A/N: Hello everyone! ...Uh...? Anybody still there? I certainly hope so. o.O
Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, but the last month has been rather crazy, especially with me hosting a friend that I have not seen in quite some time (and have no real idea of when I'm going to see them again), so I do hope that you'll forgive my lengthy absence. On the other hand, I have just released my response video to the reviews that you all left for the previous chapter, so please go check that out on my YouTube channel. Also, the next chapter will be released promptly on the first weekend of October 2019, and there will be a guaranteed chapter on Halloween (I did my best to create a slightly spooky chapter, so I hope you'll all appreciate it, even though it's my first time attempting something in that genre, and this segway is getting really long...).
In any case, my sincerest apologies for leaving you guys hanging once more, I will do my best not to repeat it in the future. Please enjoy the chapter, leave a review telling me what you think, and share it with your friends.
P.S. This is another fluff chapter, though I did make sure to throw in a couple of DBZ Abridged references. Next chapter promises to get a little more tense, so look forward to it!
Dread Waters Arc: Prologue
Settling Down
"You wanna tell me what we're doing here?" Romeo asked Gorun as they walked down the streets of Magnolia. It was a pleasant day out, perfect for taking a job out in the countryside- something the young fire wizard had been planning on. The job requests had been coming in steadily since the escapade with the phoenix in Veronica. However, his team leader had asked him to accompany him into town for an errand that he claimed was important, though he hadn't yet said what exactly they were doing.
"Yes, but first I wanted to get away from the guild hall so no one eavesdropped on us," Gorun said with a faint grin as he made a turn down onto another one of Magnolia's busy streets, waving and smiling at anyone who called out a greeting. Ever since the Grand Magic Games, he had become a very popular figure to the public eye.
"Why?" Romeo asked, his curiosity now more present. "Are we planning something for the guild? A surprise?"
"Oh, it'll be a surprise, but not necessarily for the guild," Gorun chuckled. Stopping in front of a shop with large windows, he turned around to face his comrade and said, "Look, the only other person that knows about this is Gray, and I wanted him and Natsu to be here. But they got called away on that job for one of the Ishgar Emperors, and I don't want to wait any longer, so I decided to bring you along for this."
"Along for what?" Romeo demanded. "You're not making any sense, Gorun!"
"Romeo, where are we standing?" Gorun chuckled, looking like a child waiting for their parent to open a gift they had worked to get them.
The young boy was about to say 'in the street', but then he realized that his leader was making a subtle motion with his head to look at the shop, so he turned to do as he was told. When he did, his eyes widened in surprise. "This is a…"
"Jewelry shop," Gorun finished for him, his grin widening. For indeed, sitting in the windows were many sparkling pieces; necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and of course, rings.
Romeo turned back to look up at him, eyes huge as he asked, "Does that mean you're going to-?"
"I'm here to get a ring for Kinana," Gorun laughed, barely able to contain his glee. "I'm gonna ask her to marry me. And I want you, Gray, and Natsu to be in my wedding party."
"Me?!" Romeo sputtered. "You're gonna-! Are you sure about this?!"
"As sure as I can be, which is pretty certain," the Saiyan boy answered, still beaming with excitement. "What do you say, Romeo? Wanna help me pick out a ring and be in my wedding?"
"Uh… Uh… I mean, yeah!" Romeo finally said, his face lighting up with a smile of his own. "This is so cool! I mean, I've never been in a wedding before, so I'm not really sure what to do, but I'm really glad that you want me to help out!"
"Now how could I not ask one of my own teammates to be at my side on the most important day of my life?" Gorun said as he clapped a shoulder on Romeo's shoulder. "I told Gray that he and Natsu will have to fight for the position of my best man, but seeing as they're both really good at breaking- and in Gray's case, also losing- a lot of things, I was hoping you'd be willing to carry the rings during the ceremony?"
"Yeah!" Romeo grinned. "Good thing you didn't ask me to be your best man, though. I'd be too nervous to do anything right!"
"Yeah, and I'm gonna be relying on Gray or Natsu to help me plan things out?" Gorun laughed as they walked into the shop. "We'll be lucky if the wedding doesn't blow up the cathedral." The shopkeeper, a portly man with rusty-colored hair, waved a greeting to Gorun and Romeo, so they returned the gesture as they began to peruse the collections in the glass cases.
"I think the girls do most of the planning, but I see your point," Romeo chuckled. "So what now? Are we just gonna look through the rings they have here and get one for Kinana, or did you have something else in mind?"
"A bit of both," Gorun replied. Addressing the shopkeeper, he said, "Hello there. Do you happen to do custom pieces?"
"Aye, laddie!" the man replied in a lilting tone. "It takes a bit more time, and the cost ain't goin' to be to yer likin', but I sure can make whatever yer heart desires!"
"Glad to hear it," Gorun said as he walked over to speak to the man at closer range, Romeo in tow, curious about his leader was planning. "Although now that I think about it, I don't know that my request really counts as a custom piece- more of an alteration to something that you already happen to have."
"What kind of alteration?" the other man asked.
"I've had my eye on this ring, actually," the Saiyan boy said as he tapped on the glass case in front of him. They looked down to see that he was pointing to a dainty ring in the likeness of a rose, with a small, glittering diamond resting inside of the silver petals. The band itself was like the stem of such a plant, with a few miniature leaves sprouting off here and there.
"That?" the salesman asked with a raised eyebrow, noting the price on it. "Ye sure, lad? It's worth a lot more than whatever ye got on you, I can guarantee."
"Hang on, do you not know who he is?" Romeo asked, incredulous.
"Can't say that I do, lad," the other man shrugged. "I've only just come to Magnolia recently from an island south of Ishgar."
"It's okay, Romeo," Gorun said before the boy could detail exactly who he was. To their host, he said, "Money is not really a big concern for me, sir. I assure you, I can afford the item in question."
"Can ye now?" the man replied, still appearing unimpressed. "And how exactly would you do that, my boy?"
"Ever heard of the Grand Magic Games?" Gorun replied politely.
"Aye."
"My guild won this year, and I acquired a great sum of money from the event," Gorun said with smile. Rolling up his sleeve to display his emblem proudly, he added, "Ask any of the other people in town, they can back what I'm saying." Letting his sleeve return to its original length, he added, "I'm also carrying the asked amount."
"Well now, that's a different story," the man said, his expression brightening. "I'd be needin' to know what kind of changes ye wanted, though."
"A simple gem exchange," Gorun said smoothly as he reached into his pocket. "I do like that ring, but I have a gem that I would like to see put into the place of the diamond you have in there."
"Is the gem not to yer liking, laddie?" the man asked. "I assure ye, it is one of our finest pieces in our collection."
"It's a great jewel, don't get me wrong," Gorun nodded. "However, it should go to someone that will appreciate its worth, don't you agree? The gem I have is worth more to me because of its sentiment."
"Might I ask why?" the salesman inquired. Romeo had to admit that he too, was curious about why Gorun would pass up on such a finely crafted jewel.
"I made the gem," the older boy replied, surprising the other two. "And I would like to see it worn by my future wife."
"Well now that's one I haven't heard before," the shopkeeper said with a small laugh. "I've been in this business for nearly ten years, and you're the first lad to come in with a gem he's cut on his own!"
"So, can it be done?" Gorun asked. "And if so, how quickly?"
"May I see the gem so I can do some measurements?" the other man asked. "I'll need to see if the ring will need any alterations before I give ye an answer on how long it'll take."
Gorun nodded and reached into his pocket, then laid his hand flat on the counter while the shopkeeper pulled out a few tools. When he took it off, he left behind a ruby that looked to be the same size as the gem in the ring he wanted. The shopkeeper merely nodded and began to examine the jewel, but Romeo's eyes widened as he detected a pulse of magic energy lying within the rock.
"Is that-?" he began, but Gorun gave him a look and shook his head ever so slightly.
To cover for the boy's lapse, he said, "Yeah, it's what I've been working on for the last few weeks. Had to get some friend's help to make it just right, but I'm pretty happy with the results."
"It's a fine jewel," the shopkeeper said, almost to himself. "Though I must confess, I don't often see people wanting anything other than a diamond in their engagement rings." Looking away from Gorun's gem, he glanced at the young man and said, "You're an odd one, aren't ye?"
"I suppose if I wasn't, I wouldn't be getting ready to propose to the girl I love, would I?" Gorun said with a grin.
"I suppose not," the other man chuckled as he handed the gem back to his client. "Well, it shouldn't take me more than an hour to swap the jewels, laddie. Yer lucky- the one you want is almost exactly the same size as the one that's already in there."
"Great," Gorun grinned. "What say I pay you the price of the ring listed with the diamond that's in there and call it even?"
"Well, hold on now," the other man frowned. "It's gonna be extra, see, to swap the two of them, on top of what the gem is worth."
Gorun was already shaking his head in disagreement. "That would be if the ruby was worth the same as the diamond. No one is going to say that a ruby is worth the same or more than the original gem. I'm actually willing to pay you for what the diamond is worth in the ring, and not even take the gem itself. I am offering more than a fair price, but if it's not agreeable to you, I can just take my business elsewhere."
The other man chuckled and hung his head, a little shamefaced. "I see you know how this game works, laddie," he laughed. "Yer right, it's more than a fair offer. I'll see the work done within the hour, if yer still wantin' to do business." He held out his hand in a peace offering.
Gorun smiled and shook the extended hand readily. "Glad to see that we could reach an arrangement," he said.
They walked out about forty minutes later, the ring secure in a small box that Gorun put in his pocket. He immediately teleported them to his house to put the ring in his safe box, telling Romeo to help himself to whatever was in the fridge while he waited. When he walked back into his living room, he was intrigued to see Romeo sitting on one of his couches, an expectant look on his face.
"What?" he asked his younger comrade.
"You gonna tell me what was up with that ring?" the boy replied. "That guy wasn't a mage, so he couldn't tell that the ruby was actually a lachryma. So what I'm wondering is what is that ring really supposed to do?"
Gorun grinned at his friend and moved to grab a soda from his fridge before turning back and saying, "You remember how my grandmother turned out to be the goddess of time?"
"Kinda hard to forget something like that, yeah," Romeo snorted as he took a drink of water from his cup. "What's that got to do with your ring?"
"Well, Kinana sort of helped me remember that the kais live for untold millions of years," Gorun said heavily, his mood becoming a little grimmer. "They basically don't die unless they're killed. What we're worried about is if I share in their longevity."
"Oh," Romeo said, the thought of outliving everyone he knew and loved rightly disturbing him.
"Exactly," Gorun agreed. "What right would I have to be with her if I'm just going to outlast her, untouched by time while she ages and dies?"
"I can see how that would be kind of a deal-breaker," Romeo nodded. "So, is the ring some kind age preserver or something? I didn't think magic like that existed."
"Nice guess, you're not very far off," Gorun said approvingly. "When Natsu and I fought the phoenix as Narun, we managed to get ahold of some of its tears, which grant immortality, as we've seen with Éclair."
"Hold on," Romeo interrupted, eyes wide. "Are you seriously telling me that you made a lachryma with the phoenix's tears?!"
"Bingo," Gorun chuckled.
"But how?" the other boy asked. "I thought that when the phoenix died, all of its power vanished, too. Éclair even said that she's not immortal anymore!"
"Maybe if we had used the weapon that Master said we should use, that would be the case," Gorun said as he raised a finger. "But consider this- Éclair is still alive. Had we defeated it with the Light of Ablution, we would have erased every bit of the phoenix's influence in the world. But because we did it a different way, some traces of its power remain. I believe that is what allows Éclair to live on now, and how this lachryma is able to exist and function at all."
"But does that mean that the phoenix could come back someday?" Romeo asked worriedly.
"I deem that very unlikely," Gorun replied. "We destroyed its life force completely, so I don't see how it could come back again. It's like if I made a lachryma that contains my etherion spells and implanted it in someone else. My magic would live on, even after I'm gone."
"Oh," Romeo said, feeling immensely relieved.
"So, what kind of food do you think we should go with?"
"Bwuh?"
"You sure you wanna do this?" Romeo asked Gorun nervously. "I mean, what if she tells someone and ruins the surprise?"
"Much as I dislike the fact a lot of the time, we are family," Gorun sighed as he drummed his fingers on the table at the diner they were currently eating at. "And… During the fight against the phoenix, I felt as though, even for just a moment, we were able to set aside our differences and act as family members should. I would like it if we didn't hate each other so much, you know? Maybe this will be another step toward bringing us together."
"It's your call, but she still kind of scares me," Romeo admitted.
"Well, I invited Yukino to join us, too, so at least one person will be excited about it," Gorun sighed.
"Wait, won't Kinana think it's weird if we all meet up without her?" his younger comrade asked.
"Normally, yeah," the Saiyan boy nodded. "But she's busy training Éclair this afternoon, so we're good there."
"Éclair is learning ki magic?" Romeo asked, surprised.
"No, she's learning how to control her developing powers with more finesse," Gorun answered. "Apparently fire magic is a little harder to control as opposed to other elemental powers. Actually, Lucy was hoping you would show her a few pointers since you seem to have a knack for it."
"S-Sure!" the boy stammered. "I'm just surprised Natsu isn't helping out with that."
"Can you imagine Natsu as a teacher?" Gorun chuckled, leading Romeo to laugh as well.
"I guess that makes sense," the fire mage grinned. "How come she didn't go with them, though? She did join Team Natsu, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but seeing as one of the most powerful wizards in the world asked for their help, it didn't really seem prudent to bring along a rookie," Gorun shrugged.
"Who's a rookie?" The boys turned to look up at Yukino, who was smiling at the two of them while Azura stood behind them with a slight scowl on her face. The white-haired girl was dressed in a light yellow sweater and black sweatpants that befitted the cooler afternoon weather.
"Er…" Gorun muttered, surprised when he noticed Azura's attire. "What'd you do with my cousin? I've never seen her outside of a martial arts uniform."
"Shut up," the girl muttered through gritted teeth. She was wearing a black crop top with a sleeveless denim jacket over it. The sleeves were pieces on their own, and skintight. Flowing blue pants went down to a pair of black shoes that completed the outfit. "It wasn't my first choice to wear this, but Yukino and Lucy bought it for me, so I figured I would show a little gratitude…"
"I think you need to work on your definition of the word 'gratitude'," Gorun snorted, barely holding in his laughter.
"Rrrgh…" the girl growled threateningly.
"W-Why don't we all sit down so Gorun can tell us why he called us over?" Romeo suggested nervously.
"I am curious about that," Yukino said as she sat down in the booth across from the boys. "When will Kinana be joining us?" Azura sat next to her without another word, a sullen look on her face.
"She won't be," Gorun asserted, and was pleased to finally see a slight look of surprise on Azura's face.
"I thought you and her were attached at the hip," the blue-eyed Saiyan said before she could stop herself.
"Normally, yeah, but I was under the impression that marriage proposals are supposed to be a surprise for the lady," her cousin smirked. "Though it is customary to inform one's family and close friends beforehand."
Surprisingly, both of the girls' reactions were not long in coming, and furthermore, they were gratifying to Gorun. Yukino lit up with a smile brighter than he knew she was capable of producing and seized his hands in hers', saying, "I'm so happy for you. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help out."
"I will, thanks," he smiled back, touched by the simple words of his friend.
Turning to Azura, he was surprised to see that she was smiling a little bit as she leaned back in her seat. "You're really sweet on this girl, huh?" she asked him.
"I am," he nodded.
"No wonder I couldn't get you to leave," she chortled softly. Leaning forward, she reached out a hand to Gorun, which he grasped after a moment. "Congratulations from me are probably worthless, but I suppose I'm glad for you."
"It's not worthless," he assured her with a slight grin. "I'm just glad you're not blonde and threatening hellfire on the town right now."
"I get the feeling that if I did, a destroyer would be on their way before long," she replied dryly as she released his hand. "I am going to attach one condition to my being peaceable during all the wedding stuff."
"Do I have to fight you again?" her cousin sighed heavily.
"We're going to do that, regardless," Azura snorted. "No, Kaidon, if I am going to be nice at your wedding, you will have to promise me that if you two ever have children, that I get to train them."
Gorun's face blanked for a second as he considered the possible pros and cons of such a development. Then he said, "Fine, but they don't start training until they're five years old."
"Four," she argued.
"Five, and I'll have Romeo bomb your apartment with a dragon fart fireball if you keep arguing with me," Gorun countered. The boy looked up at his leader with a mixture of indignation and terror.
"No you won't, I live in the same building as Yukino and Erza," Azura smirked.
"I'll have Kinana give you food poisoning," he tried again.
"More likely," his cousin muttered. Then she clicked her fingers and said, "Fine, five years old, but I get to give them their Saiyan names."
"Deal," Gorun agreed, and they shook on it.
"So?" Yukino asked excitedly after they released each other. "When are you planning on asking her?"
"Two days from now," Gorun replied with a smile. "I'll need your guys' help to make it go the way I planned, though."
"What could you possibly need us for?" Azura snorted. "You have the ring already, don't you?"
"Of course I do," he said, shooting her a baleful look. "The thing is… I'm terrible at cooking. Also, I have no idea how to decorate my house for this kind of thing." Azura burst out laughing at that, prompting Gorun to growl, "Hey, it's not my fault Time Patrollers are never taught how to cook. Your skills in the kitchen are probably just as bad as mine."
"True," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "So what are you planning to do? Just the two of you having dinner and then putting the ring in the champagne? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't drink."
"Yeah, we all know that one," Romeo chuckled.
"Did he preach fire and brimstone at somebody about it?" Azura guessed.
"Close," the fire wizard laughed. "He actually had a drinking contest with our residential boozer and made her give it up on a bet."
"How did he-?" she started to ask, then gave her cousin a suspicious look. "Super Saiyan?"
"Hey, she made the mistake of not saying that transformations were off-limits," Gorun said, assuming an innocent air. "I won fairly."
"I feel as though we've strayed off-topic…" Yukino said mildly.
"Right, sorry," their leader apologized. "I was actually thinking of having everyone from Golden Tail over for dinner, because you're all important to the two of us- I want all three of you there for this, you know?"
"You're not going to wait for Team Natsu to come back first?" Yukino inquired. "I know you're quite close to Natsu and Gray, even if not the girls in the team."
"Good thing Happy didn't hear that," Romeo sniggered.
"I'm going to ask them to be in the wedding party, yes, but you guys are my team," Gorun answered. "You're the ones that I rely on when I'm out in the field, when things are uncertain."
"If you're feeling uncertain about how she might respond, I don't think you're exactly ready to be asking her to spend her life with you," Azura said with a slight frown.
Her insight surprised Gorun, but he hastened to reply, "No, it's not that! All I'm trying to say is that I trust you three implicitly, and you being there would mean a great deal to me."
"You trust me that much?" his cousin smirked.
"Wait for it…" Romeo said under his breath.
"Actually, you and I just share parallel genetic material, so I'm just kind of obligated to invite you," Gorun chuckled.
"There it is," their youngest teammate grinned.
"I think I'll take that rematch now, Kaidon," Azura growled.
"We're off-topic again…" Yukino sighed.
"Yet another reason why I need to marry Kinana," Gorun said sheepishly. "She helps keep me focused, it seems. Unless I'm in a fight."
"Even you have enough Saiyan in you for that to be true," Azura smirked.
While she and Gorun began to argue again, Romeo leaned over the table to mutter to Yukino, "Maybe we should just go ahead and plan things out- this is going nowhere fast."
"Good idea."
"Thank you for helping me," Éclair said as she sank into the couch in her and Lucy's apartment. She pulled her t-shirt away from her stomach, still unused to the stifling clothing that most people now wore. She had wanted to continue wearing her normal outfits, but Lucy had insisted on expanding her wardrobe, even if just a little. "I didn't realize that learning magic would be so difficult for me." Momon was sleeping in her room, so she kept her voice a little lower than normal.
"I know what you mean," Kinana smiled as she sat in the recliner that also bordered the coffee table. "When Gorun first started training me, I thought I was going to be hopeless. I actually had next to no magic to begin with, but he helped me grow it into the abilities that I have now."
"Hmm," Éclair mused with a small smile. "It's nice that you have someone close to you like him. I'm sure it makes the challenges of life easier to bear."
"It does," Kinana replied happily, her smile growing. "Just remember that there are plenty of people in Fairy Tail to help you succeed now. You don't have to go it alone anymore."
"So Lucy keeps reminding me," Éclair laughed softly as she stared at the back of her left hand, where her guild mark was stamped. "Even with this, it feels strange, being able to rely on others beside myself and Momon. I know in my head that I can, but in my heart…" She shrugged as her eyes glazed over, remembering centuries of isolation. "That is more difficult to convince."
"Maybe that's why you're having issues with your magic power," Kinana suggested. Éclair, despite having a wealth of energy in her body, had trouble controlling all but the most basic fire spells. "One of the keys to being a powerful mage is to be completely in tune with your mind, soul, and body. Or so Gorun says."
"He would know, I should think," her brown-haired comrade chuckled again. "The power he and his cousin displayed while fighting the phoenix… If only it had existed four hundred years ago, then perhaps the phoenix would have never risen to power the way that it did."
"True, but then we would never have met," Kinana said gently. "And I would count that as a loss."
"That's sweet of you to say," Éclair replied. "But the truth is that if Gorun had wound up in the past, we would never know anything different than what his actions would have wrought. Just as we do not know what would have happened if he had not shown up when he did nearly two years ago."
She's not entirely right, Kinana thought, reflecting on the Future Lucy and Rogue, plus all the dragons that had come through the Eclipse Gate. However, she thought better of mentioning it, and instead chose to say, "Regardless, I'm glad that you can be a part of our guild."
"Me too," the wizard-in-training said with a wry smile. "I never thought to share sentiments with wizards, much less become one myself… But I am glad for the life I have been granted."
"What did you do before you met us?" Kinana asked curiously. "I mean, besides travel with Momon? I think I remember him saying something about you being a fortune-teller?"
"That's what other people called me," Éclair answered. "I simply offered advice about the future based on what I could glean of the person's past, and I got very good at it, I suppose. After some time, I just sort of acted the part of a prophetess- I even had a crystal ball at one point."
Kinana let out a small burst of giggles at the thought, which caused Éclair to smile again. "Sorry," the purple-haired girl said when she had settled down. "I mean, magic hasn't been invented yet that shows us the future on command. I know Carla has her clairvoyance, but she can only tell other people what she sees, not put it in a crystal ball. Even Cana's cards can only hold predictions, not certainties."
"Apparently, people that do not possess magic will believe whatever they want to about it," Éclair shrugged. "I never claimed to be a seer, nor a magician of any kind, yet people insisted on coming to see me for glimpses of their future."
"Would you mind giving me a demonstration?" Kinana requested, surprising Éclair.
"You want me to predict your future?" she asked. "Even though I told you I have no such power?"
"You can take a guess," the barmaid laughed. "It's for fun! I promise not to take it too seriously if it'll make you feel better."
"Well… all right," Éclair shrugged as she sat up straighter and fixed an attentive gaze on Kinana. "Give me just a moment, and I will tell you what I can." Her brow bent downward as she concentrated, her scrutiny making Kinana squirm slightly with discomfort.
When maybe two or three minutes of silence had passed, Éclair relaxed again and let out a long breath. "It's strange," she murmured. "Your past is mostly hidden from my sight. However, I was able to wrest a few answers out of it."
"You sure this isn't some kind of magic?" Kinana asked.
"It's not," Éclair insisted tiredly. "All I need to know is in your face and eyes."
"How is that possible?"
"The eyes are the windows to the soul, and the face is a canvas on which Time uses our experiences as the paints to create the image we wear," Éclair answered sagely. "Your eyes tell me that you have long searched for happiness, yet have recently obtained it, leading to contentment on your part. Your face tells me that you worry about others more than yourself, and that you often work yourself ragged on their behalf. You strive to better the existence of those you care for with little regard for your own happiness."
Kinana reddened, but held the gaze of the other girl as she cleared her throat and said, "So… what does that tell you about my future?"
"Nothing," Éclair grinned lightly. "But I suggest that you learn to let others take care of you if you want to live for any length of time. Otherwise, you'll work yourself to death."
"Ah," Kinana said, a bashful smile appearing on her own face. "Well, I doubt Gorun would let me do that. He's always looking out for me, so I'd think that he would stop me before I hurt myself working too hard."
"Hmm," Éclair mused, hiding another smile behind her mouth as she remembered the previous morning. She had been on a walk with Momon when she had seen Gorun and Romeo standing in front of the jewelry shop. She had been about to go and say hello when they both went inside, and she managed to guess what the Saiyan boy was up to.
It was very tempting to clue Kinana in on the fact via a 'prediction', but she decided against it. Gorun probably wanted to surprise her, and she did not want to ruin that for him or Kinana.
Finally, she stood up and said, "Well, I don't know about you, but I am hungry. Would you like to help me make something here, or shall we go out for dinner? Lucy left me some money in case I wanted to try some of the local cuisine."
"Tell you what, let's go to the grocery shop and bring some things back here," Kinana said as she stood to join her. "I'll teach you how to make something new, sound good?"
"I'd like that," Éclair nodded. "Just let me leave Momon a note before we go."
"Sure."
"How long do we have to keep doing this?" Azura complained.
"Until I say we do," Gorun replied smugly as he reached out and pointed to a pastry sitting in the display case. To the man on the other side, he said, "This one, please."
"Does it really matter that you have a pie on top of all the other things you're planning to make?" his cousin muttered with her arms folded as the man moved to pack the dessert Gorun had selected. "Or rather, the things you're planning to have Yukino make for you?"
"Hey, we both know that if I do the cooking, no one is going to enjoy themselves," he snorted in response. The two of them were gathering materials for the proposal dinner that afternoon.
"I'm not going to be enjoying myself if I have to keep sitting around on my hands for much longer," Azura scowled. "Two weeks I've been here, and not one job you've taken me on."
"Good thing I've arranged for us to take an S-class job that we head out for tomorrow," Gorun smirked. "I filled out the paperwork with Mira the other day, before we met up at the diner."
"Finally!" the girl said with such a profound relief that Gorun couldn't help but chuckle at it. Seeing it, she muttered, "Shut up. Tell me what the job is."
"Which one do you want me to do?" he asked innocently. "Can't be quiet and tell you what we're doing."
"Kaidon…" she growled.
Dropping his joking attitude, Gorun told her, "It's fairly straightforward. The Magic Council put out a request to track down whoever or whatever is responsible for Fiore's trade ships going missing off the southeastern coast. If it's a person or people, we bring them in, alive. If it's a monster, we exterminate it with extreme prejudice."
"I thought these people didn't put up kill contracts?" Azura asked as Gorun paid for the pie and took it from the baker.
"Not against people- that's illegal," he explained. "But fighting beasts is a different story. We can go nuts on them if we want."
"And if the people resist arrest?" Azura asked with a dark smile.
"I know accidents happen in the field, but on my team, they had better be actual accidents," Gorun warned her. "We don't kill unless absolutely necessary."
"Fine," the girl sighed.
"There is one catch that I tried to work around, but couldn't be helped," the boy said as they walked out of the shop and into the busy midday market.
"What's that?"
"The contract went out to multiple guilds, and the job demands that at least two groups participate," her cousin answered. "That's why we didn't set out immediately after I took the job. Mira just got the roster back this morning, and it looks like this mission might be a little awkward."
"Why, is it one of the guilds you fought during the games?" she chuckled, until he shot her a baleful look. "Really?"
"It's not just that," Gorun said heavily. "You remember how we told you that Yukino used to be part of another guild that expelled her because of her performance in the games?"
"And then you and that Salamander kid went and attacked their master?" Azura snickered. "Please tell me it's those guys."
"We made nice, more or less, but I think their new master, Sting, is still a little stung about how Yukino chose Fairy Tail over Sabertooth in the end," he replied. "By the way, pun entirely intended."
"I will fire a Kamehameha through your house right this second."
"And I'll put one through your head if you do," he shot back.
"…We really need to spar before this party of yours, or we're going to kill each other."
"Yeah…"
A few hours later, Team Golden Tail was assembled at their leader's house, Kinana being the only member unaware as to what the true purpose of the social gathering was meant for. They ate, drank, and laughed, largely at Gorun's expense. Even Azura was in a better mood than usual, having sparred with her cousin about an hour before they all got together, though a good mood for her meant being taciturn and not blowing things up whenever Gorun made fun of her.
During desert, he briefed the rest of the team about the mission that they would be setting out on tomorrow. When he brought up the fact that they would have to be working with Sabertooth, he turned to Yukino and said, "If you want to sit this one out, I completely get it."
The white-haired girl looked down at her hands thoughtfully before saying, "Why do we need to work with them for this mission? From the sounds of things, we could handle it on our own."
"I agree, but the magic council feels that it would do if the guilds learned to work together from time to time," Gorun answered readily, having put the question to Mirajane beforehand. "Apparently about half the requests from the council will be handled like this from now on." When the celestial mage remained quiet, he said, "Look, if it makes you uncomfortable, the thought of working with them, I can pull us out of this mission."
"No, don't do that," she said quickly. "It will be good for us to work with them, especially me. I can hardly expect to grow as a person and a wizard if I hold on to a grudge after they've tried to change themselves for the better, right?"
"We'll be there to help you out, too," Kinana said with a gentle smile. "And if they say anything remotely bad about you, well, now we have two Super Saiyans to knock some sense into them."
"And we'll do it," Azura said firmly, surprising her teammates. When they all looked a question at her, she shrugged and said, "What? I like hitting things, and this seems like a good excuse."
"Just as long as they can walk afterwards," Gorun chuckled.
"That seems oddly specific," Romeo said nervously.
After dinner and desert, Gorun led the team out to the back, where he had constructed a fire pit to enjoy during the evenings. Once he had the wood all set up, the team leader turned to Romeo with a grin and asked, "Mind helping me out?"
Romeo smiled back and tossed an orange fireball into the pit, immediately getting a good blaze going. The smell of pine smoke soon filled the air while the group fell to talking. Ever since the destruction of the Eclipse Gate, Gorun had been more willing to discuss his past experiences with the Time Patrol, and now that Azura was there to contribute, the tales multiplied exponentially.
"Now, hold on, I didn't have an issue with Metal Cooler," Gorun protested after Azura finished recounting one of their missions to correct a timeline fragment in which Frieza's brother had managed to join forces with the evil saiyan, Turles.
"Oh, was the pirate the problem, then?" his cousin sniggered. "If so, that's pretty embarrassing."
"How was I supposed to know he could go Super Saiyan in that timeline?" Gorun complained. "Besides, I got the job done!"
"Only after your dad took out the Big Gheti Star and created a distraction for you," she snorted.
"Okay, do I need to bring up the Garlic Jr. incident?" Gorun smirked.
"Only if you want me to tell them about what happened when you ate Mr. Popo's lunch," she shot back.
Gorun paled so rapidly that Kinana was afraid that he might pass out. "No, we're good," he said quickly, his voice strained.
"Who's Mr. Popo?" Romeo asked. Azura was trying in vain to hold in her laughter, her shoulders shaking while her blue eyes sparkled with barely restrained glee.
"First rule of Popo's training," Gorun replied as he stared into the fire. "Never talk about Popo's training!"
"Uh…?" Romeo looked over at Yukino with a questioning gaze, but the girl could only shrug, clueless as to who this 'Popo' character was.
"I've heard this person's name a few times, but whenever he does come up, this is the result," Kinana said as she rubbed Gorun's back. "Apparently he has a few rules that some of the Time Patrollers didn't pay attention to. …He's never told me what happens to them, actually."
"Ninth rule of Popo's training!"
After a while, the conversation steered away from the old genie, and the group fell to discussing their guild members.
"So, that Salamander boy and the blond girl?" Azura asked as she drank from a pint that she had brought for herself. "They aren't an item?"
"I think everyone but them knows that they are," Romeo snickered. "She's kind of an airhead, and Natsu's denser than a brick wall, so I guess it's no wonder."
"I thought you idolized Natsu?" Yukino asked him.
"He is my hero, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to his flaws," Romeo shrugged. "Besides, it's part of what makes him the way that he is, so I guess I wouldn't expect anything else."
"Very wise," Gorun nodded.
"So, who do you look up to?" Yukino asked her leader.
The saiyan boy thought about that for a little while before answering, "I suppose I don't know. Most people I know practically worshipped half of my ancestors, but… Well, I suppose I would have to say Bardock." At this name, Azura noticeably straightened, looking at her cousin with a greater intensity than normal.
"Goku's father?" Kinana inquired.
"That's him," Gorun nodded. "Some of the more obscure timeline fragments depict him as the first Super Saiyan, but even if that weren't true, he was a warrior of great renown."
"Why?" Romeo inquired. "What'd he do that was so special?"
"Besides fathering the most powerful mortal to walk the cosmos?" Gorun chuckled. "Well, he was born a low-class warrior. His whole life, he was told that he would be good for nothing but acting as the vanguard for the fighters with the real power. Despite that, he rose through the ranks of Saiyan society through his cunning and talent for battle. There were some that even said that he might be the first to break the caste system that had existed for generations on planet Vegeta."
"I thought you disliked him because of the genocides he committed in the name of his race," Kinana said.
"I did," Gorun nodded slowly as he leaned back in his seat to stare at the stars. "But more and more, I find myself thinking about his final actions, as they were- first saving his son, and then choosing to stand and fight instead of just accepting his fate like most every other person on their planet did. He may have lived as a monster, but in my eyes, he died as a hero."
"You've grown," Azura murmured, just loud enough for Gorun's sensitive ears to pick it up. He raised his eyebrows at her, but she ignored him in favor of turning to Yukino and asking, "Whom do you look up to?"
"Lucy," the silver-haired mage replied instantly. "Her kindness is only matched by her tenacity, which is why I had originally planned to give her my zodiac keys. I would not have them entrusted them to anyone else, should something ever happen to me."
"What about you, Azura?" Kinana asked. "Is there someone who you look up to above all others?"
"Prince Vegeta, of course," she snorted. "The man born with power that he knew not how to wield until he found his true calling… He ever seeks to compete with his one true rival, Kakarot. Like him, I seek to grow stronger so that I can challenge my own rival on even footing."
Gorun began to laugh at that, while his cousin shot him an annoyed look, prompting Romeo to ask, "Why is he doing that?"
"Because I can still use Super Saiyan god, and she can't!" Gorun wheezed, trying to catch his breath while still laughing.
"Wait, really?!" Yukino asked, eyes wide. "Since when?"
"Since I tried it the other day while I was sparring with her over the ocean!" the boy chortled.
"You have an advantage with divine ki- that's unfair!" Azura snarled.
"Never stopped Vegeta from keeping up with Goku!" Gorun laughed.
"Kaidon…" his cousin growled.
Before either of them could get into it any further, Kinana gasped and said, "Look!" She pointed toward the clear sky, where hundreds of stars were glittering in the dark canopy that enveloped their world.
As everyone followed her direction, they unconsciously stood up from the lawn chairs that they had been using. "What are we-?" Romeo started to ask, then stopped as a streak of light raced across the stars. "Oh."
"Shooting stars!" Yukino exclaimed as the one streak was joined by another, then three, then a dozen, then a multitude. "This is beautiful!"
"I've never seen so many," Kinana added, awe in her voice.
"I asked Lucy to check with her spirit, Grandpa Crux, when the next meteor shower was supposed to be," Gorun said, a large grin flavoring his voice. "It's why I planned this evening out the way I did."
"You knew that this- oh my." Kinana stopped mid-sentence as she turned to see Gorun down on one knee, his hands folded on his leg and the brightest smile she'd ever seen on his face. Everyone turned to see the same thing a second later, then broke out into laughter.
"Okay, that's pretty smooth, bro," Romeo chuckled.
"Nice touch," Azura admitted.
"I need a recording lachryma!" Yukino exclaimed as she reached into her purse.
Kinana and Gorun just laughed as they gazed at each other, everything else falling away around them, until it was just the two of them beneath the falling stars. After a few seconds, Gorun manage to clear his throat enough to say, "I came to this world much like those stars did- a complete stranger, unaware of the beauty and adventure that lay before me. No quest, no mission, no day of my life has ever been as amazing as the times that I've spent with you, Kinana. You are my life's greatest adventure, and I never want it to end."
He unfolded his hands to reveal a small box on which he lifted the lid to reveal a beautiful ring with a dark ruby resting in the middle of a miniature silver rose. "I had this made with the tears of the phoenix," he said as Kinana gazed at it with wide eyes. "So long as you wear the ring, you can share in my longevity, and together we can wander the cosmos until the end of time itself. I will be by your side every day of eternity, Kinana, if you wish for it. With that in mind, I hope you'll do me the honor of being my wife. What do you say?" As he completed the question, he lifted the box so that it was level with his eyes as he gazed up at her.
"You made this… for me?" she whispered, a small film of tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"I did," he nodded.
"And you really want me by your side for all time?"
"I do," he nodded again.
"Then yes, I will marry you, Son Gorun," she said with the most beautiful smile that he had ever seen. She held out her left hand, and he slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger, smiling the whole while.
Once the ring was on, the boy leaped up and embraced his true love with a kiss, even as the night blazed with a thousand falling stars, and their closest friends offered them their congratulations.
"I love you, Kinana."
"And I love you… Kaidon."
For the first time in his life, Gorun smiled at the sound of his true name.
I'm home.
Saiki: Seriously, why am I still here? It's a giant pain.
Mataras: As opposed to working on your show, which doesn't run anymore?
Saiki: ...Touche.
Gorun: I gotta say, Azura was surprisingly chill for this chapter. Not that I'm complaining.
Mataras: Hey, she's confrontational, not totally heartless.
Azura: I can hear you, idiots.
Gorun: He made me do it!
Mataras: Look, I've got more important things to worry about than you two getting at each others' throats, so let's save it for the next chapter, okay?
Azura: Why, are you that worried about being absent for an extra few days?
Mataras: Hey, I'm used to providing my readers with a more consistent content than my other stories, okay? I feel kinda bad for having left them hanging for longer than usual. Saiki, if you would?
Saiki: While Mataras is aware that nothing happened in the way of adrenaline-fueled action in this chapter, we do assure our readers that we are by no means finished with that particular trend. It won't be long now, relatively speaking.
Azura: The hell's that supposed to mean?
Gorun: We'll get a very action-heavy chapter for Halloween. Even so, the next installment promises to be very entertaining.
Azura: According to who?!
Mataras: According to the guy that's making this whole thing happen!
Azura: Great...
Mataras: What do you want from me?!
Saiki: More consistent material.
Mataras: Don't you start, too!
Gorun: Next time- Rough Waters.
Mataras: I didn't say that you could start the preview!
Azura: Yeah, we decided to start a union/revolt against you.
Mataras: How does that even-?!
Next time on Saiyan Tail...
"Terrorism?" Rogue asked, looking doubtful.
"Why not?" the saiyan youth replied. "What better way to frighten citizens than to show that their war vessels, material goods, even a mode of transportation, is no longer safe?"
"Who would do something like that?" Yukino asked. "Fiore has no open hostilities with any of its neighbors."
"Key word there being 'open'," Azura smirked. Looking up at Gorun, she asked, "Any ideas on that front?"
"The only one that comes to mind is the Alvarez Empire, but they've been quiet for almost a decade," he answered. When everyone else gave him blank looks, he added, "They're a nation across the sea that tried to invade us a few years ago. Magic Council fired the etherion at their fleet as a warning, told them that the next shot would level their capital, if not their entire country. Turned tail and ran- we haven't heard from them in years."
"Could this be a dark guild at work?" Sting guessed. "Some rebel sect that isn't happy with the new council?"
"Since when have the wizard guilds of our country ever been happy with the council?" Yukino pointed out.
"Could still be a motive," Sting argued.
"I think that if the people responsible for this were smart enough to capture or sink passing ships with one-hundred percent accuracy, they would find a more direct way to attack the council, should that be their goal," Azura said as a counterpoint. "I'm more likely to believe that this is a terrorist attack from an outside force than some petty anarchy."
"Okay, say it is terrorism," Rogue sighed. "That still leaves the question as to who is behind this."
"Veronica?" Kinana suggested. "They can't be too happy about how things turned out at their celebration."
"This was happening before the phoenix became a problem," Yukino pointed out. "There are other kingdoms in Ishgar, but none of them have a reason to potentially trigger a war."
"Fiore is pretty fortunate with its wizarding population," Lector, Sting's exceed said through a mouthful of fish. "We could crush just about anybody that'd be stupid enough to pick a fight with us."
"Cat makes a good point," Azura muttered. "Based on what you've all told me, none of the other countries are in a hurry to pick a fight with this place."
"Back to square one," Rogue growled.
"Scary square," Frosch said, shaking in his pink frog costume.
Saiyan Tail Profile
Subject: Lucino
Fusion Technique: Metamoran
Counterparts: Lucy Heartfelia and Yukino Agria
Conception/Author's Commentary:
After creating Narun, I wrestled with the idea of whether or not to create other fused characters, and if so, whether or not they would need a Dragon Ball character to work. After weighing the two options, and they could affect this story in particular, I decided to go ahead with it, mostly because I was interested in exploring who would be compatible to fuse with whom, and the new magics that could result from such combinations. Obviously with Lucino, the magic is fairly straightforward, and essentially adds up to being a huge power boost and an ego to match it.
Lucy, as we all know, is quite vain, but is rather unsure of her own potential and capabilities when it comes to contributing to her guild's strength. Then we have Yukino, who is quite confident in her magic, but is probably a more sensitive soul than Lucy (hard as that might be to believe). I wanted to make their fusion have personality traits that made her just similar enough to be reminiscent of them, but also give her an identity fairly far removed from theirs'. I'd like to think that I succeeded, but I can't really judge from an objective viewpoint.
Known Techniques:
-Celestial Spirit Magic (Summoning): By using a key tied to a celestial being, Lucino can call upon them to aid her in battle. Thus far, she has demonstrated the ability to summon all of the zodiac spirits at once, though with some difficulty. It is worth noting that should a single wizard attempt this on their own, the effort would kill them instantly.
-Heaven's Cluster Grenade: A move inspired by Piccolo/Gorun's Hellzone Grenade, she gathers raw energy from the starlight that she has available and creates hundreds of small projectiles that she can launch at a single target, or multiple, though her accuracy decreases a great deal if she fires indiscriminately.
Known Transformations/Enhancements:
-Celestial Spirit Magic (Gate Resonance): By harmonizing her magic power with a zodiac key, Lucino can borrow the powers of a celestial spirit that her counterparts are contracted to, and use their magic as her own. However, she cannot mimic more than one spirit's magic at a time. It also has no effect on her physical appearance, other than the symbol of the zodiac spirit that she is resonating with will appear on the back of her hand.
Equipment/Items Used:
-Metamo-rings
-Golden Zodiac Keys
Accomplishments:
-Broke out of the Crocus Palace alongside several other wizards from Fairy Tail, despite being confronted by a small army of guards
-Closed the Eclipse Gate by summoning the entirety of the Golden Zodiac company
-Fought against the Jade Dragon, Zirconis
-Participated in the rescue of Eclair from the city-state of Veronica
-Assisted Gorun and Azura in the battle against the Immortal Phoenix,alongside the rest of Fairy Tail's elite
Stats (Metamo-Rings):
-Power: 6/7
-Speed: 2/7
-Technique: 5/7
-Intelligence: 5/7
-Cooperativeness: 6/7
Stats (Traditional Fusion):
Unknown as of yet
Fun Facts:
-Lucino has a habit of referring to Natsu as 'hotshot', seemingly as a term of endearment
-Unlike other Metamoran fusions, Lucino refers to herself in the singular instead of the plural
-She is quite vain about her looks, even more so than Lucy
-She admires Narun a great deal, bordering on infatuation, but she does not act on it as to avoid a series of very confusing romantic entanglements. Yukino is not attracted to Gorun when separate from Lucy; this is purely born of Lucino's own tastes.
-Her guild mark is pink with a silver outline, and is located on the back of her right hand
-Her zodiac markings appear on the back of her left hand