(A/N) Ah... this came out way later than I wanted it to. On the bright side, midterm season is over, so that means I can finally focus on these stories again!
On an unrelated note (for those that care), Jaune d'Arc's second chapter will, unfortunately, be subject to further delay. It turns out that I was unhappy with the direction that my writing was taking the story relative to my "game plan", so to speak. To my immeasurable dismay, that means that I kicked close to 40,000 words worth of material to the curb. On the bright side, I'm hoping that the final product will be of a quality that everyone is satisfied with.
But to get back on track, I'm pleased to announce the beginning of canon. Some things will de different, others reimagined, but I hope it will be fun to read nonetheless.
xxxxxxx
At Hargeon station, the noise of the crowd's hustle and bustle was momentarily cut by the shrill whistle of an arriving train, followed by the shriek of the breaks slowly pulling the locomotive to a full stop. People were already piling near the edges of the platform, patiently (for the most part) waiting for the doors to open so that they could take the seats of those that would be exiting at any moment.
And exit, they did. One by one, countless unnamed faces tricked out through the numerous exit points. The ones with luggage were likely here to take a boat elsewhere, while the rest could have come for any good reason, be it leisure or business.
It was the latter that brought one pink-haired man and his companion to the port town, though if one were to look at the said man they would assume he was here to attend his own funeral.
In fact, the man's otherwise tanned complexion seemed so drained that it appeared almost pale. Sweat beaded down his matted locks of hair and fell between onyx eyes that didn't look all that focused. His sandals caught on the rough pavement with every step, as his legs weren't carrying him as much as they were being dragged forward.
"Happy."
"Hm?" his companion, an oddly proportioned flying blue cat, tilted his head in acknowledgment with a strange human likeness.
"The next train I get on, I'm obliterating."
"Ah. You said something scary again Natsu." Despite his words, the cat still had a joyful smile plastered to its face.
"I'm gonna be so pissed if Igneel isn't here," Natsu grumbled to himself, disregarding the cat's comment.
Considering the person in question was a dragon, and Natsu was looking for a dragon in the middle of a city, one could only comment that the poor sap was looking to disappoint himself. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is simply that Natsu would always be incorrigibly daft, and nothing would likely change that.
Natsu and his little blue friend trudged along Hargeon's cobblestone paths, diligently (and uselessly) darting their heads around in a piss-poor attempt to find the young man's foster father.
"Look, it's really him! The Salamander!" shouted a voice further out.
The duo perked up when they heard that. Seeing a group of people gathered to ogle something in the closest plaza, it was a safe assumption that the disembodied shout came from somewhere in that direction.
And as such, the team of two made their way up to the crowd.
Natsu felt a budding weight, deep in his stomach as he shuffled through the wave of closely packed strangers. What would he do once he saw Igneel after all this time? There were so many unanswered questions, so many unresolved feelings, so many–
"Hm? The fuck are you?" was all the pinkette could say once he made his way to the front, only to be met face to face with some pansy-looking softboy making kissy faces at the crowd.
"…What?"
While the pathetic-looking guy was too baffled to say anything, the same couldn't be said for his many admirers.
"Hey! Who do you think you are?"
"Take that back!"
"Are you trying to start a fight?"
Natsu felt a cold sweat drip down his back as countless angry women prepared to let their ire be known to him. He was about to grab Happy and bolt, but he was then saved by an unlikely party.
"Ladies, ladies, please," the loser whispered in a bedroom voice. "I'm sure the young man meant nothing by it. While it may be hard to believe, there are those who haven't heard of the great Salamander."
As one, the girls in the crowd swooned.
"Oh my! So kind…"
"I wish my boyfriend could be considerate like you."
"You're a saint, mister Salamander!"
The "Salamander" waved them off, either dismissing them or trying to act nonchalantly about it. Once again, he addressed Natsu. "I'm sorry about that. Here," –he scribbled something on a paper he took out from his pocket– "have my autograph."
Before Natsu could say anything, Happy flew up and took the autograph. In a panicked voice, he stuttered, "Y-yeah, thanks, mister! We'll be going now!"
The cat grabbed Natsu by the scarf and hurriedly pulled him along.
The Salamander froze and blinked. "Talking cat?"
Once they were a respectable distance away, Natsu asked, "What was that about?"
Happy didn't answer. All he could muster was a relieved sigh. "Crisis averted…"
It was like this as far back as Happy could remember–since he was born, really. Natsu had this strange habit of inadvertently causing commotions –huge commotions– everywhere he went, and for the longest time, going on quests outside of Magnolia would always end in disaster because Natsu managed to piss someone off, break something, or some strange combination of the two.
The learning curve wasn't always there for the little blue feline –it sure as shit wasn't there for Natsu– but it came around for him eventually. In time, he learned to read the signs and –if he did say so himself– became quite the adept at extracting his friend before he could do something stupid.
This was one of those "extractions".
"Uhm, excuse me…"
The pair turned to face a flustered blonde girl, maybe a year or two younger than Natsu. Having caught their attention, she absentmindedly played with the hem of her skirt as she tried to find her words. "Thank you, for, uh… saving me. It's embarrassing to say, but that guy got us all pretty good. If it weren't for you, I'm pretty sure I'd still be stuck under his charm spell!"
Both Natsu and Happy blinked in visible confusion.
The girl seemed to catch on to the fact that they weren't catching on, and laughed softly to herself. "Sorry, I suppose I didn't explain myself very well. How about this: I'll buy you lunch to make it up to you. I'll explain things properly then."
Natsu didn't know what this strange lady was on about, but he did know that he was just offered food.
"Sure!" he grinned.
Somehow, she seemed familiar.
xxxxxxx
"–And so, your interruption helped me break out of his charm magic! Seriously, what kind of reputable mage uses restricted magical items so willy-nilly? Oh –that's another wizard thing, by the way. You don't have to worry about that." The blonde girl finished talking to herself with a wide smile and clasped hands.
In front of her, Natsu and Happy happily tuned her out as they scarfed down plate after plate of food. Nearby patrons of the corner-side diner look on in a strange blend of nausea and awe.
The girl didn't seem to mind– or notice, really.
The smile was still plastered to her face. "I'm Lucy, by the way. What's– HOW DID YOU EAT SO MUCH FOOD!?"
Happy tilted his head. "You just noticed that?"
Lucy's eyes bugged. "YOU'RE TALKING!?"
Natsu tilted his head. "You just noticed that?"
The blonde's head fell into her hands. "My poor wallet…"
Unfortunately for her, she wasn't able to make her misery known to the thick-headed duo across the table.
Natsu stretched out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Lucy, I'm Natsu. Thank you for the food, by the way."
Weakly, the blonde chuckled. "Yeah."
"You know a lot about magical items," remarked Happy. "So you must be a wizard, right?"
Her good mood came right back. "That's right! Though I'm not part of a guild yet… Sorry, that's right! A lot of normal people wouldn't know this, but guild representation is actually how most wizards make a living. How it works is that–"
"It's okay, Lucy, we know how guilds work," Happy butted in.
That took the steam out of her. Her cheeks heated up to a dark cherry red as she bashfully tried to hide her face behind her fingers. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to imply anything, it's just that most people I run across don't really understand all this wizard stuff, so I automatically…" she trailed off in mortification.
"Don't worry about it." Natsu's previously bored expression flipped into an easy-going smile. "You sure do apologize a lot, don't you?"
"Sorry, ha…"
"By the way, Lucy, who was that Salamander guy?" asked Happy. "He seems really popular."
"Oh, you mean you don't know?" Lucy's mouth formed an 'o'. "He's a super well-known wizard. Apparently, his magic is so strong that, in the past, entire cities had to be evacuated so that no one would get hurt!"
Natsu and Happy had stars in their eyes. "Hear that, Happy? This guy sounds, like, really strong!"
"Aye, sir!"
Lucy, however, didn't share their enthusiasm. "I know, right? But why would someone so amazing lower themselves to using something like a charm magic?"
"…"
"Anyway!" Lucy got up and patted down the crinkles in her skirt. She reached into her purse and placed a few bills on the table. "Thanks again, you guys. If we run into each other again, don't be strangers, ya hear?"
Natsu met her eyes with a wide grin. "Yeah! And we can treat you next time."
The girl matched his expression with a smile of her own. With a wave, she left the two travelers to their own devices.
"Hey, Natsu."
"Hm?"
"If she was looking for a guild, do you think we should've offered to take her to Fairy Tail?"
The pinkette's lips melted into a gentle curve as he laughed quietly. "Nah. She looked pretty determined; I'd bet she already has somewhere she wants to go."
xxxxxxx
"Kya~" squealed Lucy as she read the most recent copy of Sorcerer's Weekly magazine. "Blue Pegasus' Guild Master sent what to Mermaid Heel? …Oh! Heart Creuz is releasing a collaboration line with Fairy Tail? Really!? Geez, what I wouldn't give to join Fairy Tail…"
The blonde draped herself over a nearby park bench and kicked her legs about absentmindedly. Lost in daydreams of being a part of one of Fiore's best guilds, she didn't notice the person approaching her until he spoke.
"Hey there! I saw you earlier when I was handing out autographs, but you left! Something the matter?"
A little startled at first, it took Lucy a moment to register who was talking to her.
"You! You're that Salamander who uses that gross charm magic!"
Theatrically, Salamander brushed his hair behind his ears. "Oh, my! I can understand your discomfort, really I can, but you simply must understand that I, being the amazing wizard that I am, can get bored quite easily! The charm was nothing but a harmless little trick to help me socialize a little easier. I can assure you that there were no shady ulterior motives involved."
She ignored him and promptly went back to her magazine. Seeing that he was losing her interest, the man added in a panic, "I couldn't help but overhear that you wanted to join Fairy Tail, is that true?"
She stiffened, and he could tell that her interest had been renewed–at least temporarily. And so he continued, "I'm a Fairy Tail mage, you know. It would be kind of hard, but if you really wanted to I could help you join. An insider invite, if you would."
Lucy's magazine fell to her lap. This man… was someone like this really from Fairy Tail? Could he really get her into the guild of her dreams?
"Is that really something you can do?"
"Of course!" his ever-present smile widened. "Just do me a little favour in return, would you?"
Lucy frowned. She didn't like where this was going. Would he try to force her to go out with him? No, no way. He may be a creep, but he's pretty famous. If he tried something underhanded like that, the media would definitely take notice.
"You're quite the pretty young lass, I must admit. I'm throwing a party on my yacht tonight, and I would love it if a flower such as yourself would be so graceful as to grace me with your presence."
This… this she could do. Sure, she didn't want to, but she could definitely put up with him for one party. Once she joined Fairy Tail, she could just ghost him most of the time.
"Alright, mister Salamander," she tried to give a cheeky smile, but it couldn't hide her nerves. "I'll see you tonight."
xxxxxxx
Happy nervously followed a peeved Natsu as he briskly pushed his way through the crowded streets of Hargeon. "Come on, Natsu, don't be mad! So what if you couldn't find Igneel? We'll just have to keep looking."
"Do you think anyone would miss Krov if he disappeared?" Natsu whispered to himself.
"You're being scary again Natsu."
"He brought it upon himself for misleading me."
The cat didn't know what to say to that. Even if he did though, he couldn't possibly muster the courage to say it. Instead, Happy chose to redirect his companion's thoughts. "Hargeon's pretty big, isn't it? Do you think it would be a good place to look for that?"
Natsu stopped his advance. "I wonder…"
The man's own thoughts were interrupted by the volume of a nearby conversation.
"Hey, did you hear? Apparently, the wizard Salamander was in town earlier picking up girls by the dozen!"
"Seriously? Even if he's a well-known wizard, isn't that a little too forward?"
"Yeah, creepy too, if you ask me."
Natsu listened for a moment longer. He then kept walking as if he didn't hear anything.
Since the commotion early that morning, it was all the residents of Hargeon town could talk about. It was all Salamander did this or Salamander did that. Honestly, who the hell cared?
He had better things to worry about.
Unknown to anyone, a pretty young woman with wavy blonde hair overheard the gossip talks from a nearby coffee shop patio.
"Salamander? Why, isn't that the name of… my, oh my!" she covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "What a scandal! That one would hate to hear about this, wouldn't she?"
Naturally, she would be the one to tell her. She couldn't wait to hear how frazzled that one would be!
The wavy blond-haired girl waived down a waiter. "Excuse me, I'll need to use your communications Lacrima."
xxxxxxx
Lucy, dressed up a little more than she'd like to be, looked around nervously at the crowd of people waiting to board the luxurious boat. Really, it looked more like a cruise ship than a yacht.
Apparently, she was the only one who was worried. The other soon-to-be party-goers talked animatedly amongst themselves in a way that only those anticipating the time of their lives could.
If she had to point out one outlier, however, it would be the white-haired girl fidgeting around on her own. The girl looked as if she were looking for someone, and wasn't dressed up like everyone else.
"Hey there! Is there something wrong?" Lucy wouldn't consider herself to be the world's most altruistic person or anything like that, but seeing someone look so lost made her feel like she had to do something.
"Oh!" the white-haired girl noticed that she was being addressed. "Uhm. Would you, perchance, know where I could find someone going by the name Salamander?"
Lucy blinked. "Yeah, this is his party. Isn't that why you're here?"
The frown on the girl's face showed that she didn't like what she was hearing. "Apparently so…"
"Don't worry. I'm sure that if you're trying to find him, he'll come around. From what I've gathered, he appears before pretty girls like a moth to a flame," the blonde tried to amend. She couldn't help but think about how… strange the wizard was.
"That's…" the white-haired girl's frown turned queasy. "Never mind. Thank you for your help, miss. I'll see you around." With a wave, she disappeared into the crowd.
Lucy hummed. "Well, that was odd." Was she looking for him or trying to avoid him?
"Ah! I'm so happy you could make it!"
The blonde turned to be faced with Salamander himself. As always, the man was well dressed, if nothing else.
"Come! Take a seat with me. The Yacht will be taking off any moment now."
Without a word, she followed him to one of the private booths. A waiter brought them two glasses and a bottle of wine. She could vaguely tell that the vessel had started to move.
"Please do forgive my impudence," he started as he poured them both a glass. "I was so entranced by your beauty that I forgot to catch your name!"
"Lucy," she offered. If he could really get her into Fairy Tail, then it wouldn't do to be rude.
"A lovely name for a lovely girl. Well then!" he lifted his glass, inviting her to do the same, "A toast: in celebration of a future member of Fairy Tail!"
Despite herself, she smiled. She could get behind that.
However, before the glass made it to her lips, she paused as a strange feeling came over her.
A gasp. "Hey! I know what you're doing!" She threw both the liquid and its container crashing to the floor. "That other ring on your finger… You're trying to cast a sleep magic on me!"
Instead of denying it, Salamander merely clicked his tongue. "Pity. I thought this would go without incident.
"Hey!" Lucy was starting to get angry. She reached for the keyring tucked under her dress. "Yeah, I want to get into Fairy Tail, but that doesn't mean I'll let you take advantage of me!"
"You still believe that? Huh." Salamander's expression remained the same. "Yeah, no. We're going to Bosco. Selling everyone on this ship as slaves."
"You…" Lucy was livid. This was Salamander? The mighty wizard from Fairy Tail? If this is what it meant to be a Fairy Tail mage, then she wanted no part in it. "Salamander, you really are the scum of the earth!"
"Oh, thank god."
Both Lucy and Salamander whipped their heads around to face the unexpected newcomer.
Lucy recognized her. It was the white-haired girl from earlier. Compared to when she first met her, the girl looked a lot more relaxed. Quite strange, considering current circumstances.
The newcomer sighed in relief. "I'm so glad it's just an imposter. I wouldn't want to explain this one to Mira-nee otherwise."
"You," addressed Salamander pointedly. "Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"
The man's second question went unanswered. "I'm Lisanna Strauss, a Fairy Tail mage. The real question here would be, who are you?"
Lucy froze. Huh?
"Tch. Those idiot lackeys of mine can't do anything right. Come here, you idiots!" The fake salamander looked more annoyed than worried as he called out to his people beyond the curtains of the booth.
…
"They're not coming, I don't think," said the Fairy Tail girl. She pulled back the curtain to show the unconscious bodies of countless ruffians strewn across the floor. "I took care of them already."
The panic that was previously absent in the fake Salamander hit him very visibly at that moment.
The blonde felt a shiver go down her spine despite herself. She knew that Fairy Tail mages were strong, but… this?
"Damnit!" in a spike of rage, the faker charged towards Lisanna. "Don't you underestimate me!"
An oddly colored flame circled his arm before shooting out at the white-haired girl.
Lucy panicked. "Look out!"
The concern was unwarranted, however, as just before the spell hit her, Lisanna mumbled, "Animal Soul: Cat."
Faster than an untrained eye could keep track of, Lisanna –now sporting clawed paws and cat-like ears– twirled her body around the stream of fire and jumped a safe distance away.
Off to the side, one of the grounded grunts coughed. He regained consciousness but was still too weak to move. "Run, mister Bora! She's the real deal!"
Instead of heeding the man's warning, the fake Salamander got angry and yelled, "You moron! I told you buffoons not to call me that!"
"I see," said Lisanna. "I understand who you are now. Bora of Prominence; I heard you got kicked out of Titan Nose recently for doing some pretty shady stuff."
"Wait," interjected Lucy, confused. "So this guy really isn't Salamander?"
She got a scoff in response. "No way. Our Salamander is the opposite of this guy in every sense."
"Ah…" Lucy felt relieved. She had started to reconsider whether she really wanted to join Fairy Tail after all that happened, but it's fine if the creep was just an imposter.
"Don't ignore me, you bitch!" Bora's flames came crashing down like a whip.
"I told you, didn't I?" Lisanna sidestepped the attack, allowing the flame whip to pass her by harmlessly. "The real Salamander is your complete opposite. Unlike him, you're not that strong."
It only took two steps for Lisanna to get into striking range of Bora. At first, Lucy thought she'd take a swipe at him with her claws, but instead she hit him with a palm strike powerful enough to send him crashing through the side of the ship.
Splurt.
Apparently, the battle didn't finish without consequence. Through the now-numerous gashes and cracks in the walls and floorboard, seawater was starting to slowly but surely seep into the boat.
Lisanna sweatdropped. "Oh, bother."
The whole ship rumbled. Lucy would have lost her footing were it not for Lisanna holding her steady. "You're Lucy, right? Those keys you're holding… could it be that you're a celestial spirit mage?"
"Uh, y-yeah."
The Fairy Tail mage took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This wasn't exactly the kind of situation she was used to, either. "This is a longshot, but you wouldn't happen to have and contracted spirits that could help us get this boat to the coastline in one piece, would you?"
Lucy's eyes brightened. Finally, something she could do to help. "I do, actually! Just leave it to me!"
Lisanna's relief was palpable. "That's great. I'll go secure the passengers."
As the Take Over mage left the room, Lucy raised one of her golden keys above her head. "I open the Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!"
Almost instantly, a blue-haired mermaid-like being appeared before her. The grimace on the being's face contrasted quite heavily with its appearance. "You've got some nerve, Girl. Do you know that? I was on a date with my boyfriend."
Lucy gulped nervously but put on a brave face. It was difficult to deal with Aquarius sometimes, but this was important, damnit! "I know it's a bad time, but please listen! We need to get everyone on this ship to solid ground before we sink."
Aquarius looked around, taking note of the situation. She huffed, admitting to herself that her master made the right choice. "Fine, I'll help."
"Thank you so–"
"This time."
The blonde's face drained itself of all colour upon meeting her celestial spirit's piercing gaze. "Y-yes ma'am."
Without wasting another word, the mermaid swung her arm in the docks' general direction.
"Wha!?" Caught off guard, Lucy fell flat on her face. The yacht shot forward like a bullet, and in no time at all, slammed into the shoreside.
Hard.
Lucy, who was by then standing near the front of the vessel, got catapulted straight into the ground below.
"Ouch…" the spirit mage grumbled to herself, rubbing her backside. She was on her feet an instant later.
"You!" she accused, pointing at her contracted spirit. "You didn't have to be so rough about it!"
The smug grin she got in response was anything but apologetic. "Whatever squirt. See ya."
With that, Aquarius called it a day and returned to the spirit realm.
"You! Stop right there!"
A squad of Rune Knights came running up to her. They most likely had many questions, most of which would involve the shipwreck behind her.
The blonde mage panicked. What should she do? She was too young to go to prison! Too cute, too! She couldn't think of a way to get out of this one, seeing as how she's the one who caused most of the damages.
"Please, hold on!" Coming out from the grounded ship was Lisanna, still in her cat-like appearance. She was carrying unconscious civilians on each shoulder. "We can explain! I'm Lisanna Strauss, a mage from Fairy Tail."
The Rune Knights began to talk amongst themselves.
"Fairy Tail?"
"I guess now we know why this place is such a mess."
The rest of the squad didn't have to be told anything else. In an organized fashion, they moved in to take over the safe evacuation of the unconscious partygoers.
CRASH
In a colorful burst of flames, the Rune Knights were catapulted away. Pulling himself away from the unconscious bodies of his goons was a very hurt –and very angry– Bora of Prominence.
"You…" he seethed. "You bastards! I'll kill all of you!"
A condensed ball of flame swirled around in his palm. Everyone tensed the moment he pointed it in their direction; his intentions were clear.
There was one exception. Lisanna stayed cool and composed. "That's enough out of you."
She patted the blonde on the shoulder. "Lucy, can you help the Rune Knights make sure none of the criminals get away?"
"Uhm… Yeah!"
"Thanks." After getting the answer she wanted, the white-haired mage stalked meaningfully towards the volatile pyrokinetic.
"Animal soul: Tiger."
Lisanna's transformation was, admittedly, much more intimidating than the previous cat paws and striped bikini. The mitt-like paws were outed in exchange for orange fur that extended past her forearms like a pair of silk gloves. Her nails looked more human, if only much sharper. A striped fur-lined kimono –most likely requipped– was brought out to cover her body.
The biggest change, however, was her face. Black whisker-like markings lined her cheeks, while piercing feline eyes were matched in color by a set of orange tiger ears.
If Animal soul: Cat was fast, then Tiger was fast and strong. Lisanna shot off like a meteor, cratering the ground below her.
Bora sneered. "Don't think that a new pair of ears will–"
"Crush claw."
The title was a bit of a misnomer. Bora wasn't so much 'clawed' as he was 'bashed' with a bone-shattering palm strike. He was sent torpedoing into the ground below the shipwreck, knocking him out instantly.
Turning back to normal, Lisanna jogged back towards Lucy with a smile and wave –acting almost as if she didn't beat a man within an inch of his life.
Lucy was caught slack-jawed. Being one of the top guilds in Fiore, she had a pretty good idea that Fairy Tail wizards must have been pretty strong. But this?
She had doubts that even Aquarius could beat this girl!
"Ahem..."
The supposed leader of the squad stepped up to address both of them. "I see… I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this. Would you two mind coming with us to fill in the blanks?"
Lucy didn't have the time to say anything before Lisanna answered for both of them, "Of course!"
The White-haired girl noticed her partner-in-crime's panicked look, so she explained, "Don't worry, as strange as it sounds, this happens a lot when quests get ugly. Half an hour from now we should be on our merry way. If we hurry up, we might even be able to get back to the guild by morning!"
That did calm the blonde considerably. Her mind did a double-take as she processed what the Take Over mage said. "Wait. What do you mean, we?"
Lisanna scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn't help but overhear you saying that you wanted to join Fairy Tail. I figured I'd take you back with me so you can join–that is, if you still want to."
Unrestrained joy took over Lucy's lips. This mess of a day just went from being one of the worst in recent memory, to the best! "I'd love that!"
xxxxxxx
Natsu yawned into his scarf as he and Happy tiredly walked down the dirt path to their house. They spent the rest of the afternoon looking for that book in Hargeon, but they couldn't find a single thing. After the mix-up about Igneel, that made two for two dead-end leads.
By the end of the day, Natsu was too spent –both physically and mentally– to argue with Happy over why he would never take another train. The little blue bastard eventually managed to drag him on another metal death-trap on the way back to Magnolia–kicking and screaming, that was.
Still, despite the agonizing return trip, they made it in good time. It was only around eleven o'clock, so they could get a good night's sleep before making it to the guild the next morning.
"Hm?"
Opening the front door, Natsu was surprised to see the lights on. Strange, considering he made sure they were off when he left.
"Welcome back, Natsu."
Even stranger. The voice behind him was familiar and kind, so why wouldn't his legs stop shaking?
Almost mechanically, he swiveled his head to see the harmless-looking white-haired woman smiling gently at him. Her long locks, straight-cut bangs framing her delicate face paired with her curvaceous figure would make any man feel right at home.
So why? Why did he feel like running away?
The logical part of his brain inferred that the vice grip she had on Happy's head, grabbing his skull like a baseball, could have something to do with it.
"Natsu. I'm scared," announced Happy in an even tone.
"M-Mira! Why are you here? Is there something wrong?"
Her smile grew sweeter. "Why do you ask, Natsu? Do I need a reason to visit you?"
"No, it's just–"
Evidently, she didn't really want an answer to that question, since she interrupted him and kept talking. "I heard that you had quite a bit of fun in Hargeon town today. Isn't that right? Picked up some girls, did you!?"
Natsu thought back to the nice meal that one blonde girl got for him. "I mean, I guess, yeah."
If Happy weren't fearing for his life, he might've been able to clarify the misunderstanding. As it currently stood, however, that didn't happen.
Also, Natsu was fucked.
xxxxxxx
Despite her best mental efforts to calm herself, Lucy still felt nervous. On the overnight train ride to Magnolia, Lisanna made sure to tell her on many occasions how friendly and welcoming everyone would be, but now that the building was right in front of her…
Lisanna placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging push towards the guild hall's front door.
The spirit mage steeled herself. She could do this!
In one motion, she flung the front door open. This was it! A new adventure! A–
"NATSU IF YOU KEEP RUNNING –SO HELP ME GOD– YOUR LIFE IS FORFEIT!"
"I'LL STOP RUNNING WHEN YOU STOP CHASING ME!"
"I'M SURE HAPPY WOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT!"
"LET HAPPY GO, YOU MONSTER!"
Lucy looked on in terror as what could only be an attempted murder took place in front of her. The hall was a mess; tables were overturned, support beams were split in half, and what could have once been a bar unhinged from the ground and peppered across the room.
What baffled her, though, was that there were still people seated at undamaged tables and talking amongst themselves as if nothing was going on.
"Wakaba-san, Macao-san!" Seeing the commotion around her, Lisanna went straight to two older men chatting over a beer. "How long has Mira-nee been chasing him around for?"
"Oh, Lisanna! You're back, and you brought a cute friend back with you too!" Lucy would've called the brown-haired man out for being a creep, but she was still in awe that he could act like there was nothing wrong in the background.
The blue-haired one next to him answered the question. "They've been at it since way before the guild opened for the day. He was able to hide from her for a good long while, but he made the mistake of trying to sneak in to grab a job. Mira-chan went nuts when she caught him. Do you know what's up?"
Lisanna planted her face in her hands and sighed. Why did she always have to be the responsible one?
She cupped her mouth and screamed. "MIRA-NEE!"
The guild was silent for a moment, even the two that were tearing the guild apart. Acting as if absolutely nothing happened, the angry woman flipped into a happy-go-lucky smile frighteningly fast. "Oh, Lisanna, welcome back. I see you've brought company? Though if you couldn't find that overgrown matchstick, it's fine. He's right here, evading taking responsibility for his actions."
"What actions!?" was heard in the background, then promptly ignored.
"Mira-nee, it wasn't him. I found the imposter in Hargeon," explained Lisanna. She looked fed up, and maybe even a little used to dealing with her older sister's antics.
"Is that so?" Mira mimicked a thinking pose, placing her finger under her lip–an expression that was entirely too innocent for a woman who was minutes away from collapsing a building in fury. "I guess I owe him an apology. HEY NATSU, COME HERE. YOU'VE BEEN PARDONED."
Lucy's mouth gaped as she realized the crazy woman's victim sported a familiar face. "Natsu? Is that you?"
"Hm?" Natsu seemed to have just noticed her himself. "Hey, Lucy! Could it be that you're here to join Fairy Tail?"
"Hi, Lucy!" parroted Happy… who she realized Mira held by the top of the head.
"Could… could I have an explanation, please?" Lucy couldn't keep up anymore, and she was done trying.
Lisanna chose to humour her. "One of Mira-nee's friends–"
"She's not my friend."
"One of my sister's friends," she continued as if she weren't interrupted, "gave Mira a call to let her know that someone calling themselves Salamander was causing problems in Hargeon. Mira-nee was busy, so she sent me to investigate."
"That makes sense," Lucy acknowledged. A lot of Lisanna's intentions and mannerisms at the party were cleared up. "But why was Mira-san so mad at Natsu? I didn't even know he was a Fairy Tail wizard!"
Lisanna patted Natsu on the shoulder. "Well, see... Natsu is the real Salamander. Since he got back to the guild before we did, I suppose my sister decided to jump the gun a little bit."
"WHAT!?" yelled both Lucy and Natsu.
The blonde stammered, "H-hold on… Natsu… you're actually some sort of really strong fire mage?"
Natsu was having his own dilemma. "That's why I was being chased since yesterday? People are calling me Salamander now? Since when? That's a really stupid name. I want a new one!"
Mirajane turned her head and sniffled.
The woman's younger sister laughed nervously. "Hey, you know… Mira-nee's the one who got that name registered for you…"
Seeing the bleary-eyed Mira, Natsu panicked and prostrated himself before her. "I spoke too soon! It's a good name! Fantastic name!"
Unseen to the fire mage, Mirajane flashed the two girls the smuggest, most devious grin imaginable. The other spectating guildmembers laughed at the duo's antics.
"Hey, Lisanna-san…" whispered Lucy. "There's something really strange about those two."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Natsu is weak to Mira-nee, and she just likes to bully him. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't believe the rumours to begin with; she just likes to torment him."
The blonde sweatdropped. "That doesn't sound like a healthy working relationship."
Having overheard the two talking amongst themselves, Mirajane pulled Natsu into her bust, making a point of suffocating him. "Hm? I think we get along great, though."
Yeah, right! Is what Lucy would have liked to say.
"So… do you still want to join after coming all the way here?" asked the younger Strauss, sounding hopeful. "I know this wasn't the best of first impressions, but I promise you'd love it!"
It… was a pretty rocky introduction; she'd admit that, at the very least. However, after speaking with Natsu and getting to know Lisanna, and now seeing the guild in person? She could tell that this place had real character to it. Her sense of adventure was telling her that this wasn't an opportunity that she should give up.
"Yeah, I'd love to!"
The whole guild broke into raucous cheers.
"We've got a new girl!"
"And she's pretty cute, too!"
"Let's party!"
Despite the strange characters that filled the place, Lucy felt pretty good about her decision. This was a new start for her, and she'd make the most of it.
"Lisanna, could you be a dear and get the master for me? There shouldn't be an issue, but he still technically has to approve all the new members," asked Mirajane as she tied her bangs up over her head and put on the apron that was strewn over the now-destroyed bar. "If these boys want to party, then I'll have to go get some barrels from downstairs."
Lucy's eyes narrowed. Mira looked familiar, somehow…
The younger Strauss blinked. "Come to think of it, where is the master? He can't be upstairs, or he would've definitely stopped the fight by now."
Mira's scary smile was back. "Well, I couldn't very well punish Natsu if Master interrupted us, could I? I had Levy take him with her to oversee renovations at Fairy Hills."
Lisanna shook her head in disappointment. "Of course you did… Well, I'll be back with him in half an hour."
Both Natsu and Happy –who was still being held by Mira– waved animatedly at the departing girl. "Bye, Lisanna!"
The moment she left, Lucy had an epiphany. "Wait! You're the Mirajane!"
"I see my reputation precedes me," joked the young woman.
"Yeah!" agreed the excited blonde. "Sorcerer Magazine has you ranked as the most popular female mage in Fiore! I've heard that the issue sales double when you're the cover model."
"Oh, stop it, you!" Mirajane waved her hand bashfully. "It's triple, though, actually."
The celestial spirit mage laughed as her eyebrow twitched. I can't tell if you're trying to be humble or not.
"Hey, Lucy?" asked Natsu as he gingerly removed Happy from the white-haired girl's clutches, "Why didn't you just say that you wanted to join Fairy Tail back in Hargeon? I could've taken you."
"Well, I didn't even think you were a mage," she answered. "Let alone a super powerful one like Salamander!"
"I could've sworn I mentioned it, though."
"Nope!" chirped Happy as he rubbed his abused cranium.
"Huh. Never mind then."
"Actually, now that you bring it up…" Lucy pursed her lips and scrunched her eyebrows. She was having a tough time figuring something out. "Why were you in Hargeon in the first place? To me, it just seems like all it did was cause you trouble."
Mira looked to him expectantly. Apparently, she didn't know why he left either.
Natsu's mood noticeably fell, and the blonde wondered if she said something wrong. "I… was looking for my adoptive father. When I heard that a salamander was in Hargeon, I thought that maybe–"
"Aww," cooed Mirajane as she once again (quite forcefully) cradled the young man's head against her chest. "Natsu's daddy could never actually be in Hargeon, but Natsu's kind of an idiot so he wouldn't think of that. It's okay, Natsu, we love you anyway."
Instead of being affronted on Natsu's behalf by the white-haired woman's inconsiderate actions, Lucy decided to lock in on what she said. "Why couldn't he be in Hargeon?"
Mirajane started to pinch Natsu's cheek. "Hm? Oh. I guess you wouldn't know, right? Natsu was raised by a dragon."
"…Huh?"
"A dragon."
"…Is that a kind of wizard rank that I don't know of?" Lucy was trying very hard to rationalize what she was hearing.
"No, it's a kind of giant, fire-breathing lizard." Mirajane promptly informed her that there was no rationalizing this.
Lucy turned to Natsu, in hopes of finding some sort of clarification.
"His name is Igneel!"
No clarification found.
"Oh."
Natsu pouted. "Why wouldn't he be in Hargeon, though?"
xxxxxxx
For the next while, Natsu dragged Lucy along to each (intact) table, introducing her to every guild member individually while Mirajane passed around mugs of ale with a goofy smile on her face.
"Nice to meet you, Lucy. My name is Elfman."
Lucy stared dumbly at the frankly massive limb extended for her to shake. The man was almost eye-level with her, and he was still sitting down!
"Yeah… nice to meet you…" despite his gargantuan frame, his grip was pleasantly gentle.
Elfman, while built like a shit brick house, dressed smart. His white hair was cropped close to the head, and while it was stretched to its limit, the turtleneck he wore suited him well. Lucy could see his pleated pants and loafers under the table.
"Elfman's Mira and Lisanna's brother," offered Natsu.
"What, really!?" if it weren't for the white hair, it would be impossible to know that girls as cute as Mirajane and Lisanna were related to someone like Elfman.
That wasn't to discredit Elfman's looks or anything, but really… look at him!
Lucy almost screamed when her hand was taken and kissed by someone without notice. "Hello, my sweet. My name is Loke, but you can call me 'darling' if you prefer."
The blonde punted the offending newcomer in the face, sending him hurtling back. "No way!"
Natsu whistled as he watched the perv of a man crash through one of the beer barrels Mira had brought up. Alcohol spilled on the already-done-for hardwood.
"Lucy's already fitting in!" chimed Happy.
Lucy's eyes bulged. "AH! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!"
Before further panic could set in, the soon-to-be guildmember felt a weight at her feet.
"Nooooo!" cried the brown-haired woman griping at her ankles pathetically. "I was gonna drink that!"
The blonde sweatdropped. All of it?
"This is Cana!" introduced Natsu, paying no mind to said girl's current state.
"Oh! Here, here!" a cat-looking girl waved excitedly at them as she dragged a dark-skinned boy along with her. "I'm Millianna!"
"And I'm Sho," he provided.
Lucy grinned. "It's nice to meet you both."
They seemed normal enough.
"You're pretty! Are you going to mate with Na-chan and have his babies?"
She spoke too soon.
"Millianna," Mira-san's scary voice was heard from wherever she was in the guildhall. "Who is it that's having babies?"
"No one!" yelled Sho in a panic.
"Okay!" was the white-haired woman's happy-go-lucky reply.
She made a mistake. She just threw herself into the loony bin, didn't she?
Lucy froze.
No that wasn't right. Everyone in the guild froze. Wakaba dropped his mug, Cana dropped her barrel, and a few people just flat out dropped.
There was an intense magical presence in the air; it was so potent that many were finding it hard to even breathe properly.
"One hour." Announced a disembodied voice.
"Shit, it's the master," whispered one guildmember.
"We're dead," muttered another under his breath.
The new girl panicked. The Guild Master sounded terrifying! What kind of monster was he?
"I was only gone for one, measly hour," it continued. The shadow of what could only be a giant walked through the guild's doors.
Lucy thought she was going to piss herself. Was she going to die?
"And yet, you morons still managed to trash the place! Do you like to see me suffer? Are you all sadists?" As he spoke, the giant slowly shrunk until it was nothing more than a short old man.
"I'm sorry, master," sniveled a teary-eyed Mirajane. "I tried to stop them, but…"
You deceitful witch! Thought everyone.
The old man's arm ballooned and smacked the woman on top of her head.
"Owie!"
"I know it was you, idiot! Lisanna told me everything."
"Tch." Mira grimaced to the side. "What a snitch."
"Ignoring that for now," stressed the Guild Master as he jumped on a bent barstool next to the hopeful recruit, "you're Lucy, right?"
"Err, yeah…"
The old man glanced at her chest for an instant. "You pass. Welcome to Fairy Tail."
Passed what, you creep!
"Yay! Welcome to the family!" cheered Mirajane, who now sported a bump on top of her head. "Where would you like your guild mark?"
Ignoring all of the crazy stuff that happened to her since she walked in through the front door, Lucy couldn't be happier. She did it! She joined Fairy Tail!"
"Right here!" Lucy presented the back of her right hand.
That day, Lucy Heartifila became a Guild Wizard.