Saiyan Tail

by Mataras

Desperate to escape a legacy he never wanted, the Saiyan boy named Gorun uses the dragon balls to wish himself to a place where he can never be found by his old life. He soon joins Fairy Tail, and their world is set to change- but for better or for worse? Cover art was made by my wife and myself. Disclaimers on the Fairy Tail and Dragon Ball franchises.

3. Party Time

A/N: Hello, everyone! Kind of a fast update, huh? Is there a special reason for it? Why, yes there is. Last week was the one year anniversary for my YouTube channel's weekly podcasts, as well as the week we hit one hundred videos! To celebrate, my crew and I will be releasing two videos on the afternoon of May 4, 2018 (provided all goes well), one of which will be a writing seminar run by myself and my crew. The other will be a gaming livestream where you can shoot me questions and I will answer to the best of my ability whilst likely making an idiot out of myself in-game. I hope that this appeals to at least a few of you, because we love to have new guests pop in!

Also, I have a video on the same channel (and there is a link to said channel on my profile page) that answers questions, comments, and concerns from reviews on chapter one. The next one will consist of answering to reviews from both chapter two and three of this story. If you have left a review on this story, go watch the video! Also, since Cy Man didn't seem to watch it, I'll just say if you don't like the omakes, don't read them. I like them. There are staying. As for Cana, I have a long-term plan. All I'll say about that right now.

Another video to watch? The intro that I made for this story, which you should now enjoy!

OP Song: Innocence (cover by Amalee)

P.S. Absurd amounts of fluff in this chapter, but if that's not your thing, no worries. This is the 'worst' it will get, and there'll be plenty of action to accompany it.

---

Prologue: Chapter 3

Party Time

The party celebrating the return of the Tenrou Team lasted for a full day. The evening that Natsu and the others returned went by in a hurry, quickly heralding the dawn of the next day, but hardly anyone inside the small guild hall noticed. They all kept eating, drinking, and talking, some of them breaking down and taking a nap every now and again, but the party truly did not stop, even as the day wore on into the following afternoon.

Through it all, Gorun was there with his new friends, laughing and smiling, happy to see their broken family mending. In all his time with Fairy Tail, he'd never seen Macao's son smile, nor seen a hint of joy in Reedus' artwork. It was as though life and color had been breathed into the guild hall for the first time, and it was a novel experience for the young Saiyan warrior.

He was laughing to himself, having just pulled a weeping Erza off of Max- apparently she was upset that she had not been present for Bisca and Alzack's wedding- when he noticed Makarov chatting quietly with Kinana as she was cleaning some glasses.

"It looks like the last seven years have treated you well, Kinana," the old man said kindly.

"That's so sweet of you," the purple-haired girl smiled back. "Thank you, Master."

Ask her out! A voice in his head screamed. Not right this second! He thought furiously, squelching the thought before it took hold of his actions.

"So tell me, have any of your memories returned?" Makarov asked her, setting his mug down on the counter, and causing Kinana to pause in her task.

"No," she said softly. "Not so far. Although…" She hesitated for a moment.

That's right, Makarov was the one that lifted that curse off of her, Gorun remembered, his smile fading as he gazed at his friend sadly. He knew how much she wanted to recall who she had been before being that snake, and to have so long pass without any apparent progress had to be frustrating and discouraging.

"Sometimes, when I dream, I think I hear someone," she admitted. "They always say the same thing; 'Let me hear your voice'. They seem so familiar and gentle… and it's almost as though I know them…" She fell silent, even as Makarov and Macao exchanged a somber look.

Gorun always felt something stir in his chest whenever Kinana mentioned hearing this voice in her dreams. Sometimes he thought it might be fear he was feeling- after all, if she were to suddenly remember who she had been, what would stop her from leaving Fairy Tail? Leaving him? He didn't want to lose her.

Thinking on that, he was about to open his mouth to speak to her when the door swung open, and they all turned to see five figures stepping through the entrance. All of them were strong, Gorun could tell, but one man in particular seemed to possess just as much power as Laxus, if not more so. He might even be as strong as Gildarts, Gorun thought as he rose from his seat, tensing up slightly. If these people were from Twilight Ogre, things were possibly about to get very dicey.

"Can we help you?" he asked, his tone guarded.

"So, the rumors were true," a deep, rumbling voice said as the new group passed through the doors.

"Who're these bozos?" Elfman asked.

"I think I know," his elder sibling said as the five newcomers stepped into the light.

"Hello my lovelies!" an attractive young woman with bright pink hair called out as she waved at the fairies. "I'm glad to hear that your deaths were exaggerated!" Gorun made a face at her attire- she wasn't showing as much as Cana, but her outfit still left little of the improper areas to the imagination.

A man that looked like he'd botched a transformation into a dog let out a strange howling sound of what Gorun assumed was happiness- he was smiling, anyway. I think…

"You all appear to be in great health!" the first speaker, a mountain of a man with a long dark beard said as he beamed at the Tenrou Island survivors. Gorun didn't smile back- his eyebrows were raised as he recognized this man as the one with the power level that rivaled Gildarts'. Are people with his level of strength just going to start coming out of the woodworks?!

Another of his companions, a short man with long blue hair kept in a braid and ridiculously thick eyebrows, grinned as he said, "The sentiment's a little redundant when they haven't aged in seven years."

The final speaker was the one who led the group into the room. He was a young man of average height with silvery-snow colored hair. His expression was a bemused one, as if he had expected to walk in on them acting no other way. "Amazing," he remarked with a wry grin. "You've barely been back two days, and you've already trashed the place." Gorun cocked his head at the last speaker with interest- something about his energy seemed vaguely familiar…

"Oh wow, it's Lamia Scale!" Lucy announced, surprised.

Max moved with a ready smile to shake hands with the white-haired man to welcome him. "Glad to see you guys," he said before looking at the Tenrou Team. "Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus helped search for you guys longer than anyone else would."

"In that case, I guess we owe ya one, Lyon," Gray said as he moved to stand closer to the newcomers. Gorun finally relaxed as he realized that these people were not here to attack them.

The white-haired man- Lyon, Gorun realized- shrugged a bit and seemed to be containing a laugh. "I'd love to take you up on that, but I've got seven years on you now. And I'm not the type of guy who takes advantage of children."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Gray said resignedly. Gorun guessed that the two of them were old friends.

---

With the arrival of the outsiders, the conversations in the guild moved more towards what had been happening to the rest of the country while the S-class wizards and candidates had been trapped on the island. Gorun was already up to speed on these events, so he mostly let the others do the talking, instead choosing to sit on a barstool and wait for Kinana to take a break. She noticed him waiting quickly enough, and she tossed him a wink before grabbing two more mugs and filling them with a sweet ale that she and Gorun favored.

"I'm taking a break, Mira!" the purple-haired girl said as they headed out the door.

"Take your time!" the white-haired mage called back with a happy smile.

The two of them walked past Erza, Bisca, and Alzack, who were deep in conversation, the requip mage's eyebrows furrowed deeply in concern or anger, Gorun wasn't quite sure. Similarly, he could see Gray and Lyon- both of them missing their shirts for some reason- conversing quietly with one another up on the guild hall's roof.

Following his gaze after they reached the edge of the property, Kinana let out a small giggle, guessing at the object of her friend's curiosity. "Gray and Lyon trained under the same master," she told him. "Apparently she had them both get half-naked in the snow to get used to the cold so that they could be more in tune with their ice-make magic."

"Oh, so that's why that guy's energy felt familiar," Gorun realized out loud. "He uses the same kind of magic as Gray?"

"Both are ice mages, yeah," Kinana nodded. "But their styles are completely different. Kind of like how Macao and Romeo both use fire magic, but they prefer different spells."

"Got it," Gorun nodded in understanding. He sipped at his drink, looking back into the guild hall, where he could see some of the returned members posing for Reedus as he worked quickly with his paints and canvas. There was new energy in his work now, the young warrior noticed, and it made him smile to see his friends all so happy.

"Things are really looking up for Fairy Tail, aren't they?" he said quietly.

"They are," Kinana smiled, leaning slightly on him as she looked back at the guild hall. The motion caught him by surprise at first, but he found that he quite enjoyed the contact. "I'm really happy, Gorun. More so than I have been for seven years… Except maybe for the day I met you."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, trying to keep his tone casual, even though he felt like his heart had just tried to jump out of his chest. "What was so great about that?"

"Well, we all made a new friend for the first time in years," she reminded him. "And I got to meet a guy that's as loyal and kind as they come."

"I dunno," he said as he scratched his head sheepishly. "If anyone asked Cana about me, she'd probably say I'm the devil."

"No, the devil's already tending the bar," Kinana grinned, her smile turning into a laugh when it became clear that Gorun had missed out on the joke. Switching the subject back, she asked, "What did you do to make her mad?"

"I think she was trying to flirt with me, and I shot her down in a… umm… let's go with 'rude' way," he winced as he finished.

"Wow, you shot down Cana?" Kinana asked, eyebrows raised. "What made you do that? Most guys back in the day would've killed for that chance."

"She's not my type," he shrugged, still trying to act indifferent.

"So what is your type, Gorun?" Kinana asked, her tone still soft and gentle. But behind those words, the boy sensed something- he was being given an opening. At least I hope she's giving me an opening, he thought, sweating lightly. Or I'm going to look like the biggest idiot in all of Fiore.

"Well…" he began carefully. "I like a girl who's well-mannered and very kind to others, even if things are looking bad. A gentle spirit has always appealed more to me than a girl who wants to make a challenge out of everything."

Kinana blushed as she fidgeted in place, looking down into her drink now. "Y-You like kinder girls?" she stammered.

"No," he shook his head. "Just one."

"Y-Yeah?" she said, flushing positively scarlet now. "Wh-What does she l-look like?"

"Hmm…" the boy pretended to think, enjoying this moment, positive that it would be one he would always remember and treasure. "She's really pretty," he finally said. "In my opinion, Jenny from Blue Pegasus has nothing on her- and could learn a thing or two about how to present herself from the girl I've had my eye on." At the mention of Fiore's current number one model, and his comparison to her, Kinana's blush went to a whole new level, now matching Erza's hair color. She was positive that she could feel the heat rising from her face in waves as she looked at the ground, the sky, her drink- anywhere but in Gorun's direction.

It took a minute, but she finally managed to say, "S-So she must be a real looker, huh? A-Anything else you l-like about her?" She was half-hoping he'd just leave it at that- she wasn't sure how much more of this embarrassment she could handle. All this time, she'd suspected that Gorun had been crushing on her, but she never would have guessed that he thought so highly of her, or thought her so beautiful.

"Like I said before, she's a very attractive girl," Gorun answered almost immediately. He was feeling a little more confident now, but he still chose his words carefully. "I think one of my favorite things about her… has to be her eyes. They're this pretty green color that reminds me of this forest near where I grew up…"

She jerked up and turned to look at him, eyes wide. It was the first time since she'd known him that he had volunteered information about his past completely of his own volition. Even more than that, he had never, not once, talked about himself as a child. "What was it like, where you grew up?" she asked before she could stop herself.

He smiled at her, but she could tell that it was forced. She immediately regretted asking him, but he began to speak before she could apologize. "Like I mentioned, it was a forest. One side of my ancestors used to rule the area, and to this day, people descended from his bloodline still call it home. There were always animals of all sorts running around- I would often see deer, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, fish… Most of those things turned into dinner after my dad caught them." He chuckled a bit at that, but then his face became incredibly sad. "When I was five, I was taken away to start my training as a warrior. I never saw the place again."

"Gorun, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories!" Kinana said, setting down her mug on the fence beside them to take his free hand in both of hers. "I must be more tired than I thought, otherwise I never would have-"

"I didn't get to tell you my number one favorite thing about that girl," he said, interrupting her and stunning her into silence.

"Wh-What?" she stammered.

"Don't you wanna know?" he asked her, his friendly gray eyes alight with humor.

"I… I guess so?" she answered, feeling like she was missing something.

Gorun set down his mug next to hers on the fence, then laid his other hand on top of their intertwined ones. "The thing that I like the most about this girl…" he grinned as he looked directly into her forest green eyes. "…is how she can turn my most rotten, messed-up days right around just by being there to talk to me. No one else I know can do that."

She stared at him, open-mouthed. Again, she was taken aback at his high regard for her, and the fact that he was willing to admit it so readily. The fact that she deeply admired him in return, and that she had hoped he would someday realize how she felt about him only heightened her sense of euphoria.

"S-S-So…" she stuttered, feeling her face flare up again. "I-If you like her so much… this girl… why haven't you done anything about it…? A-Asked her out?"

Gorun knew that whether or not she had meant to, Kinana had just led him into a proverbial mine field. One wrong word now, and this could all blow up in his face. And he couldn't take too long with his answer, either, or else she'd suspect him of lying. Sweet and gentle as she might be, Kinana was still a girl. And when it came to things like this, boys only had one chance to get it right.

"I wanted to make sure that these feelings weren't just a come-and-go type of thing," he answered, squeezing her hands gently. "I wanted to make sure that they were going to last."

"And did they?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Gorun's grin widened considerably. "Tell you what," he said. "I'm going on a job next Friday. Come with me, and once it's over, you'll know exactly how I feel. Deal?"

The sudden change in topic caught the girl off-guard, but her mouth moved before her brain could catch up. "Sure, I'd love to go on a job with you," she answered. "It's been a while since- wait a second!" Her eyes widened. "What kind of job is it?"

"Oh, just a capture job, nothing too major," Gorun grinned cheekily as he quickly- yet gently- released her hands. "The payout's four million jewel, though, so I thought I'd invite some of the others along with us. Is that okay?"

"As long as you tell me one thing," she said, her eyes still slightly wide. "Does it have to do with that Magic Ball that the Balsamico Family is throwing this year?"

Gorun's smile brightening was all the answer she needed. "Consider it a date," he said over his shoulder as he grabbed up his mug and started walking back towards the guild hall.

"A d-date…" she repeated, her cheeks blazing.

As he walked away, Gorun couldn't stop a huge grin from breaking out on his face. I can't believe it! he crowed inwardly. I just got a date with the hottest girl in Fiore!

---

It was the day following the party, after everyone had been well-rested and Lamia Scale had said their farewells, that Makarov called on Erza, Mirajane, and Gorun to accompany him to Twilight Ogre's headquarters. "It's about time we settled our debts once and for all," was all he would say when Gorun pressed him about it.

Officially, Macao should be the one to handle the negotiations since he held the title of Fairy Tail's guild master. However, he knew that papers could only carry so much weight- Makarov was the true master here, and he was more than happy to let the wizard saint 'delegate' on his behalf.

So it was that Gorun found himself standing beside Fairy Tail's female S-class wizards while the elderly former master of Fairy Tail spoke in a pleasant tone to Twilight Ogre's overweight, overbearing guild master. "I simply meant that we should begin by renegotiating the terms of our loan," he was saying.

"I ain't negotiatin' with deadbeats who rough up my boys and refuse to pay their debts!" the other man bellowed. "We got a reputation to uphold!" He gestured to five men wrapped in bandages- Gorun's handiwork, Makarov assumed.

"Very well, we can do that, too," the old man said, maintaining his same, docile tone that he'd been using since the beginning. "I have no problem discussing your guild's reputation. I'll tell you exactly what I think if you want."

"You got quite the mouth on ya, you little piss-ant!" the Twilight Ogre boss shouted, veins bulging out of his forehead as he kicked aside his coffee table. None of the Fairy Tail wizards flinched, even though all of Gorun's instincts were screaming at him to show this disrespectful man what happened when you messed with Fairy Tail.

Still, Erza and Mirajane had both told him, in no uncertain terms, not to act unless they did first. He knew that they both held Master Makarov's trust, so he would follow their lead for the time being. He still really, really wanted to punch somebody.

"Get payback for what's owed," Makarov said nonchalantly. "That's the Twilight Ogre creed if memory serves… Much like an eye for an eye." His bearing completely changed in that instant. He was relaxed and carefree one moment, and the next, Gorun noticed a severe spike in his magic power level that correlated with the rage in his voice.

"Exactly," Erza added. "And we can account for seven years of property damage and abuse." A blazing red aura that reminded Gorun of his Kaioken began to emanate from the girl, even as a dark purple energy began to leak out of Mirajane.

"So if one thinks about it in those terms, it would seem that you owe us." The normally sweet-tempered barmaid had a vicious smile on her face, Gorun noticed, and the ki he sensed coming from her was very dark in nature. To him, neither one of the girls was a great threat. But to the others in the room…

A smile of his own lit up his face as he cracked his knuckles, a red magic circle appearing above his head as he added, "You've disgraced our home's name for long enough, ogres."

"The suffering you forced my children to go through all the years I wasn't there to protect them- it brings tears to my eyes!" Makarov snarled in a warped voice as he began to grow in size, his energy output spiking as he began to transform into his giant form. "So understand this, you monsters! If it's war you want, then it's war you're going to get!"

Behind him, Erza was decked out in her deadly Purgatory Armor while Mirajane had engaged her Demon Soul form. Lastly, Gorun stood between them, three magic circles flaring with energy above his head before vanishing and wreathing him in a blazing red aura.

That's when the screaming started.

---

"I can't believe you guys didn't let me do that a year ago," Gorun said with a broad smile as the group was on their way home, a destroyed Twilight Ogre guild hall left in their wake.

"I still can't believe Natsu didn't join in when he showed up," Wakaba muttered. "He's usually the first one to jump into a fight."

"He and Happy looked pretty bummed about something," Macao mused aloud.

"Weren't they going somewhere with their teammate?" Gorun asked, the blond wizard's name escaping him for a moment.

"Lucy," Erza reminded him. Looking at the older men, she asked, "Did she come back with them?"

"Didn't see her, no," Macao shook his head.

"Huh," Gorun mused, the scuffle with Twilight Ogre already fading from his mind. "I thought those three seemed inseparable. I hope she's okay."

"They usually are, but sometimes Lucy gets fed up with their antics and tells them to leave her alone," Erza shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"You're probably right," Mirajane smiled happily. "Natsu and Lucy are already like an old married couple with a kid!"

"I… don't think that was the point of bringing this up," Gorun deadpanned.

---

Whatever had happened among the original members of Team Natsu wound up being of little consequence to the group dynamic with the Magic Ball coming up, and Gorun getting ready to pick who he would invite along on the job. He was quick to invite the members of Team Natsu since he enjoyed getting to know them, and he figured that they could use the extra money after being gone for seven years- after all, four million jewel could be divided among more than a few people quite fairly. As an extra precaution, he invited Elfman to beef up their security detail and Warren to act as coordinator with his telepathy magic.

The job was, after all, to capture a dangerous escaped convict. After going over the objective with some of the other members of the team he had put together for the job, he noticed that Gray seemed surprised when he mentioned the name of their target: a thief named Velveno.

"You have a history with this guy?" Gorun asked the ice mage.

"No, I actually remember almost taking this job seven years ago," Gray replied, eyeing the mission detail closely. "Back then, he was worth only four hundred grand, not four million."

"Maybe he's like a fine wine," Gorun grinned. "More valuable with age."

"I don't think that's how you're supposed to use that expression…" Lucy muttered. Before Gorun could protest, she suddenly clicked her fingers as a thought occurred to her. "Wait a sec, this is a dance party, right?"

"A ball, yeah," the teenaged warrior nodded.

"Well, if we're going to go in undercover, we should all probably work on our dance moves," she pointed out.

At this, Gorun suddenly felt as though Goku had slugged him in the gut. Crap! He panicked, eyes widening. I don't know how to dance! He imagined trying to dance with Kinana at the party, but all he could see was himself tripping over his own feet and making a fool out of himself. His only comfort- small though it was- would have to be the fact that Natsu and Gray also seemed to have no idea how to dance, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by.

---

Fortunately, Lucy seemed to have an idea of what dancing was about. "Come here and give me your hands," she told Natsu, who groaned in embarrassment but complied. The group had moved outside at Lucy's suggestion, where she agreed to spend the afternoon teaching those that didn't know how to dance the basics. Joining Gorun, Elfman, and Gray in spectating were Romeo, Mirajane, and Kinana.

"I was starting to wonder if there was anything you didn't know how to do," the purple-haired girl teased her prospective date. As they looked on, Natsu and Lucy began to follow a basic pattern, the pinkette looking like he wished he was anywhere but there.

Gorun flushed a bit at the gentle teasing, but he managed to reply, "We established early on that I can't cook, so you already knew I'm terrible at something. I guess now you can start a list." He grinned slightly to take any unintended bite out of his words.

"Ow!" Lucy yelped as Natsu's foot landed on hers.

"Oops!" Natsu had the grace to look embarrassed. "My bad!"

"So… is it supposed to be some kind of foot-stomping game?" Romeo asked, confused.

"That sounds like more fun than I thought it was gonna be," Gray chuckled, tossing aside his shirt casually.

"Come on, even I know dancing is more to avoid stepping on your partner, and why do you keep doing that?" Gorun's last comment was directed at the ice wizard, who looked down in surprise to see that his shirt was missing.

"Gah!" he cried. "Stupid habit!"

"Habit?!" Gorun repeated. "I thought your teacher only told you to strip in the snow- it's summer right now!"

"I just got used to doing it, okay?!" Gray snapped.

"That's really creepy!"

"Is not!"

"Kinana, back me up- ack!" The startled cry was drawn out of the teenager as he saw Romeo dancing with his date for the ball later that week.

"Romeo wanted to know what dancing was supposed to be like, so Kinana agreed to show him while you two were arguing," Mirajane told the open-mouthed Saiyan.

"B-But…" he stammered. "I wanted to…"

"I'll teach you!" the white-haired girl said happily, grabbing his hands and hauling him off to an area near Natsu and- surprisingly, Erza had switched out with Lucy while sporting a sky blue dress- before giving him a small curtsey. "Usually, it's polite for the gentleman to ask a lady for a dance," Mira continued. "But I'll let it slide this time since you're new to the whole dancing thing."

"I-"

"Now, hands go here and here, don't be shy," Mirajane chattered, overriding his protests as she placed his left hand in her right and his right hand just above her right hip. She quickly placed her own hands in their appropriated places and added, "Usually the man takes the lead, but since you haven't done this before, I'll help you along."

"You-"

"Here we go, let's set a nice, easy rhythm…" she continued, either ignoring or not catching his attempted protests. "One and two and three and four… One and two and three and four… Come on, don't drag your feet!" As it was, Gorun had no choice but to comply with the overeager Mira's orders, forcing his feet to mirror hers and follow the pace she had set.

After a few minutes of this, he felt a little more confident- other than the fact that he was in such close proximity with an attractive girl, he found that dancing wasn't all that hard. If he thought about it, dancing wasn't a far cry from fighting in the sense that it was all about reading your partner's movements and timing your own actions to match theirs'. Gorun was very athletic and light on his feet, not to mention incredibly coordinated. His training from such a young age had seen to it that his balance and sense of self-awareness were well-developed by this stage in his life. All of these things added up to make him a quick learner when it came to the art of dance.

He wouldn't be entering any dance competitions soon, but at least he'd be able to pass as a member of higher society at the ball later that week. Once he'd learned what he could from Mira, he was surprised to see that just about the entire guild had joined their originally private lesson, and it seemed like everyone was having a good time- except for Macao and Wakaba, who seemed to be fighting over who would get to dance with Mira when Gorun was done with his lesson.

The young man grinned as he saw a solution to both that problem and his earlier conundrum. "Thank you for the lessons, Mirajane," he said respectfully as he bowed to her.

"You're very welcome," she smiled brightly in return as she dipped in a slight curtsey again. "I'm glad I was able to help."

"I think I'll return the favor," Gorun grinned back as he grasped her hand and led her away from the two older men, who looked affronted as he led her away. He led the girl through the small crowd of people until they came across Romeo and Kinana, who were finishing up a dance- someone had even set up a music lachryma to play some ballroom music to aid the practice session.

"Hello there," he grinned as the fire mage and his friend turned to greet them. "Mind if we switch partners?"

"I don't know, Romeo here is quite the dancer," Kinana teased him, causing the kid to blush a little bit as he stared down at his feet. "Think you can step in his shoes?"

"He's a quick learner," Mirajane said brightly. "Besides, I can't let you have such a charming young man to yourself all day, Kinana. Let me have a dance with Romeo!" The young mage was beet red in the face now. Somewhere behind him, Gorun felt Wakaba and Macao's power levels plummet, accompanied by the sound of two people hitting the dirt, forcing him to stifle a laugh. Serves 'em right, going after a girl less than half their age, he thought.

"Well, your partner is quite the catch, too," the purple-haired girl replied coyly. "Sure you won't regret letting me have a dance with him? I might not give him back."

"Fine by me, can we dance now?" Gorun asked impatiently. When the girls both raised their eyebrows at him, he cleared his throat and said, "Sorry, I meant… Kinana, would you like to dance with me? Please?" He added the last word hastily, hoping it would raise his chances.

He needn't have worried so much. Both girls burst into a fit of giggles as Kinana moved away from Romeo and clasped Gorun's hands in her own. "I would love to dance with you," she told him, bringing a bright grin to his face. Looking over her shoulder, she added, "Thanks for the dance, Romeo."

"Sure, no problem," he said with a weak grin, still a little red from the girls' earlier compliments.

"C'mon, Romeo, I'll show you how to do the waltz if you like," Mira offered as they walked a few paces away.

Gorun quickly placed his hands in the proper places, turning just a bit red again when he put his right hand on Kinana's hip, but he managed to hold eye contact with the girl as the next song began to play. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Ready when you are," she grinned, also a little red in the face from their closeness, but clearly happy.

So they began to dance.

---

"I gotta say, my jobs usually don't take me to places as nice as this one," Gorun commented as he eyed the impressive Balsamico estate. The group had just arrived as the night fell, an hour before the ball was even set to begin. The leader of the job reached up and knocked on the door three times, loudly.

"You tend to take on jobs like fighting off monsters from villages and cities, not private estates," Kinana reminded him.

"Hey, it's a win-win," Gorun chuckled. "I get some exercise and solid cash, the people in the village get to be safe again. I don't have the head for undoing curses and all that, which is usually what private clientele that can offer this much cash want to happen."

"Nah man, all ya gotta do with curses is smash 'em," Natsu grinned.

"That's not true," Lucy frowned. "Trying to directly destroy a curse usually makes things worse than if you cast a proper counter spell."

"Galuna Island," Natsu shot back.

"You and Erza smashed a poison dome, not the curse itself!" Lucy argued.

"Still counts," the fire dragon slayer laughed.

Before the two of them could argue any more, the doors to the estate swung open to admit a pretty young woman with long brown hair. Her expression was slightly puzzled as she said, "Erm… You're all a little early."

"What a fox!" Warren shouted with his telepathy.

He went down a second later, courtesy of Gorun's fist crashing on top of his head. "If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times," he grumbled as he stared down at his comrade, looking annoyed. "Keep your thoughts to yourself if you're gonna do that!"

"S-Sorry…" Warren groaned as he raised a shaky thumbs-up.

"That was a little overboard, wasn't it?" Lucy said mildly, but the others ignored her.

"Apologies for intruding on you so early, but we're mages with Fairy Tail," Erza said as she stepped up beside Gorun. "We've come regarding the job posted by the owner of the mansion."

Immediately the girl's expression cleared and she opened the door wider to admit them. "Right this way," she said with a friendly smile. "My father will be with you shortly."

"Remember, best behavior everyone," Erza reminded them, giving Natsu a pointed look.

---

As it turned out, she had wasted her breath. Although, looking at their client, Gorun was having a hard time keeping himself together. The man was diminutive in size, and his lips were drawn inward so that it looked as though he had something sour stuck in his mouth. The fact that his name was Count Balsamico only added to the picture.

"This guy is hilarious!" Natsu exclaimed as he pointed at the man- who had taken residence on the knees of the girl that had shown them in- while barely holding in a laugh. "He's got a sour name and sour face to match!"

Lucy growled loudly before shouting, "Don't screw this up for me!" Natsu settled down, but couldn't keep a big grin off of his face.

Only they and Erza were present in the room to negotiate for the job. Warren was busy setting up surveillance lachrymas with the help of Happy and Carla while the others were donning attire fit for a wizard's ball. Knowing Gray's habit, Gorun hoped that the guy would at least wear a tie and not lose it during the night.

"I'll get right down to it," the count began. "I want you to know that there is more to the job than what was originally posted on the notice."

Erza and Gorun's eyebrows met in the middle of their foreheads as the teenage Saiyan muttered, "What's the catch, then?"

"Velveno is exceedingly dangerous due to his skill in both transformation magic, and magical drain," Balsamico replied quickly. "These abilities allow to pass as virtually anyone he comes into contact with."

Damn, this just got more complicated, Gorun winced. If this Velveno did indeed make an appearance tonight and copy his abilities, things could get very dangerous for anyone nearby. His ki magic was incredibly destructive, and in the wrong hands, deadly to innocents. Still, he felt confident enough that he could detect the man by sensing for rapid changes in power levels- his experience with transformations had taught him that when someone changed forms, their power levels would change to accommodate the new body. It would be a dead giveaway if Velveno transformed during the magic ball.

"That mixes things up a bit, but we can handle it," Gorun assured him. "My question is why- why is he coming here tonight, right after breaking out of jail for trying to- as I understand it- rob you seven years ago?"

"It all has to do with my daughter Aceto," Balsamico answered.

Natsu could no longer contain himself. "That name's hilarious!" he burst out, laughing.

"It's a lovely name for a lovely girl!" the count shot back angrily.

Wham! Erza beat Gorun to the punch- literally, sending Natsu flying into the wall without so much a glance in his direction. "Apologies, sir," she said calmly. "Please, continue."

Somewhat mollified by Natsu's punishment, Balsamico continued his explanation. "Tonight is the night that a very special clock in the great hall will ring at midnight, and when it does, a ring that has been in my family for generations will be brought out. It is incredibly valuable, but what makes it most special is that any man who obtains the ring will have the right to propose to my beautiful daughter." The girl behind him nodded to confirm this. "Velveno tried to steal the ring seven years ago, but failed. He did, however, manage to ruin the proceedings that would have led to Aceto's engagement."

The man's face darkened as he shouted, "I want him kept away from that ring, and I want him put back in jail where belongs!" Coming from the tiny man, it was hard to take the request seriously, but Gorun managed to squelch his laughter long enough to stick to business.

"We put him in jail, and we get four million jewel?" he asked. He wanted to be sure that there hadn't been a mistake on the flier.

To their relief and delight, the small count nodded. "That is correct, capture the man known as Velveno, and you will be four million jewels richer."

"Awesome!" Lucy said happily. Standing and turning to the others, she said, "Let's do this thing! I'm all fired up!"

---

"Are we all set?" Gorun asked as he walked into the changing room Gray had been using. Surprisingly, the ice wizard was fully clothed, even to the point of having a necktie done up around his neck, albeit loosely. "Huh."

"Don't worry, I'll keep them on," Gray said dryly. "You should be more worried about Natsu spilling something on that vest he's planning on wearing."

"As long as we can all look the part long enough to capture Velveno, I don't care what you all look like afterward," Gorun replied with a slight grin. "Strange though, I'm surprised you didn't ask Juvia to this event."

"Oh great, not you too," Gray replied with a slight groan of annoyance. "I get enough of this from Mirajane."

"Oh, not mutual?" the monkey-tailed fighter asked, though he wasn't really surprised. He'd noticed the water mage's outspoken attraction to Gray- as had every other person in the guild- and further noticed that he didn't seem to reciprocate the feelings.

"Definitely one-sided," Gray sighed, sounding exhausted just thinking about it.

"Well, not that it's any of my business, but have you told her that?" Gorun asked.

"In multiple ways, but not in as many words," the ice wizard admitted. "She's had a rough life, and I don't wanna hurt her any more than she has been."

"Life is full of hurt," Gorun shrugged. "If I were in your position- which I have been- I'd tell her I'm not interested outright. Then you've done your part, and if she reacts badly to it, that's on her, ya know? Just saying, the longer you don't shut the door, the more she's going to force herself through it, until either you have to toss her out of the proverbial room, or you end up in a relationship basically against your will."

Gray blinked once before saying, "You, uh… You've done this a few times, huh?"

"Yeah…" Gorun grumbled, remembering all of the girls that had approached him during his brief tenure as a Time Patroller. "It sucks, dude. But, I think I do know what's likely to help things along."

"What's that?" Gray asked.

"Get a date," Gorun shrugged. "It shows Juvia that you're not interested, and if things go well, you've got stalker repellent in the form of a girlfriend."

"Has that worked for you?" Gray replied, a little more eager than was necessary.

"I'll let you know in a couple of weeks," the Saiyan chuckled. "For now- let's hit the dance floor!"

---

They met Natsu and Elfman in the ball room a few minutes later. Gorun's keen eyes immediately went upwards to make sure that the monitor lachrymas Warren had been preparing were in place. Satisfied that they were, he greeted Natsu with a fist bump. "You actually know how to pick an outfit," he grinned at the Salamander. The vest the pinkette was wearing definitely made him look sharp, like he actually belonged at the ball with all the other well-to-doers in their fancy getups.

"Ach, Lucy made me bring it," he grumbled. Despite the fancy outfit, he had retained his white scarf, which seemed to be his most consistent piece of clothing. Gorun wondered at it, but decided that he could question the boy's fashion statement later.

Looking down at himself, he wondered for a moment if his attire was too colorful. He was wearing a dark blue dress jacket with matching slacks, black shoes, and a white shirt underneath. A forest green bow tie rested right below his neck to complete the outfit. Then, when he looked at what some of the other people were wearing, he discarded the notion.

Elfman was dressed up completely in white- his jacket, shirt, pants, even his tie and shoes were white. The only exception to this was red rose on the lapel of his jacket. Despite being arguably the best dressed out of the men from the guild, he seemed on edge, nervous. "You doing okay, Elfman?" Gorun asked him. "Feeling nervous about all this?"

"A real man doesn't get afraid of dances!" he replied, straightening himself. "He gets pumped, because balls are super manly!"

It took all of Gorun's self-control not to smack himself in the face. "Uh… you want a minute to rephrase that, buddy?" he asked hopefully.

"A real man doesn't go back on his word!" Elfman declared.

"Figures," Gorun sighed. He was beginning to wonder if bringing the brawny mage was going to be more trouble than it was worth. Then again, an extra set of eyes wouldn't hurt anything… he hoped.

Addressing the others, he muttered, "Wait until the girls come out. When they do, fan out, keep them within eyesight. Remember your pairings?"

"I'm keeping an eye on Wendy," Gray recited from Gorun's briefing back at the guild hall.

"I got Lucy," Natsu nodded.

"My eyes'll be on Erza," Elfman nodded quickly. "But if we're bein' honest here, she doesn't really need an escort."

"So I've been told, but I prefer to be careful," Gorun replied quickly. "Remember, this guy can make himself look like anyone, then copy our powers just from touching us. So keep an eye out on people that seem interested in interacting with us, or Lady Aceto, or both." They and the girls had all agreed to check in with their partners once every song, even from a distance, in order to make for speedy communication just in case something seemed off. Warren's telepathy would see to it that they all could stay in touch.

Speaking of which… Gorun frowned slightly. Concentrating on the older wizard, he thought, Warren, can you hear me?

"Loud and clear," the mage answered. "I've just finished rigging the last of the surveillance lachrymas. Happy and Carla are with me on standby."

"Aye!" said the blue cat.

"We'll come get you if we notice anything out of the ordinary in the back rooms," his white-furred kinswoman added.

Good, keep me posted, the Saiyan nodded, even though they couldn't see him. The others know their jobs, we're just waiting for the girls to- oh, here they come.

His eyes quickly picked out Erza in a purple dress embroidered with red roses, followed by Lucy who wore a dark red satin dress. Following them was Wendy, who was all smiles in her getup, a formal white gown with red frills. However, among them, Gorun did not see the girl that he was most hoping to spend time with that evening.

Then he felt a tap on his shoulder, followed by a gentle, familiar voice that reminded him of a refreshing light spring rain. "Excuse me, sir, are you waiting for someone?" He turned around with a quip ready, and a smile on his lips, but his brain was rendered useless at the sight of his best friend.

Kinana was dressed in a long, deep green dress that matched her eyes and hugged her frame quite nicely. There was slit on one side of the dress to allow easier movement that showed part of her pale leg, and the pretty purple dance shoes that she was wearing. Her hair she had mostly left untouched, but he noticed that she had a white rose resting behind her right ear. In summation, she looked very lovely, but his mouth didn't seem to want to work with his brain right then.

The girl suddenly blushed a deep red, unsure as to what his sudden silence meant. "I-Is it too much?" she asked nervously.

"No!" he blurted out, a little louder than he meant to. Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down, he said, "No, it's great. You look great." Finally, he managed to get himself to smile, which she nervously returned.

"I-I'm glad you like it," she admitted. "I had Lucy help me pick out the dress."

"Remind me to thank her later," the boy said as he held out an arm for her to grasp. "You really do look great, Kinana."

"You look very nice yourself," she smiled as she looped her arm through his. "Shall we dance?"

"I'd love to," he replied with a broad grin. Turning briefly to the others- he wasn't entirely surprised to see that Natsu was eyeing the buffet tables hungrily- he said, "All right, gentlemen. It's showtime- make sure you keep your partner within eyeshot."

"We got it, go on," Gray said dismissively. "Just make sure you two keep watch for when the count's daughter comes out." Since it had been mutually agreed that Gorun and Kinana would be dancing exclusively with one another, it would be their job to tail Aceto and keep an eye on any suitors that might approach her.

"Will do," Gorun nodded as he led his date away. Stepping onto one of the small platforms that would float above the other party-goers so that pairs could dance on uninterrupted, the duo was all smiles. Once the device had reached its intended height, the Saiyan boy placed his hands in the appropriate places and began to dance with his best friend.

"I'm glad you asked me to come with you," Kinana told him once the music began to play.

"On the job to capture a convicted thief and escapee, or the magic ball?" he teased her.

"Both," she admitted with a little laugh. "I'll admit, it's not exactly how I pictured my first date going, but I'm liking it better than I thought I would- it's definitely less awkward than I imagined."

"Same," Gorun agreed. "I always thought I would end up giving into peer pressure and just end up going with some random girl that wanted my attention. I'm much happier that my first date is with a great friend."

"Just a friend?" Kinana asked, her green eyes searching his closely. There wasn't any hurt in her forest-colored orbs- yet. Again, he knew that even if she hadn't meant to, her question had put him in a precarious spot.

Ah, what the hell, he thought resignedly. "Well, I was going to save the question for after we'd caught the bad guy…" he grinned sheepishly, an expression that Kinana returned. "But I guess now's as good a time as any." Pausing in the dance to step a little closer to the beautiful girl, he asked, "So, Kinana… How'd you feel about making these date things a regular thing between us?"

She giggled at the roundabout phrasing he'd used, but she quickly composed herself enough to say, "I guess that depends. If I say 'yes', do I get any benefits?"

"I thought spending exclusive time with me was the benefit you were looking for," Gorun grinned crookedly.

"Well, I was hoping that this whole 'dating exclusively' thing might come with some kind of label so that I can tell other people about it," Kinana smiled back, her cheeks still a little red.

"Impatient much?" Gorun laughed with a shake of his head.

"You have been making me wait for more than a year," she tossed back cheerfully.

"Fair point," he chuckled back. Then, to her puzzlement, the smile disappeared from his face as he murmured, "I really do want us to be a couple, Kinana. But before we make it official- before I can comfortably ask you to start sharing your time with me like this, there's something you need to know about me."

"O-Okay," she said, a little apprehensive from his sudden change in mood and the gravity of his expression.

Seeing her worried face, he quickly smiled again and said, "It's nothing bad, trust me. It's just… there are some things about my past that I never really thought that I'd tell anyone. But I know that good relationships are built on trust, and I want you to be able to trust me, Kinana. So I need to come clean about some of the things I've been hiding." When she opened her mouth to ask him something, he grinned a little wider and said, "Before you ask, no, I'm not an escaped convict or anything like that. I haven't done anything that should put me in a jail or classify me as a bad person."

Her mouth closed and relief swept across her features. "Well, if that's the case, I'm sure I don't have anything to worry about," she smiled. "And if talking about your past makes you uncomfortable, don't feel like you have to tell me all at once, or even at all. I trust you, secrets and all, Gorun. Because you're Fairy Tail." She placed a gentle hand on his right forearm, where she knew his guild mark rested.

"And it's because of that reasoning that I don't want to feel like I've taken advantage of your trust," Gorun said firmly. "Though… I do appreciate what you've said. Maybe I can just tell you little pieces at a time?"

"Sure," the girl nodded happily. "I'd like it if my boyfriend would tell me about himself."

Gorun's eyes widened in surprise as he murmured. "I… I didn't even get to ask you."

Kinana's eyes sparkled as she drew her face closer to his, whispering, "You never had to, Gorun." Just as their lips were about to meet, a wave of cold flashed through the room. They separated, both of them looking thoroughly irritated since they knew of only one wizard that could produce that kind of effect with their magic. And for the temperature to be dropping so quickly, it could only mean that he was engaged in combat.

Gray, I am throwing you through a mountain range for interrupting that! Gorun seethed. Looking down below, he could see that he'd only been half-right in his assumption about Gray starting a fight. Facing off against him was a masked woman who was wielding ice-make magic to create a polar bear that she sent charging at him.

"I'll take the lady," Kinana said, her tone indicating that she too was mad about their moment being interrupted. Down below, people were clearing a space for the two to battle uninterrupted.

"Don't bother holding back," Gorun scowled. "I can't tell yet if it's Velveno in disguise, but if she's holding her own against Gray, she can take a hit." The two immediately took flight, diving to land twenty feet away from their targets as Gorun shouted, "Both of you! Cool it!"

"Gallick Gun…!" Kinana growled, bringing her hands up near her head while pale purple energy gathered in her right palm. "Fire!" She thrust her hands forward so that a laser blast sent the lady flying from where she stood, open-mouthed.

"Kamehameha!" Gorun shouted less than a second later, bowling over Gray with the ki waves and sending him sprawling. Since it was a quick-charge version of the attack, there was no damage done to the building, not even the flooring. Looking at the surprised guests, he said in a raised voice, "I understand that we're all wizards here. Normally, I'd love a good brawl myself. However, I'd rather not spend my evening putting down upstarts like this!"

Taking the cue from the powerful wizard that had just dropped into their midst, the onlookers quickly went back to mingling with one another. Gorun noticed Erza standing nearby, a massive sword in hand, which she quickly stored away. Locking eyes with the newest guild member, she gave him a nod of gratitude before moving past him without a word.

"Holy cow, that was awesome!" Natsu exclaimed as he walked up to the pair, a pile of food heaped on a platter resting in his hands. "Since when did you learn magic, Kinana?"

"Gorun started teaching me about a year ago," the girl smiled slightly. "I'm nowhere near his level, but I can hold my own whenever he invites me along for a job."

"So you practice Ki magic, too?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide.

"Anyone can do it," Gorun shrugged. "All it takes is practice and the right instruction."

"I wanna learn how to blast lasers!" Natsu said eagerly. "Show me how!"

"I think you're plenty capable with your fire magic," Gorun said honestly. "To quote a wise man, 'I do not fear the man who has learned a thousand different strikes a single time each. I fear the man who has practiced a single strike a thousand times."

"…Wha-?" Natsu said blankly.

"He means you're better off continuing to develop your own magical talents instead of trying to learn a new technique just cos you think it looks cool!" Lucy told him, exasperated.

"Got it in one," Gorun nodded.

"I didn't even think I could do magic for the longest time until Gorun sensed my hidden potential," Kinana smiled brightly. "He's really helped me grow the little magic that I did have into a respectable power."

"I'll say," Lucy grinned back. "You pack a real punch, girl!"

Before the exchange could go on, the crowd began to mutter at a slightly increased pitch, and Gorun noticed that the guests were mostly looking in one direction. Following their gaze, he could see that Count Balsamico and his daughter, Aceto, had finally arrived.

Warren? Gorun asked silently.

"Yeah, man?"

Put everyone on high alert, the young man ordered his colleague. Glancing at the clock to double-check his intuition, he added, It's close to midnight, and we haven't seen any sign of Velveno. Not to mention I haven't felt any significant changes in power levels, except for when Gray fought that woman…

Warren hesitated before asking, "D'you think it was her? Velveno in disguise?"

Unlikely, Gorun said with a shake of his head. She used active ice-make magic, which is different from Gray's static style. If that had been Velveno, he'd have only been able to use spells that Gray knows, not make new ones.

"Got it," Warren agreed- it made sense now that Gorun mentioned the different styles. "I'll make sure everyone else is put on alert."

Thanks, Gorun replied, and the connection was cut.

"So," Kinana said as she pulled Gorun away from the others as Aceto began to descend the stairs with her father by her side. "Can we get back to where we left off?"

Gorun silently cursed Gray again for picking a fight at that moment. "I would really love to," he grimaced. "But one of our main objectives tonight is ensuring Aceto's well-being. Now that she's here…"

"She seems like she's going to dance with Erza," Kinana pointed out. "I think her security is covered pretty well." Gorun turned to see that Aceto was indeed dancing with Erza on one of the floating platforms.

"Well, I gotta say I didn't see that one coming," he admitted. Turning back to his dance partner, who had a hopeful look in her eye, he relented and said, "All right. But before we resume, there is at least one important thing I need to tell you."

"It can't wait?" Kinana pouted slightly.

"Trust me, once you know what it is, you'll understand why I'm so insistent on getting it out of the way right now," he muttered.

"Okay, tell me what it is, because I really liked where we were at," she sighed. "And I'd like to get back to it…" She gave him a wistful look that nearly melted his resolve- which might have been her goal.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm a-"

Gong!

"Are you kidding me?!" he seethed.

"Just tell me!" the girl begged.

"The ring comes out of the clock at midnight!" he replied, sounding torn between the job they had come to do and his commitment to telling her his secret. "Velveno might show up any second!"

"Gorun, please!" Kinana begged. "Tell me! I need to know that you'll take us seriously, and not run off whenever something else may or may not come up!" She sounded as though she might cry, which tore at the young man's heart.

More importantly, her words stopped Gorun in his tracks, both mentally and physically. His mind raced for the span of two more gongs from the clock before he turned back to her with a determined look in his eyes. "You're right," he told her. "So here it is- I'm an alien from another dimension."

"…Okay, I wasn't expecting that," the girl admitted.

"Told you it was a big deal," her escort grimaced.

"Guys!" Warren suddenly shouted in their heads, startling them both. "The boy dancing with Wendy! It's Velveno!"

"What?!" Kinana and Gorun exclaimed together. They looked over at Wendy, whose dance partner was backing away with a knowing smile on his face. Just as the final bell rang from the clock, and a hidden mechanism revealed the Balsamico family ring, he leaped away from her, a bright light enveloping him.

Meanwhile, the rest of the menfolk- Elfman included, Gorun noted with annoyance- were all making a beeline for the ring. The tradition of the family stated that whoever got the ring first would be allowed to propose to Aceto. The Saiyan was disappointed in him- and Gray, seeing as he was supposed to be watching Wendy! He'd have words for both of them- later though. It was time to act now.

"Continue this later?" he asked Kinana as he put two fingers to his forehead.

He nearly lost his focus altogether when she pecked him on the cheek and said, "Of course. Go get him, I'll be right behind you."

"R-Right," he stammered before focusing on the figure emerging from the glow. "Here goes!" He noticed that Veleveno now looked as he did on the wanted poster- a tall, skinny man of dark skin dressed in a blue-and-orange suit with a red rose on the lapel. His hair was massive- easily three times the size of his actual head.

Gorun engaged the instant transmission and appeared in front of the man, startling him, but not enough to make him lose control. "Sky Dragon ROAR!" he bellowed, sending Gorun flying, and preventing anyone else from getting close to the ring. Using the same magic, the thief used a wind current to sweep up the heirloom and deposit it into his waiting hand, which he clenched tight as soon as he had it. "Ha!" he crowed as Gorun glared up at him, angry that he'd been caught off-guard. "Now the Balsamico family heirloom is in the hands of the one and only Velveno!"

"Not for long!" Gorun bellowed, noting his enemy's power level, and being surprised that it was a respectable strength. "Kaioken!" The red magic circle appeared and disappeared almost instantly, enveloping him in its strength.

"Haha, now it's a party!" Natsu cheered, leaping towards the thief with delight on his face. "Fire Dragon IRON FIST!"

Veleveno smirked before turning to face him head-on and echoing, "Fire Dragon IRON FIST!" Their fists met, and the explosion rocked the room. Natsu looked stunned while Veleveno appeared completely at ease, using the fire magic to light up a cigar as he announced, "I helped myself to some a your magic, too. Every Fairy Tail member that came to this little shindig, in fact."

"Not mine, you didn't!" Gorun shouted, leaping at the man with the speed of a bullet. He lashed out with a savage kick that Velveno barely dodged, which rendered the platform he'd been standing on into pieces from the force of the missed blow. "Get back here!" Gorun shouted. "I'm on a date right now, the least you could do is make this fast!"

"I ain't going nowhere yet!" Velveno laughed.

"Too bad, cos I'm about to show you the door!" his hunter shouted, even as two reddish-pink magic circles appeared in front of his hands. "Double Sunday!" Twin lasers flew forth, aimed to strike Velveno head-on.

"Fire Dragon ROAR!" the man shouted, countering Gorun's attack and setting off another explosion that rocked the estate.

"Requip: Purgatory Armor!" Erza shouted as she leaped into the fray. Her deadly, spiked armor appeared, and she swung her mace at the criminal, hoping to catch the man off-guard.

She didn't. "Requip: Purgatory Armor!" Velveno grinned, as if to mock her. A matching armor set and weapon appeared on him, and he beat back her attack easily. "It's pointless!" he laughed, the smoking cigar still in his mouth as he transformed back into his regular clothes. "Even if I didn't get ponytail's magic over there, I've got enough magic to keep you all away from me all night long."

"Then we'll just have to kick your butt the old fashioned way!" Natsu shouted, putting his fists up. "And we're pretty good at it, too!"

"Now you're speaking my language," the Saiyan boy grinned. "Three-layer magic circle: Kaioken!" His power level spiked accordingly, increasing the aura surrounding his body, even as he prepared to use instant transmission again.

Suddenly, Velveno's smug expression became a worn, haggard one. "Aw, knock it off," he said as he held up a hand for them to stand down. "The last thing I actually want is to get into a fight with you and your buddies."

"Say what?!" Natsu sputtered.

"I'm here… because I screwed up last time," Velveno said, his gaze fixed on someone behind Natsu and himself, Gorun realized. Turning around, he saw the count's daughter standing between Gray and Elfman, who were prepared to defend her on Erza's orders, even as the man added, "Miss Aceto… I got something big to ask ya."

---

"I wasn't expecting that," Gorun muttered as he watched Aceto's fiancé being led away in chains. Velveno had agreed to turn himself in willingly after confessing his long-harbored feelings for the count's daughter, mostly at her urging. Now that the magical enforcement custody unit had arrived and taken the man away, Gorun and his date were standing outside on a balcony, where they could talk undisturbed.

"But it wasn't a bad surprise, was it?" Kinana grinned gently. "You weren't expecting it, but that doesn't mean things didn't turn out okay, right?"

Gorun gave her a sideways glance before saying, "You're not talking about Velveno and Aceto, are you?"

"Nope," she chirped. "I have to admit though, I am curious about what you told me before. I mean… you look pretty normal to me."

"For the most part, my people resemble humans very closely, with one big difference as far as our bodies go," he admitted with a shrug. "That, and I'm only partly alien. Most of me is human."

"So what, do you have eyes on the back of your head?" she teased him.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," he told her, frowning slightly with concern. "Are you sure you're still okay… you know… dating me?"

"Of course I am," she said, her smile fading as her expression grew serious. "I don't care if you're from another planet or whatever, I care that you have a good heart. I want to be your girlfriend, Gorun. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Slightly," he smiled, trying to hold back a laugh. "You're just… a little bit way out of my league."

"Shut up," she told him with a gentle shove. "Seriously, is there anything else you feel like I absolutely have to know before we make it official?"

"Well, yeah," he nodded, the smile coming off of his face. "I'll give you the short version for now, but… Okay, my ancestors were a savage warrior race called the Saiyans. Like I said, I also have a human heritage, but that's not important right now. The pure-blooded Saiyans all had tails on their backsides, and it was a huge source of power for them- and their greatest weakness."

He paused to gather his thoughts, leaving Kinana enough time to ask him, "So… do you have a tail, then?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I keep it hidden not just to hide the fact that I'm an alien, but also because if anyone even grabs my tail, I'll become temporarily weakened, almost to the point of paralysis." Kinana's eyes widened slightly, but he held up a hand to forestall any questions as he continued to speak, saying, "Besides that weakness, there is another danger. My tail grants me an endurance level beyond my kin that have had their tails removed, or if they were born without one because of their earthling parentage. On average, I'm much stronger than the next Saiyan warrior, even if they trained the same way I did."

"How is that a danger?" Kinana wondered, confused.

"That part isn't," Gorun explained patiently. "You know how I prefer not to go out when the moon is full?" To emphasize his point, he gestured at the night sky above them, where a three-quarters-full moon was watching them.

"I'd noticed," Kinana admitted. "What does that have to do with your tail?"

"My tail acts like a kind of sponge for a certain radiation that the moon emits called 'Blutz Waves," he replied. "If my body absorbs enough of those, I transform into a giant ape sort of monster called an Oozaru. My power level multiplies by ten, as can my savagery."

At this, Kinana finally looked worried. Paling slightly, she asked, "H-How large of a monster do you become?"

"Ten stories tall, give or take," the boy replied grimly. "It's not just my tail, though. I have to look at the moon directly- my eyes also act as absorption units for the blutz waves. If I were to lose my tail, I'd never risk turning into an Oozaru again."

"Then why keep your tail, if it's that dangerous?" Kinana asked him.

"Besides the fact that it's a part of me, and one of the reasons I'm as strong as I am, I know how to control the Oozaru form," he replied quickly. "I only lose my senses if I go into the state unwillingly, which has never happened so far. I just don't go out during the full moon as an extra precaution."

"So… you're not like a werewolf, then?" she asked him, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "You won't transform against your will the minute you step out into a full moon?"

"Nah," he said, letting out a sigh of relief that she wasn't running for the hills, even after what he'd told her. "I'm perfectly safe to be around as long as I'm conscious. I just wanted to tell you the truth, Kinana. That's all."

"You could have told me sooner," she told him, a mild note of reproach finally entering her voice. "I would have understood."

"I know," he said quietly. "But I want you to know that I'm not sharing this secret with just anybody- I have to trust them, more than anyone else I know. I know you see me as Gorun, but the rest of the world would only see me as the Saiyan monster, come to destroy them all." There was note of bitterness in his voice, born from the hatred of his ancestors' violent crimes.

"Hey," Kinana said, her voice softer and kinder than Gorun had ever heard it. The next thing he knew, her lips had claimed his, and for a second, all he knew was gentleness and warmth.

Then the moment passed, and she pulled back to let him see her smile as she said, "Like I told you before- you have the Fairy Tail mark, Gorun. That means your past doesn't matter. Who you are now is what matters. Alien or human, I'm seeing you the same way I always have."

It took him a moment to find his voice, and when he did, he was barely able to say, "Then… I-I think I know what I want to be."

"Yeah?"

"I wanna be your boyfriend, Kinana," he breathed, his head still reeling from the chaste kiss she'd given him. "Would that be okay?"

"Gorun, that would be wonderful," she laughed before leaning in to kiss him again.

"Wait, hold on!" Gorun squawked, leaning back just so that she couldn't reach her intended target.

"Aw come on!" she pouted. "You gotta stop doing that!"

"One more question!" he pleaded.

"Make it fast," she told him.

"Forgive me for not telling you sooner?" he asked quickly.

Again, she laughed at him, making him flush with embarrassment. "Of course I forgive you," she told him. "Why bring it up right now though?"

"Closure," he grinned. This time, he started the kiss. Just for good measure, he let his tail out of its hiding place and wrapped it around the small of her back, pulling her even closer to him. When she pulled back, he was pleased to see that the appearance of his tail didn't frighten her away.

Kinana looked like she was about to say something, but they both froze in place when they heard Natsu yell, "Gorun has a tail?! That's so cool!" They whirled around to see Natsu, who was grinning like an idiot, accompanied by Lucy, Gray, and Happy, the other two humans looking shocked.

Happy, on the other hand, seemed to think that the whole thing was funny. "Duh, Natsu," he said dismissively. "Everyone knows that the coolest members in the guild have a tail."

"I'm gonna assume you're talking about Pantherlily, because we all know you're not talking about you!" Lucy told him. "Also, what the heck?!"

"I should say the same thing!" Gorun snapped, face red as he tried to figure out how long they had been standing there. "I told you guys to let me and Kinana have a moment!" His tail lashed back and forth, reflecting his outrage.

"Dude, it's almost two in the morning!" Gray replied. "You've had a lot of moments!"

"Speaking of time…" Kinana said, her face redder than Lucy's dress. "How long… have you all been standing there?"

"Right when he kissed you," Lucy replied, still staring at Gorun's tail, seemingly oblivious to its owner's angry face. "I was about to turn back, but then I saw the tail come out and…" She shrugged helplessly. "Sorry to ruin the moment, I really am… But what the heck?!" As she shouted, she pointed at the offending limb again.

"Hey!" Gorun growled. "I'm not a zoo exhibit!"

"Are you part monkey?!" Natsu asked, sniffing more closely at Gorun, as if hoping to uncover the secret that way. "I thought you smelled a little off!"

"I'm mostly human!" Gorun snapped. "The other part is alien biology! Oh, and by the way, no one but Kinana was supposed to know about this!" He was mad. For a moment, everything had seemed perfect in his world. Now, it seemed as though his most closely guarded secret was about to become Fairy Tail's number one gossip topic.

"Why?" Natsu asked, still looking like a child at the zoo. "I think it's awesome!"

"I don't!" Gorun growled. "Do you have any idea how many people my ancestors slaughtered?! I may be strong because of them, but if you knew anything about the Saiyan race, you'd know there's very little to be proud of!"

"Gorun, how could they know?" Kinana said, her calm voice soothing his agitated mind. "I only just found out a few minutes ago. If your tail is embarrassing to you, I'm sure Lucy and the others will respect your wishes not to talk about it."

"You're gonna vouch for Natsu on that?" the boy asked blandly.

"Hey!"

"Yes, I will," Kinana smiled at her boyfriend. "He's known what it's like to have something hurt when people talk about it. He won't tell anyone if you ask him not to."

Gorun narrowed his eyes before turning to Natsu and Happy, who were giggling to themselves. This does not inspire confidence, he thought. Out loud, however, he said, "Look… I don't want people knowing about this… not yet, anyway. Any chance you all could keep this quiet?"

"Yeah, if you don't wanna talk about it, I understand," Lucy nodded immediately. "We all have things we'd rather keep buried." Gorun felt an immediate surge of relief as he realized that she was in earnest. Then she kind of ruined the effect by staring at his tail and muttering, "Seriously, what the heck?"

"Same here," Gray agreed, ignoring Lucy's last comment. "My lips are sealed, man. But just a piece of advice?"

"Yeah?" Gorun asked warily.

"No one in Fairy Tail would treat you any different if they knew," Gray told him. "You have the mark, you're one of us."

"Gee, where have I heard that before?" Kinana pretended to wonder aloud.

"All right, all right, I get it," Gorun groaned, exhausted. "Just… Let me reveal it in my own time, okay?"

"Of course," the purple-haired beauty said patiently.

Turning to Natsu and his partner, Gorun said, "Okay, Natsu, I know you have a lot of questions, but-"

"Fight me!" Natsu suddenly exclaimed.

"Eh?" Gorun blanked.

"Fight me, and we'll keep your secret!" the pinkette demanded.

Gorun looked blankly at Lucy, who sighed heavily. "Yeah, he's serious," she deadpanned.

He made up his mind in less than an instant. "Deal," he agreed. "Tomorrow, before lunch. I fight you, you keep my secret."

"Hey, wait!" Happy protested. "What do I get out of this?"

"I won't kick you to the next continent for helping interrupt my moment with Kinana," Gorun replied with a thin smile. "Sound good?"

"Aye, sir!"

"One other thing…" Gorun said as his eyes narrowed. "Why did you come looking for us in the first place? The party doesn't actually end until the sun comes up. It's not like we have to leave yet."

"Umm…" Lucy hesitated. "If I give you some bad news, will you blow anything up?"

"Depends…" Gorun said slowly, not liking her tone. "How bad is it?"

"The job's a bust," Gray said bluntly, causing Lucy to squawk in alarm. "The count won't pay us cos he's not happy with the way things turned out tonight."

"…What?" Gorun asked, his left eye twitching.

"We're not getting paid," Gray shrugged. "Sometimes these things just happen, man."

"Oh, hell no!" the Saiyan teenager snapped. "We're not leaving without that money! We did the job, we're getting paid!" He tucked his tail back into its hiding place and began to storm towards the entrance.

"Hold on a minute!" Lucy protested. "You can't just force the Count to pay us! That's extortion!"

Gorun stopped where he was and turned to look at the blonde mage incredulously. "Wait, did you seriously think I was gonna go beat the cash out of him? What kind of monster do you take me for?!"

"Gorun, what did you have in mind?" Kinana asked, trying to keep him calm with her tone.

"I was just gonna tell him that if doesn't pay, he'll have a magical enforcement unit headed his way to make sure he shares a cell with Velveno," Gorun said with a wicked grin. "Mirajane has a copy of the contract, and if we fulfilled all the objectives that it outlined, Balsamico is obligated under penalty of law to pay us."

"Wait, that's a thing?" Lucy asked, eyes wide. Apparently she had never heard of this before.

"Yeah, it's according to the country's law," Gorun said with a slight frown. "I read part of the nation's constitution about a year back, at least the bit that concerned hiring wizards. If we did the job, he has to pay us, or he does jail time." Turning to Kinana, he took a deep breath to calm himself further before reaching out a hand to his date and saying, "What do you say we go and offer our congratulations to Miss Aceto on her engagement?"

Kinana walked over and took his hand in hers before frowning slightly and asking, "Wait, are we actually going to congratulate her, or are we going to confront her father?"

"Can we do both?"

---

All being told, Fairy Tail made some good memories that night. Two of their younger wizards came to be together, a man was finally freed from the guilt he had carried for years, and those that had gone out on the job all walked away several hundred thousand jewel richer.

To think, not even a single damage report was filed.

"You know, Master," Gildarts said as he watched Makarov and Macao go over the paperwork that had resulted from needing to split the large sum into ten equal portions- the last one-tenth going to the guild, as was the norm. "You might look at making that Gorun kid S-class. He's talented and more than strong enough from what I could tell."

Normally at this point, Makarov or Macao would be going through damage reports, and figuring out how much of the job's payout he would have to deduct from the responsible mage's cut, but this time, there was nothing to be taken away. While it certainly made things easier for the men, it did not sway the stubborn third master of the guild.

"He'll have his chance when we next hold the trials," the white-haired man shrugged. "None of these brats have ever received special treatment before, and I'm not about to start now."

"Well, I mean, if anyone did deserve it, it's Gorun," Macao argued, putting down his folder. "He practically carried us for the last year- if it wasn't for him, we'd have been in an even worse financial situation than we ended up in. He even managed to bring back some clients that were ready to give up on us."

"You were the master for seven years, Macao, why not make him S-class yourself?" Makarov challenged.

"Well, we weren't really receiving any S-Class jobs at the time, so I figured it didn't really make any sense to say anything about it," the purple-haired man replied with a grimace. "But now that word's getting out that we have you guys back, we've actually had a couple of S-Class requests put to Mira."

"Hmm…" Makarov mused with interest. "I have nothing against the lad, don't get me wrong. I quite like him, in fact. But traditions have existed in our guild for a reason, and I see nothing to convince me that the boy should be allowed to bypass what everyone else that's earned the S-class title has had to go through."

"All right, all right," Gildarts sighed. "Just thought I'd mention it to you."

"Thank you for bringing it up, Gildarts," Makarov acknowledged. "Now, where's that chart for this month's earnings got to…?"

---

Closing Song: You'll Never Be Alone by Capital Kings

Mataras: Whew... I think that was my longest chapter for this story so far.

Gorun: Yeah man, you went over 13,000 words... You doing okay?

Mataras: Oh, I'm fine. I'm actually quite happy about the way that this turned out, especially for you and Kinana.

Gorun: Yeah, thanks man! Though- and I'm not complaining by a long shot- I was wondering why you just went ahead and had us become a couple relatively quickly?

Mataras: Ah, that. Well, to be frank, I think that if there's good history and chemistry between a boy and a girl, they should just go for it. Delaying things usually just adds up to being unnecessary drama, which can make for a story that many find enjoyable, I personally don't. I've always preferred to be direct and concise.

Gorun: Can't say I disagree, though sometimes you seem to take a little too far. There's a such thing as being tactful, or at least trying to be sensitive.

Mataras: Why?

Gorun: Okay, that's a conversation for another time, I guess. When can we expect another chapter? I think some of our readers were a little put off by the fact that we didn't give them a solid date last time.

Mataras: Should be by the end of May, but readers of The Red Swordsman: Shattered Fragment should be looking for something in the way of a new chapter in a few days.

Gorun: Oh? Another story of yours?

Mataras: Indeed, and one that I have let sit idle for too long. My wife is helping me proofread before the release, but we should be done with it soon.

Gorun: I'm glad to see that you are remembering your other readers, and I hope that they will welcome your return.

Mataras: As do I. Until next time, my friends!

Gorun: Next time- Reach for the Stars.

---

Next time on Saiyan Tail...

"You speak as though it's over," she smirked, already knowing how to counter his best attack.

"It will be in a second," he called down.

"I've seen this attack of yours, and despite the fact that I cannot match its strength, I can certainly endure it," she told him as she engaged a requip. When it was done, she stood clad confidently in her Adamantine Armor. "This can withstand a direct shot from a Jupiter Cannon- and I doubt even you can output that much power, Gorun!"

"Then get ready for a world of disappointment!" he laughed as the energy in his hands flared even brighter. In addition to this, more red magic circles appeared above his head. "Ten layer magic circle: Kai… o… KEN!" The red aura surrounding him was practically coming alive with energy while the blue ball in his hands continued to grow.

Erza sensed the energy gathering above and continued to smile- finally, she had a way to beat Gorun. He was strong, certainly, and perhaps she would even emerge with bruises from this session, but he was clearly not on the level of a Jupiter Cannon. She slammed the two halves of her shield together and shouted, "Bring it on, Gorun! Show me what it is you can do!"

Chest heaving, heart pounding, Gorun responded to the challenge. "Ka…me… ha… me…" he growled out, every breath a labor now. The last time he'd used the Kaioken ten times, he had been floored for nearly three days, but he'd gained a significant zenkai boost from the ordeal. He noticed that it wasn't as hard to wield as last time, but he was still going to spend the rest of the day taking it easy.

But first I beat her, he promised himself. Drawing in a deep breath, he finished gathering up the magic formula in his head and roared, releasing the pent-up energy in a titanic blue beam. "HAAAAAAA!"