarts guffawed.
Aki stepped forward nervously. Makarov touched the center of her upper stomach. "Here, right?" She nodded, and he applied the stamp.
Aki admired her mark best she could, then turned excitedly, eyes sparkling like the night sky. "Zeref-nii-!" She came to a dead stop.
Mavis was standing in the corner of the room.
{-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-}
A dramatic ending. :')
In case you're wondering exactly what I meant when I put Aki's mark on her upper stomach, I mean just below the ribcage, called the 'epigastric region.' I had that written in originally, but then someone I had read it looked at me with raised eyebrows, and I figured upper stomach might be a better idea. Of course, in addition to that original version was the WAY too long character outfit description that I hope it's not just me that struggles with not writing (T^T) It's annoying, I know it, but aaugh, I just- I love imagining- and how the dress wraps /precisely/ and- and- aaaaaaa I cede! I cede... (T.T) It's so hard to figure out where to draw the line, or write the line, I guess. I hope I managed to get rid of all the overly detailed character outfit descriptions that I kept on having in the drafts. If your reaction to that sentiment is "Scar had those? Where were they?" then YAY I succeeded! If you think otherwise, please tell me where so I can go after it with a shotgun affixed with a silencer. I can't draw for the life of me, so *sobs* but I'm considering commissioning fanart of Aki. Problem is I've never done that before, and... Ah, I don't know ≧ ﹏ ≦
Oh! The bit about Aki having met Gildarts before is related to a fanfic I once read where Gildarts meets Zeref and doesn't know that it's Zeref etcetera etcetera. I think I might have a lot of those little references to those kind of inspirations, none specific at all, just... a nod to what I've taken to be Alternate Canon. My own personal fanon, you might call it. Does that make sense? I didn't have an account then, so it's lost to time, but if you know the one I'm talking about drop a comment to tell me or something. It was on fanfictionnet.
Ah, so here is Mavis. I kept that she is currently a "ghost" and only Fairy Tail members can see her.
Do you like Mavis (in canon)? Do you not like her? Neutral? Why?