Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret 2: A Fateful Journey

Chapter 9

"Rose, you must rest."

With a grunt, Rose drove her pickaxe into the smooth stone. She blew a strand of sweaty brown hair out of her face and turned her head to look at her husband. His thin face expressed worry. She glanced at his hands, which were covered in mud and blisters. His thin shirt was heavy from sweat and dirt. She turned back to her pickaxe and pulled it from the rocky tunnel wall. "I can't stop now, Gareth. Not when we're so close."

Gareth put a firm hand on her arm to stop her. "Pushing yourself won't help anything. You must drink water. You must eat. You must sleep. Please."

"Have you seriously forgotten?" she asked sharply, ripping her arm from Gareth's fingers. "Why we joined White Wing? Why we're building this tunnel? All of it?"

"Of course I haven't," he replied gently.

"Then you know why I can't stop. I need to see this through until the end." She lifted the pickaxe over her head and swung it down. A large chunk of rock split from the earth and tumbled to her feet. "Can you pick that up for me?"

Gareth sighed as he did what she asked. "Rose, you're not the only one working. If you rest, no one will think ill of you. They will understand. Just take a break, please."

"We're almost finished. A few more hours and we should be done. I'll rest then."

"You're not thinking straight, Rose."

Rose tried to pull her pickaxe from the rocks, but it wouldn't budge. With a frustrated groan, she pulled and pulled but the blade was lodged too deep and her strength had all but run out. She dropped to her knees, panting.

Gareth was immediately by her side. "Rose! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she wheezed. "I can still work."

"You can't be serious! You're clearly exhausted."

"Let me work, Gareth."

"Enough!" Gareth said softly but sternly. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "I won't stand by and watch you work yourself into an early grave! This isn't healthy! Not for you and certainly not for—!"

Gareth was interrupted by a loud crashing sound. He turned around to see a massive slab of now broken clay and mud resting in the middle of a group of workers. A heavy cloud of dirt had risen up from its impact. He looked up and saw a small hole where light from the setting sun was pouring through.

"We've done it!" one of the workers whispered excitedly. "We've finished the Tunnel!"

"Earlier than expected, too," another coughed. "We're just that good."

"I'm glad we finished sooner than scheduled. I'm beat!" a third spoke up.

"Quick, pack the hole with some dirt. I'd hate if they found this tunnel before tomorrow."

"Damn, good point. Who knows what they'd do?"

"Either explode the Tunnel closed or invade it. Neither is a desirable outcome."

A smile appeared on Gareth's face as he turned back to his wife. "See that, Rose? We've done it! The Tunnel of Hope is complete!"

Rose looked up and her eyes brightened. She smiled and let out a small laugh. "We…We did it! We actually finished it!"

Gareth embraced his wife. "Yes, Rose."

She buried her face in his shoulder and cried. She grabbed the shirt on his back, bunching it in her fist. "I can't believe it," she rasped.

He kissed her head. "Now will you rest?"

She silently nodded.

"Good," Gareth said. "I'll go alert Brac that we finished. Head to bed, my love."

She nodded again and released her grip on her husband. He gave her one last kiss and stood up. She listened to his fading, swift footsteps. Her tears were falling uncontrollably. She sniffed and laughed again. "We did it. Now we can fight for a better world." She looked down at her stomach and gently rested her hand upon it. "A better world for years to come. For your future, my little one."

"Mind if I ask a question?"

Serafine looked at Lucius. His eyes were still straight ahead, but there was a small smile on his face. She folded her hands behind her back and looked at the rocky ceiling of the White Wing tunnel. "Sure, I guess. What's on your mind?"

"Tell me about your hometown. You know, where you and your family came from. What's it like?"

Serafine raised an eyebrow, looking back at Lucius. 'That's a strange question to ask out of the blue.' She shrugged it off and answered regardless. "It's a nice place. The whole town is lively. The people are really nice. I love everything about it."

Lucius nodded. "I see."

Serafine leaned forward. "So is there a reason why you asked such a random question? Or is it that you just felt like being random?"

Lucius laughed. "I have my reasons."

"Oh come on," Serafine whined. "Now I'm even more curious!"

Lucius's grin was growing wider. He was clearly enjoying teasing Serafine. "That's a shame."

Serafine puffed out her cheeks. She grabbed onto his arm and tugged. "Spill it already!"

"Easy, easy!" Lucius warned with a chuckle. "Don't make me drop the package! It's not light you know."

She huffed, but released her grip. She didn't want to make him drop something so important. "So since you're being a jerk about explaining yourself, can you at least tell me what's in the box? What did your dad special order from Mrs. Paxon? I mean, I know that they're magic items, but what are they exactly?"

Lucius readjusted his grip on the box with a soft grunt. He could easily describe every single item in the box to Serafine since he was present with his father when he and some of the other members put the order together. In fact, there was even something for him inside that he had wanted. However, he just couldn't resist teasing Serafine. The way her face would so clearly reflect her displeasure was just too cute. He couldn't let a single opportunity get away. With a playful smile, Lucius looked away. "Sorry, that's a military secret."

Serafine gently beat on his shoulder with her fists repeatedly. "You suuuuuuuuck!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What'd I just say about making me drop this?"

"It'll be your fault!"

"I hardly agree with that assessment. Wouldn't the one shaking the carrier be held responsible?"

"Not if the carrier is a jerk!"

The two continued on like this—Serafine whining, Lucius teasing her and laughing—the rest of the way through the tunnels. Eventually they made their way to the meeting room where Brac, Natsu, Mira, Happy, and many of the White Wing members were gathered.

Brac noticed the two enter and held up his hand. "Good, you've returned!" he bellowed. "Any trouble on your way?"

Lucius put the wooden box down and brushed his hands together. "None at all."

"Good! Glad to hear it!" He walked over and squatted down. He ran his hand gently across the wood of the box. "How's Saya doing? Was she able to put together everything?"

"Yes, she was. Everything should be in there."

Brac laughed and rubbed his hands together. "Well let's take a look, shall we?" With his strong hands, he gripped the lid of the box and ripped it off with a loud crack of splintering wood. He whistled. "My, my. Ain't they gorgeous?"

Serafine leaned forward to try and see what was inside, but there was too much of what appeared to be straw packed all around the contents. From her vantage point, she couldn't see what was inside. "What'd you get? Lucius wouldn't tell me."

Brac raised an eyebrow at his son. "Really? Why?"

Lucius shrugged. "She's fun to tease." This remark earned him a playful elbow to the arm from Serafine.

Brac erupted in laughter. "Is she now? Well allow me to satisfy your curiosity, young Serafine." He reached inside of the box and lifted out two small, shiny, silver metal cylinders. There was a hollow, thin nozzle on one end of each. "Ah, looks like my order is the first one!"

"What'd you get?" Natsu asked. He seemed even more excited than Brac to see the contents.

"These little babies are hydraulic boosters," Brac replied as he looked over his new item.

"What do they do?" Happy asked.

"Using magic fuel, they gather up and store energy which can be forcefully expelled. When I attach these babies to my Stone Cleaver, she'll get a huge boost of offensive power. Instead of just digging quickly, I can send massive boulders flying over 500 feet."

"Impressive," Mira said. "Is the entirety of your order weapons?"

"Mostly, yes. There's also plenty of magic fuel cells that my darling Saya tweaked so that they store more power and last longer."

"Mrs. Paxon is amazing," Serafine breathed.

"Who?" Natsu asked.

"Mrs. Paxon! She's this amazing woman, Papa! She does so much for the people of her village to keep them alive and give them hope!"

"You're right. She does sound awesome!" Natsu agreed with a big grin.

Brac put the cylinders down. One by one he took out amazing, high quality weapons, handing them out to the gathered White Wing members. Each one marveled at their personal creation crafted by Mrs. Paxon.

"Last one," Brac said as he reached deep inside one last time. He lifted out an object that looked like a handheld cannon. It was about as long and thick as one of Brac's muscular arms. It was sleek and black in color. The mouth was round and about the size of a bowling ball. Attached to the slightly larger back was a small grip attached to a cord. A long handle was welded on top of the barrel. Brac whistled. "Ain't this one a beaut?"

"What is it?" Happy asked.

Brac smiled. "This here is a wind cannon. It gathers up wind inside, stores it in a chamber located in the back, and then shoots it out with the force of a hurricane. It's a great weapon. Heavy as hell, though." He turned to Lucius. "You sure you can handle this?"

Lucius nodded with a large grin. He was staring at the wind cannon with wonder and excitement. "I'm sure, father. After all, I was the one who drew up the specs. Mrs. Paxon designed it with that in mind."

"You mean…this is yours?" Serafine cried.

"Yeah," Lucius said quickly as he took it from his father like it was a new toy being given to an eager child. He seemed to carry it with ease as he gave it a closer look from every angle. "It's breathtaking!"

"It's also massive!"

Brac stood up. "Even though you wrote up the plans, it's still safer to make sure you can manage the weapon. Take it for a test drive, Lucius. Fire a tiny blast at the floor."

Lucius gripped the handle tightly. "Right, father." He aimed the barrel at the floor and, with his free hand, took the back grip in his hand. He slowly drew back. Wind and loose dirt was sucked inside like a vacuum. After a few seconds Lucius released the grip and the cord snapped back into place. As soon as he let go, a powerful blast of wind shot out of the barrel and smashed into the floor. The ground vibrated. Dirt and stone broke away, leaving a small hole behind. Lucius lifted the weapon, an even bigger smile on his face. "It's perfect! The recoil is a lot less than I thought it would be. Leave it to Mrs. Paxon!"

Brac laughed. "Good! Seems like it will work well for you."

"Brac! Brac!" an echoing voice called out from one of the tunnels. Soon a thin man came bolting inside. He stopped in front of Brac, hunched over as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Ah, Gareth! Good to see ya, lad!" Brac greeted. "What's the rush all about?"

Gareth stood up straight. He was still out of breath, but his face showed nothing but joy. "Brac, it's…it's done! The Tunnel of Hope has been finished!"

Everyone in the room gasped.

Brac's eyes were wide. "You serious?! But it's not even dark yet!"

"I know, but we did it! We broke through to the surface!" Gareth said excitedly. "We blocked the hole to remain hidden just to be safe."

Brac laughed heartily. "Fantastic! This is most excellent news!" He clapped a large hand on Gareth's shoulders. "Relay a message for me, Gareth. Tell everyone to clear out and rest up. Eat, drink, sleep; whatever they need to do. They'll need their strength for tomorrow. We strike at dawn."

Gareth nodded and took off towards the Tunnel.

Brac turned towards the others gathered in the room. "I hope you're all ready for one hell of a fight tomorrow." He looked towards the Dragneels. "Not to scare you, but the future depends on what we do tomorrow. It's a big responsibility."

Natsu snickered, holding up his palm and igniting a flame. "Oh I've been ready for action since the very beginning!"

"We're ready. We'll fight with everything we have," Mira assured.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered.

Serafine clenched her fists and nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "We'll win! We can do this!"

"Alright then!" Brac bellowed while thrusting his fist in the air. "Get yourselves physically and mentally prepared! Tomorrow we fight!"

The moon was beginning to sink and the sun was about to creep over the horizon. It had been a cool, still, serene night. But that was all to change when dawn broke.

Underground at the very end of the Tunnel of Hope, the members of White Wing were preparing for battle. All faces showed a mix of determination and fear. They all knew that this had to be done and they were more than willing, but they also understood that some of them may lose their lives in this fight, leaving behind loved ones and friends. With solemn expressions and fast beating hearts, they readied themselves with armor, weapons, and magic fuel as back up.

"Man I am so fired up!" Natsu exclaimed, trying to suppress his voice volume through closed teeth. His whole body was trembling with eager anticipation.

"I know it's been a whole day since you fought, Natsu, but try to calm down," Happy sighed.

"How can I be calm? Don't you remember?" Natsu clenched his fist. "Lisanna could be in there. How could I possibly contain myself?"

"We all feel that way, Natsu, but if you're not careful you'll blow our cover. We're directly below the Capital don't forget," Mira said. She was sitting on a nearby boulder, her trembling hands folded in her lap. Since arriving at the end of the Tunnel that morning, her legs felt like noodles and her heart was beating like a drum. No matter what she said to herself, she couldn't keep from feeling overly hopeful. She was so excited that her entire body felt numb.

Natsu smiled at her and knelt in front of her. He gently placed his hand over hers. He could tell how she was truly feeling just by looking at her. "Don't worry. I'll behave until the fight."

Mira returned the smile. She could feel tears beginning to sting her eyes. "Thank you, Natsu."

He gently put his hand behind her head and leaned forward until his forehead was resting against hers. "Any time."

Serafine looked at her parents. She was excited for the chance to meet her Aunt Lisanna, someone she had heard a lot about over the years. But still, no matter how much she told herself that she had to be brave like her parents, she was scared; scared to fight in her first actual large scale battle.

Before coming to Edolas with her parents and Uncle Happy, she had only ever had play skirmishes with her father or her Uncle Elfman. She had never taken on any missions that required fighting; only missions that were rather simple. Her magic power just wasn't strong enough for anything more exciting. She was strong at hand to hand combat because of her training with her father and on rare occasions her mother, but here in Edolas she was forced to face the harsh reality that her weak magic power made her a liability. After all, the last time she had fought she was almost killed. It was only intervention from her father that had kept her safe from the Capital guards. It made her realize just how useless in a fight she really was and how much she held her parents back.

Still, her parents had faith and confidence in her. Lucius thought the meager power she had was incredible. All of their kindness made her feel stronger and gave her courage. She placed a hand over her chest and took a deep breath. She was still scared, but she knew she could do this. She could fight by her parents' side like she had always dreamed. Magic power or not, she could fight and she could win.

"You alright there, kiddo?" Natsu asked Serafine.

Serafine nodded with a confident grin. "Yeah. Guess I'm just getting excited, too."

Mira's brow crinkled. She knew her daughter well enough to know when she was excited and when she was frightened. And the expression she was making was clearly a mask to hide the latter. "You know, you don't have to fight with us if you don't want to. It's not too late to change your mind."

Serafine shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. You guys have confidence in me, right? That means that everything will be fine."

"You're right. We have complete faith in you," Mira said brightly. "If you're sure it's what you want then I won't try to change your mind. Just promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

"I will be," Serafine promised. She then noticed out of the corner of her eye Lucius walking towards a crate of supplies. "I'll be right back!" she said as she ran towards the boy.

Natsu lifted an eyebrow. "Where's she going?"

Mira giggled. "Who knows?"

Serafine slowed until she was behind Lucius. She tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to face her with a smile. Her eyes immediately scanned him. The first thing that she noticed was that he wasn't wearing his normal clothes. Instead, he was wearing a sleeveless black shirt underneath light armor that covered his torso. There were also two light shin guards on his legs. His thin yet strong arms were completely exposed.

The second thing she noticed was that his thick black hair that was usually wild and untidy was pulled back into a messy ponytail. There were a couple stray locks here and there, so she could only assume that he wasn't wearing it that way as a fashion choice.

The last thing she noticed was that his new weapon—the wind cannon—was strapped securely to his back. She still couldn't believe that he was going to fight with something so huge. Wasn't it going to wear him out quickly? She pushed the thought out of her mind and waved her hand. "Hey there. You look like quite the soldier."

Lucius's cheeks flushed as he laughed. "Thanks. I kind of feel like one. So you ready? We'll be moving out any minute now."

Serafine nodded. She put a big smile on her face and gave a thumbs up. "Yup. I'm ready!"

Lucius's smile faded slightly. Serafine's eyes were flickering. Her hand was shaking slightly. The corners of her mouth twitched. They were faint signs, barely noticeable in fact, but he picked up on them. He could tell that she was trying her best to be brave like her parents, but she was clearly nervous about fighting.

And in all honesty, he was, too. His heart was beating harder than it ever had before. But how could he not feel that way? He knew all too well what the Capital was capable of. He knew how ruthless and cruel they were. He couldn't help picturing scenarios where White Wing was wiped out and it terrified him.

But there was something about seeing Serafine look this way that made him feel sick. He couldn't bear it. He wanted to see her smile her usual smile, not this fake smile she was showing now. He reached out and took her shaking hand. "Serafine…"

Serafine's body went rigid and her face turned bright red. "What are you doing?" she hissed. Her voice was a much higher octave than it usually was.

"Listen…there's something I want to tell you."

Serafine's heart was beating even faster, which she didn't think was possible. "Wh…What is it?"

Lucius looked deep into her eyes. "There's really only one way to say this, so here goes…you have something in your teeth."

Serafine's eyes went blank. "Heh?"

Lucius burst out laughing. "Wow, you should see the look on your face! It's too priceless!" He hunched over, clutching his stomach. "I can't breathe!"

Serafine grinded her teeth together, a tick mark on her forehead. "Why you…you don't say something like that to a girl!"

"I'm sorry, I was just kidding! There's nothing there!"

"I don't care! You're such a jerk!"

Mira could hear the conversation from her seat. She smiled warmly at the young boy who was clutching his stomach, having his shoulder gently beaten by an irritated Serafine. 'I see. He's trying to tease her to take her mind off of her nerves. He truly has a kind heart. You're a lucky girl, Serafine. He clearly cares a lot for you.'

Brac stared up at the roof of the Tunnel. He could see the loose dirt that had been packed into the small opening his fellow freedom fighters had created. He smiled, took a deep breath, and looked back down at the members of White Wing that had gathered around him. He lifted his magic tool over his head. "There's nothing else to say. I hope you're all prepared because it gets real now." The crowd in front of him gave a silent nod. Some gripped their weapons a little tighter. Others—namely Natsu—were bouncing like a caged puppy waiting to be let out to play. Brac raised his magic tool a little higher until the tip of the tool was pressed against the dirt. He gripped down on the handle, there was an audible click, and the dirt was blown away into the air. The faint rays from the early morning sun poured inside, gently touching everyone's faces. A wide grin broke onto Brac's face. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's raise some hell!"