Erza was carrying her two defeated opponents when she heard her name called. Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Wendy were running towards her. Despite being victorious, they all had some kind of injury.
"Is everything alright Erza?", Lucy asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, don't worry," she replied.
Wendy helped heal her wounds, while the others led the black mages to their fate behind bars. They notified the authorities who took the necessary measures. With the city free, the people could live in peace again, the guild's helpers and collaborators were arrested and everyone saw a better future.
For two days the Fairy Tail mages stayed in the city recovering from their injuries. After that period they decided to celebrate, for whatever reason. They chose a bar downtown that felt hospitable and comfortable.
"That job was fun, wasn't it?" Natsu said excitedly.
"I wouldn't use that word, but..." Lucy snapped.
"It was complicated, yes! Those mages were no joke," Gray commented slightly annoyed and with a frown on his face.
"But we defeated them. They were strong and that made it all the more exciting, that's all. In the end Fairy Tail always wins," the lining mage flashed his wide, toothy grin.
"No... Gray is right", Erza commented thoughtfully and everyone looked at her. "These were no ordinary wizards. All this, this whole mission is weird," she grew even more thoughtful.
"What do you mean, Erza-san?", Wendy asked.
"All the guilds and black mages we faced, none had that kind of rapport between their members. Of course, we can exclude the Balam Alliance guilds, but the rest… they were just disorganized pawns."
The others paused thoughtfully, mulling over what Erza had just said. It was true the point she mentioned, they had never faced a dark guild with that kind of organization.
"We could be facing something bigger here", concluded the redhead with a worried expression.
"Would it have something to do with what Jellal went to the guild to do some time ago and about the master's warning?", Lucy asked, putting the ends together.
Erza thought, that hadn't even crossed her mind. "It might be. When we get back tomorrow, I'll contact Jellal and see what he knows."
A tall, thin, pink-haired woman was resting against the shade of a tree. Breathing heavily and panting from exhaustion, she ran for two days straight without rest, escaping the fury of a fire mage.
"I see you're tired," a hoarse, gravelly, terribly frightening voice spoke from behind her.
She turned, trembling in fear of the man before her. "Y…you! Glad you're here, my lord," she stuttered in fear of the person who accosted her.
"I'm glad you got away," he said softly, but something in his voice didn't calm her, it terrified her even more.
"Forgive me, sir. But the other members were captured. We underestimate them, they are strong...", she was saying when he was interrupted.
"Don't worry, my dear. I've taken care of your friends," he smiled sadistically.
She looked up, sweating cold, watching him in dread. In the blink of an eye, a blade of energy sliced through her neck. A spray of blood exploded everywhere as her head fell from her body.
That man picked up a communicator and called someone else. A cold voice spoke from the other end.
"My captain!?".
"Give me good news," he asked, almost as an order.
"We found them, my lord. We eliminated them all, as you asked."
"What about the board members?" he asked.
"Dead. We made it look like some bad guys took them by surprise."
"Very good. Go back to base".
"Yes sir!", and the communicator was turned off.
That guy called someone else, being much more polite and polite to this one.
"My lord, I have my report," he said.
"Okay, speak up," the voice on the other end asked.
"As expected, the Fairy Tail won. But they struggled at some point when they faced more than one enemy at once, when well coordinated."
"Excellent! As I predicted".
"Exactly, my master."
"Let's move on to the next test. How are the preparations?".
"It's almost ready. As soon as it's finished, I'll let you know."
"Perfect. Take care of it and clean it up."
"Yes, my lord", the communicator was disconnected.
The man looked at the woman's decapitated body and smiled, licking his lips with the pleasure of death. "Your services are no longer needed. Good job Regina," he walked away.
"We're back!" Natsu yelled as he entered the guild, with the rest of his team.
"No need to be so outrageous, flamehead," Gray said indignantly at his companion's exaggerated stance.
"Shut up! Nobody spoke to you, Snow White," the Dragon Slayer growled at the ice mage.
"Who is Snow White here!?" he replied.
"Did the ice clog your ears? What did I say?", Natsu pressed his face to it, growling at the ice cream.
"Do you happen to want a fight?" Gray leaned his forehead against his and they growled at each other.
Lucy moved out of their way before she was caught in the fight, which would likely spill over into the guild. She went to the bar to sit with Cana, Lisanna and the other mages who were there.
"Awww!" she sighed.
Cana slapped her on the back, which nearly made her throw up her tonsils. "Don't be like that, soon they'll stop fighting and Natsu will pay attention to you. In the meantime, drink!" she passed Lucy a mug of beer.
"Wh... what!?", the blonde yelled in surprise and embarrassment. "N… that's not it! Me and him, we don't..." Lucy stammered awkwardly.
"Yes, we understand Lucy," Lisanna laughed, only to make the Celestial mage blush even more.
"There's nothing but friendship," Lucy grumbled.
"Blushing like that, I can't say that," Mira commented, smiling gently.
"Don't you guys have better business to attend to?" Ryker, who arrived at the bar, scowled.
Lucy looked at him with sparkles in her eyes because he wanted to change the subject and rid her of any misunderstanding or embarrassment. Ryker sat down next to her and ruffled her hair slightly.
"Ah, you silly!", Cana said angrily. "Always spoiling other people's fun," she huffed.
"Cane, your fun is getting drunk," he looked at her knowingly.
"Now it's...", she looked at him with a hint, making him swallow hard.
"Well… whatever," he said slightly nervously. "How was your mission, Lucy?" he asked, quickly changing the subject, Mira's wary gaze on him and Cana.
"I think it went well. We completed the quest, got the reward, which actually went mostly to pay for the damages of the city, and we defeated a dark guild," she commented.
"Oh, glad it all worked out, right?" he took a sip of his drink.
Mira looked at Lucy and her bandages, as well as the other members of her team. "It must have been hard, since you're both injured."
"Ah yes. It was a well-organized guild. It looks like they trained a lot, which is a little weird."
"What's so weird about that?", Ryker asked, strangely to Lucy's statement.
Lucy was about to say something, but someone else interrupted her, speaking in front of her. "Black guilds are not famous for being organized or training regularly," Lisanna explained.
"They're a lazy bunch," Cana exclaimed sloppily. "No wonder they are so weak."
"Those didn't look like it," Ryker commented.
"Which is unusual," Mira also commented.
"That's what we thought, too," Erza said, sitting down next to Ryker. "I think there may be something more behind it. I'll contact Jellal and see if he knows anything," she said looking at the mage beside her.
"The fact that they are strong and organized is that unusual?" he asked, genuinely amazed.
"Didn't we just say that, idiot!?" shouted Cana. Ryker simply flicked his middle finger at her, drawing a laugh from Mira and Lisanna. "AH! You rude!" she yelled in outrage, crossing her arms and sulking. Ryker looked at her and gave a slight smile from the corner of his mouth, satisfied.
He focused his attention on the redhead. "Do you think they are connected to what your friend said about the guild?" he asked.
"That's what I want to find out," she looked at him seriously.
"Anything I can help you. You know that, don't you?"
Erza put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I know and thank you very much," she smiled. "You've changed a lot. I am very happy with your evolution", she looked at him tenderly and smiled.
Ryker blushed and turned away. "I… I haven't changed that much. I'm still the same as always, I'm just calmer", he said awkwardly and Erza smiled. Ryker and Erza continued talking excitedly for a long time and about the looks of a certain mage.
Mira watched their interaction, how friendly Ryker and Erza were to each other and relaxed with each other, the relationship was light and they were both always smiling, and that somehow annoyed her. She hadn't cared before, but ever since she started dating him, she's been bothered by other women interacting with him. Mira couldn't help but feel frustrated and irritated with them. Ryker had said that Erza had a special bond with him, and it terrified her. She didn't understand what he meant by 'special'.
At the same time that she was frustrated, she was saddened and irritated by their easy dynamics. It was a mixture of feelings that she didn't quite understand, that tightness in her chest, that fear and feeling and loss and emptiness, it was all bothering and frightening her.
Mira didn't understand what was so interesting about their conversation. What was so fascinating about Erza to him? Why were they so close? The thoughts were creating a monster inside her and an ache in her chest. And it didn't help that they'd dated for almost a month before he hooked up with her. Which reminded her... Why hadn't Ryker courted her before Erza? Was she really just a rebound for him? A second option, since the first, and more important, did not work?
Thoughts plagued her, giving her a dark, sad air, readily noticed by Ryker. He gave a slight smile, knowing his girlfriend well. She looked at them with a little anger, sadness, frustration and doubt.
Ryker got up from his seat and whispered in Erza's ear so no one could hear, further irritating Mirajane. "Now I have to calm the beast," she looked at him and then focused on Mira and her expression. Erza chuckled lightly, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Good luck," she whispered to him.
"Don't worry, I know her," he smiled and came around the bar.
Ryker got close to the most important woman in his life, he looked at her and laughed inwardly. He knew it was silly of her to be jealous of him, but he understood. He also had his moments when she talked to other guys, especially a certain blond wizard with a scar over his eye.
"Hey Mira," he put his hands on her shoulders, gently.
"What do you want?" her voice came out harsher than she'd intended.
"Nothing special. Maybe just some time with you," he whispered in her ear affectionately.
"You don't prefer to be with your…friends," Mira said with acidity in her voice.
Ryker smiled and took her hand, dragging her behind the guild. Since everyone knew they were a couple, no one cared.
"Why did you bring me here?", she said sullenly and looking at him sternly. They were in the back of the building, in a quiet, quiet spot, suitable for spending quality time with someone else without being disturbed by anyone.
"Didn't I say I wanted to spend time with you?" he replied calmly.
"Weren't you having fun with Erza?", she asked looking at him with a frown.
"I was," he commented. Mira glared at him even angrier, huffing and turning around, turning her back on him. "But I'd rather stay with you", he hugged her from behind kissing her neck.
"Stop it!" she complained, trying to free herself from his embrace (not really trying).
He chuckled, not holding back how cute she could be, at least to him, she was cute. "No need to be jealous, silly. I only have eyes for you," she kissed her bare shoulders.
"I'm not…" she snapped, now calm in his arms.
"I know you, Mirajane Strauss," he said, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Do you know how much I love the sound of your name?" he whispered.
She blushed and couldn't bring a slight smile to her lips. "I…I just get annoyed with other girls talking to you. I know I shouldn't and most of the time it doesn't bother me, but Erza..."
"She's your rival and we've dated before. Isn't that why?", he concluded and Mira nodded.
"Mira...", he took her by the shoulders and turned her, looking into her eyes. "What I have with you is more special and better than what I have or had with her. But she's my friend, nothing more," he smiled.
Mirajane blushed slightly and clung to his neck, kissing him deeply. Ryker grabbed her legs and pulled her up, all at once. Mira wrapped her legs around his waist, and he supported her with his arms around her waist and hips.
"Come home today," he asked, after a long kiss. She looked at him and smiled, confirming that they would spend the night snuggled together. "I'll show you how special you are," he whispered with a dirty voice in her ear.
"Ryker!" she cried, blushing and embarrassed, letting out a cute little giggle.