A/N: Enjoy an early chapter, everyone!
OP Song: The Day (Original or cover by Jonathan Young)
Magic Battle Nexus Arc: Chapter 2
In Preparation
"Umm… I can explain…" Gorun muttered as he turned to face the others directly.
"Please do," Erza frowned. "If you possess such power, why is it that you did not use it in combat against me? You could have easily won our sparring match that way."
"Same reason someone trains with weighted clothing," he replied with a shrug. "The better they get while they're crippled, the better they become when unrestrained." Looking at the others, who were regarding him with wide eyes, he sighed and added, "Yes, I've always been able to do this."
"Is this part of you-"
"Yes," Gorun said sharply, cutting off Gray before he revealed too much. Erza, Wendy, Carla, and Team ShadowGear still didn't know the truth about who he was, and he wanted it kept that way. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down and release the power of the Super Saiyan, causing his body to revert back to its normal appearance. "Look, this power has… risks… attached to it. It's another reason that I prefer the other enhancement spell."
"What kind of risks?" Erza asked, still curious.
"He has trouble keeping his head when he's transformed like that," Kinana informed them. "The amount of energy that's released interferes with his ability to discern right from wrong- makes him generally more aggressive than usual."
Lucy looked at the purple-haired girl with surprise and asked, "You knew about that?" Kinana nodded affirmative in response.
"Well, I guess the takeaway from this is that we'll at least have one person from our group strong enough to compete in the games," Levy said miserably. "The rest of us'll have to watch from the sidelines." Her remark seemed to take everyone's attention away from Gorun's transformation and back to the present problem.
"Absolutely not!" Erza said stubbornly. "I won't concede defeat like this- we still have five days until we have to return, and we're going to use them! It'll be hell on earth, but we can still increase our magic power!"
"You're insane," Gray said flatly.
"Yeah!" Natsu agreed with the redhead, ignoring Gray. "Bring it on, Erza! I'll keep up with ya! I'm ready to feel the burn!"
"That's the spirit!" Erza said with a set jaw, clenching her fist in determination. "We'll start with some running!"
Maybe I can ask Erza to stab me a bunch of times, Gorun thought with a grimace. I'd have to use up most of my senzu beans, but I think I can get enough zenkai boosts out of near-death experiences to make up for the lost three months… He was almost glad that Levy had brought up the depressing subject of the games- no one seemed too interested in his transformation at the moment. Knowing this bunch, though, it won't be long before they start asking questions again. Then again, this was a world of magic- transformations that enhanced magic powers weren't unheard of, especially with Erza and the Strauss siblings around. Maybe they'll just pass it off as part and parcel of my magic.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when a bird landed on Erza's head and started… dancing?
Turning to his girlfriend, he asked in a lowered voice, "Do birds in this world usually do that, or is this one just special?"
"Special," she answered, pointing at it for him to look more closely. "It's a messenger pigeon- see the note on his leg?"
"Who sent that?" Lucy asked as Gray grabbed the bird from Erza's head and removed the little note. He passed it to Happy, who began to unfold it.
"Maybe it's a love note?" the little blue cat grinned.
Some of the others rolled their eyes, but Juvia suddenly seemed very interested in the paper. "Gray, darling, you could have just given it to me," she said suggestively.
"Yeah, like I wrote it," the young man said over his shoulder, with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Listen up, Fairy Tail!" Happy read aloud. "You better come to the broken bridge west of the beach, and you better come alone."
"Dumb note's not the boss of us!" Natsu snapped, snatching the paper and burning it up.
"Yeah, can't say I care for their tone," Gray agreed.
"I say we should check it out," Erza said, her arms folded, her face grim. However, the fact that the pigeon was still on her head made it difficult to take her seriously.
"Really?" Lucy asked nervously. "This whole thing screams 'trap."
"Meh, I could use something to vent on," Gorun smirked. "I'm still steamed about losing three months of time."
"Yes, and a tough enemy will make for excellent training," Erza nodded firmly.
"You know you and Natsu are the only ones still obsessed with that, right?" Gray deadpanned. "Still, guess we better go along so you don't get killed. Not like we've got anything better to do."
A twenty minute trek into the jungle that bordered the beach led them to a ravine where the remnants of a rope bridge remained on either side of the gorge. "Check it out, just like the note said," Gorun muttered. "Now what?"
As if on cue, the bridge was reformed and made new before their eyes, looking to them as though it had just been constructed only a few days ago. No, it doesn't just look like it… Gorun realized, his eyes wide as he sensed a familiar kind of energy. It was made only just a few days ago!
"That's temporal magic," he growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"What?" Several of the others chorused.
"Someone's messing with the flow of time nearby," he said through gritted teeth. "Does no one around here respect the laws of time?!"
"Wait, time magic?" Natsu asked, suddenly sniffing at the air. "I've seen that before… and now that I know what to look for, I definitely recognize that smell."
The Salamander charged ahead onto the bridge, faltering a bit as his motion sickness kicked in, but he forced himself across the bridge, the others quickly following once they realized it wasn't going to collapse as soon as they stepped on it.
In their haste, they failed to notice that Gorun hadn't moved from where he stood. Only Kinana turned around in time to notice him staring downward, his fists clenched, and his face veiled by his unbound hair. "Gorun, what's wrong?" she asked him.
"Where I come from…" he murmured. "My parents were the great protectors of time. I left to make my own legacy, separate from theirs'… But is my destiny bound to restoring time no matter where I go?"
"Gorun, I'm sure that whatever this is, it has nothing to do with the time-changers your parents fought," Kinana tried to assure him. "Come on, or the others will get too far ahead of us."
"Okay," he said, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath and squaring his shoulders as he straightened his back. "I hope you're right, Kinana."
"I'm with you, no matter what happens," she smiled at him, causing him to give her a weak grin in return.
"Thanks," he whispered as she took his hand. But Shenron help us all if this is Mira and Towa's doing… I know Natsu said he recognized who did this, but still… He engaged his flight ability and took off after the others, Kinana keeping up with him as to not let go of his hand.
They landed among their guild mates in time to see three people in blue cloaks step out of the shadows. Gorun instantly tensed up, reaching out to sense their power levels, then giving a start of surprise as he encountered something very unexpected.
"Jellal?" he asked before anyone could speak. "Why are you here?"
"Huh?!" Most of his guild mates gaped at him as the leader of the cloaked figures threw back his hood to reveal blue hair, dark green eyes, and a bizarre red tattoo over and under his right eye.
"Good to see all of you again- and you, Gorun," the man said as his comrades both revealed their own faces in turn. "Judging from their reactions, I take it you didn't tell them of our prior involvement together." On his right, a young girl with pink hair that put Natsu's to shame gave them all a smile as she said hello. On their left, a woman with raven hair and pale skin gave them all a somber nod as a way of greetings.
"Nah, you asked me to keep quiet about it, so that's what I did," he shrugged. "Besides, that whole thing worked out in my favor- it was easier for me to tell the rune knights that you guys did it. They pretty much left me alone after I sent them after you."
"It's nice to see you, Erza," Jellal said, inclining his head toward the young redhead. "I take it word of my escape reached you some time ago."
"It did," she nodded back, her expression unreadable.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," Gorun realized aloud. "You've known Jellal for a while, right Erza?"
"Okay, does someone wanna catch me up?!" Lucy exclaimed before her friend could answer. "Why are you three here? More importantly, why are Jellal and Gorun acting like old friends?!"
"You might say that I'm Jellal's mole in the legal guild alliance," Gorun smirked as he turned to look at his friends, all of them wearing expressions of shock. "I keep him informed about the movements of both the Baram Alliance and the legal guilds."
"Since you all have been a little out of the loop for the past few years, let me fill you in," said the dark-haired woman, Urtear. "To atone for my horrific crimes when I was a part of Grimoire Heart- or at least, as much as one can atone for so much evil- Meredy and I broke Jellal out of prison and formed an independent guild. Our name is Crime Sorcière, or the Witch's Crime, if you like."
"Y-You've been…" Jet was shocked. "I've heard about you guys! You've taken down dozens of dark guilds over the years."
Droy frowned heavily at Gorun and asked, "How come you never told us anything about this?"
"It was a need-to-know thing," the Saiyan shrugged. "You don't tell me who all of your clients are, do you?"
"Our clients aren't wanted fugitives," Jet tried to protest, but it was a weak argument, and everyone knew it.
"Long story short, I met Jellal on a mission about eight months back- er, before the whole Spirit World Party thing, so I guess it's been almost a year now?" He looked to Jellal, who nodded in confirmation. "In any case, I was hired to take care of some bandits that were causing a city trouble with their shipping lanes. Turns out they were connected to a slavers' guild that Jellal and company had been tailing for weeks. We wound up meeting when I blew the slavers' ship to hell- and nearly took him out since he was on board, getting ready to sink it himself."
"It was a close call, but I'd say our meeting was more than beneficial," Jellal smiled slightly. "Gorun saved my life, and showed sympathy for our cause. I hired him to be our guild's eyes and ears into the legal guild system."
Erza looked suspiciously at Kinana, who was looking a little too innocent at the moment. "Did you know of this, Kinana?" she asked slowly.
In response, the girl grinned and said, "There's a reason people tell bartenders everything- we're really good at keeping secrets."
"So you knew," Erza said flatly.
"Wait, you told her?" Jellal asked Gorun sharply.
"Relax, she's okay," the boy said easily. "Besides, I wouldn't have been able to gather half the intel for you that I did without her help. People always talk to barmaids- especially the pretty ones." He grinned at his girlfriend, who flushed but smiled at the compliment.
"I think we're getting off-topic," Urtear said, bringing everyone's attention back to them. "We would dearly love to keep catching up with you, but we did call you here for business."
"What kinda business?" Natsu asked suspiciously.
"We have a request to make of the Fairy Tail guild," the dark-haired woman began…
"Kinda… convenient how this whole… rgh…! second origin unlocking compensates for that time we… lost!" Gorun grunted out. "Hah… You weren't kidding when you said this would hurt!" He fought to keep his stomach under control as nausea and intense pain shot through his entire body, their source being the bizarre red marks glowing on his skin.
He was currently under the influence of Urtear's Arc of Time as it forced the energy containers in his body to grow, as well as breaking the seal on his hidden reservoir of power. At first, Gorun had been reluctant to allow a magic that altered the flow of time to alter his body, but eventually Kinana reasoned with him that it was only affecting their connection to magic energy, not the timeline itself. He was still reluctant, but he agreed to undergo the process along with the others.
In fact, as a show of trust, he volunteered to undergo the procedure first, hoping that if he made it through and emerged stronger, the others would see that there was nothing to fear. As it turned out, he was only half-right. He was growing more powerful by the second, as promised. However, there was no masking the fact that the spell hurt. A lot.
"I'm sorry, but I can do nothing for the pain," Urtear grimaced. "You'll just have to ride it out."
"No problem…" Gorun grinned, sweat dripping from his chin as he forced out a smile. "Try surviving… a training session in… four hundred times the earth's gravitational… pull!" He spat out the last word as a fresh wave of pain wracked his body.
"Is he joking?" he heard Meredy asking.
"You've seen how strong he is," her adopted mother replied. "I wouldn't dismiss the idea out of hand."
"Gotta say… I'm kind of… mad I didn't recognize your magic… earlier…" Gorun grunted out.
"I don't think I've ever used my magic in front of you before," Urtear shrugged. "But from the way you were talking, it sounds like you have experience with the Arc of Time?"
"You might… say that," the boy replied. "It's a… long story… And one that I don't like telling."
"Fair enough," Urtear shrugged. Looking him up and down, she added, "You're doing remarkably well, actually. It's almost as though your body is adapting to the changes being made inside you as we speak."
"Part of my magic… gives me a high degree of adaptability," Gorun panted, his breathing still labored, though not as pained as when the process had first begun. "This is still gonna be a special kind of hangover, I think…"
"Yeah… I was sick for like a week after I did it," Meredy grimaced.
"If you don't mind… I have a question while we wait…" he grunted, forcing himself to sit up and look at Urtear. "If unlocking the second origin hurts this much… why not just unlock the third one now and get it over with?"
"…What?" Meredy frowned. "There's no third container."
Gorun's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Urtear, who looked shocked. "You didn't know?" he asked.
"No, I knew," the woman said quickly. "It's just that…"
"Wait, there is a third container?" Meredy asked, surprised. "Why haven't you mentioned that before, Mother?"
"Because it is a secret better left unknown to the world," Urtear said in a lowered, stern tone. "Gorun, you haven't told anyone else about this, have you?"
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "I only just… became aware of it. But since you're forcing my second origin to open… I can feel the energy flow around it now… It's… even stronger than the second origin… isn't it?"
"It is," Urtear nodded. "But based on the readings I've found, the power it can give is not worth the price."
"What… price?" Gorun grunted.
"The price for opening and using the third origin… is the complete loss of your magic power," Urtear told them in a hushed tone.
Gorun blinked in surprise. "What, like… magic deficiency syndrome?" he grunted.
"No," she said with a negative shake of her head. "Your body regathers ethernano when your first and second origins run out of fuel. It only has the ability to do this because you still have magic particles in your body- in the third origin- to help attract more particles. If the third container were to be used, and emptied…"
"You would never be able to use magic again," Meredy realized out loud, her face paling. "Whoa…"
"So, a power that could surpass all others… but at the cost of… never being able to use your gifts again," Gorun muttered.
Urtear nodded gravely. "This is why I have chosen not to say anything, though I am surprised that you were able to sense the third origin at all. Jellal and Meredy haven't even been able to distinguish between their first and second origins, and they are wizards of rare skill."
"Part and parcel," Gorun said with a pained grin. Then his expression grew serious. "Urtear… I need a favor."
"Whaddya mean I'm not on the team?!" Gorun screamed as he was held back by Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Elfman- who seemed to have tripled in muscle mass since they last saw him- while trying to throttle Makarov.
Most of the guild had just returned home from their training camps, with the exception of Laxus, the Thunder Legion, Gajeel, and Pantherlily. Now little man had just announced that the first team was to be comprised of all the members of Team Natsu, minus their exceeds. Needless to say, Gorun was livid about it.
"The games don't just require brute strength, they require teamwork," Makarov told him flatly, apparently unfazed by the sight of Gorun's angry face. "True, you may be one of our strongest wizards, but this about more than just individual abilities. Natsu's team has a long history together, while we are still getting to know you, my boy. This is my decision as the guild's master, and that's final." Seeing the anger in Gorun's eyes quickly shift to a hurt expression as he slumped, he softened his tone and added, "Don't worry, son. You'll have your chance, I promise."
"Umm, Master?" Wendy said hesitantly. "Are you really sure I'm good for this? Why can't Laxus or Gajeel fight instead?"
"Not much I can do about that," Makarov shrugged. "Neither of them have come back yet."
"Aw man…" Wendy groaned in despair.
Seeing that Gorun was more or less defeated, his friends let him go so that he could go and slump into a chair. Kinana moved to console him- she realized now just how much he had been looking forward to working with the others in the guild to display the pride that he took as a member of Fairy Tail. As she got close, she heard him mutter something along the lines of, "…a Saiyan shouldn't be on the sidelines."
"Hey," she said gently as she lay a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon. I'll go make you some dinner. You'll feel better after a hot meal."
"Actually, my dear, would you mind terribly if I borrowed him for a moment?" Makarov asked as he approached the table. "There's something I need to talk to him about in private. It won't be long."
"Oh, okay," she answered as she stepped back. Looking back at her boyfriend, she smiled warmly and said, "I'll meet you at your place, okay?"
"Yeah," he said in a defeated tone. "Thanks, Kinana." They exchanged a quick kiss before the boy trudged after the master of the guild, following him to his office upstairs. As Makarov went to open the door, the boy muttered, "What now? Gonna take away my S-class ranking, too?"
Makarov frowned and turned around to face the boy. "I get the impression that you think I don't like you for some reason," he said.
"If I'm being honest, yeah, it does seem that way to me," Gorun replied with his arms folded. "Ego aside, I'm clearly one of the better choices to represent our guild, so I don't understand why you'd hurt our guild's chances at winning like that, unless it was just to spite me."
"Not spite, my boy," Makarov grinned slightly. "Subterfuge." That's when he swung the door open, and Gorun's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "For the record, I like you quite well, Gorun. You're strong, dependable, and for the most part, a lot less destructive than some of the other brats in this guild. Consider this my thanks for helping out Macao and the others when I couldn't."
"Oh…"
"Man, this place is amazing!" Lucy said excitedly as she looked around at the city surrounding them. Fairy Tail's competing team had arrived in Crocus, the capital of Fiore, and they were all rather impressed by the sights so far. There were massive buildings of all kinds in every direction, and not one of them was wanting for decorations with flowers.
"This certainly puts Edolas' capital city to shame," Carla remarked.
"I don't think I've ever been in a city this big before!" Natsu added, sniffing curiously at the air. There were so many new smells, he didn't know which one to investigate first.
"I've been here before a couple of times for a job or two," a familiar voice said as another group approached. The competitors turned to see Gorun approaching with a grin on his face, flanked by Kinana, Makarov, and a few other members of the guild. "Knowing Natsu, he'll wanna know where to get some good eats, and there's a place not too far from here."
"Ooh, what kinda place?!" Natsu asked excitedly.
"It's a steakhouse where they cook the food right in front of you," Gorun told him as he pointed down a westward street. "I reckon they'll let you sample some of the fires they use to cook, too."
"Sweet!" Natsu exclaimed, jumping up and down like a child in a candy store.
"What're all you guys doing here?" Lucy asked as she approached the others.
"The entire guild is here to cheer you on, girl!" Levy smiled as she gave the taller girl a hug. "We wouldn't miss it!"
"Aw, thanks!" Lucy giggled as she returned the embrace.
"How're you all feeling, by the way?" Gorun asked as he looked his friends up and down. "Any side effects still bothering you?"
"Nah, after you gave us those magic beans, we feel good as new- and way stronger," Gray answered as he gave his comrade a thumbs-up.
"Good to hear," the boy nodded. He had thought about keeping the beans for himself with the thought of future emergencies in mind, but in the end he decided that showing support of his guild mates was important enough to cost him a few senzu. "We need you all in top shape for these games."
"Speaking of which, what exactly are the events we're going to be participating in?" Wendy asked. "None of us have any clue about what we're going to be doing."
"Neither do we," Makarov answered.
"They switch up the events every year so people don't get bored, and we haven't found any way to predict what's coming next, either," Alzack explained. "Take one year, when Bisca and I didn't compete, there was a shooting game."
"Then another year, I was on the sidelines for a running competition," Jet scowled.
"Irony at its finest," Gorun chuckled. "The one thing you don't suck at-"
"Gorun…" Makarov said warningly.
"Sorry," he said quickly, chastened.
"In any case, Erza, I'd like you to read through this before tomorrow," Makarov said as he handed her a book labeled 'Rules and Regulations'.
"All of it?" Erza asked.
"Don't worry, I gotcha covered," Levy said as she put on some wind-reader glasses. The pages flipped in her hands rapidly, and within ten minutes, she had read the entire thing from cover to cover. "Okay, so from what I can tell, there's three main rules we need to follow, the first rule being that a guild's master is forbidden from competing in the games."
"Seems fair," Makarov mused with a stroke of his moustache.
"The second is that no one can compete on the guild's behalf unless they have a guild mark," Levy added.
"Also kind of a given," Gray said.
"Lastly, the events taking place will not be known in advance, and their details will only be revealed right before the event itself begins," Levy concluded.
"Huh, they really don't want anyone to know what they're planning, do they?" Kinana piped up.
"I can understand why," Gorun shrugged. "Not only does it keep the audience in suspense, it prevents guilds from gaining unfair advantages by loading their teams with wizards that excel at the events to come."
"Oh wait, one more thing," Levy said as she flipped back a few pages. "It says that every member competing has to be in their rooms by midnight tonight."
"They put a curfew on us?" Gray asked with a frown. "Lame."
"Probably don't want their entertainment getting too wasted the day before the games," Gorun sniggered. "Good thing Cana's not competing."
"Gorun!" Makarov said disapprovingly.
"What?!" the boy protested. "I can't be the only one thinking it!"
"He's got a point, master," Lucy nodded. "She does drink a lot."
"I'm pretty sure she's replaced the blood in her body with booze," Gray agreed.
"Don't let her hear you say that, she'll think it's a compliment," Erza grinned.
"You kids…" Makarov sighed. "Whatever. Just be sure to be back in your rooms on time- you know where you're staying?"
"Honey Bone Inn," the group chorused.
"Very good," the old man nodded. "All right, go on and have fun."
"Awesome!" Natsu cried as he grabbed Lucy's hand and ran off in the direction that Gorun had pointed to earlier, trusting his nose to lead the way. Happy took off after them, shouting about being left behind.
Gorun watched them go, a quizzical smile on his face. "Are you sure Natsu doesn't have a thing for Lucy?" he asked. "I've hardly seen them apart." Wendy and Carla decided to take their leave at that moment, heading for the flower gardens.
"Not that we can tell," Kinana laughed. "I guess it might be possible, even if he doesn't know it."
"What, Natsu having a crush?" Gray laughed. "Get real. The only time we thought that might be the case was with Lisanna, and even after she came back, he hasn't shown any interest."
"Right, out of the people standing here, which ones are in a successful relationship?" Gorun asked with raised eyebrows. He, Kinana, Bisca, and Alzack raised their hands.
"Sheesh, rub it in why don't ya?" Gray muttered.
"There's no need to remind Gray of his romantic shortcomings," Erza said in a reprimanding tone. "Not everyone is so lucky as you and Kinana."
Before Gorun could make a retort that would get him beaten to a bloody pulp- Super Saiyan or not- Kinana put her hand over his mouth and quickly said, "Why don't we all go find somewhere to get lunch? It was a long trip getting here."
"Sounds like a plan," Gray nodded, rubbing his stomach. "I don't exactly feel hungry cos of that magic bean Gorun gave us, but I'm game to try out the local cuisine."
Gorun took Kinana's hand away from his mouth and said, "Better make sure you dodge your shadow if you want it to be a peaceful lunch."
"Shadow, wha-? Okay, how long has she been there?" Gray asked as he looked over his shoulder to see a smiling Juvia edging her way closer to him. "I guess you did say that the whole guild was here, so this shouldn't be a surprise."
"Been there the whole time, I bet," Gorun said in a lowered tone. "How you wanna play this? I can bail you out of whatever crazy scheme she's got, but you better decide if you want to keep blowing her off or tell her the truth straight up."
"I just…!" Gray stiffened as he felt Juvia's hand on his shoulder.
"Gray darling, would you like to get a bite to eat with me?" she asked hopefully, and in what she seemed to think was an endearing manner, but it honestly came off as creepy. "I think I found a nice, secluded, romantic restaurant not too far from here…"
Gray's mind was immediately made up. "Get me outta here!" he exclaimed as he pulled away from the rain woman.
"Done," Gorun grinned as he grabbed Gray's shoulder. As Kinana gripped his waist, he put his free index and pointer fingers up to his forehead and engaged his instant transmission. They reappeared on the far side of the city, near the palace. "Glad to know unlocking our second origins were good for something," the boy grinned happily. "I've never been able to teleport with other people before."
"Thanks for the save, man," Gray sighed in relief. "She's getting to be too much."
"Then tell her that," his friend said firmly. "It's not fair to her or you that you keep dragging things on."
"I'm not dragging things on!" Gray protested. "I'm just waiting for her to take a hint. She can't keep this up forever, can she?"
"Love can make people do weird things," Kinana shrugged.
"Infatuation and obsession, when perceived by someone as love, even more so," Gorun added. "She's convinced herself that she's in love with you, and she will continue to do so unless you give her a reason to do otherwise."
"That's the thing," Gray growled as he started pacing back and forth. "She's in love with an image that's nothing like me. She thinks I'm this perfect 'Ice Prince' kind of guy or something. I'm not- I don't like romantic restaurants, I hate sappy music, and I definitely don't want a ton of kids like she says I do."
"Don't like kids?" Gorun grinned crookedly.
"It's not that," Gray muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Sure, I'd like to have a family someday, but not a big one. And I definitely don't wanna share that future with someone who doesn't even care to know the real me!"
"And you haven't told her this because…?" Gorun let the question hang. "And don't give me that 'I don't wanna hurt her' excuse. It's old and useless."
Gray paused, gathering his thoughts. Eventually, he just shrugged at the other boy. "I don't know why, if not that," he said. "She's a great member of the guild, but there's no attraction there for me. Whenever I think about what kind of woman I'd want to marry, I think of…" His voice trailed off, but both of the other teenagers knew that he had been about to say 'Ur.'
It made sense, in a way. She was the embodiment of everything he had found himself missing in a family- a will of iron, courageous to the point of giving up her life to save her students, and kind to anyone who needed some warmth in their life.
While Juvia was strong and kind in her own way, her moral standards were far below that of Ur's. Her kindness only extended to those in Fairy Tail and a few others outside it, and oftentimes she would turn on her allies in a fit of jealous rage if she thought they were trying to steal Gray from her. Ur had reached out to complete strangers and given them new lives without asking anything in return. Juvia's will was only a force to be reckoned with if Gray was somehow involved. The rest of the time, she didn't seem inclined to put much work into anything. Ur's resolve and will to live helped her not only survive the loss of her daughter, but find new purpose in the form of Gray and Lyon. If Gray were to leave Juvia behind metaphorically, or die in the line of combat someday, there was no telling what might become of her.
When one considered all of these things, it was no wonder Gray wasn't interested in Juvia. It wasn't that she was bad person- she simply wasn't up to his standard of a potential life partner.
"Okay, I think I understand," Gorun said quietly. "Sorry I pushed so hard. I just wanna make sure you're okay, ya know?"
"I appreciate it," Gray told him. "I really do. It's weird though- I don't think I've ever been able to have a heart-to-heart with anyone in the guild like this."
"Heh, well considering all the meatheads we've got around us, I can't say I'm surprised," Gorun laughed. He put an arm around his girlfriend and added, "Good listeners are hard to come by."
"Tell me about it," Gray laughed back. "Whaddya say we go find a bite to eat? My treat since you saved me."
"I'm game, how about you?" Gorun asked Kinana.
"As long as we have time to go see the castle gardens before they close," the girl said.
"Sounds like fun, but I'll let you two lovebirds go that way without me," Gray said. "I can only play third wheel for so long."
The food was good, and the three friends had a fun time swapping stories while they ate. Gorun enjoyed hearing about the exploits of Team Natsu back before he arrived in their world. Gray in turn was curious about some of the work that Gorun had done during his seven year slumber on Tenrou. The one topic they stayed away from by unspoken consent was Gorun's past before he came to Fiore, but there was still plenty to talk about.
After the bill had been settled, the group went their separate ways, Gray saying that he needed to get back before midnight. Since he couldn't teleport, it would be a long walk, but he neglected Gorun's offer to take him back. "I could use the exercise," he laughed as he walked away.
"He seems like he's feeling better," Kinana said as they watched him go. "I think you helped him."
"I didn't do much," Gorun shrugged. "I just thought I was saying what needed to be said."
"Well, sometimes people have a hard time hearing what it is that needs to be said," Kinana smiled at him. "You helped him find the reason for his aversion to Juvia so that he can figure out how to deal with it. Not everyone can see the source of a problem right away, you know."
"Well, Master Piccolo always told me that finding the heart of a problem is usually the best way to counter it," he sighed. "He taught me the importance of analyzing everything you can and how to draw accurate conclusions, even with limited information."
"Do you miss them?" Kinana asked, noticing the faraway look in his eyes.
"If I'm being honest, yeah," he nodded. Looking back at her, he smiled and kissed the top of her head and added, "Not enough to give this up, though. C'mon, there's some flower gardens calling your name."
"Okay, as long as we get back to the hotel by midnight," she reminded him. "You don't wanna be late- Gajeel would tear you a new one."
"Pfft, I'm honestly more worried about Juvia trying to drown me for getting in between her and Gray," he laughed. "Hopefully Mirajane and Laxus will back me up."
"Mira, maybe, though she's kind of a big fan of Juvia and Gray getting together," Kinana giggled. "Laxus probably won't care as long as you can all compete." Kinana and the Thunder Legion were the only ones outside of Gorun and the other aforementioned wizards that knew about Makarov's plans to enter two teams into the Grand Magic Games.
This had partially been at the request of Jellal, who had originally been planning to enter the games disguised as Mystogan, his Edolas counterpart, as to get a closer look at the games. All of which was due to the strange magic power he had been sensing there every year. Gorun and Laxus had both opposed this idea, for multiple reasons, among them being the fact that Mystogan was known by several Magic Council members to be back in Edolas, and that his magic was vastly different from the Edolas Prince's style- he would be given away if he was called upon to compete.
"I don't have a problem with you going under cover as one of us, but not if you're going to be in the spotlight," Gorun had said with a frown. "Too risky, and if you're caught in the capital of all places, chances that you get away are slim."
"I still want to be able to have a closer look at the magic power that shows up every year," Jellal insisted. "Urtear and I are positive that it is reminiscent of Zeref himself. If we're right, there can be no mistakes made."
"I know, and getting yourself caught counts as a pretty big mistake," Gorun frowned. "I didn't send the rune knights on a wild goose chase- twice- to see you get caught on their front doorstep. If you come with us as Mystogan to support us from the sidelines, no one is going to think twice about you if you're just one of Fairy Tail's sideliners."
"The lad does make a good point, Jellal," Makarov said. "Maybe we'd better keep you on the roster as a reserve member."
"Reserve member?" Gorun asked.
"According to what we know, as long as we don't have more than five members on a team at any given time, we can tag out members that need to rest or recover from injuries," Mirajane said.
"I don't care about all this Zeref mumbo jumbo as long as I get to punch somebody at these games," Gajeel said disinterestedly.
"Just keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual," Jellal cautioned them. "As I told your master, we've never been able to get in close, so we have no idea what might be lurking in the shadows of the stadium…"
"Gorun!" Kinana gasped, tugging hard on his arm and pulling him out of his reverie. "Look at that!"
"Huh?" he asked, confused. He'd been so wrapped up in his memory of the meeting that he had hardly noticed that they were in the castle gardens. "What's wrong, Kinana?"
"Isn't that Wendy?" she asked, paling as she pointed urgently at a collapsed form. In the lengthening shadows of the afternoon sun, it was hard to tell, but…
Gorun's eyes widened as he reached out with his senses and detected that it was in fact their guild mate, lying next to Carla, and both of them dangerously low on magic power. "Dear Shenron, what happened?" he asked as they made a dash for the downed wizards. Gathering up the little girl in his arms, he shook her gently, saying, "Wendy! Wake up! Hey, wake up!" She gave him a pained grimace and shuddered, but did not awaken.
"Gorun, Carla has a fever," Kinana said worriedly as she placed a hand on the white cat's forehead.
"So does Wendy," Gorun growled. "This isn't a natural sickness, though. They're both dangerously close to being out of energy- looks like an acute onset of magic deficiency syndrome." Reaching into a hidden pocket with his tail, he grabbed the senzu that he kept for immediate emergencies and deposited it into his hand before hiding the extra limb again. "C'mon Wendy, eat up," he told her as he put the green bean in her mouth.
She bit his finger lightly on reflex as he deposited the item, but as soon as he withdrew his hand, she managed to slowly chew up the plant and swallow. "Come on, come on…" he said impatiently.
"Nrgh… huh…?" she said weakly, blinking owlishly. Then the moment passed and she was wide awake, though why she was crying and trembling in terror was beyond Kinana.
Gorun, however, picked up on the clues almost immediately, and his eyes narrowed. "Someone must have attacked them," he said as he regathered Wendy in his arms and stood up. "Drained their magic to the point of sickness to try and cripple our team."
"Why would anyone do that, though?" Kinana asked with a concerned frown as Wendy buried her face in Gorun's shoulder and continued to cry in fright. "As far as everyone is concerned, we're just a laughingstock."
"Fairy Tail has been for the last seven years," Gorun scowled. "Maybe this is somebody that has something against our guild personally, not just where the Grand Magic Games are concerned." Looking back at Kinana, he said, "Regardless, it's not important at the moment. We need to get Wendy back to her team's room, let them know what's happened. And I should go get another senzu for Carla in case Wendy isn't up to healing her."
"I don't think she's going to be in any condition to participate in the games tomorrow," Kinana told him as she moved to place a hand on his shoulder while he prepared instant transmission, which was a little difficult with the child in his arms. "Natsu's team might need a substitute."
"I recall Elfman was disappointed that he didn't get to participate," Gorun said as he got his fingers in place and began sensing for Erza's energy. "Maybe he'll volunteer to take her place if need be." With that, he engaged his instant transmission, and the four wizards reappeared in the room where Fairy Tail's first team was staying.
Erza eyed them all with surprise as she stood up- dressed in nothing but a bath towel. "Ah, crap!" Gorun shouted, closing his eyes and looking the other way. "Sorry, Erza! It's an emergency, please don't kill me!"
"What?" Erza asked, not sounding at all angry like Gorun thought she would be. "Did something happen?"
"Erza, could you please put on some clothes so that Gorun will turn around and talk to you?" Kinana asked with a weary sigh, aware of both her boyfriend's chivalrous behavior and Erza's indecency habits, and the fact that if someone didn't speed things along, Wendy and Carla were never going to get help.
"I don't see how my state of attire should affect his ability to speak, but all right," Erza shrugged, and there was the sound of a requip along with a flash of light. "There, is that better?" Gorun turned around to see that Erza had donned some purple pajamas, and he breathed a little easier.
"Yeah, thanks," he said as he set down Wendy on a bed next to him. He heard Erza's sharp intake of breath and he added, "We think that she and Carla were attacked- we found them drained of almost all their energy in the castle gardens. I gave her a senzu bean, so she's physically healthy, but it seems like she's in shock." Indeed, Wendy still had not spoken, only continued to shake and cry silently where she lay.
"Whoever did this has no idea what they've brought on themselves," Erza said, rage clear in her voice now. Gorun looked up to see the redhead with clenched fists, a vein bulging in her forehead, her entire body shaking with anger. "Attacking one of us… a little girl, no less…"
"Will you look after her?" Gorun asked as he stood up straight. "I need to get another senzu for Carla- something tells me that she might be in a better frame of mind to tell us what happened."
"Of course," Erza nodded fiercely, a sword spawning in her hand.
"I'll stay with Erza, just in case," Kinana told him, adding a discreet nod of her own.
"Thanks- I'll be back in a moment," he promised. He put his fingers up and vanished. Less than a minute later, he was back to find that the others of the team had arrived, and were crowded around Wendy and Carla, all of them concerned about their friends.
"Stand back, Gorun's here," Erza ordered, and they all stepped back obediently to let him administer the magic medicine. Since she was a lot smaller than a human, he didn't want to risk her choking on the bean, but he had a solution for that. He used his fingers to crush the plant into powder before having Lucy pass him a glass of water that he mixed the stuff into. From there it was a matter of getting Carla to drink it in her unconscious state, which was a bit of a chore.
Still, they managed to get the job done, and soon the little cat was awake. "Hey, Carla," Happy said worriedly as he held the other exceed's paw. "Are ya doin' okay? Need a fish?"
"I feel fine, all things considered," she answered shakily. Apparently like Wendy, whatever had attacked them had shaken her up pretty badly, though at least she was responding to their questions. "But that creature…"
"Creature?" Gorun repeated. "You saw what attacked you and Wendy?"
The little cat looked up at him before slowly shaking her head in the negative. "I only remember a small blur," she muttered. "Then everything went dark. Next thing I know, I'm waking up here."
"Rrgh…!" Gorun snarled, ready to punch a hole through a mountain out of frustration. "Damn whoever did this!" he hissed. "I'm gonna vaporize them!"
"We may yet get that chance," Erza said, though from the sound of her voice, she shared the sentiment. "It's very likely that whoever did this is participating in the games."
"Speaking of which…" Gray winced. "I don't think we can make Wendy participate in the games with the condition she's in. We need another member."
He and the rest of the team looked hopefully at Gorun, who paled slightly as he remembered that he was supposed to keep the existence of the second team a secret. "Well, I would…" he began.
Fortunately, Kinana was as smart as she was pretty. "Master Makarov has another job for him while we're here in the city," she told them. "Jellal is actually here in Crocus, and since Gorun knows how to sense his energy from a long range, he's our guild's go-between in case we spot anything suspicious."
Catching on, Gorun warmed up to the idea quickly. "Yeah, and if I was to compete, it might interfere with my ability to go relay information to him."
"Aw man!" Natsu sulked.
"Bummer, I know you really wanted to compete for us," Gray frowned.
Gorun made a show of frowning as he said, "I did, but this is just as important, if not more so. I'm fine with the role I have to play."
"That's very mature of you," Erza nodded. "Do you have any ideas as to who could be our fifth member, then?"
"Well…" he hesitated, then was struck by an idea that brought a huge grin to his face. "Why not take Kinana with you?" he suggested.
"Wh-what?!" she yelped in surprise.
"Kinana?" Natsu asked with polite disbelief. "Uh… Really man? I mean, no offense, but…"
"She can fly like me, and I taught her several spells that use ki magic," he told them. "She might surprise you."
"G-Gorun, I don't know about this…" Kinana said, wringing her hands nervously. "I mean, yeah, I had my second origin unlocked, too, but I… I'm not a fighter like you."
"Wendy's hardly a fighter," Gorun pointed out. "Besides, our only other options right now would be Elfman and Levy, and out of you three, I'd pick you."
"You're kinda supposed to pick me," Kinana laughed nervously.
"Hey, what's wrong with Levy?" Lucy demanded.
"And Elfman is plenty strong in his own way," Erza added with a frown. "Not to mention Juvia, Cana, and Mirajane."
"Nothing's wrong with Levy, and I know Elfman has grown in the last few months," Gorun replied. "Not to mention, I'm pretty sure Cana's already hitting up the bars, Mirajane doesn't like fighting as far as I can tell, and do we really trust Juvia to keep her head on if she has to work next to Gray? In all honestly, Kinana is stronger than Elfman with the training I've given her."
"How?" Natsu asked with his arms folded. "There's no way she's stronger than Elfman! He can bench-press a mountain!"
"He trained in the mountains, although we don't know that he didn't lift one of them at some point," Lucy told her partner.
"I think you're all missing a very important point here," Erza interrupted. Pointing at the purple-haired girl, she said, "This is all moot if Kinana doesn't want to compete." At that, the others all stared at her, as if expecting an immediate answer.
"Uh… Umm…" she said nervously. "If I do… would Wendy take my place back once she's better?"
"I… will," said a weak, shaky voice that made them all turn around again. Wendy was staring at each of them, still trembling with wide eyes, but she managed to hold Kinana's gaze. "Please… compete in my place until I recover. I'm so sorry… I let you all down." She began to cry again, wrapping herself in the blanket and hiding herself underneath her pillow so she wouldn't have to see their pitying looks.
She felt a strong hand on her shoulder, and a soothing voice say, "You haven't let anyone down, Wendy. We're gonna find out who did this… and take 'em down, whether it's in the games or out." Gorun moved away from her, his eyes hard as he moved to leave the room. At the door, he turned around and met his girlfriend's eyes to ask, "You sure you want to do this? I'll understand if not."
"Wendy's putting her faith in me," Kinana replied quickly, a determined light in her eyes now. "I won't let her, or the rest of the guild, down." She showed him her right shoulder, which bore her gray Fairy Tail mark. She once had a purple one on her lower back, but since she and Gorun had grown close, she had it moved and changed to match the color of his eyes.
"Then it appears we have our team," Erza said, glancing at the clock. "An hour to go before midnight…" Turning back to Gorun, she said, "Go, inform Master Makarov of this development."
"Will do," he nodded. "Good luck, all of you." With that, the door closed.
"I hope he doesn't do anything stupid…" Kinana winced as she sat down at the foot of one of the beds.
"What makes you say that?" Erza asked.
"He gets kind of irrational when someone he cares about is hurt," she answered as she looked out the window to see him leaving the building, his shoulders hunched, his frame tense.
"Don't we all?" Erza smiled, but the expression was dropped when Kinana looked back at her sharply.
"You don't get it," she told them, standing back up. "That golden takeover form of his? I've only seen it twice in the entire time I've known him. The first time he showed it to me, he was sharing a part of his secret with me. The second time, we were on a job together and some bandits nearly kidnapped me when he wasn't looking. He went berserk trying saving me from them- most of them didn't survive."
"He killed them?" Lucy asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, though I don't think that was his goal, because he seemed sorry about it afterwards," Kinana said quietly. "He's just that strong in that state- he can't fully control his own strength. But whenever he gets angry, it's hard for him not to engage the transformation. And seeing poor Wendy like this…" She looked back out the window. "I hope that for his sake, whoever did this gets caught by someone else in the guild first."
"You really understand him well, don't you?" Erza remarked.
"It's one of the reasons we work well together, both on jobs and as a couple," Kinana said with a faint smile.
"Aw…" Lucy smiled.
It was nearly midnight before they knew it. The group had just started to doze off when Elfman and Lisanna arrived with armfuls of food and drinks. "Hey guys!" the white-haired girl said cheerily by way of greeting. "We brought you some stuff so you could get ready for the games!"
"Hey, thanks!" Gray said as he stood up and moved to help them unload some of the food form a basket that Lisanna was carrying. "This is really nice of you guys."
"How's Wendy doing?" Elfman asked as he saw the little girl asleep in her bed. "Gorun told us all about it down at the bar- he seemed pretty mad."
"She's resting now, although she's doing fine on the physical side of things," Erza informed him. "She's in shock- the experience of having her power drained so violently has taken a toll on her."
"Poor thing," Lisanna said sympathetically. "I hope she gets better soon."
"So do I," Kinana said as she accepted a drink from Elfman. "She named me her replacement on the team. So until she gets better, I'm gonna be representing Fairy Tail in her stead."
"What?!" Elfman sputtered. "I thought Gorun was gonna compete!"
"He has other things he needs to do, and he trusted me to get the job done," Kinana explained. "Besides, it was Wendy's call to make."
"But letting your woman do the fighting for you… that's not manly!" Elfman protested. He looked like he was about to go on, but he was stopped by the sound of the city bell tolling the midnight hour.
"All right, it's midnight," Erza said as the group all stood together. "Now what happens?" The answer came with a violent upheaval- literally.
"Is the inn rising up?!" Lucy shouted as the building shook and the neighboring establishments fell away.
"Looks that way!" Gray shouted as he held onto his bedframe to help keep himself steady. "Just hang on!"
Then, as soon as it had begun, it was over. The room stopped shaking and moving, and everything seemed normal for a moment. Only now the Honey Bone Inn stood a few hundred feet in the air, as did several other buildings across the capital, as they could see from their balcony.
"What's the big idea?!" Lucy demanded of no one in particular.
"Attention, all competitors participating in this year's Grand Magic Games!" a high-pitched voice echoed throughout the city.
"Outside, everyone!" Erza ordered. The group all gathered on the balcony to see…
"Whoa! A great big pumpkin!" Happy exclaimed as they beheld the projection of a mascot with a pumpkin's head.
"Welcome one, welcome all!" the pumpkin announced. "This year's Games have one-hundred-thirteen guilds competing for the top spot, but first they'll have to get past the preliminary round!"
"One hundred and thirteen?" Lucy asked out loud. "Anyone else think that number seems a little high?"
"Yeah," Kinana agreed with a frown. "I don't think that there's even that many guilds in the country… This seems fishy to me."
"The number of guilds and competitors grow every year, but 'the games are getting boring' is all I ever hear," the mascot continued in a sing-song voice. "So now I say, 'Let's cut the number down and give only eight a cheer!"
"Over a hundred guilds cut down to eight in one event?" Gray asked with wide eyes. "That's crazy! How're they planning to do that?"
As if to answer him, the pumpkin pointed above himself, where they could all now see a bizarre-looking sphere roughly half the size of the city floating in the sky. "Allow me to introduce the Sky Labyrinth!" he cried. "The rules are simple- be one of the first eight teams to make it to the goal inside the labyrinth, and you get to move on to the main events! All five members must cross the line for it to count! Also, you may use magic in any way you like- there are no restrictions!"
"No restrictions…?" Erza muttered. From the look on her face, she was concerned as to how far that meant other competitors would go to secure the win.
Again, as if he were addressing their questions, the pumpkin man added, "A final warning; the Grand Magic Games Committee will not be held responsible for any loss of life in the Sky Labyrinth or any of the other events this week. All wizards entering are doing so at their own risk."
"Man, these guys are hardcore," Natsu said, even as wooden planks began to materialize in front of them, forming a primitive staircase through the open air that reached all the way up to the maze in the sky.
"Are you ready, contestants?" the pumpkin man called out. "The Sky Labyrinth Preliminary Round begins… now!"
"Come on!" Erza shouted as she requipped from her pajamas into her silver standard armor. "We need to be one of the first eight teams to clear the maze and get to the next round!" Then she was running up the ramp, everyone else right behind her.
Only Kinana stayed behind for a moment to look back at Lisanna and Elfman. "Look after Wendy and Carla, okay?"
"You got it!" Lisanna grinned. "Now go win one for Fairy Tail!"
"Pound those other guilds like a real man!" Elfman called after her.
"Guys!" Kinana called after she caught up. "Grab onto me!"
"What?!" Natsu asked as he looked back at her to notice that she was flying.
"I can get us there faster!" she told them. "Two of you grab my arms, and the other two grab onto them! Hurry now!"
"Are you sure you'll be able to take our weight?" Erza asked as Lucy grabbed on to her left arm, and Natsu latched onto her.
"I'm sure, now do it!" Kinana told them. Without any further hesitation, Gray jumped up and grabbed onto her right arm while Erza grabbed onto his left leg. Immediately the girl began to slow down, and Erza frowned as she noticed the fact.
"Kinana, are you-"
"Shut up, I'm concentrating!" the girl replied, her voice strained. The fact that she had told Erza, of all people, to be quiet so abruptly seemed to be lost on her at the moment. "K… Kai…."
"Wait a sec…" Gray said, eyes wide as he stared up at the girl. "Is she-?"
"Kaioken!" she screamed, a red magic circle coming to life above her head before a familiar red aura appeared around her body, causing her to regain and surpass her original speed in a matter of seconds. Not only that, she no longer seemed to be straining to hold them all up in the air.
"Holy cow, Kinana!" Lucy called up. "Gorun wasn't kidding- you really are amazing!"
"This is totally awesome!" Natsu laughed with glee. "Look out, other guilds! Fairy Tail is coming to kick your butts!"
Closing Song: Dakari Hitori Ja Nai (Original or cover by Amanda Lee)
Mataras: All right! Time for one of my favorite arcs in this show!
Gorun: You're enjoying yourself quite a bit, aren't you?
Mataras: How could you tell?
Gorun: You're usually more in the mood to blow stuff up than be all celebratory.
Mataras: I'm loving my own story. So sue me.
Gorun: I won't to do that, but I think a few people will have some questions that we should get done in advance. The first being, 'I thought you were going to be nicer to Cana. What happened?'
Mataras: All in due time. Not before, and not after. I haven't forgotten, no worries.
Gorun: Okay... How about 'Why are you bashing on Juvia now? Wasn't Cana enough?'
Mataras: Okay, that's a loaded question. However, I'll boil it down to one basic fact in order to keep things simple for now- Juvia's entire personality is based off of her interactions with Gray. She has little to nothing outside of that going for her character. Much like with Cana's boozing out, it irritates the devil out of me. However, unlike Cana, I don't see much of an opportunity for character development being given to her, because again, all of her persona is centered around someone else. There's not much I can work with there.
Gorun: How about a cheap running gag?
Mataras: That's what I have you for.
Gorun: What?!
Mataras: What.
Gorun: ...Moving on, but I'm coming back to that one later.
Mataras: Oh come on, your trump card was invented because Toriyama wanted to be lazy!
Gorun: How's that my fault?!
Mataras: It's not, really. I was just-
Gorun: Don't you dare.
Mataras: ...saiyan.
Gorun: All right, next time on Saiyan Tail- War at the Games. Provided Mataras lives long enough to publish it. Hyah!
Mataras: Hey! No Super Saiyans backstage!
Next time on Saiyan Tail...
"The competition has yet to begin, and yet here we find ourselves being treated with hostility," the armored man said while his companions recoiled in shock from his sudden appearance. "Whatever did we do to deserve such scrutiny?"
"Try years of dark guild activity for starters," Gorun snarled. "I know who you are, Raven Tail. I've done my homework."
"So have I," the faceless wizard shot back. "They call you Fairy Tail's strongest these days… Though the fact that the rest of your guild is filled with trash doesn't lend that title much credit."
Gorun had to actively restrain himself from tearing the man limb from limb- his Saiyan instincts were screaming at him to exact vengeance on the guild that had dared to harm his family. So it was with enormous effort that he said, "You know, I don't think I got your name. Care to share?"
"Here I thought you had done your homework," the man replied snidely. "I am Alexi, Gorun of Fairy Tail."
"Hello Alexi, there's a friend I'd like you to meet sometime this week," Gorun pretended to smile pleasantly. "His name is 'the dirt', and I'm sure that your relationship will be intimate."