I return! Thank you all for your patience, Freed's POV is astoundingly hard to write... Oh! Important announcement in the Author's Note, so make sure to read it please!
Review Response: Dear Keelan1210, greetings! I can see Laxus to Inner-Dragon arguments leading to more fluff, yes. So glad you approve!
Dear Ice-Snow Witch, hello there! Yep. He's just too adorable sometimes.
Dear Lightsbane1905, hey there! Not sure actually, but it should be interesting if nothing else. Huh, I kinda like it too. I have a few different ones in mind though.
Dear TheHolyBlade, hello! (snickers) Who says she has to grow up before she gets to be the scary sister?
Dear Guest, hi there! (gives sage Yoda blink) ... So sure are you, that his mate she is?
Dear Pixie, hi! Yep, pretty much. Though, it will probably be more up to Mest, as he's the one who actually cares about stuff like collateral and property damage. Thank you, I try my best. That section of timeline is going to be ... interesting when we get there. (Laughs) Got it in one! Glad you liked that part, my muses kinda surprised me with it.
Dear Guest, greetings! It is too bad, but it's my explanation for why Freed only has an eye magic in one eye when every other eye-magic example I can think of in the anime has them using both. That too, though I get the impression that Porlyusica doesn't really NEED extra practice when it comes to fixing/replacing various Fairy Tail injuries. Not the best first impression, eh? (chuckles) Wren won't be shaking that reputation soon either if she starts revenge pranking the others before Freed and Evergreen stop being afraid of her. Well, dragons are traditionally known to be possessive, and since Laxus isn't the type to collect trinkets, I figured the instinct would transfer over to what he does collect: strays. Hmm, that's actually a good idea. Thank you for the suggestion. It will be a long time (if ever) that they see what's inside the diary though.
Dear BizzylizyOffline, hello! It's fine, I understand how the craziness of life gets in the way of things. Glad you liked it! The inner-dragon will be making more appearances in the future I'm sure, it's just too much fun to write Laxus arguing with it to leave it out!
Dear Ori Heartlyng, hi! Aww... you're gonna make me blush... Well, at least if Laxus does argue with his inner-dragon again, he doesn't have to worry about anything worse than a headache.
Dear Dragon Lord Draco, greetings! Pretty sure I answered the first question in the PM I sent the other day. As for your other question, no, I have no plans for Wren to gain an actual prophecy/divination magic. That would make her way to O.P. for my tastes. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Dear KyraReid, hello there! Wow ... I ... wow. I'm not sure anyone else has pulled an all-nighter to read one of my stories before. I'm honored you liked it that much! Yes, Laxus is adorable. Pity he doesn't get more screen time in the show...
Dear marmalade-snow, hey there! Happy to hear it! Now there's something you don't read everyday, dragon instincts being cute. Though in Laxus, they are indeed. They'll fit in eventually, and I simply couldn't think of a way to introduce them gradually in a way that would make them so intensely loyal to Laxus over Fairy Tail. Glad you enjoyed it and hope you like the update!
Dear Guest, greetings! Glad to hear it! Oh, those two should be lots of fun to write when they show up. If you want to get a preview of them, check out my Author's Note before you read the chapter. (Grins) Maybe... All I can confirm is that his tag is up there for a reason. You just won't see if for a while. As for Wren's 'ice magic' that's actually a side-effect of her Black Hole. Space is cold after all. Enjoy the new chapter!
Dear Guest, hello there! I'm glad you like it so much! However, I will warn you now that there are not going to be any fraxus moments in this story unless you count platonic bromance and Freed being a fanboy. Besides, I have separate pairings in mind for those two when they grow up... Hope you continue to like it anyway!
Dear Guest, hey there! Technically, he was busy fighting thugs in an entirely different area, so it isn't so much that he was useless as he was busy.
Dear Guest, hello! I keep saying this, but you all should really, REALLY wait until all of the cast is introduced before you start throwing around pairings and shipping names. Seriously. Besides, not to bust any bubbles, but Laxus DID call Wren Imōto (little sister) in that last scene...
Dear girlgonerouge, greetings! Glad to hear it!
Dear BlackDove WhiteDove, hi there! First off, I have to say that being able to read your reactions almost per chapter made my day. Though, it does make it kinda hard to respond... Well, I'll just say that I'm glad the chapters have entertained and pleased you so much! I hope you enjoy this newest one as well!
Dear Anonymus, greetings! I'll be posting today, actually! It just takes me a while to finish and edit these since you all enjoy having the longer chapters and I DO have a life to deal with. Glad you liked it and enjoy the newest update!
Author's Note: Hey there everyone! So, a big announcement I'm happy to make is: I FINALLY posted a one-shot collection for this story! It's called Amongst Untrodden Ways: Detours and if you want to get a sneak peak of Fairy Tail ten years into Wren's future, go take a look! Like with Harmonies, Detours will only be updated as inspiration and time allow, but hey, it's finally up like I promised! For Transformers and Ballad fans out there, please be patient for a while longer, I'm working on it. Both chapters require several different POVs and are on the long side and Real Life has been knocking and ... yeah. But I'm still working on them. Finally, kudos to anyone who can spot the two references I made to other fandoms in this chapter! I think that's everything, so I won't keep you guys any longer. Enjoy!
Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any references made in this story. The only things I own are my OCs who have run off with my plot.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: First Taste
(Six months, two weeks, six days since joining the guild)
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Freed froze instinctively as he was about to enter the living room of Laxus-sama's -the entire Raijinshū's really- house. Hastily, Freed plastered himself against the wall, trying to remain hidden as he peaked into the room.
There was a stranger in the house.
A moment later he spotted Wren-sama sitting next to the stranger with a look of intense concentration on her face and concluded that the stranger was not any kind of thief or intruder, but was instead a guest.
Freed hesitated, wondering what to do now. On the one hand, it would be very rude and against the Rules of Etiquette to stand there eavesdropping. On the other, entering the room uninvited would interrupt whatever Wren-sama and her guest were doing, which would also risk breaking the Rules of Etiquette.
On the first hand, he did need to get inside because his training break was limited and he really needed a glass of water before going back outside to practice his Rune Magic with Laxus-sama. On the other hand yet again, interacting with Wren-sama and trying to figure out her Rules without breaking them and angering her was nerve-wracking enough. He really, really didn't want to have to learn the Rules of a stranger just yet.
Before he could make up his mind, Bickslow-san caught up to him and lightly shoved him through the door with a blunt, "What are you just standing there for? Laxus isn't going to extend your break just because you're new." Freed sputtered, trying to halt his momentum even as it carried him into view of Wren-sama and her guest, attracting their attention in an instant.
"Oh, hello there," chirped the small bluenette girl who was Wren-sama's guest, "I remember you. You're one of the two new members Laxus-kun brought in, right?"
Bickslow-san patted Freed on the shoulder as he answered for him, "Yep. This is Freed Justine. He's one of the two newest members of the Raijinshū. Freed, this is Levy-chan, she's a fellow Fairy Tail member and Wren's tutor in reading and writing."
Freed bowed at the waist automatically even as he scrambled to classify which Rules of Respect were required for Levy-san, "A-an honor to make your acquaintance, Levy-san."
Levy-san's cheeks gained a small red tint, "A-ano, an honor to make your acquaintance as well, Freed-san, welcome to Fairy Tail."
Freed straightened from his bow, but dipped his head again in acknowledgement of her words, "Thank you, I will try to live up Fairy Tail's prestigious name."
Bickslow-san, who had slipped past Freed at some point during the introductions, returned with two glasses of water. Bickslow-san handed one to Freed and waved off the latter's polite "thank you", as he asked the two girls, "How's the lesson coming along?"
Wren-sama made a face but Levy-san perked up a bit, "Really well, actually! Wren-chan is very smart! We've got the rest of the hiragana alphabet finally memorized. We practiced the kanji for her name, and she's only written her sentences backwards three times today!"
Freed felt like an intruder to the conversation as he sipped his water, but he had yet to be dismissed and his curiosity was roused. From what he had seen of Wren-sama over the past week and six days, she was scarily competent for a six-year-old. Or just plain scary in some cases. She was able to keep Laxus-sama's large -and rowdy- group in check with a mere Look, had designed an entirely new language of hand-signs and whistles to compensate for her muteness, and her magic ability and power was incredible.
He would have thought someone like Wren-sama would be a prodigy at a simple activity such as reading and writing. The thought of someone as smart as Wren-sama accidentally writing her sentences backwards -more than once- was both baffling and quietly amusing to think about.
Freed kept his thoughts to himself, he doubted that someone as new to the Raijinshū as he would be allowed to tease or probe further. He'd only been part of Laxus-sama's tribe for a little under two weeks now after all.
Bickslow-san carelessly set down his empty water glass and moved around the small coffee table to ruffle Wren-sama's hair, "Great work Imōto! At this rate you'll be reading actual books in no time!"
Wren-sama smiled at Bickslow-san's words, but Freed thought he detected a hint of annoyance, probably from the hair-ruffling. Nudging his hand off of her hair, Wren-sama gave a small flurry of whistles and then pointed at Freed. Freed stiffened, wondering if he'd done something wrong, when Bickslow-san shrugged a shoulder, "He's been doing pretty good. Laxus has him on a really light routine because of his messed-up depth perception and not wanting to risk him getting another injury. Still, his Rune magic is cool and he's not half-bad at physical exercise."
Wren-sama tilted her head as she gave a quick hand-sign. Bickslow gave a bark of laughter, "Ever? She's doing extra laps around the training field for breaking the 'no magic rule' during her spar. Laxus was not happy about that."
Freed mentally cringed. He knew Evergreen just wanted to prove herself to Laxus-sama, but she was nowhere near as conscious of, or careful to maintain, the Rules. Plus, she had quite a temper, especially once she got competitive, which she did around Cana-san. The two of them just seemed incapable of getting along and Bickslow-san had a habit of making it worse whenever he got involved.
Wren-sama rolled her eyes at Bickslow-san's report, then flashed series of hand-signs and looked questioningly at Levy-san. Bickslow-san, as usual, stepped up as a translator, "Wren want's to know if there's anything else you planned on covering today."
Levy-san shook her head, "Not really, we did a lot of practice and Wren-chan made good progress. Besides, I have a mission today, so I should probably get ready for that."
Bickslow-san smiled, "Great! Now you can join us for the remainder of training, Imōto." Wren-sama nodded in agreement, already helping Levy-san to pack up the books and paper they had been using while Freed just watched on with a helpless, unsure expression.
Am I supposed to help them clean up from the lesson? It would be polite, but I was not involved in the lesson, nor do I know Levy-san that well and it might be seen like an intrusion. Then again, a good host would help a guest … but do I count as the host in this matter? Or does Wren-sama count as the only host? She is my senpai in the Raijinshū, so shouldn't I help? But then, she has not asked for assistance and she might consider it an unwelcome disturbance…
A light slap on his shoulder broke Freed out of his agonizing thoughts over which Rules he needed to be following, "Oi, you finished with your water? 'Cause Laxus will be waiting for us to come back."
Freed jolted a bit and looked down at his glass. He was vaguely surprised to see that he had finished it at some point. He glanced back up at Bickslow-san, "A-ah, yes, I finished."
Bickslow-san nodded, "Good. Dump the glasses in the sink and then we'll go see if Ever managed to complete those laps."
By the time Freed had deposited the two glasses in the kitchen sink and circled back to the front door, Levy-san had left and both Wren-sama and Bickslow-san were waiting for him in the foyer. Freed dipped his head, "Pardon for making you wait, Wren-sama, Bickslow-san." A grimace flickered over Wren-sama's face for an instant and Freed internally panicked over what Rule he might have broken, but then the look was gone and she motioned to the door with a smile.
Bickslow-san led the way back down to Laxus-sama's chosen training ground, Wren-sama staying close to Freed's elbow to help him navigate the deeper part of the forest and its treacherous footing. Freed had never realized just how hard only having one eye was until now, and despite his fear of Fairy Tail's cranky healer, he found himself looking forward to going back to her house tomorrow. He could hardly wait to get the bandage taken off and have two eyes to use again.
Although, it won't be completely the same anymore. Freed gave a faint flinch at the thought, one hand subconsciously rising to cradle the bandage over his replacement eye. On bad nights, Freed could feel the burn of the knife carving out his eye all over again, as intensely painful and horrifying as if it was truly happening and not just a bad memory.
Ironically, those bad nights were one of the reasons Freed's loyalty to Laxus-sama had only grown. The leader of the Raijinshū seemed to have an uncanny sense of when one of his own was in distress, and Freed had often awoken to Laxus-sama's concerned face and a mug of warmed milk to soothe his shattered nerves.
A gentle hand touched his arm and Freed jerked a bit in surprise. Glancing over, he realized that Wren-sama had picked upon his flinch and shiver and was now watching him with a look of concern. Swallowing down the terrors that threatened to creep up on him as best he could, Freed murmured, "It's nothing, Wren-sama, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."
Wren-sama leveled him a look that clearly stated that she did not believe him, but she did not press further. Instead, she turned her eyes forward to the clearing they had just entered. Laxus-sama sat on an old fallen tree trunk on the far side of the clearing, observing the other two occupants of the chosen training ground with a stern eye.
Evergreen stood with her hands on her knees, her breath leaving her in sharp pants while Cana-san grimly tried to perform another upside down sit-up on her tree branch. Bickslow-san gave a short laugh as he took in the scene, "How many laps did ya make it this time, Ever?"
Evergreen shot Bickslow-san a dark look, eyes flashing dangerously from behind her glasses and Freed winced internally. There was a very good reason Evergreen wore glasses all the time despite her good eyesight, and that reason was her temper. Even if she didn't mean to turn anyone into stone, her temper often triggered her eye magic without warning. According to mother, it had led to quite a few servants getting temporarily turned into stone statues when she was a toddler.
Laxus-sama answered the question on Evergreen's behalf, "About fifteen. Not bad since she's just starting out." Bickslow-san made a noise of agreement and then, much to Freed's surprise, tossed a canteen he had not noticed Bickslow-san carrying at Evergreen's head.
His step-sister barely managed to catch it, her surprise clear, "E-eh?"
Bickslow-san stretched easily, "It's water. Figured you'd need it since Laxus didn't let you come up to the house with Freed and me."
Evergreen looked from the canteen to Bickslow-san and back again before a slow blush crawled up her ears and she looked stubbornly at the ground, "…Thanks, I guess."
Cana-san dropped down from the tree branch with a groan while Evergreen took a long drink from the canteen, "Can we be done now? My stomach feels like it's made of fire and spending hours out here just doing laps, sit-ups, pushups, and more sit-ups is boring…"
Laxus-sama looked wholly unsympathetic to Cana-san's complaint, "We do some sparring too."
Cana-san scowled at her leader in a way that Freed thought was completely inappropriate and against the Rules, "Non-magical sparring most of the time! Admit it, Laxus, you're just as bored as the rest of us!"
Freed bristled at the disrespect in Cana-san's tone and, despite Cana-san being one of his seniors in the Raijinshū, he blurted defensively, "Don't speak that way to Laxus-sama! If he says we continue training, then we do so until either he says to stop or we physically cannot train anymore!"
The gaze of every person in the clearing shifted to stare at him and Freed's confidence promptly crumbled, "I-I mean … that is … ano…"
He wasn't sure if he should be grateful or even more frightened when Wren-sama stopped staring and began to silently laugh instead. Still laughing, she swatted Bickslow-san's arm to get his attention and then signed something. Bickslow-san gave a loud cackle of amusement that was echoed by his tikis at whatever she had said, and the sounds finally broke the staring.
Cana-san raised an eyebrow, "Wow. I mean, I know you're loyal to Laxus and all but … wow." Turning to Laxus-sama, Cana-san put her hands on her hips, "Well, oh great Laxus-sama," Freed bristled again at the sarcasm he could hear, but she ignored his scowl, "what is your command? Do we keep training out here until we drop like he says, or do we actually take a real break and do something fun?"
Laxus-sama had an odd look on his face, as if he was very disconcerted about something, "Uh, well." He shot a glance at Freed that the green-haired boy could not interpret before he rubbed his scar and said, "Okay, fine. We'll do something else. Anyone have any ideas?"
Bickslow-san's response was instant, "Job."
Bickslow-san's tikis seemed especially enthusiastic about his suggestion and started to bounce in the air and chant, "Job! Job! Job! Job!"
Freed didn't dare interrupt again, but thankfully, Evergreen chose to do so for him, "But Porlyusica-san said we couldn't go on any jobs for at least two weeks!"
Bickslow-san waved a hand in dismissal, "That's only one day away, we can take an easy job here in Magnolia. Something without bandits or monsters. It would be a good experience for Freed and Ever. Besides, how's Porlyusica-san gonna know if we don't tell her?"
Cana-san slapped her forehead in eerie synchrony with Wren-sama, "Well since you said that, Fairy Tail Luck is bound to kick in and prove you wrong."
Bickslow-san scowled at Cana-san and Freed sensed yet another one of their seemingly endless fights coming on, "Shut it, Shark."
Cana-san's hands drifted to her side where her card purse usually rested despite the fact that she had left it by one of the trees, "Why you…"
Freed shot a quick look at Wren-sama, expecting her to break them up as she always had before. But instead of her usual scowl at their budding fight, Wren-sama had a terrifying grin in place as she watched them. Freed hadn't seen that particular smile before, but he decided that he didn't want to ever find out what it meant.
Laxus-sama, who had seen Wren-sama's smile as well, hastily stepped in, "Alright, alright. One mission, here in Magnolia, that won't pose any kind of risk and that won't get back to Porlyusica-san or Jiji. We'll just have to hope that we used up most of our Fairy Tail Luck for the week with Wren's disappearing act yesterday."
Bickslow-san immediately abandoned his glaring match with Cana-san in favor of standing protectively by his sister at the reminder of her odd disappearance for the day. With one last glare and a huff, Cana-san moved to retrieve her card purse while Evergreen padded over to stand next to Freed. The step-siblings exchanged baffled looks and Evergreen asked, "Um, Laxus-sama, what exactly is Fairy Tail Luck? Is it bad?"
Laxus-sama grimaced at her question, "It's not bad, exactly, just … difficult. It's kinda hard to explain."
Laxus-sama searched for words for a moment, "…Every member of Fairy Tail is both cursed and blessed with Fairy Tail Luck. Everyone has a different kind of Fairy Tail Luck, and it's generally agreed on that the more Fairies there are in one location that isn't the guild building, the more drastic the Fairy Tail Luck will be. Cana has a habit of busting crime rings while Bickslow has a thing for running into bandits for example."
Freed felt a slight chill go down his spine, "S-so it's a curse?" Laxus-sama, Bickslow-san, and Cana-san all gave a resounding "no", but Wren-sama just made a so-so gesture that gave Freed no comfort whatsoever.
Laxus-sama rubbed the back of his head, "It's not a curse … it's just … Luck. Both good and bad. The bad part is we usually run into more trouble than any other guild, more often than any other guild. But the good part is that it's well … survivable. And it can also lead to some really amazing things. Like- like how I met Bickslow and Wren, or even how we met you." Freed felt himself go pale and Laxus-sama winced at his expression, "Okay, that was a very bad example. Look, Fairy Tail Luck is pretty much impossible to explain. You just have to experience it for yourself. Then you'll see it isn't so bad."
Bickslow-san nodded in agreement, but Freed thought he heard Cana-san mutter, "Except for when it is."
Freed exchanged another look with his step-sister to confirm whether or not she had heard Cana-san's mutter as well. The look on her face said that she had, and that she did feel very reassured either. But, they had sworn to follow Laxus-sama wherever he went no matter what, so they would just have to take a deep breath and learn how to survive this "Fairy Tail Luck".
Laxus-sama clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, "Alright, no sense waiting around. Let's head to the guild and snag a job."
Cana-san and Bickslow-san gave enthusiastic cheers while Wren-sama gave a roll of her eyes that seemed oddly content. Freed and Evergreen meekly joined in the cheering while Freed tried to reassure himself. It's just one simple job here in town. It will probably be a glorified chore like weeding a garden or walking dogs. What could go wrong?
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A steady throaty roar pierced the air, followed by a whine and a grinding sound, "Cana look out! It's coming your way!"
A shriek of terror, a rustle of cards, an explosion, and the faint crackle of burning grass, "It dodged? How can that thing dodge?"
A bark of derisive laughter that belied the tense tone that followed, "Well, considering how bad your aim is-"
Another rustle of cards, barely heard over the throaty roar and general chaos, "What did you say?"
The crackle of lightning in the air, followed by a zap and a curse, "Would you two focus of ten Mavis-forsaken minutes? We need to put this thing down!"
Two voices, shouted in synchrony despite their aggression toward the other, "But he/she started it!"
"I don't care who started it! Just end it and focus on-"
A terrified scream pierced the air and the steady roar seemed to take on a malicious note of pleasure. A loud crash of wood being shattered followed swiftly by curses from multiple parties and a bark of, "Don't let it escape!"
Rihanna stared after the other Raijinshū as they thundered out of the hole left in the white picket fence for a moment and pondered the newest assault against her sanity. Of all the simple missions to go absurdly wrong, this had to be the most ridiculous. Or at least in the top five.
It hadn't been job that ran the risk of demon-cats, it hadn't been near the outskirts of town were bandits or random forest creatures could barge in and wreak havoc. It hadn't even been a job that might incur the wrath of a traveling troupe of ninja or getting run over by a giant dog with a tongue as long as Rihanna's forearm.
It had been a simple, unexciting, unchallenging job to mow Petunia-san's yard because she had twisted her ankle the other day and couldn't do it herself. She had even let them use her very old, magic lawnmower that looked like it might have held seniority over Master Makarov. Cana had complained, but it was the only one they'd managed to snatch before Makarov noticed them near the request board and Laxus had said it was perfect as a first mission for the skittish Freed and Evergreen.
So, naturally, Fairy Tail Luck had kicked in with a vengeance and the ancient lawnmower that looked like it deserved to be in a mechanical retirement home had gone berserk.
Though, that might have been because Freed had the "brilliant" idea to carve the runes for "infinite magic battery" onto the lawnmower rather than use a lacrima or the SE-Plug when it was his turn to mow the backyard.
Another crash and more terrified screams sounded further up the street and Rihanna sighed as she took off after the others, so much for a calm first mission. No one seemed to notice her as she darted after the rest of the Raijinshū, though that was probably because of the killer lawnmower tearing down the street and scaring pedestrians and pets alike.
Laxus and the others appeared to be trying to herd the lawnmower away from the more populated streets and toward the roads that led out of town. For its part, the lawnmower was weaving an erratic path down the street, sparks flying from its underbelly as its blades ground against the cobblestones. Cana threw another of her cards at it and Rihanna watched in something akin to resigned disgust as the lawnmower swerved around the card and skidded up against a picket fence. The sparks coming from its undercarriage promptly set fire to the fence, which caused yet another scream of shock from the fleeing passersby.
Cana swore and threw a water card at the fence to douse the flames just as Bickslow manage to lunge forward and grab hold of the lawnmower's handlebar. The lawnmower halted for all of two seconds at the added weight, then took off again with Bickslow still attached, the boy and his tikis screeching curses and insults at the piece of machinery the entire way.
Laxus took a moment to facepalm while still running, a sentiment Rihanna mirrored, while Freed shouted, "Bickslow-san! Dispel the rune!"
Bickslow's voice was half-drowned out by the lawnmower as he yelled, "What?"
Freed cupped his hands around his mouth to be heard more clearly, "Dispel the rune!"
"How the f-" the lawnmower swerved around a horse-drawn carriage, startling the horse and causing it to rear, it's hooves flashing inches away from Bickslow's face as the lawnmower whipped by, "ahhh!" The horse crashed back onto all fours and bolted down the street in the opposite direction, the driver falling off of his seat with a cry at the sudden acceleration.
Laxus growled and snapped out, "Wren!" Rihanna spun on her heel at the command, shadows pooling out from her feet as she took off after the runaway carriage.
In the back of her mind, Rihanna was again reminded of the differences between this world and her old one as she managed to run just fast enough to get into range of the carriage with her shadows despite her status as a two-legged six-year-old rather than an adult four-legged horse. She flung her hand forward, shadows launching out at the silent command to wrap around the rig on the back that she suspected was designed to hold luggage.
The shadows punctured the base board and hooked tight. Before the shadows could pull taught and drag her along behind the carriage, Rihanna jumped into the air and mentally reeled the shadows in. The result was a spiderman-esque flight behind the carriage until her feet slammed onto the runaway vehicle. The carriage bucked and jolted beneath her feet and Rihanna leaned hard to one side as the horse bolted down a right-hand street at the intersection. The carriage tilted dangerously, but after a moment of tense panic, settled back onto all four wheels.
Rihanna began the risky and laborious task of using her shadows to climb onto the roof of the carriage and from there to the front where the horse and it's harness were. I just hope the others can handle the lawnmower without me. Maybe I should have just blown the thing up with my Dōjutsu when it first went crazy, Makarov's wrath over the expense of replacing it be hanged.
By the time she had clambered to the front of the carriage, cut the harness with her shadows so that the carriage would slow to a stop on its own, then tracked down and rounded up the skittish horse, she was more than ready to blow up the lawnmower and have done. After turning over the exhausted horse to the nearest adult who wasn't gaping in shock at her shadow lasso fiasco, Rihanna followed the trail of smoke, chaos, screaming, and singed cabbages back to the other Raijinshū.
The trail led all through town, over the bridge to the outskirts, past the irate Farmer Maggot's place and his traumatized dogs, and into the woods. Scraped off pieces of bark, lawnmower-mauled bushes, marks of wayward lightning blasts, tarot cards, and a few tiki laser gouges all provided clear signs as to where the chase had led. Unease began to bloom in her stomach as she realized that the section of woods in which she was wandering looked … very familiar.
No way. Not even our Fairy Tail Luck is that bad. This can't be the section of woods that… Rihanna froze just before she could round the corner at the unmistakable thwack of something wooden hitting skulls and a feminine roar the sent birds fleeing in panic, "You stupid, disobedient children! I should have Makarov turn you all into mice! At least then you wouldn't be so troublesome! I said to wait two weeks before trying anything stupid like this! You couldn't even wait one more day you imbecilic humans? AND JUST LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY GARDEN!"
Pantherlilies. Rihanna dropped into her shadow form and peeked around the corner of a large boulder. Porlyusica-san towered over the rest of the Raijinshū, an aura that was a lot like a magic-aura yet not crackling around her form. Her eyes glowed with a furious red and Rihanna would have wondered how someone from Edolas could do that when they supposedly had no internal magic reserves if she had not been so terrified.
The Raijinshū knelt on both knees at Porlyusica-san's feet in the traditional bow of apology. All of them were scraped, bruised, singed, windblown, and otherwise looked like they had gone a few rounds with a dragon and lost. The lawnmower lay on its side in the middle of a ruined herb garden with a broom imbedded through both it's engine and the runes Freed had carved like some kind of blunt spear.
Loyalty warred with self-preservation before Rihanna turned and began to slink away. Technically, she had been busy with the horse and carriage when this all happened, so she wasn't to blame for the ruined herb garden, the broken garden tools, and the quietly smoking curtains hanging from Porlyusica-san's shattered window.
Something loomed over her and a chill went up her spine before she had made it three steps. Rihanna glanced over her shoulder in trepidation and found herself staring into the glowing red eyes of Porlyusica-san despite the fact that Rihanna was hidden in shadow form and Porlyusica-san was technically a non-magical.
"Get. In. Line. With. The. Others." Each word was punctuated by a tap of a broom handle against Porlyusica-san's wrinkled palm that sounded very much like a death-knell to Rihanna's ears. Rihanna debated her chances of being able to teleport away before Porlyusica-san could somehow knock her out of the shadows with her broom and double her punishment for trying to escape.
The aura of death -perhaps this was what the Naruto ninja referred to as Killing Intent?- increased warningly and Rihanna decided not to take her chances with the woman who could successfully bring Makarov to heel. Rihanna dropped out of the shadows and slunk into line between a quaking Freed and a scowling Bickslow.
Porlyusica-san followed her over, her broom still tapping out a death-knell on her palm. She came to a stop in front of them, her wrathful gaze taking in their measure and clearly finding them wanting, "So. Tell me, you harebrained, reckless, disobedient children. Just who is going to clean up the mess that has been made of my garden and my house?"
There was clearly only one answer to that question if any of them wanted to survive, and four hours later, the Raijinshū staggered home covered in dirt, heads pounding from broom-inflicted lumps, and having had more garden care knowledge crammed into their heads than they had ever believed existed. It wasn't until they had all showered, scrounged from the fridge, and collapsed into a glorified puppy pile on the living room floor that Freed asked tentatively, "Laxus-sama?"
Laxus grunted and Rihanna fought to keep her eyes open as Freed continued, "Is this what you meant … by Fairy Tail Luck?"
"Yeah. Pretty much."
"And it happens on every mission where there is more than one Fairy Tail member?"
Laxus flopped an arm in a so-so gesture, "All it takes is one Fairy really, but the more there are, the worse it gets."
"So … has there ever been a Fairy Tail team as large as yours, Laxus-sama?"
"Nope. Counting Mest, the largest team in Fairy Tail before now is only about half our size."
"So that means that we will have roughly twice as much Fairy Tail Luck than any other team in Fairy Tail's recorded history?"
"Yep."
There was a long pause as everyone mulled over the implications of that before Evergreen summed up all their thoughts with a flat whimper of, "We're doomed."
Rihanna just started laughing.
.
In case anyone is wondering about Porlyusica's Aura of Death and glowing eyes, all I can say is that this is the woman who kept Makarov, Master Bob, Rob, and Goldmine in line at the same time when they were young and reckless. If that kind of Fairy Tail Luck exposure doesn't give you some kind of superpower or minimal ability to effect the magic of the world around you, nothing will. To answer another question that might come up, no, Porlyusica can not wield Caster spells in this story. She's just very good at wielding the Fairy Tail version of Killing Intent since that was basically her only way to keep Makarov and Co in line when they were young. Also, sorry for the abrupt ending of the chapter, but that's how it wanted to end. It's kind of a ... OVA chapter. A break between the more important/stressful arcs.