A/N: Hello, everybody! The poll has been closed and the choice has been made! For those of you that doubt, I've made the results public by now so that you may know that Mirajane and Lisanna will be fusing during the Tartaros arc, coming in the winter of 2019! (Sorry, Gajeel and Natsu, maybe another time?) In any case, when the chapter featuring this fusion comes along, I will be sure to post a sketch of it for that month, and keep it on my Instagram permanently.
Now, I know some of you were excited (and some of you definitely weren't) about the Super Saiyan God rituals that took place. Regardless, it happened, it was awesome, and now we get to see Azura and Gorun take on the true form of the phoenix. It's gonna be awesome! ...Also, slightly reminiscent of Sonic X episode 38 (don't hold it against me, that show was awesome!)
Op Song: Guren no Yumiya (original or cover by Jonathan Young)
P.S. Not Your Average Productions will be attending the 2019 Duke City Comic Con in Albuquerque, NM from June 7-9, so if you're in the area, come check us out!
P.P.S. Go check out the playthrough for Super Dragon Ball Heroes that I've started doing- it's too much fun, really.
Rival Arc: Chapter 5
Demon vs. Divinity
The twin deities were everywhere at once, it seemed. Armed with the energy given to them by Fairy Tail, they were a force without equal. Etherion blasts rained down on the raging fire bird, accompanied by blows that could have levelled mountains, all of which was being delivered so rapidly that there was no time for the monster to retaliate.
"What is this?!" the phoenix raged after a few moments of this treatment.
"This is what happens when you try to burn our home down, monster," Gorun replied as he zipped over to be in front of its beak. "There are consequences when you hurt the ones I care about."
"You are all of you, nothing!" the phoenix bellowed defiantly. "Humans are mortal, and mortals are nothing to the Etherious!"
"The what now?" Gorun asked, cocking his head to the side curiously. "What's a-"
Blam!
"Less talking, more pummeling!" Azura shouted at him as she leaped off of where she had slammed her feet into the monster's head. "We don't have forever in these forms!"
"All right, no need to be pushy," Gorun snorted. With a lazy flick of his wrist, he sent a Kienzan at the phoenix's wing, shearing through the flaming canopy. Sparks and magma dripped form the wound this time, and it didn't look to be resealing itself, either.
"Azura!" he called as he pointed. "He's not regenerating!"
"So we can beat him," she affirmed with a terse nod. "Then let's get to it!"
"How… How are wounding me?!" their enemy demanded. "I am the immortal phoenix! I cannot be destroyed or bested by mere humans!"
"We're not humans, not completely," Gorun answered as he gathered energy in his right hand while bunching it into a fist. "We're the first Super Saiyan gods of Fiore… And you're the first on our list of things to smite." As he grinned at the phoenix, he was amazed at how little energy he seemed to need for a technique that had nearly killed him only a few weeks ago.
"All you gods… think yourselves beyond reach," the phoenix snarled. "But… the master of the Etherious is coming… and not even you will be able to escape his reach when he does."
"What's this Etherious you keep talking about?" Gorun asked, in spite of himself.
"Kaidon!" Azura warned him, but he waved her off, focusing on the beast that looked at him with disgust.
"The Etherious are a race of demons… all created by Lord Zeref four hundred years ago," the phoenix replied. "I am one of his last creations… and his most powerful, save for two."
"You're saying that there are two demons out there stronger than you are?" Gorun asked skeptically. "Well, if they happen to be immortal like you, heh, then when we see them, we'll tell them to tell you 'hello' for us."
"Fools!" the phoenix roared. "The King of the Underworld is soon upon you, and then woe until all who stand in his path! Even his servants fear him!"
"So is that why you wanted to nuke the planet?" Gorun guessed as he watched Azura ready a Spirit Blade with her right hand. "To get rid of this King of the Underworld? You're afraid of him?"
"Only a fool would not be afraid of the monster among monsters," the phoenix warned the boy.
"Okay…" Gorun shrugged. "Well, seeing as you weren't so hard to beat after we unlocked our god powers and everything, I doubt I'm going to have too much trouble against this guy and his number two man. Or, demon. I dunno, what do you call the other one, the vice overlord of hell?"
"E.N.D. is no one's inferior," the phoenix said with something that sounded like bitterness in its voice. "He was created by Lord Zeref to be unstoppable. I would know, for I fell short of his expectations, yet still found myself cursed to exist for eternity."
"Wait, you were Zeref's first attempt at creating this E.N.D. thing?" Gorun asked, barely holding back his laughter, until a disturbing thought hit him. "Wait, if an immortal fire bird wasn't good enough for him… What was?"
"That, primitive mortal, is something you will not live to find out!" the phoenix roared, its flames increasing in size and intensity. "If I am to die at your hand, then everything you love will be snatched from you!"
"Yeah, I've done this whole song and dance before," Gorun deadpanned. "Now, Azura!"
The girl nodded curtly and stabbed downward from above the phoenix's back, right through to where the heart of most birds would be. The phoenix let out a scream so loud that it made both Gorun and Azura's sensitive ears bleed, but they both maintained their courses.
Azura was screaming that she had hit its core, the fused phoenix stone, but Gorun couldn't hear her. It didn't matter though, the scream they had both just heard was enough of an indicator for him.
"Dragon Fist!" he shouted, launching forward as he conjured the titanic projection. He aimed for where Azura's blade would have passed through the middle of its body, and willed the dragon to snatch up and crush the small stone to dust.
There was a brilliant flash of golden light that burst through the back of the phoenix, and just missed Azura. When it faded, there was Gorun, holding a few grains of gray dust that was all that remained of the phoenix stones.
"So do we win now?" he chuckled, earning him a swat on the head from his cousin. "Ow, hey!"
"You owe me that much, stealing the kill again," she snorted, her crimson eyes flashing dangerously as she silently dared him to disagree.
He was about to utter a sharp retort when the fiery remnants of the phoenix blazed with new life, startling them both. "Oh, come on!" he groaned. "Is it actually immortal?!"
"No, it's dead," Azura told him tightly. "I felt its life force drain away the moment you crushed the stone. But the flames have survived, somehow. And it looks like they're headed right for all of your friends." Gorun noticed that she was right- the ball of flames that was the last of the phoenix's power was now hurtling towards Veronica, far below them.
"Oh crap!" he shouted as he sped away in a burst of red energy.
"What are those two up to now?" Makarov grumbled as he, Éclair, and Momon walked into the midst of his guild's top fighters. The little bird was still unconscious, but looked to be recovering slowly in his friend's arms.
"Oh, hey master," Cana said by way of greeting.
"Gorun and Azura had us help them with an ancient ritual that awakened them to new levels of power," Kinana answered the old man. "It'll take a while to explain the whole thing, but basically they've become something called Super Saiyan gods, which have a different kind of energy than mortals do. We're hoping that it'll be enough of a difference to let them kill the phoenix."
"You don't need to worry about that," Éclair said grimly, placing a hand over her heart as she spoke. "I feel… different."
"Different how?" Lucino asked. Despite having nearly all of her power drained by the ritual, she had remained fused due to the metamo-rings.
"Like an old wound that refused to heal for a long time has finally been cleansed and mended," Éclair answered. "I believe that I am no longer immortal."
"Which means that they did it!" Wendy exclaimed. "They beat the phoenix!" She and Romeo exchanged a high-five while others in the guild broke out into cheers.
However, Gray and Erza were still looking skyward when the ice wizard asked, "So, if they stopped the phoenix… what's that?"
Everyone paused in their premature celebrations to look at where he was pointing. Many of them felt the blood drain from their faces when they noticed the fireball the size of a mountain heading toward the city they stood in at top speed.
"The dying cry of the phoenix," Éclair whispered. "Its life maybe gone, but the eternal flames were not without purpose when they were cast!"
"What do you mean?!" Erza demanded.
"If that flame touches the earth and burns it as the phoenix intended, it will be reborn amid the ashes that remain!" the girl replied, her face drawn and pale. "Then the cycle will simply repeat itself!"
"So we gotta stop that thing from hitting Earthland?" Gray asked as he maintained his gaze on the giant fireball.
"If there is to be an Earthland at all, then yes," Éclair nodded. "I can only pray that your friends' new power will be enough to save us."
"Girl, have you been watching this guild at all?" Lucino grinned at their companion. "Like we're going to just sit back and let those two do all the heavy lifting."
"You're all out of magic power, though!" Eclair protested. "You can't do anything!"
"Heh, if we've run outta magic power today, then we'll just borrow some from tomorrow," Gajeel grinned as he looked over his shoulder at Natsu, who had gotten to his feet with Happy gripping his back. "Ain't that right, Salamander?"
"Quit stealin' my lines, Metal-head," Natsu smirked back. "Once the phoenix is thrashed, I'm gunning for you, next."
"Lookin' forward to it."
"Are you all completely brain-dead?!" Éclair shouted at them. "A miniaturized sun is about to fall on our heads, and you all stand around making jokes?!"
"There a better time?" Gray chuckled.
"Those of you that can, get ready for the final push," Erza said as she began to float upwards, still clad in her new Fairy Kai armor. "One way or the other, we're going to end this."
"We can't let that blast hit the planet!" Gorun roared as Azura came to over beside him, making them two the only things between the phoenix's revenge and the planet they now called home.
"We have to push it back into space!" Azura shouted to be heard above the roaring flames. "If we retaliate with our Kamehameha, it could blow up right here and rip a hole in the atmosphere!"
"Or just like every other energy blast we come across, we can push it back with etherion waves!" Gorun argued, even as the fireball drew closer. "These things never blow up until they make contact with something physical!"
"In our world, perhaps, but can you honestly tell me that you know enough about how this magic works to say for certain that it won't blow up in our faces?!" Azura demanded. "You could kill your friends down there, Kaidon!"
He glowered at her, his aura flaring brightly. For a moment, she thought he would strike her. Then he turned back to the phoenix's remains and snapped, "Let's do it. But if we die, I'm throwing you off the Snake Way path so you go straight to hell."
"Only if I don't dump you in the soul-cleansing machine first," Azura snorted with a savage grin. "See if that doesn't finally get you to fight me head-on."
"It might!" Gorun grunted as he began to exert all the energy that he could out of his hands, pushing back against the fireball that would end his home. "Now shut up and help me!" Azura, surprisingly, complied without a word of contradiction, exerting her own power in order to push back against the flames.
Between the two of them, they were able to slow it down considerably- but not stop it, much less force it back. "This is a problem!" Gorun grunted. It felt like the weight of the flames were doubling with every passing second, no matter how hard he pushed back.
"And I think we have another one," Azura answered in kind. "I've lost it, Kaidon."
"Lost… what?!" he demanded, looking over at his blue-haired cousin. "What did you- oh." Her hair was blue again- which meant that the power of the Super Saiyan God had left her. "Already?!" he complained. "How did you use up that much power so quickly?!"
"I think it has more to do with the energy sources than my ability to control it," she replied tartly as she engaged her mystic enhancement.
At least she could still do that, he thought. Not that it will make much of a difference at this rate.
"So am I down, too?" he grunted, sweating enough that he had to blink to clear his eyes repeatedly. "I can't tell if I got weaker or if this thing is just getting heavier!"
"No!" Azura said with a negative shake of her head. "You've still got the red hair and I can't sense your power anymore! For some reason your transformation is lasting longer than mine!"
"Probably the kai blood I've got in me!" he answered. "I was born with divine nature, maybe I just needed help in accessing it!"
"Well congratulations your eminence, you just got the job of saving the world on your own!" Azura snarled. "I'm hardly making a difference against this thing with the state I'm in, so if you have an ace up your sleeve, I suggest you use it before we're all toast!"
"Yeah, I've got an ace!" he grinned over at her. "It's called having friends; you should try it sometime!"
"What are you-?"
"Hey guys!" Natsu cackled as he and Happy flew up to be just a few yards below them. "Need a hand?"
"As many as we can afford!" Gorun panted. "This thing is really heavy!"
"Looks tasty, but I don't wanna explode if I eat too much of it," Natsu laughed. "All right, lots of help, coming right up!" He cupped his hands by his right side, causing Azura's eyes to widen.
"Hold on, you might cause it to explode!" she shouted at him.
"Better up here than down there!" Natsu shot back. "Now lemme do this! Gorun's told me all about the kinds of fights your people had in your world! This looks about as close as I'm gonna get to one of those 'bean battles', so I'm takin' the shot!"
"Beam battle!" Gorun corrected him through a laugh.
"Whatever," Natsu shrugged. "Fire Dragon KAMEHAMEHA!" His fiery attack slammed into the phoenix's, and Gorun felt the weight on his hands give just a little.
He looked over at Azura with a blank expression, to which she replied, "It was a legitimate concern!"
"I'm holding this over your head until the end of eternity," he replied flatly.
"Whatever!" she shouted. "One person won't make a difference!"
"Sweetheart, you're gonna learn around here that one person can make all the difference!" Gajeel laughed as he hovered beside Natsu, Levy right behind him with wings on her back, apparently created with her solid script magic. "Ready, squirt?"
"You bet!" the blue-haired bookworm grinned up at him. "Solid Script: Lightning!" A bolt of electricity flew from her pen, joining the fight alongside Natsu's attack.
"Iron Dragon DESTRUCTO DISC!" The metallic spell flew inside the lightning bolt, gaining power as it merged with Levy's spell, augmenting them both into something greater than they had been before.
"Hey, Gorun!" Lucino shouted as she floated upwards using Libra's gravity alterations. "I've been working on a little something that I think you'll wanna see!"
"If it will help me with this giant death ball, I would very much like to see it!" he laughed nervously. "Seriously, this is really, really heavy!"
"Fine, I'll cut to the chase," the girl grumbled as she floated just on the edge of his peripheral vision. He saw a series of sparkling golden lights flashing in rapid succession before she shouted, "Heaven's Cluster Grenade!" Several dozen golden bolts of energy flew at the phoenix's fire, each strike taking a little bit more of pressure off of Gorun's hands.
"You used my Hellzone Grenade?!" he asked, surprised.
"Yup!" she said tiredly. "Took me a lot of practice before I could hit anything other than the air, but I figured it out! Master Mavis didn't even have to help!"
"Impressive!" was all Gorun could think to say.
"Ice make: Freezing GALLICK GUN!" Gray's voice joined the chorus of those standing between the wrath of the fire bird and their world.
"Scorching Masenko!" Romeo added.
"Hydro Beam Cannon!" That was Juvia.
"Fairy Kai armor, enhancement level fifteen!" Erza grunted as she shoved against the attack with all the power she could muster.
"Sky Dragon Double Sunday!" Wendy cried.
"Take this, Lightning Dragon's FINAL FLASH!" Laxus boomed.
Azura was speechless as she saw all the techniques and powers that had been passed down through her family for generations, now taken and enhanced by these strange wizards. Looking over at Gorun, she asked, "You taught them all how to do this?"
"Yes," someone else answered for him as they came to fly very close to his side. Looking closer, Azura could see that it was the purple-haired girl that Gorun was so fond of. Now she spoke again, saying, "Gorun showed us all that it doesn't matter who has the bigger power level or numbers. There's always a way to win if you rely on one another." She then activated her own Kaioken five times over. "Gallick Gun, Fire!"
With every member of Fairy Tail that was able to fight standing against the last of the phoenix's power, they were at complete stalemate. However, Gorun knew that everyone there was running dangerously low on magic energy. If they didn't find a way to win soon, it would all be for nothing.
"You can do it, Gorun!"
The Saiyan was surprised to hear Macao encouraging him, but he wasn't the only one.
"Give it all you've got, Azura!" Wakaba shouted, surprising them both.
Warren's telepathy, Gorun realized. It made sense- the guy was no battle mage, but he could still get messages across in a fight like this.
"If you fail, the entire planet will be destroyed," Éclair was warning them.
"Tough it out like real men!" Elfman shouted, bringing a smile to Gorun's lips.
"You can do it!" Lisanna encouraged them.
"We know you can!" Mirajane added.
"Godspeed, my children," Makarov said gravely.
"Kaidon," Azura gasped, bringing his attention back to what was in front of him. He looked over to see that she was shaking and sweating heavily, but keeping strong in the face of this seemingly never-ending threat. "These people… still need you, Kaidon."
Something in her gaze reached out to him in that moment, and then he realized that he was not just fighting to protect his new home world. He was fighting to protect his family, which included her. In that moment, he didn't care how many times that they had fought in the past, or that they would likely still hate each other when this was all over. He just wanted to keep them all safe.
"I told you…" he said in a loud growl, his aura suddenly expanding as he shoved back even harder against the remnant flames. "My name… is Gorun! Son Gorun of Fairy Tail!" He shoved himself back, his divine energy blazing like a star, even against the light of the phoenix's wrath.
"Whoa, what's going on?!" Wendy yelped, but Gorun ignored her.
"You ready, Genora?" he asked her, his gaze fixed on the fire ball. "Like we practiced when we were kids?"
"You got it," she grinned as she shoved herself to be back-to-back with him. "Here we go!" Her own power grew in the heat of the moment, merging with and amplifying his own strength.
"Chaos…!" he snarled, hurling forth a massive green blast at the flames.
"CONTROL!" she added, unleashing an etherion wave of a deep blue color.
The two energies mixed together in mid-flight, merging until they became indistinguishable from one another, just before they struck the fire. There was a burst of light and heat, then in an instant, the fire was gone, never to be seen again.
All that was left from the conflict were the two former gods, now completely drained of their powers. Fortunately, they had several people nearby to keep them from plummeting to their deaths.
"So, uh…?" Natsu asked after a disturbingly quiet moment. "Did we win now?"
"Yeah, Natsu…" Gorun chuckled weakly, his head pounding terribly. "We won. We pulled through… for you guys." Then his eyes closed, and he knew no more.
Éclair and Makarov were sitting quietly among the rubble with some of their other guild mates while Wendy worked on healing Gorun and Azura, whose energy reserves were completely spent to the point of illness. Seeing as Wendy was pretty tired herself, it was slow going getting the two Saiyans to recover.
"Your guild's wizards are truly incredible," Éclair told the old man after a stretch of silence. "Foolhardy, but incredible."
"Yes, I've often said the same thing myself," Makarov chuckled softly. "Especially this Gorun fellow, and now Azura… I wonder how much longer I'll be able to keep up with these brats."
"As long as they need you to," Éclair replied.
"Hmph," the wizard saint grunted. "What will you do now, Miss Éclair? You live on, despite the death of the phoenix. Have you any place to go?"
"I have a world to call my home," the girl smiled softly. "And with the death of the phoenix, I suspect that I will begin to age as nature had originally intended. So long as I don't lose my memories again, I think it will be nice to live a normal life."
"You could always come with us," Makarov offered. "You and Momon would both be welcome additions to our guild."
"I once acted as an oracle, but I have no practice with genuine magic," Éclair replied. "I doubt that I could be of any use to your guild."
"Fairy Tail isn't about whose useful and who isn't," Lucy interjected as she approached them, having separated from Yukino a few minutes prior. "When I joined, I was nowhere near the level I am now, but that didn't matter to everyone else."
"Lucy is right," Makarov nodded. "Magic power means nothing to us, only your heart. Besides, you may have more talent for magic than you think."
"How do you mean?" Éclair inquired.
"Your father, Kalard, was one of the brightest and most talented wizards of his time," the guild master answered. "His blood runs in your veins, which means that he might have passed on some of his talents, too."
"I don't know…" Éclair hesitated. "I've never tried my hand at magic. Like I told Lucy, I've always hated it, so I've had little reason to experiment with it."
"It's a new day for your life," Lucy replied. "Maybe trying something new to mark the end of the phoenix's hold on your life will be a good way to close that chapter. Besides…" The blond girl gave her new friend a big grin as she added, "It's not like you've got somewhere else to be now, is there?"
"Hmm…" Éclair smiled slightly back. "You both make compelling arguments. I'll accompany you back to Magnolia, at least. There are just a few things I need to sort out before I decide."
"As you wish, my dear," Makarov nodded. "Take all the time you need."
"Just know that Fairy Tail likes throwing huge parties whenever we take home a win, so things'll get noisy when we make it home," Lucy giggled.
"I think I may just make my own way out of Veronica…" Eclair said with mock severity. She and Lucy exchanged a look before bursting into helpless laughter.
"Oh…" Gorun groaned as he came to, his head pounding like a jackhammer. "Wow… Grandpa Goku was not kidding about the hangover effect from that ritual."
"You're telling me…?" Azura moaned, rubbing her temples with the palms of her hands.
"Gorun!" The boy was tackled by his team just as he was starting to sit up, sending his head spinning even worse than before.
"Why, Shenron?" he complained as he tried not to throw up.
"You beat it!" Romeo laughed as he and the two girls helped him get back into a sitting position. "You killed an immortal monster!"
"Nah, kid," Gorun said with a hoarse laugh. Putting an arm around Kinana and Romeo each, he said, "We beat it. If it had just been me, I wouldn't have lasted a minute. Thanks to you guys, we managed to save the world." He kissed his girlfriend on the top of her head as he finished speaking, causing Azura to roll her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, three cheers for all parties involved," she muttered.
"Thank you, Genora," Gorun said sincerely. "You helped save our home, and the people that I love. I meant what I said- we all had a hand in this, so thank you."
"Whatever," she huffed, looking away. "I just helped because it seemed like a good fight."
"Whatever your reasons were, thank you anyway, Miss Azura," Kinana said with a seated bow in her direction. "We appreciate what you did."
"Yeah, thanks for saving our world," Romeo added.
"You may say that you acted for selfish reasons, but the outcome was a generous motion on your part," Yukino said as she too, bowed slightly to Azura. "Thank you for that."
Azura was silent for several moments before her shoulders sagged a bit and she muttered, "You're welcome."
"What're your plans now?" Gorun asked her as she turned around to look directly at him. "Going to take off into the sunset, never have to see me again?"
"I might, if not for the fact that the Supreme Kai of Time promised that she would be keeping an eye on me to ensure that I stay close to you," the blue-haired girl shrugged. "My options are rather limited by that."
"I'll let you go," Gorun offered her, causing her to sit up sharply.
"You what?"
"I'll let you go, live your life," he replied. "If the Supreme Kai of Time is watching like she says she is, then she'll know that I released you, and she shouldn't have any reason to send a destroyer or whoever after you. The main reason I wanted you to stick around was because I wanted your help in rescuing Éclair, seeing as that whole mess was technically your fault. Far as I'm concerned, you don't have to be here anymore if you don't want to."
"You would have interfered with the original flow of time, which stated that Éclair was supposed to be kidnapped by Carbuncle," Azura scowled. "I was just doing my job."
"Not according to my grandmother," Gorun shrugged. "Spin it however you like, the phoenix's revival could have been avoided if you hadn't stopped me from defeating those assassins in the first place. Besides, I get the feeling that our interference with the battle caused more changes than not, didn't they?"
Azura's mouth compressed into a thin line, her cheeks flushing red with anger. "They did," she muttered.
"How far into the future did you read?" Gorun asked.
"No further than the end of this battle," she shrugged. "I saw that the scroll was becoming more distorted the further along you remained in this timeline. I have no idea what will happen to it now that we are both stuck here."
"How was this battle supposed to end?" Romeo asked. "You saw our future without Gorun in it, right? What changed?"
"I don't know the answer to that, not entirely," Azura answered. "I could tell that there were changes being made, but I don't know too much about the original timeline itself."
"But you do know some things," Yukino insisted. "What's the harm in telling us?"
"People outside of the Time Patrol aren't supposed to know about alternate timelines, much less what can happen in them," Azura snapped. "Technically, you all shouldn't even be aware of these changes."
"We're not in the Time Patrol anymore, Azura," Gorun said sharply. "Better get used to that fact. Besides, if the damage is already done, there really is no point in keeping that information secret- that timeline doesn't matter to us anymore."
Azura glowered at her cousin for a few moments before asking, "You're going to pester me about this until I give in, aren't you?"
"I am a pest," Gorun smirked.
"Fine, some of you helped me achieve the Super Saiyan God form, so in return, I will tell you what you want to know," Azura said resignedly. "Leave no debt unpaid… The bird creature that travels with the girl Éclair would have been killed by her funeral pyre in a vain attempt to set her free. The phoenix would have been slain in battle, having been revived in much the same way it was tonight. In short, Natsu and Erza used the arrow to kill it. However, this would have ended Éclair's life in the process. Duke Cream survived but would not remain in power for long after his citizens dethrone him, so I suppose it makes little difference, his life being ended by your fusion." She addressed the last part to Gorun, who winced slightly at that.
"Maybe on the surface it seems that way, but Veronica might not be too happy about a Fiore wizard killing their monarch," he mumbled.
"Reasons not to mess with the timeline," Azura said smugly.
"I doubt anyone is going to know that Narun killed the duke," Kinana countered. "If anything, with all the chaos and confusion- not to mention almost everybody had evacuated the city at that point- the locals will likely pin the blame on Carbuncle trying to get in ahead of the game to win immortality."
"They might," Azura conceded with a shrug. "But Gorun's actions have created a new risk to you all, and that is something he will now have to live with."
"If it means that everybody lived through that battle, it's a price that I will gladly pay," Gorun replied, grimacing as he started to rise with Kinana's help. "But there's one question you still didn't answer me- what will you do now?"
Azura shrugged as she stood up and grunted with the effort. "I think I'll stick around for the time being," she shrugged. "Since I'm no longer in the Time Patrol, as you keep reminding me, I need a job if I'm going to eat. Besides, a true Saiyan seeks to become as strong as possible, and then some. Best way for me to do that is if I have a sparring partner who's on my level."
Gorun's eyebrows shot up, but all he said was, "I'll talk to Master about getting you an emblem, then."
"Do I have to join your guild, family, whatever you guys are?" Azura scowled. "I just need a job."
"The steadiest line of work for people like us is with a wizard's guild," Gorun shrugged. "You can try and go independent, but it's very difficult to make a decent living that way. Join Fairy Tail- or another guild I can recommend if you don't want to be around me constantly- and you are all but guaranteed lucrative jobs that can earn you a comfortable living."
"I don't need comfort, just food in my stomach and a roof over my head," Azura muttered.
"Join my team at Fairy Tail, and you get access to the most challenging jobs in Fiore," Gorun said, playing his ace card. "We're the nation's number one guild, and I'm its strongest available wizard, so I can get any job that we want." He tried not to make it sound like he was bragging, but even he had to admit that it sounded a little vain when he laid down all the facts so bluntly.
Still, nothing he had said was untrue. If he could figure out how to tap into his god form on his own now, Gildarts wouldn't hold a candle to him. Even without the divine power, he was reasonably confident that he could use his Super Saiyan 3 long enough to beat down the older man due to all the zenkai boosts he'd been getting in the last few weeks. Power and skill like his were rare and in high demand these days, so if he took Azura on his team, they would be able to handle just about any job with relative ease.
"Will we get another battle like this one?" the girl asked curiously, though her brow remained bent downward.
"If anything, our next major entanglement will be even more epic than this one was," Gorun replied.
"What makes you say that?" Yukino inquired. "It's entirely possible that we could enjoy some years of peace now."
"I doubt it," the Saiyan boy said with a negative shake of his head. "That's just the way things seem to be with this guild- we attract a lot of pissed-off powerhouses. Besides, we know that Acnologia and Zeref are out there somewhere, and no one's going to really be safe unless they're dealt with."
"Enough, Kaidon," Azura said sharply. "I said I'll stay for now, you don't need to sell the idea anymore."
"Alright," the boy nodded. "I'll talk to Makarov about you joining, and you can stay at my house until you figure out a living space for yourself."
"Thanks," she said reluctantly.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail," he replied with a huge grin that she returned with a scowl.
The guild found themselves on a train bound for home early the next day. Makarov would be getting off the train early to make his report to the Magic Council about what had occurred in Veronica, but the rest of them would be heading straight for Magnolia.
There were some quiet conversations going on in the compartments taken up by the guild, but for the most part everyone was just thankful for the opportunity to rest after such an intense battle. Natsu and Gajeel were doing their usual song and dance by the windows, struggling not to puke their guts out. Gorun noticed that Laxus was sitting in a section where only the Thunder Legion was accompanying him, and that he was also sitting by a window, completely stone-faced and pale.
The boy himself was sitting with Yukino, Kinana, and Romeo. Azura had been offered a seat with them, but she elected to ride up on the roof to be alone with her thoughts. "So what's the plan when we get back to Magnolia?" he asked his friends.
"I think I'll take that vacation day you were telling us about now," Romeo chuckled, stretching his arms above his head tiredly. "I'm so beat- I can hardly believe that Natsu and his team do stuff like this on a regular basis."
"You acquitted yourself well out there," Gorun said encouragingly. "You've earned a good rest, kid. I think we all have."
"I'm with you guys," Kinana agreed. "A stay-cation sounds like heaven right now."
"Date night tomorrow?" Gorun suggested.
"Please," the purple-haired girl grinned as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"What about you, Yukino?" Romeo asked his teammate.
"Oh, well I actually have plans for tomorrow evening myself," she answered with a hint of a blush. "Gray asked me to dinner at the King's party, and I said yes. We're finally making good on that."
"That's great," Gorun said with a bright smile. "I'm real happy for you guys. I mean, that you're both getting to have some normal fun, at least."
"Should we make it a double date?" Kinana suggested.
"Mmm, it's a nice thought, but maybe next time," Gorun said as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "I'm kind of feeling some 'us' time right now."
"Yes, please don't feel the need to include us in any plans you make," Yukino assured them. "Gorun is right, we can always go out as a group another time."
"Dang it, everyone but me gets a date," Romeo pretended to sulk, but the grin on his face gave his game away.
"Well, you have an opportunity over there," Gorun smirked as he gestured with his finger to indicate Wendy, who was sitting in the compartment next to theirs'.
"Uh, no, I'm good," Romeo stammered, clamming up and turning beet red.
"Wait, what's this?" Kinana asked as she leaned forward to look more closely at their younger comrade. "Romeo, are you wanting to-"
"Nope!" he said tightly.
"Aw, that's so cute," the girl laughed softly, though not in a mean-spirited manner. "You two would be great."
"I don't wanna talk about it," Romeo said, looking out the window in a poor attempt to hide his glowing red features.
"Let him off, dear," Gorun said gently to his girlfriend. "He'll figure out all of that in his own time."
"Oh, sorry," Kinana apologized, finally realizing just how embarrassed the kid must have been. "I won't talk about it anymore, Romeo."
"Thank you," he said while heaving a sigh of relief.
"I'll say one more thing, though," Gorun added, causing his younger friend to tense up. He held out his hands in a placating manner and said, "I just want you to remember that while this will likely be one of the most frightening things you ever do, you did just fight to take down the immortal phoenix. That's not something to ignore about yourself, Romeo- it took strength and fortitude of mind."
"This seems more terrifying," the boy replied in a small voice.
"Oh, it is," Gorun chuckled as he intertwined his fingers with Kinana's. "But it's even more rewarding in the end."
Romeo looked between the two of them for several long seconds before he asked, "You're all just gonna keep encouraging me until I go talk to her, aren't you?"
"Probably," Gorun admitted.
"Yes," Kinana added almost simultaneously.
"So much for figuring it out in my own time," he said as he stood up and shot Gorun a look, but the other wizard simply laughed in response.
"I did say that," he admitted. "I just think that your time is now." The young fire wizard sighed, shook his head, then walked across the aisle to Team Natsu's compartment.
A few seconds later, he sat down with them, next to Lucy and Natsu, while Éclair excused herself and came over to Team Golden Tail's box, Momon in her arms. "May I come in?" she asked at the doorway.
"Of course," Kinana nodded, indicating the seat next to Yukino.
"Hi everybody!" the little yellow bird said as his friend took the seat. "Thanks so much for helping me and Éclair out!"
"Yes, thank you," the girl added solemnly as she bowed to Gorun from her seated position. "You did save my life, and I am grateful to you because of that."
"It's what we do," Gorun replied with a smile. "No need to thank us, got it? You're a friend of ours, and friends don't keep score."
"You are a strange man, Son Gorun," Éclair replied with the barest hint of a smile. "But I am beginning to see why Lucy and her friends so admire you."
"Will we be seeing you around the guild hall after the celebration party tomorrow?" Yukino asked the girl. It had been established by Makarov that the guild would be hosting a party to celebrate their victory- and the addition of Azura to their guild, much to the female Saiyan's chagrin- at the end of the week. Éclair had made mention that she would join them for the feast, but beyond that she had not said anything definite.
"I think so," Éclair nodded slowly. "Lucy has been kind enough to open up her home to me as a roommate, and I believe I will accept her offer."
"You believe you will?" Gorun asked curiously. "What would stop you from taking that offer? You two seem to get along now, and you know Fairy Tail will help you land on your feet."
"I do know these things, but there is a matter that has been disturbing me for a little while now," Éclair said as she looked directly at her rescuer. "You, Son Gorun, trouble me."
"Me?" he replied, frowning now. "What did I do?"
"You placed the good of one person above the well-being of the entire world," Éclair said with her own frown. "Do not mistake my words- I am glad that you saved my life, but that is because it is in human nature to be selfish. From a logical standpoint, you should have let them burn me at the stake and stop the phoenix's resurrection. I was even immortal at the time, so my pain would have only been temporary."
"My actions don't always reflect what's the most logical, nor does anyone else's for that matter," Gorun replied neutrally, his gray eyes meeting her dark brown ones. "Why bring that up now?"
"When the stakes are that high, you should not have made the decision with your heart," Éclair told him gravely. "You could have doomed the entire planet because you only wanted to save me. That was foolish."
"I know it was, but I would do it again if I had the chance," Gorun replied sharply. "How was I supposed to know that you were an immortal?" That does explain why her energy felt so strange and familiar, though, he thought to himself silently. It was like Zamasu's. "As far as I was concerned, I was saving the life that I knew I could. After the stones were united, I managed to deal with it. Why bring up what can't be changed now?"
Éclair met his gaze steadily before saying, "I simply want you to be aware of how your decisions will affect others in the future. With power like yours, I predict that you will be at the epicenter of changing times for this world. Be wary in how you act, for it could change the lives of others across the planet for good or ill."
"Okay…" Gorun said, looking to Momon for an explanation.
"Éclair used to be an oracle, so people would come to her to have their fortunes told," the little bird explained. "It's not magic, but she's really good at predicting things that will happen, so I'd pay attention if I were you!"
"I would say I'm surprised that you don't use magic, but you already explained that part," Gorun muttered as he looked back up at Éclair. "Planning on learning if you join the guild?"
"I think so," she nodded. "But first I need to know- will you heed my warning about your actions? If my words have fallen on deaf ears, then I cannot be around, knowing that you act with such great power so carelessly."
The Saiyan boy compressed his mouth into a thin line and replied, "I will remain aware of my actions, Éclair. You're not the first to lecture me on this subject, and I seriously doubt that you will be the last. But you're right- with power like this, I will have to be more vigilant about my actions."
The young woman nodded and relaxed a little bit before saying, "Then I suppose that I shall have to inform the guild master that he will be receiving two new recruits as opposed to one."
"Do you know what kind of magic you'll want to be practicing?" Kinana asked her.
"Not yet, but I'll see if Lucy has any ideas," Éclair answered. "I hope to find a path that pays homage to my late father, but it's early days yet. I'm still wrestling with the idea of using magic at all, given everything that has happened…"
"That's fair," Gorun nodded.
"We'll be happy to help you if you need it," Yukino added.
"I'm very excited about joining a guild!" Momon said happily. "It's been a long time since Éclair and I have stayed anywhere for more than a few days! It'll be nice to have an actual home to come to!"
"There's no feeling quite like it," Gorun said with a broad smile as he reached out and patted the little bird on the head, causing him to warble happily.
A few minutes later, a pale Romeo came back into the compartment, mumbling something that even Gorun couldn't decipher. "Everything okay, pal?" he asked the younger wizard.
Éclair excused herself at that moment to go and sit with Lucy again.
"Carla is scary," Romeo said with a blank look as he sat down. "She… urk…"
"So no date, then?" Kinana asked with a sympathetic look.
"Oh no, Wendy and I going out next week," Romeo replied, though his face remained studiously blank.
"Well don't look so excited about it!" Gorun laughed heartily. "Congratulations, Romeo!"
The boy turned his vacant look onto his leader and said, "Carla says that if I don't make a great first date for Wendy, she'll claw out my eyes and feed them to a Vulcan…"
"Oh my," Yukino blanched. Looking at the others, she asked, "Surely she's exaggerating?"
"She's not," Kinana and Gorun replied in unison.
"Oh…"
"What do I do?!" Romeo shouted, suddenly in a panic. "I don't know anything about dates! Why did I think this was a good idea?!"
"Calm down, man!" Gorun said as he clamped his hand over Romeo's mouth to keep him from attracting any unwanted attention. When he managed to hold the boy's gaze again, he gave him a conspirator's grin and said, "Meet me at my house next week the day before your date. Kinana and I will help you figure this out so that even Carla will be impressed."
"Well, Wendy will be, at least," Kinana interjected. After all, she had to temper the poor boy's expectations just a little bit.
"Just… no Vulcans…" Romeo begged once Gorun removed his hand.
"What're you planning on doing with that?"
The question had come from Gray, who was standing next to Gorun's table, where two plates burdened with huge sandwiches were sitting in front of them. It was one of the only types of food that Gorun claimed even he couldn't screw up, so when he had invited his friend over for lunch at his house, he'd made sure to have them ready.
However, Gray had been running a little late, so the Saiyan boy had found himself examining the vial that had once held his metamo-rings, now containing a few red drops of an unidentifiable liquid. Gray had apparently come in quietly enough that Gorun didn't notice, preoccupied as he was.
"Not entirely sure yet," he answered honestly. "I'm thinking it may help me with a little problem I've been trying to solve, but I'm not certain. I'm meeting with Jellal tomorrow to see if his guild can help me."
"That sounds a lot bigger than a little problem," Gray said, his eyes wide at the mention of Jellal's name as he sat down. "If you're callin' in a favor with one of the country's most wanted guys, you must really be needing help with something major."
"Okay, so it's more than a little problem, but it's nothing that's going to cause an apocalypse," Gorun sighed as he stuffed the vial in his pocket. Taking a seat across from his friend, he added, "It's something to hopefully help out an issue that Kinana and I realized about our relationship."
"Are you guys okay?" Gray asked, concerned.
"Yeah, we're fine," Gorun said with a reassuring grin that helped lighten the mood. "No, we just realized that there's an issue with our… different life expectancies."
"What does that mean?" Gray asked before he bit into his food hungrily.
"The kai of the multiverse, they live for billions and billions of years," Gorun answered with a sigh. "Being a part of that race, I likely will live on for a very long time, even if it's not as long as a full-blooded god. But Kinana is full human, which means…" He left the sentence unfinished as Gray swallowed his food with a slight grimace.
"Ouch," he muttered. "So what, are you trying to figure out how to help her live longer? I mean, a lot of strong wizards can live to be well past a hundred years old, but even then, there's no way she could live as long as you."
"She might be able to," Gorun replied as he patted his pocket. "Before we killed it, the phoenix gave Narun some of its tears, which he put in my container here. I don't know if they still work since its dead now, which is why I want Jellal's help in examining it before I give them to Kinana. At the very least, I hope they'll give us some more time together."
"That'd be better than nothing," Gray reasoned with a nod. "I really hope that it works out the way you want it to."
"Normally I'd try and gather up the Dragon Balls and wish for us to have matching lifespans, but I can't go back to Conton, even if I wanted to," Gorun shrugged. "Oh well. I'll figure it out, one way or another."
"So, other than trying to figure out how to make your girlfriend immortal, you got anything else going on?" Gray asked, trying to break away from the strange and slightly depressing subject.
"Nah, been enjoying the quiet time while we've got it," Gorun shrugged. "Except for when Azura wakes me up at the crack of dawn to spar… I'm very glad that she's moving into Fairy Hills tomorrow. In any case, Kinana and I are going on a job the day after the party tomorrow, so there's that."
"Same here," Gray said with a grin. "Some wyverns are driving some workers out of a mine, and the company owners are hiring us to drive them out."
"You do know they probably won't pay you if you collapse the mine, right?" Gorun asked with a wry grin before biting into his own meal.
"Erza has a plan to bait them out so we don't actually end up doing much fighting in the mountain itself," Gray replied with a shrug as he tossed off his shirt. "It's just an A-class job, something we can do in a day, so I doubt we'll be able to get into that much trouble."
"With you and Natsu around, I never doubt your team's ability to get into trouble," Gorun snickered. "Also, keep your clothes on if you want to keep coming here."
"Dammit!" Gray swore as he hastily moved to replace his shirt.
"Please tell me you managed to stay fully clothed during your date," his friend said, snorting with laughter as he watched the ice wizard fighting with his attire.
"I lost my jacket at one point, but other than that, it went well," Gray muttered as he tugged his shirt back in place. "Yukino's really nice, actually. Hard to get a conversation going with her at first, but once she was more comfortable, she was great to talk to."
"Glad to hear it," Gorun said with a grin. "Will there be a second date?"
"I think so," Gray nodded as he sat back down. "Especially since Juvia didn't show up and wash us both to hell, which was surprising."
"I heard that she went straight to the job board as soon as we got back," Gorun said absently. "Probably trying to drown her sorrows in her work or something."
"Yeah, that's what Lucy was saying," Gray said, shifting a little uncomfortably in his seat. "I just wish things could've ended up better between us."
"I do too, though more because I feel like she's planning to kill me in my sleep," Gorun muttered. "Almost wish Lamia Scale would've won the games so Lyon could've taken her off our hands."
"You're being too harsh again," Gray warned him.
"Sorry."
"Those tears certainly hold power in them," Jellal said as he handed the vial back to his friend. He and Urtear had just finished examining the contents of the container very thoroughly at Gorun's request.
"So it still can make someone immortal?" the boy asked eagerly. The two of them had met him in the forest behind Magnolia, but they could not stay for much longer for fear of discovery. Meredy was awaiting them in a town not far from where they were, tracking down a potential lead on the Baram Alliance.
"I think that the only way to tell for certain is if you were to ingest it," the temporal wizard warned him. "However, I would advise against that. I doubt that anyone really wants to live forever, seeing everyone you know and love claimed by the years while you remain immune to the touch of time."
"Actually, I'm already kind of supposed to live for a really long time, so…" Gorun said hesitantly. "Yeah, I wasn't planning on drinking this. I wasn't planning on having anyone else take it, either. I was actually wondering…" He paused, causing the others to frown.
"What is it?" Jellal asked him sternly.
"Do you think it'd be possible to turn this stuff into a lachryma?" he asked them.
Urtear and Jellal exchanged a quick glance before the blue-haired man said, "It shouldn't be difficult to do that, but why would you want to? What would be the point?"
"I'll tell you that if it works, the next time we meet," Gorun said with a mischievous smirk. "Now, for my part in this little exchange…" He handed them a piece of folded paper, where a few words were scrawled.
Jellal opened it and scanned the text quickly, his eyes widening in surprise at the end.
Are you sure?" he asked as he handed the parchment over to Urtear.
"Positive," Gorun nodded. "That Cobra guy said something about the gates of Tartaros, and the phoenix told me about a demon called E.N.D. I really doubt it was coincidence."
"Nothing in our line of work ever is," Urtear muttered as she read the parchment. "Thank you, Gorun. This validates some of our suspicions about the Baram Alliance."
"Careful if you do run into them," Gorun warned them. "Remember, you can call on me if you need backup. I also have a… relative of mine that I should be able to convince to help me if I need to."
"Another Saiyan?" Jellal guessed.
"Yeah, only meaner and less likely to show mercy to our enemies," Gorun nodded.
"Sounds like a valuable asset," Urtear said with a grin. "We'll be in touch."
She and Jellal turned to go, Gorun calling after them, "Just don't let her hear you say that!" Watching them go, he added in a softer voice, "Okay… Now I just need to find a jeweler… Maybe Erza knows somebody."
A Fairy Tail party was in full swing, complete with heaps of food, loud conversations, and of course, several bouts of fisticuffs among the male members of the guild. Éclair watched the proceedings with a slightly bemused expression while Azura stood next to her, a scowl fixed on her face.
"These people live like this all the time?" she muttered sourly.
"Oh, get over yourself," Gorun snorted as he strode up to the pair with a drink in his hand. "If it was a bunch of Saiyans- or even our old classmates- you'd be just as eager to fight."
"If I fought these morons, I'd break their spines before I'd even finished warming up," Azura replied snippily.
"Then think of it as a type of training," Gorun suggested.
"Training?" she said dubiously. "This? How?"
"Well, Super Saiyan Blue is all about extreme ki control," her cousin answered with a shrug. "I know you want to reach that level eventually, so start with something simple. Try controlling your energy enough to the point where you don't hurt them too bad, but don't lose any reaction time. Also, I count at least four guys in here that could take us on in our Super Saiyan forms, so don't go writing them all off just yet."
"You've thought of an answer for everything, haven't you?" Éclair smiled slightly.
"Well, not everything, but I prefer to have a plan of some sort if I'm going to keep a person who can blow up the planet happy," he answered swiftly.
"I'm only happy when I'm fighting," Azura replied grumpily.
"Thought you might say that," Gorun snickered as he waved up at somebody on the second floor, Azura wasn't sure who.
"What are you-?"
Wham! Natsu's fire dragon talon connected solidly with her face, and she went down as he leapt away, cackling maniacally.
"Haha!" he laughed. "Now that's how we start a party around here, grumpy!"
"It may be how you start it…" she growled, her face muffled by the floorboards. Then she was on her feet in a flash to face Natsu, a dangerous smile on her face. "But I'll finish it." In a blur of blue and white, she crashed into Natsu, slamming him through a table, and into a brawl where Gray had Elfman in a headlock and Gajeel was holding Freed upside-down with a smug look on his face.
They all looked at Azura, who now had Natsu in a chokehold, and grinned simultaneously in a way that left the girl feeling a little disconcerted. "What?" she asked.
"New kid thinks she can just walk in and put the hurt on Salamander before us?" Gajeel asked as he casually tossed Freed over his shoulder with little effort. "Not cool, kid."
"I can rip. You. In half," she stated flatly.
"Doubt it," Gajeel replied as his entire body became coated in iron scales.
"Yeah, it'll be pretty hard to rip anything when your hands are frozen to the floor," Gray added as he released Elfman, who collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Azura looked between the two of them, down at Natsu, who had a wolfish smile on his face, then back at Gorun. "I will get you for this," she deadpanned.
"That's what they all say," Gorun said dismissively before the brawl began anew.
"I see Azura is getting well-acquainted with how we make new friends in this guild," Makarov said as Gorun walked up to him, a mug of beer in the old man's grip. "Well done, my boy."
"Just trying to get her acquainted with the locals since she'll be here awhile," he shrugged. "She's stubborn, but I've seen this guild work its own magic. She'll be fine here, eventually."
"Hmm," Makarov mused before taking a deep drink. "So, something I've been meaning to ask you since she showed up."
"What's that?"
"She calls you 'Kaidon', and you sometimes call her 'Genora," Makarov stated. "Why?"
Gorun shrugged again and said, "I already explained this to some of my friends, but Saiyan hybrids are now given two names when we're born. One is our 'human' name, which is our common form of address. The other, given to us by the ruler of our race, is a private name that only members of our family usually know."
"So… what? She's your sister?" Makarov inquired. "Seems like you two don't have a great relationship for a pair of family members."
"We're not siblings," Gorun said with a dogged shake of his head. "Our relationship is… complicated. For lack of a better term, we can say she's my cousin."
"Still seems like a lot of tension," Makarov insisted. "More than what could be considered normal family interaction."
"I don't wanna talk about it," Gorun said stiffly.
Makarov finally seemed to click on the fact that his junior member was irritated with him, because he turned to the boy and asked, "Is something wrong, lad?"
"Oh no," the S-class wizard replied, making no effort to hide the sarcasm in his voice. "I'm just sitting here with my guild master, having a drink at a party to welcome two new guild members, one of which he tried to have killed last week! No, nothing wrong here!" He glared at his master toward the end of the rant to punctuate his words.
Makarov heaved a deep sigh and drained the last of his beer before looking back up at Gorun again. "It seemed that it was her, or the world," he finally said in a somber tone. "I had originally planned not to reveal to Erza that shooting the phoenix would end Éclair's life along with it, but circumstances forced me to reveal that fact to the others as well. And the way things turned out, I'm glad that they did- you did manage to save everyone, after all."
"Is that supposed to make what you were going to do okay?" Gorun snapped. "You were going to end the life of an innocent woman without any hesitation, without remorse. Is that an example you want to set for everyone out there?" He gestured with his own mug to indicate the laughing, dancing, happy guild members.
"No, my boy, it isn't," Makarov said with a deep sigh. "But if I have to choose between saving someone else and saving my guild, I will choose my guild every time."
"Éclair was already a part of our guild, even if she didn't bear our mark, just like Jellal is one of us," Gorun responded with some heat. "What you did was wrong."
"Because it went against what you thought?" Makarov asked Gorun with a dangerous, warning gleam in his eye that made even the Super Saiyan of Fairy Tail hesitate.
"No," he replied, forcing himself to calm down and relax his posture. "It was wrong because you didn't have faith in your family to find another way."
"Hmm…" Makarov scowled before hopping down from the bar where he had been sitting. "Anything else you feel the need to say before I leave for the night?"
"No, Master," Gorun sighed heavily. "I've said my piece."
"Then good night," the old man said as he walked away, head bowed, though whether in sorrow or sullenness, Gorun could not tell.
"He knows that he did wrong, Gorun." Mirajane's voice said from behind him, startling him enough that his mug went flying out of his hand.
"Shenron-dammit!" the boy cursed, heaving a deep breath and clutching at his chest. "You nearly killed me with a heart attack, Mira!"
The white-haired barmaid had an unusually severe expression on her face as she replied, "Master was just trying to do the best that he could under the circumstances, just like you did when you chose to save Éclair instead of stopping the phoenix's revival. Because you didn't have all the facts, you arguably made the wrong decision. But you stand by what you did, don't you?"
"Of course I do," he answered, frowning slightly.
"Then let him stand by his mistake, and let bygones be bygones," Mirajane scolded him firmly. "If anyone has a right to hold a grudge, it would be Éclair, and she's not angry at him for what he did. He even had her blessing to use the arrow."
"I know all that!" the boy moaned. "It still… feels wrong, somehow, okay? I feel like somebody should be mad about it, but everyone in this guild is just so unbelievably forgiving!"
"And look at all the friends we have because of it," Mirajane replied without missing a beat. "Gajeel, Juvia, Jellal, Mister Hoteye, the exceeds, Sabertooth, and so on. You need to learn how to forgive, Gorun, or even with Kinana by your side, you will lead a very lonely life."
The monkey-tailed boy craned his neck to look over at her slowly, seeing the determined set to her shoulders and the locked jaw. "Curse you and your logical wisdom," he groaned. "Why can't you let me become vindictive and hardheaded like my Grandpa Vegeta?"
"Because apparently one thing we share in common is our inability to stay out of other people's business," she said pointedly with an overly bright, fake smile. "You have until the end of the week to apologize to Master, or I'm putting all of tonight's drinks on your tab."
"Yeah, right," he snorted. "Even if you did do that, I've got plenty of jewel. I can handle whatever number you throw at me, especially since Cana doesn't drink anymore." In response, she handed him a slip of paper with a number written on it.
He immediately apologized to Makarov when he found him, ten minutes later.
Gorun: So, when's the next time we're gonna bust out that power?
Mataras: Not for some time. I'd rather not overplay it like the original series does, you know? It's a really cool form, and I'd hate to see it nerfed for the sake of convenience.
Azura: Makes sense. Besides, red isn't really my color.
Saiki: It's a real pain that Dragon Ball Super is rather inconsistent with the usage of Super Saiyan God and Blue. Strictly speaking, Krillin should have been annihilated the second that Goku powered up to Blue when they sparred.
Mataras: Don't even talk to me about that. My point is that instead of treating the god forms like hair dye, I will be doing my best to use them only when absolutely necessary. ...Alright, maybe once or twice for comedic purposes.
Gorun: How would that be something funny?
Mataras: Wouldn't you like to know?
Saiki: Next time on Saiyan Tail- What's Important
Gorun: Coming July, 2019.
Azura: I'd still like to know how we got dragged into this...
Next time on Saiyan Tail...
He found Natsu on all fours, with Asuka riding on his back, using his scarf like reins as she forced him to tromp through the guild hall as her 'horse'. Gorun looked down at his mug, then back up at the bizarre scene as Natsu began to make sounds that he guessed were supposed to be reminiscent of a horse. "I did get root beer, right?" he muttered. "Or did Mira spike my drink?"
"Asuka challenged Natsu to a shoot-off," Lucy explained with a barely contained smile as she watched the unfolding scene. "If he lost, he had to do whatever she wanted."
"Despite all his power, your friend Salamander makes for a poor shot," Éclair commented as she watched the boy enduring his humiliation at the hands of the five-year-old. "Asuka, on the other hand, shows much talent with her weapon of choice. Her toy bullets all hit the bulls-eye on the target."
"Not surprising, given who her parents are," Gorun shrugged, now understanding the bizarre sight. Raising his voice, he said, "Hey, Asuka! Happy and Mira are looking for some jobs that we can do together, so you can earn the money you want."
"Yay!" the little girl chirped as she directed Natsu to stop in front of the saiyan boy. "Thank you, Mister Gorun!"
"Sure thing, kiddo," he smiled down at the little girl. "The only thing I need to know is how much money you needed to earn today?"
"Uh…" Asuka hesitated, then held up five fingers, saying, "This much!"
"Only five jewel?" Gorun laughed. "You don't need to do a job for that! I'll give you five jewel, Asuka."
"No!" she said as she shook her head vehemently. "More!"
"Uh…" Gorun looked over at Lucy, who seemed just as confused as he did. "More, Asuka?" he asked. "Do you mean fifty? Five hundred?"
"Um…" The little girl looked down and started counting with her fingers, whispering to herself for a few seconds before she looked up and declared, "It had a five, and then four 'zeroes' in front of that!"
Gorun's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "Oh, you mean fifty thousand jewel…" he said, the girls both looking just as surprised as he felt. "Asuka, what do you need that much money for?"
Saiyan Tail Profile
Subject: Azura
Saiyan Name: Genora
Current Age: 17 yrs
Conception/Author's Commentary:
Oh, where do I even start with Azura...? Well, she's supposed to be Gorun's polar opposite, which I think I've captured fairly well, given how much people disliked her upon her introduction. Basically, everything that Gorun hates about being a Saiyan, Azura takes pride in, which is why they have some many issues with each other, despite their similarities.
For her looks, I was trying to come up with an image that I disliked instinctively, so I went ahead and made her look like a meaner Juvia. I actually designed this character's look before I gave her a name, which is very in reverse for me. Normally, I think, 'This character's name is (let's say Gorun here, for the sake of convenience),' and then I make them look like who I believe that name should be attached to. Make sense? No? Well, it's the method to my madness.
As for why I made her at all, I mean, come on... What good is a Saiyan without a rival to push them past their limits, right? I had originally planned on introducing Azura much sooner, as a team member for Sabertooth during the Dragon King Festival, in fact. I decided to push back her debut for three reasons, though. The first is that the stadium probably wouldn't have survived their fight, not to mention that they likely would have gotten so worked up that they would have ignored the thirty-minute rule and kept fighting until one of them got killed. The second reason is that I felt the dragons gave Gorun enough of a challenge as it was, and he didn't need Azura there trying to drag him home until later in the story. The final reason is that I felt Azura would make the biggest impact at the beginning of the Phoenix Priestess Arc- think about it. The games were done, Fairy Tail is number one, and the dragons are all gone (I make rhymes, I'm very clever :P). Everything should have been great for Gorun- he was even planning on popping the question to Kinana. Sure, if Carbunkle had shown up, that would've been rough, but I really wanted something to rip the rug our from under him- thus, Azura makes her debut.
One might say that Azura is the Mataras of this story, in any case. She's a massive herk, no one likes her, but for some reason or other, she is given a chance to improve herself. The only thing that remains to be seen is if she will take that chance...
Known Techniques:
-Kamehameha
-Spirit Bomb
-Tyrant Lance
-Spirit Sword
-Kikoho
-Deadly Dance
-Chaos Control: a unison raid she and Gorun came up with together before their relationship soured. Originally intended to simply augment each others' attack (Final Shine Attack and the Mk. II Kamehameha, respectively), when used in their god forms, the combined powers become so great that the technique gains properties similar to the 'Hakai' technique, though it takes a great deal more energy and time to use that a Hakaioshin's power (and is far less effective), making it a last resort attack.
Known Transformations/Enhancements:
-Super Saiyan
-Super Saiyan 2
-Mystic/Potential Unleashed
-Super Saiyan God (with assistance from others)
Equipment/Items used:
-N/A
Accomplishments:
-Rose to become the number six ranking Time Patroller before her exile
-Defeated Erza Scarlet with a single blow, nearly killing her
-Became the youngest SSJ God in history
-Participated in the slaying of the Immortal Phoenix
Stats:
-Power: 6/7
-Speed: 6/7
-Technique: 7/7
-Intelligence: 6/7
-Cooperativeness: 1/7
Fun Facts:
-Her Saiyan name is based on the English word, 'Orange', which is the complimentary color to her usual color scheme
-She wears a necklace with the shard of a dragon ball attached to it in remembrance of her mother, who died on a mission set in a future where Cooler pursued the wish orbs instead of Frieza
-Her favorite food is Shepherd's Pie
-She is five feet, four inches tall
-Her guild mark is orange and is stamped on her right palm
-Her Meyers Briggs' personality is 'the Architect', INTJ