I apologize for the long wait. I haven't been doing well personally and work has gotten very stressful lately again. I hope everyone is safe and healthy out there. I am still eager to write this story and I do have vacation coming up soon. Then I have a lot more time to write as well.
Anyway, someone asked how old everyone was so I'm here to clear that up.
The first chapter both Kera and Natsu are 10 years old while Erza and Mirajane are 11.
When Kera learns her magic in the last chapter she and Natsu are 13 while Erza and Mira are 14
So hope that clears everythign up!
"Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
A sigh was heard as Erza rubbed her forehead in frustration. She was sitting at a table with a piece of cake in front of her, trying to enjoy her meal. The important part being trying. Beside her, Kera was asking her, begging her, to finally go on a job with her.
It has been almost a year since Kera unlocked her magic and she had been training every day since then. She was getting better and thus she had been wanting to go on a mission. Unfortunately, Master Makarov wanted someone to go with her, to make sure that everything would go smoothly.
So here they were, Kera begging her to go on a mission with her. Honestly, it has been exhausting for her. She wouldn't take no for an answer and was following her everywhere. She didn't have a single moment of peace without the brunette annoying her.
Erza moved her head to the side to look at Kera. "How many times do I have to say no? I don't have the time."
"Please Erza! I've been practicing and getting stronger! Master won't let anyone else go with me. He doesn't trust Natsu or Gray and you know there isn't anyone else I could go on a mission with." Kera begged her.
The red headed wizard rubbed her forehead in frustration. She understood why the Master didn't want Natsu or Gray going on a mission with Kera. They'd just ruin everything they touch. Mirajane was a definite no and she won't let Lisanna go with the brunette either. Cana hardly went on missions and Levy, who joined not too long ago, was already being dragged around by Jet and Droy.
"Fine…" Erza muttered setting her fork down. "But you owe me."
The brunette wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you! I'll buy you as many cakes as you want!"
The red head nodded. "But I have some rules."
Letting her go, Kera sat down, this time quiet. Erza went on to explain. "First, you have to listen to me. Even if you think otherwise, you will follow my orders. These missions can get dangerous. Second, I'll decide on the mission for the two of us. It won't do you any good if you grab a mission that will be too hard for you. And finally, let me handle the talking. If you have any questions, that's fine, ask as many as you want, you need to learn, alright?"
She nodded firmly. "I understand. I'll be the best partner you can have!"
Erza smiled softly. Ever since Kera was able to use her magic, she had grown a lot. She even got more confident over the few months. She was always eager to train and was very dedicated. While she was getting better with her fire magic and at even some points with water as well, thanks to Natsu and even Gray, she was still struggling with air and earth.
When Erza was finished with her cake, she headed over to the quest board to find a mission. Kera read over a few of them, some catching her interest. "Oh, what about this one?" She asked pointing to one of them.
Erza shook her head. "Too difficult. That requires a lot of fighting. I was thinking on a balance between fighting and diplomacy. You need to learn to deal with customers as well."
Kera nodded understanding where she was coming from. "Okay, what about this one?"
"Too long."
"This one?"
"Too far away."
"What about this one?"
"Are you nuts? We're not fighting a wyvern!"
Kera sighed. This was a lot harder than she thought. How were they going to find a job that would fulfill Erza's conditions?
"Are you two looking for a job?"
Both girls turned around to see Lisanna standing there with a smile on her face and her hands behind her back. Kera immediately smiled seeing the girl. "Yea! This will be my first job! But… we're having trouble on finding something not too difficult."
Lisanna hummed. "How about this one?" She handed a piece of paper over to the two. "I was going to go with Mira but she didn't want to, so maybe you two could go."
Erza glanced over at the job request. "A client needs help with a pack of wolves. Doesn't seem too difficult. It's also not that far away." She gave Lisanna a short glance. "Are you sure about this? We don't want to take it away from you."
She waved her hand. "Ah it's fine. Like I said, Mira wasn't in the mood, so you guys can have it. I'll just find something else. Also this way, Kera can go on her first mission!"
Lisanna was tackled by the brunette, who quickly pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you! I'll make it up to you. I promise!"
"It's fine Kera!" Lisanna chuckled. "And if things go well, we can go on a job together. Maybe even ask Natsu to come with us."
The brunette nodded with a huge smile on her face. Going on a job with Lisanna and even Natsu? She can't wait for that! If things do go well maybe Master Makarov will allow her to go on more jobs in the future.
Erza laid her hand on Kera's shoulder. "One step at a time. While I don't mind you going on missions with others, you still need to learn about this stuff."
Lisanna chuckled. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine. But let me know when the two of you are back."
Erza nodded. "We will."
A man with rugged brown hair glanced down at Erza and Kera. He rubbed his grizzly beard, a frown settled onto his rugged face. "You two are going to help me?"
Erza nodded her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes, you asked for help against this pack of wolves. We're here from the Fairy Tail guild to help."
The man let out a hum. "How can you help? These wolves are tearing my flock apart. And your guild sends two children?"
"Two children who can use magic." Erza pointed out. "Look, we can help you out and take care of your problem or you can send us home and these wolves kill more of your flock."
Kera stood beside the red head, listening to the conversation. She started to doubt herself and the entire mission when the man had hesitated. Weren't they good enough for this job? Wasn't she good enough?
That's when she realized, this was the reason why Erza decided to take the charge. She knew that the girl would start doubting herself if she went alone. Guess she did still have more to learn more about these missions. There were people out there that might doubt your skill for the job. You had to reassure the client that you were able to help. Of course not all of them were like that, but you had to know how to act with those few that were.
Just like Erza was doing now.
The man sighed, scratching his head. "Fine, I really can't handle more of those wolves tearing my flock apart."
"How many have the wolves already eaten?" Erza asked.
"They don't eat them." The man shook his head, holding his chin. "They just kill them off and leave the bodies for me to clean up."
Kera blinked. That was strange. "But wolves don't kill unless they're hungry."
Both Erza and the man turned towards her, causing the girl to flinch. "Sorry." She quickly apologized. She probably shouldn't have opened her mouth. Erza did say to leave the talking to her. The man raised an eyebrow at her while Erza shook her head. "No, you're right." She turned back to the man. "Are you sure that wolves did this?"
"Saw them myself." He explained. "Also we don't have any other wild animals around here that could cause this."
Erza nodded her head. "Alright, if they leave the bodies, can we maybe see one of them?"
"Sure, they killed one fresh this morning. I'll show you where it is."
The man showed them the way to the recent corpse. He had dragged it behind the barn before telling them he had to check on the rest of his flock. Erza leaned down towards the animal and noticed a few things immediately.
The sheep was mauled from one side to the other, deep black flesh wounds littered the body as black ooze started to form "This isn't normal." Erza muttered.
Kera let out a disgusted groan as she held her nose. "It smells disgusting."
"Well of course, it's dead."
"No, that's not what I mean. It smells infected."
Erza gave the brunette a short glance, confused what she meant but then realized that she was a Dragon Slayer too. Her senses were heightened just like Natsu. That meant she could smell things others couldn't. "Infected how?"
Kera sighed as she rubbed her head. "It smells wrong. That's probably the best description I can give. Whatever killed this sheep isn't normal, it's laced with some sort of magic. This smell is definitely not natural."
The red head hummed softly, thinking this through. It was clear that they weren't dealing with ordinary wolves here. The question though was, were they infected with some sort of magic or disease, or was someone else controlling them.
"Hey Erza, I have a suggestion… if that's okay." Kera spoke up not sure if she should.
Erza nodded. "Sure, you have an idea?"
Nodding her head, Kera glanced at the dead animal. "Well… I was thinking we could search the forest for the pack. Now that I have the scent, and its very distinct, I can track it."
Having a Dragon Slayer on a mission was really handy. Normally she wouldn't be able to do this at all, but Kera was right. They could track them, especially if it has a unique scent just like the brunette said. "That's actually a good idea. See, you don't need to worry about this. You've got this."
Kera smiled at the compliment. She won't let Erza or Fairy Tail down. She can do this, she just had to believe in herself.
The two wizards walked through the forest with Kera taking the lead. The brunette walked around sniffing the air and her surroundings. Erza followed the girl, learning new things as well. She hardly went on missions with Natsu and he just destroyed everything in sight, without thinking. Yet with Kera, she was actually using her senses to their advantage. Tracking their opponents through their scent, seeing things normal people couldn't… it was a new way of doing these jobs.
It made things more interesting even for her.
"Found anything yet?" The red head asked, glancing around the woods, her sword at her side.
Kera sniffed the air. "There's a faint trace of it heading west. It has the same scent as the dead sheep."
"Then all means, lead the wa…" She grunted as she suddenly bumped into the brunette. She blinked slightly giving Kera a strange glance. She was just standing there her gaze set out in front of her. "Kera?"
"They're here. I can smell them… they know we're here and they surrounded us." Kera whispered while getting into a low stance.
Erza immediately tightened her grip on her sword. "How many?"
"Five… including a giant one, probably the alpha."
"You can sense that?"
"I mean, it's just more intense so I'm guessing it's the alpha."
Snarling was heard and the two got ready. From the bushes, several wolves came walking out, snarling and gashing their teeth at them.
Erza noticed the black ooze on their fur and the foul stench wafting off of them. She hummed. "You were right. Five of them, including a big alpha." Her eyes wandered over to the so called alpha of the group. This wolf was bigger than the rest and his eyes were glowing red. His fur was black and patchy with black ooze falling down to the ground.
Kera took a step back. "Any idea what's plaguing them?"
The red head sighed. "I think it's some sort of disease. Best would be to deal with them quickly, before they can infect more wolves." She held her sword in front of her. "Let's cover each others backs. Don't engage the alpha unless it attacks you, got it?"
"Got it." Kera wasn't going to disobey Erza right now. She had more experience with these things than she did. Also she would kill her if she didn't listen to her.
One of the wolves jumped towards them, but Erza quickly intercepted its path and stabbed her sword into the chest. The wolf cried out, snapping at her, but the red head pushed the animal back. The body dropped to the ground, breathing its last breath, the blood seeping into the ground. Erza narrowed her eyes as she saw the color. Turning her head to her blade the same color coated her blade.
The blood was black.
"Erza, your right!" The red head watched Kera quickly blast fire into a wolf that tried to surprise her. The wolf whined and stumbled back, shaking as it tried to extinguish the fire that had caught its fur.
Swiping her blade to remove the blood, she smiled. "Thanks."
Kera observed the wolves around them. "Well… its four now, thanks to your quick work."
Erza's eyes narrowed down slightly. "The alpha hasn't moved. It's just watching us." True to her word, the alpha was standing behind, watching while the other remaining wolves circled them. "Be careful."
"Got it." Kera watched the two wolves in front of her who had stopped moving. They were growling at her before one of them charged straight towards her. Erza noticed this as well. "Go now!"
The two girls separated as they charged in as well. Erza went straight for the wolf on her side while Kera moved away to dodge the wolf that tried charging her. As the wolf missed her, the brunette turned her body around to throw another ball of fire at it. The animal yelped as it was knocked to the ground.
The other wolf growled as it tried to pounce on her, but Kera knocked it away with a blast of air. Grinning, she raised her hand, an earth spike coming out of the ground and impaling the wolf. Turning around her eyes went wide as she saw the other wolf lunging at her.
Erza appeared and stabbed the wolf before it could reach her. The red head pushed the animal away before turning to her. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings. Enemies, no matter animal or human don't fight fair."
Kera sighed but nodded her head. "Thanks… sorry."
"Don't worry about it. You're learning."
A loud howl was heard catching both of their attention. The alpha wolf stood straight as it howled into the air. Lowering its head, the plagued wolf snarled at the two, black ooze dripping from its mouth and it's glowing red eyes locked onto them.
Erza readied her sword in front of her. "Careful, this one is dangerous."
"Any idea on how to take it?"
"We'll try and encircle it. If it goes for one of us the other attacks it."
Kera nodded her head. That sounded like a good plan. The two slowly and carefully moved around the wolf. The beast snarled and barked at them, the black ooze falling to the ground. The wolf turned around, looking at both girls as they walked in circles around it, just like the wolves had done to them before.
The alpha sneered, digging its paws into the ground before lunging towards one of them. Kera's eyes went wide as she saw it was coming for her. "Shit!" She quickly dodged out of the way, seeing that the animal was way too fast and Erza would have no chance on attacking it.
The brunette threw herself out of the way, the wolf barely missing her. The black ooze fell onto the ground, right next to her head and she watched the ground get corroded.
That was not good.
"Kera!" Erza quickly jumped in as the alpha descended down onto the brunette again. She blocked the beast with one of her swords. Kera used this chance to get back up, but noticed the black ooze was still dripping down. The wolf snapped at the red head and was about to bite her, but fire slammed into its head and it stumbled back.
"Don't let that black stuff touch you! It's corroding everything it touches!" Kera shouted as she threw another few balls of fire at the wolf, hindering the animal from recovering.
Erza glanced at her sword and saw that the black ooze was indeed biting into her sword. In mere seconds the sword broke. If Kera hadn't intervened, that wolf would have surely overpowered her. She smiled softly as she glanced over at the brunette.
She threw away the broken sword and summoned a new one. She saw Kera kept on throwing fire and air at the wolf, rather sticking to ranged fighting than getting close and risking getting that black stuff on her. A smart move, but they had to finish this before it got out of hand.
Erza dashed into the fight, slashing at the hind legs of the wolf. The alpha yelped, snarling as it turned towards Erza. Kera threw fire into the animals face yet again. The wolf sneered before knocking Kera to the ground and pounced onto the red head.
Her sword met the teeth of the animal, the black ooze splashing onto the metal, corroding it. Erza's eyes noted Kera taking a deep breath. She gritted her teeth, if she could hold the wolf for just a few seconds, but she saw her sword was breaking.
This was going to hurt…
When the sword broke, Erza moved her body to the side, but the wolf was still able to bite her into her shoulder plate. A second later Kera released her breath attack, knocking the wolf away from her and into a tree. There was a loud crack and the animal crumbled to the ground lying still.
Kera quickly ran over to the red head who was frantically pulling off her shoulder plate. "Erza! Are you okay?"
The red head threw the piece of armor away and hissed slightly. It seemed the black ooze was able to get through her armor and onto her skin. Moving her hand, Kera quickly used her water to wash away the rest of the black stuff while also cooling the burn. "It's not that bad. Luckily it didn't stay too long. It should heal by itself."
"Thanks." Erza sighed. At least it wasn't that bad. A small injury that will heal in no time. She can handle that.
The brunette gave her a strange look. "Why didn't you get out of the way? You could have avoided this."
Erza smiled slightly. She could have, but that would have meant Kera's attack would have missed. And that would have dragged out the battle. Who knows what else that beast would have done. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine, it's just a small burn."
Kera frowned at her answer, but didn't say anything else. If Erza didn't want to tell her than she wasn't going to get an answer.
"I completed my first job!" Kera jumped up with a big smile on her face. She stood in front of Natsu and Gray, showing them her recent success.
Natsu laughed as he high fived the brunette. "Nice! Now we can go on jobs together in no time!"
Gray snorted as he sat on the table casually, just in his pants. "Please…" He waved his hand. "Who would want to go on a mission with you?"
Erza rolled her eyes as she sat down on the same table. She was wearing her armor but without her right shoulder pad. Instead you could see the bandage that wrapped around her shoulder. "Not to mention, this was Kera's first job. While it was a success she still needs to learn more. And Gray… put some clothes on."
The Ice wizard yelped as he jumped off the table and quickly scurried off to grab his clothes. Kera watched him with a raised eyebrow. "I still don't know why he does that…"
"It's because he's weird." Natsu commented.
Kera glanced over at the Fire Dragon Slayer. "Hey Natsu, can we maybe practice more with fire again? I don't think my flames are that strong."
"What? No way!" The pink haired boy sat down on the bench with his legs crossed over. "Your flames are definitely strong! The way things are going you'll be the strongest member in the guild!"
"Yea right, like that's going to happen."
Erza frowned as she turned her head to the person who spoke. Messy blonde hair greeted them as a scar ran down the boys face. He had his hands in his pocket and a pair of headphones around his shoulder. "This loser is supposed to become the strongest member in the guild? Yea right, she's just pathetic."
Kera flinched at those words and lowered her head immediately. Those words had hurt more than she could imagine. Was she really just pathetic? Natsu noticed her shift in mood and frowned, his glare quickly settling onto the blonde while standing in front of her, making sure that the idiot wouldn't do something stupid.
"Laxus, stop that." Erza warned him as she glared up at him. "Kera is just as strong as the rest of us."
With a laugh, Laxus turned to the red head. "Really? Because she's pretty pathetic to me. She couldn't even keep her partner safe during a simple job!"
Erza clenched her teeth. "My injury had nothing to do with her ability!"
Laxus grinned. "Why defend her red? She's a weak little girl who can't stand up for herself."
The red head couldn't stand him. How could he just easily talk down on someone like that? Especially Kera! She was about to stand up when another voice joined in the fray.
"Hey Laxus! Just shut your stupid mouth! Nobody cares what you're saying!"
Laxus frowned as he turned his head. Mirajane sat on the table in the back, giving him a glare. Both Erza and Natsu were surprised to see that the girl had spoken up for Kera. That or she just hated Laxus in general.
"Tch, whatever." Laxus turned around heading for the door. "I don't have time to deal with you lame kids."
Everyone watched the blonde leave the guild, slamming the door behind him. Erza let out a deep sigh. Laxus would always talk down onto Kera and nobody really understood why. What they did know was that every time Laxus was around, Kera would fall back into her insecurities.
"Are you okay?" Natsu asked Kera who had turned awfully quiet. All hints of her previous happy mood was now gone. She had her arms around herself while her head was lowered to the ground. "Hey, don't listen to that jerk."
Kera raised her head, feeling quite unsure of herself. "But is he right? Am I really just pathetic?"
"No you're not." Erza said putting her hand on her shoulder. "You're perfect the way you are. Don't let some jerk tell you differently. You're you and we like that about you."
Natsu smiled as he threw his arm around Kera's shoulder. "Yea! We like you the way you are! Who else can I burn stuff with instead of you?"
Kera smiled softly at them. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate you all."
"Even Gray?" Natsu asked raising an eyebrow.
"Even Gray."
"Speaking of Gray…" Erza glanced around the guild to see where the boy had run off to. He saw him in the back with Mira who was yelling at him because he was still naked.
"Put on some clothes you damn pervert!"
"I can't find them!"
"Then look harder!"
Kera chuckled softly at the sight. She was happy to have met the others. They had helped her to get better with her magic and her insecurities. Even though she might not be the strongest, she was still happy to be a part of Fairy Tail.
To be part of a family.