Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 52: Scrambling About

I wanted to start off the next arc right away, but it seems like a drain of energy to go from one big arc right into the next without any pause whatsoever. So that's why we got this one.

It'll be short and hopefully the next one comes out soon.

########Hunter########

"You're sure it was Jellal? I mean you finished holding off Mahiro and might have just seen-"

"It was Jellal. Blue hair. Tattoo over his eye. And when he looked at me I knew he recognized me. Like he knew me." Erza said as Naruto continued to look at her in total disbelief. Before he could ask again she nodded, "It was Jellal. I promise."

The blond man still had difficulty even trying to comprehend what he was being told. He looked to the side and could hear the lower floor of the guild still talking loudly and being their normal rowdy selves. Even though the second level was rather empty the couple had to have their discussion in the corner where they could hear each other. With a hefty sigh Naruto ran his hand down his face in disbelief. He shook his head, "He...he was so close. This whole time. I-I thought I would notice his magic, or even recognize his voice."

"He masked it somehow." Erza said, her voice low and her expression complicated as she tried to make sense of the craziness she had witnessed firsthand. The usually scrupulous redhead looked perturbed, just as confused by what she had seen as Naruto when she told him her story, "I asked Master what he knew about Mystogan once he had recovered well enough. He told me he never knew what he looked like underneath the mask and accepted him into the guild because someone asked him for a favor."

"A favor? Seriously? Who could ask him to do that?" Erza shrugged her shoulders and he sighed in defeat, "And seriously how can he be a part of this guild all this time? He was in the Magic Council. He was recreating the Tower of Heaven. I-I thought I..." Naruto paused for a moment, reliving the memory of fighting one of his oldest friends to the death and sending him flying down to his doom in an exploding magic tower. He cleared his throat and looked to Erza for clarity, "How could he be in all these places at once?"

"He said he wasn't Jellal. I know that's a rather pointless point to bring up now after everything we've discussed but then he said he wasn't the man I knew." Erza shook her head, "I just don't know."

"Well then we gotta ask." Naruto stood up from his seat and headed for the stairs, "We meet Jiji-"

"Naruto!" Before he could head downstairs a booming voice echoed through the hall. A pair of hands gripped the bannister and pulled themselves up to reveal Natsu with a panicked look on his face before he charged the blond. The pink-haired Mage grabbed him by the collar and started shaking him wildly, "Laxus wasn't really a Dragon Slayer right?! There's no way he was taught by a dragon! No way! No way!"

"N-N-N-Natsu! S-S-S-Stop - STOP SHAKING ME!" Naruto grabbed his friend by the shoulders and tossed him across the room into another table. A few other people came up the stairs to see the commotion while Naruto fixed his clothes and frowned at the moaning Fire Mage. Natsu popped up on his feet as Naruto scowled, "What's wrong with you?! Jiji told you Laxus had a Lacrima in his body that let him use that magic! What do you want from me?!"

"It can't just be a Lacrima! There has to be more about him that told you he was a Dragon Slayer!" Natsu waved his arms, "Wasn't there something else?! Like did he eat lightning like I eat fire?! Was he looking for dragons?!"

"No Natsu, none of that. There wasn't time to talk about dragons and there weren't any bolts of lightning for him to munch on. If you want to know if he was really a Dragon Slayer, I can tell you about the part where he used a Roar, his skin turned into scales, and he started hitting me. It really fucking hurt. I'm still not convinced my nose is straight yet."

"What are you talking about? It's fine." Erza said with a smile.

"Yep, all good." Gray agreed.

"You look awesome!" Lucy cheered.

"She's right you do!"

"Perfect!"

"Looking good!"

"I want you all to say that again but this time look me in the eyes."

...

No one had the strength. The blond frowned as they shied away, "That's what I thought."

"Besides all that stuff! There's one really important thing to tell if he was a Dragon Slayer!"

"How is all the shit I just listed off not enough to convince you?!"

"Because if he was a real Dragon Slayer..." Natsu ran up to Naruto and looked him straight in the eyes before whispering, "Then he would have a cat."

Happy dropped down out of nowhere with the same serious expression on his face as Natsu, "Aye sir."

"Are you fucking serious?"

"That's not a thing!" Out of nowhere Gajeel came running up the stairs to the second floor and sprinted over to join the conversation. The black-haired man stood over his fellow Dragon Slayer with fury in his eyes and growled through grit teeth, "You're not gonna go around convincing everybody that having a cat is part of being a Dragon Slayer! We're the most badass, awesome Mages ever - some more than others - me in particular more than you or Thunderhead! We don't have to be defined on whether we got some rambling fleabag on our shoulders to annoy everyone else!"

"We totally do!" Natsu returned Gajeel's ire in full and pointed to himself, "And it's not just me and Happy! Naruto told me he met other Dragon Slayers with cats! Tell him, Naruto!"

"What shit are you making up, Hunter?!"

"I am Naruto Uzumaki! I disappear and take all the fish I can take! Fear me!"

The other Mages just stared blankly at the blue cat standing on top of a table with a yellow handkerchief tied around his head and draped in a black blanket for clothing. When everyone just looked at him in silence, Happy looked around and shrugged, "I don't know when he dressed me up but I just felt like I needed to get into character."

"See! It's stupid shit like that why I refuse to believe Dragon Slayers need cats!"

"You calling Happy stupid!"

"Ain't that pretty obvious by now?!"

Erza sighed and shook her head as she walked past the two Dragon Slayers butting heads. She made her way through the crowd and headed back downstairs to find her boyfriend sitting at the bar away from the commotion before he was sucked into it. He was trying to cheer up Koyuki as she took the seat next to him, "I can't believe you thought that trick would work twice."

"It hasn't even worked in once."

"One of these days I'm going to have to practice how to do that too. May come in handy."

"It's actually a lot easier than it looks. You'd get it in a day." He didn't turn away from the glum looking girl and tried his best to cheer her up with a smile, "C'mon Koyuki, please cheer up. You know she's gonna come back soon, right?"

"I miss Mama." The little Senju mumbled sadly before looking up at her brother and sister with a devastating expression, "Why'd she have to go so soon?"

"Because the Council called her back, and your mother still had a lot of bad people she wanted to stop." Erza said softly while rubbing a hand through the younger girl's hair. It did little to make the situation better but the little girl did close her eyes as she appreciated the loving gesture the redhead gave her.

Mahiro had been called back by the Council as it started its reformation process after what happened during Siegrain and Ultear's betrayal. One day one of the messengers appeared in the guild and delivered a summons to the blonde Rune Knight. They wanted her back as a captain to lead a new unit. When that was announced the whole guild gave their goodbyes to their friend. Natsu challenged her to another fight but she casually slapped him aside in a single move.

But Koyuki was devastated, tearing up and sobbing as she hugged her mother tightly and refused to let go. It took a lot of time to finally detach the sad little toddler from her mother and say goodbye. Since then the little Senju had been sad and her caretakers were doing their best to cheer her up.

"Here Koyuki, have some milk." The drink was placed beside the little girl as she started to slurp it up and Mira ruffled her hair. The barmaid leaned down and gave the little girl an empathetic smile, "You know your mommy loves you dearly, right? And she loves spending her time with you just like you love spending time with her. But she has a duty to help people. And you know she does her job the best, right?" Koyuki nodded her head, "So you have to be strong and wait for her to come back and see you, okay? Can you do that for her, and your brother and sister?"

"Y-Yeah, I can do that." Koyuki gave a small nod, "I'll be strong for them, Mira-neechan."

"I knew you could." Mira kissed the younger girl on the head and smiled proudly at her before turning to her friends, "She just needs a little more time."

"No rush." Erza pulled the little girl in and let her sit in her lap as she comforted her lovingly, "We'll be here waiting for Mahiro to return. When we do we can go out camping or something." Koyuki perked up at the promise of the outing together as a family. Erza smiled and patted her head before looking up at her friend, "Mira, have you seen Master around? We have something we need to ask him."

"He's in the back at the moment. He's talking with Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen right now though so you'll have to wait your turn." Mira tilted her head, "What is it you wanted to ask?"

"It's something to do with Mystogan."

"Mystogan?" Mira inquired, "I haven't heard anything from him since the incident with Laxus. He hasn't come back to the guild or contacted Master as far as I'm aware. Why the sudden interest?"

"We think he's connected to a friend of ours. And we'd like Master to clarify."

As if he had been summoned, the back room opened up and Makarov came waddling out with the three Raijinshū following behind him. The wrinkly old man sighed and ran a hand down his face before groaning, "For the last time, I accept you apologies. Despite Laxus' rather rough exterior he can be quite..." The Wizard Saint paused before he could say persuasive or charming or charismatic as he thought back to just who his grandson was. With a grimace he looked back at the Mages, "On second thought, maybe you three should consider reevaluating just how easily and susceptible you might be to following anyone that shows you the slightest bit of attention."

"Thank you for your mercy, Master. I promise, in Laxus' name and in the name of the guild, we shall not disappoint you."

"Yeah, okay, no worries. Just focus on recovering from..." Makarov shivered, "Seriously Freed, I understand the sentiment but it just doesn't suit you."

Freed blinked in confusion before looking over to see Naruto, Erza, Mirajane, and Koyuki all staring at him in silence. He fixed his collar, "What is it? Is there a reason your staring? Is there something on my head?"

"Yep, a headful of moss." Naruto answered, quirking a brow, "Or maybe shaven grass?"

Erza shook her head, "I'm not sure it looks like the hairs on top of an avocado."

"Oh, I think it looks like a bowl of peas was tipped over on his head." Mira chimed in cheerfully.

"Hahaha, peas, peas!" Koyuki finally cracked a smile and clapped gleefully while the green-haired man frowned, "Freed-niichan looks so silly!"

"I'll have you know I did this as penance for the actions we took against the rest of the guild. The Master wouldn't excommunicate us or punish us outside of certain job restrictions, so I took it upon myself to take my punishment as well." He ran a hand through his newly buzzed haircut and continued to hold himself up cordially, "It is only the first step in how we wish to repay our debt to the guild."

"Other ways to do that then making yourself look like the captain of thugs." Naruto said with a chuckle, "Why don't you just pay us with money? Or I'd totally be fine with you buying me all the meals I want. Erza did that with Natsu and it all worked out, right?"

"All the money from the contest in one go." Erza said with a sigh, "Goodness he can eat."

"Ah, what's wrong? The mighty, unflappable Erza moping over money loss." Evergreen laughed haughtily with a hand to her mouth, "Watch yourself Erza, or I might just sweep in at a moment of weakness."

"You can come any time you wish, Evergreen. I'll be here waiting for you to make a move. Just know I might not be as understanding and merciful as I was earlier if it is just a spar. I can be much more harsh and critical during those."

Evergreen actually shrunk back at the casual way Erza so effectively terrified her. Even as the brunette skirted away, Bickslow tried to cover his mouth and smother his laughter but spectacularly failed. As the Raijinshū started to falter and argue amongst themselves, Makarov jumped up and plopped down in his favorite spot on the counter. He sighed when he heard the commotion upstairs and looked towards his S-Class Mages, "What's going on up there? I was only gone for a minute."

"Natsu and Gajeel are having a very heated debate about Dragon Slayers and whether they should have cats." The barmaid informed him while pouring the old man a drink and leaving it at his side. He thanked her and she smiled before going back to tending the bar, "It's actually a very intriguing argument to listen to."

"WE HAVE CATS!"

"FUCK OFF!"

"Yeah I bet. What about you two? Also trying to get away from the madness?"

"Actually Master, there was something we wished to discuss with you." Erza turned to the old man with a focused expression on her face, "We wanted to ask you about Mystogan."

Makarov sighed and downed a good portion of his drink before dropping the mug back on the counter. He wiped his mouth before looking up at the two Mages with a shrug of his shoulders, "I know what he means to you both, but unfortunately I don't know anything more than what I told you before. I was asked to take him in, and I decided to do that. I don't know where he is. I don't know his name. And I don't know why he looks so similar to your friend."

"We know, Jiji. But we gotta ask," Naruto turned to him, "Who asked you to take him in?"

"You aren't gonna like the answer."

The two just stared at him with anticipation in their eyes.

"It's the crabbiness, angriest, most spiteful creature in existence."

"W-Who?"

"Well she's the one who usually deals with how injuries."

...

Naruto's eyes widened, "Oh no."

########Hunter########

Naruto took a deep breath and quelled the anxiety and worry in his stomach. He had faced hordes of evil doers. He had bested monsters. He had defeated men that make monsters look harmless by comparison. He could do this.

He gently scraped his knuckle against the wood-

"I don't think she's here. You wanna try?"

"Really?" Naruto had made it perfectly clear he wasn't gonna be the center of attention for the crabby old woman's ire. She stepped up in his stead and rapped her gauntlet on the wooden doorway, "Porlyusica-San, are you in there? We have something we wish to discuss with you if it's not too much trouble."

The door swung open to reveal the scowl on the old pink-haired woman's face, "It is."

"C-C'mon, Baa-chan, it'll be real quick." Naruto swung his foot out on reflex and stopped the door from being slammed in their faces. He flinched at the ache in his foot before she opened the door up again to scowl at them, "Gonna take a lot more than that to send us away."

"Very well."

Porlyusica grabbed the door with both hands and started slamming it into his foot over and over again. He refused to pull it back but his expression twisted in pain and the whiskered man grit his cheek to power through it. His body slouched over more and more as the two continued their battle of wills before Erza coughed into her hand. The pink-haired healer halted her slamming and looked over to the armored Mage as she fixed a strand of stray hair out of her eye, "I'm deeply sorry for bothering you Porlyusica-San, but this is something we can't wait to discuss. It's about Mystogan, the other S-Class Mage from the guild. Master told us you were the one that ask if he could be accepted into the guild."

Porlyusica's frown deepened, her displeasure at having to entertain or interact with others clearly being translated to her two visitors. But Erza remained firm and unyielding in where she stood. The pink-haired woman sighed and finally opened the door before walking back into her home, "Don't touch anything."

"Thank you." Erza bowed, thanking the woman for her invitation despite her not even looking back. The redhead reached down and grabbed her boyfriend's collar and lifted him up, "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, yeah I can stand." He hissed, "I just don't wanna take off my boot because I'm pretty sure it's black and blue under there."

"Oh I don't want to hear you griping! Not after all the things you've had to live through!" The old woman barked and pointed at the younger man accusingly, "I've had to tape you up and stitch you back together from worse than a slightly bruised toe!"

"Slightly?!"

"Plus I just finished working with you! I fixed your ribs and your nose!"

"I'm not so sure about that second one, Baa-chan!"

The old woman narrowed her eyes and tilted her head curiously. She hummed and headed back to her station before searching through her tools, "You might be right. I probably set something improperly. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to set it back."

She pulled out a big hammer.

Naruto immediately paled and Erza immediately slipped in front of him before things escalated. She snatched the hammer out of the medical advisor's hand and then turned around to chop her lover in the head, "Don't antagonize her." She dropped the tool to the side, "Porlyusica-San, you found Mystogan somewhere, didn't you? And you brought him to the guild and asked Master to take him in, correct?" The older woman stared silently before nodding, "Do you know who he really is?"

"Why does it matter who he is?"

"He looks like someone we know." Naruto spoke up, "Someone we didnt think we would see again."

"And who might that be?"

"A man called Jellal Fernandes. He was the man that posed as the Wizard Saint and member of the Magic Council Siegrain." Erza sighed, "He was the one at the center of the Tower of Heaven conflict not too long ago. The man we once called friend. The man that tried to use us to fulfill his goal."

"And so if Mystogan does look so much like your former friend, what are you going to do if you find him?" Porlyusica looked between the couple critically after asking her question. They looked conflicted by the point that she raised before her frowned deepened, "Do you hope to reignite the friendship you shared with your fallen comrade? Or might you wish to complete some unfinished business you have lingering with you?"

"We aren't gonna hurt him." Naruto spoke up, annoyed that the old woman would even suggest something like that as he scowled, "But he can't just look like Jellal by coincidence! No way! We have to know why! Where did he come from?!"

"I found him. Exhausted and collapsed in the ground, nearly delirious. I helped him recover and sent him on his way to Fairy Tail when he was. It's a place runaways and strays can find a home and be safe. I'd thought you would understand that better than anybody." Naruto's face shifted into one of guilt before she continued, "He's like you. He's not from this place."

The two Fairies shared a look of shock before Erza asked, "What do you mean by that? You mean like how Naruto comes from the same place as Mahiro's mother and Hashirama-San?"

"Is Mystogan from the same place as me?"

"He's not from here, but he's not from the place you came from either." Porlyusica saw a swirl of emotion cross Naruto's face in an instant. Surprise and concern and relief and disappointment all appeared and vanished from his face in an instant and just left the poor man in confusion before the healer explained, "There's more than just one world that can interact with ours. And Mystogan came here from another one." The younger duo looked astonished by what she told them, and they shared a look of disbelief before Porlyusica stepped up to her work station and fixed her potions, "His name, why he's here, and why he looks like your friend is something you need to ask him yourself. I doubt he will, he's always been the secretive and personal type. But if the day comes where you find him and can ask him those questions..."

"Baa-chan?"

"Look you two," The woman finally turned back to face them after giving a weary sigh, "If the day comes where he does tell you everything, then you'll know you're in danger. So be prepared. Get your guild prepared. Just get ready for anything that might come your way. Do you understand?"

Erza and Naruto shared a look from her warning before they smiled. Erza stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully to the older woman, "Thank you for telling us about Mystogan, Porlyusica-San, and thank you for the warning. But it seems rather redundant to tell us that. Telling Fairy Tail to be prepared for danger..."

Naruto chuckled, "It's like telling us to be ready everyday for the rest of our lives."

########Hunter########

Makarov sighed while seated on the top of his desk in his back room. He stared down at the Visual Lacrima glowing just in front of him and scratched his temple, "So you all have noticed movement in your areas?"

"It's awful, Makky-chan! All these surly, scary individuals are making their way through the roads and scaring off the people trying to make their way into town! Our guild has noticed a very steep drop in attendance! There used to be lines going all the way around buildings and the streets of the town! Now we only fill about a hundred! Oh, so terrible!"

"Quit your complaining you silly, confused old fool! Unlike you and your guild, we've been fulfilling our duties and attempting to help people that have required our assistance! If you take a moment to look at the requests coming your way, you'd probably see a massive increase in people calling for your help! Unfortunately all you've been able to do is kiss mirrors and indulge in your own failing beauty!"

"Ugh." Makarov massaged his temples as he heard his fellow guild masters argue and squabble between each other again. Well, squabble on one end, passively laugh and jeer the crabby old woman on from the other side. He looked back down at the Lacrima, "What about you, Master Roubal? You were the one that brought these movements to our attention."

"It's the same out here. Two of our youngest members spotted a group of Dark Mages snooping through our supplies and searching through the forest for something. I believe they're looking for something in the Woodsea, and if these guilds that have been gathering together really are a part of the Balam Alliance..."

"Then the Oración Seis have started to make their move." The arguments and bickering over the Lacrima slowly came to a halt to listen to what he said. The short old man crossed his arms in thought, "The Magic Council are still reconvening at the moment, so they won't be able to take action or send forces out to catch these groups until they are properly reassembled. If this matter is to be taken care of, it'll have to be by our hands."

"Are you suggesting an allegiance between our guilds without informing the Magic Council? My my, how cheeky of you Makky-chan~."

"You understand the ramifications if we get called in for this, right? Things will end very badly for our guilds."

"I know very well what will happen. Unlike most of you my guild is always on the short list for problems caused. I can probably recite an entire section of behavioral transgressions, recount the costs for damages to a whole town, and bring up all the apology letters I've written to towns you didn't even know existed." Makarov smirked, "But is that enough to dissuade you?"

"I don't believe so, Master Makarov. If this can assure the safety of others, then I am happy to join this allegiance."

"Oh Makky-chan, you know I'm always up for danger."

"Gah, you crotchety old geezers are going to ruin us! It's going to take my guild to pacify your foolishness and make sure things don't get out of hand! It only makes sense for the most capable guild to take control of the situation!"

"All right then. We can't let them know we're drawing too much attention to ourselves, so we won't send our entire guilds. Pick a group. Individuals you believe can work well together and stand up alone against the threat at hand. We'll contact each other again when we start making our move. Until then."

"It's gonna be a delight~."

"Talking with you fools always gives me an ulcer!"

"Let fortune favor us on this mission."

The Lacrima faded and the call ended. Makarov sighed and scratched his head, "Well, we're in this now. Better make it count."

########Hunter########

"An allegiance. And without the Council's permission. Oh, this reminds me of my days as a bad boy. Oh, good times." Bob bounced from his back office and walked into the center of his guild before placing a delicate hand on his cheek, "Now, just who can I pick to take care of this mission? Has to be a responsible and capable bunch."

The lights overhead dimmed and several spotlights flickered to focus on the center stage. The young men came sliding out onto stage, the trio dancing and doing small movements in perfect unison, proof of their countless hours of rehearsal. One handsome man spun on his feet and caused the female audience to swoon, "Hello all you lovely ladies out there. We thank you for taking the time out of your busy and important schedules to come down and visit us. We know you must be stressed from working so hard, so if there's anything we can do to ease your worry, don't hesitate to tell us."

"We're here to help, hand and foot, however you need," The youngest man smiled and the girls squealed, "I wanna do whatever I can to make my Nee-Sans happier."

"I guess we'll have to help, but not like we're gonna go out of our way to do it." The other tall boy reluctantly agreed to the amusement and giggles of the crowd, "Stop laughing, I'm not doing this for you girls."

"But of course no evening would be complete without the man himself! Our boss!"

"Our leader!"

"Our big bro himself!"

With no more introduction needed, the man of the hour came gracefully falling down from the ceiling. Unfortunately his foot slipped at the last moment and he fell face-first into the stage. The whole guild went silent as they waited for some sign that he was okay.

Thankfully he bounced back up to his feet and winked despite his bruised and bloodied nose, "Have you all been waiting long?" The crowd cheered and he basked in the appreciation before nodding, "Yes my dears, times are tough, and days are long. But you know what that means right? More time we get to spend with all you beauties. Give us a call, give us a ring, and the Mages of Blue Pegasus will come to wait on your every beck and call! For what are we?"

"MEEEEEEENNNNNN~!"

"That's right."

Bob chuckled, "Looks like I found mine."

########Hunter########

"You're going on the mission, so I expect you to lead them to the best of your ability and prove just how much better Lamia Scale Mages are!"

"I'm sure the objective of this mission is far more important than that, Ooba-sama, but I will still do my best." The large figure graciously nodded his head, "Thank you for picking me for this assignment. I wish to do whatever I can to defeat the evil forces that plague this country and threaten the masses."

"You better beat them! We're all coming together without permission here, and it'll be much less annoying to deal with this matter if we actually take out one of the cornerstones of the Balam Alliance along the way! We have no tolerance for failure in this part, got it!"

"Of course."

"Good!" The wrinkly old woman continued to scowl and spin around to look out over her guild and inspect its many members for their mission, "Hmm, now who can we use to help this job move on smoothly?"

"Who are you thinking, Ooba-sama?"

"We need skill, resource, and strength to back you up! Cover all bases of the team so that if this whole job falls on us, we can handle it!"

"Well, recently a few of our old members returned to the guild. I think a few of them might be quite practical to join this effort. And the new lad they brought as well, he is quite exceptional for his age. I'm certain he would be a great asset. As for strength-"

"TOBY, I FOUND YOUR OTHER SOCK! IT WAS STUCK IN MY JOINT! I THINK IT GOT IN THERE WHEN I SAT DOWN! NO, IN THOSE SEATS I ACCIDENTALLY CRUSHED! I DON'T KNOW, DON'T LEAVE THINGS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR UNATTENDED WHERE MY HUGE BUTT CAN REACH THEM! CAUSE THEY'LL USUALLY GET SMUSHED!"

...

"H-He certainly fills the strength requirement, but weren't we going for something a little more clandestine?"

"We're Lamia Scale! Fairy Tail isn't the only one that gets to throw away subtlety just to show off!"

########Hunter########

This was it. It was finally happening. A force was making their way into the Woodsea and attempting to find the weapon buried under its soil. If they were successful, and they unearthed what had been hidden there for so many years. If it was unleashed upon the world...

What did he expect? Did he really think sitting here and waiting for the stories and rumors to drift into myths and legends was enough for that abomination to actually disappear? It was never a question of if that weapon was found, but instead when it would be looked for.

And by a Dark Guild. A powerful one. One of the leaders of the Balam Alliance. The damages they could cause with a weapon like that in their control was unfathomable. The very world could be in jeopardy.

That he had to entrust the security of the weapon to other people completely unrelated to the matter at hand filled him with more regret and guilt than he could stomach. But capable warriors were needed to stop this threat from going any further, so he had to power through.

But the worst part was that he needed his guild to be a part of the effort too. And there was only one pair in the whole guild that could actually be of use for the other guilds. But that meant...

"Hello? Master? Did you call for us?"

"Can we make this quick? We were just in the middle of supper."

The old man sighed and looked up as the two girls took a seat across from him. One had her perpetual frown sunken in her face, and the other looked as nervous and worried as she always did. He lowered his shoulders and looked between them, "I have a very special job for the two of you to take."

"A-A special job?"

"Is that such a good idea, Master? If there's anymore surprises like the one we had checking up on the food, I'd have to decline."

"C-Carla, don't be rude!"

"I'm just speaking the truth."

"You are. And this job I'm asking you to take is one that I cannot lie to you about. It will be dangerous. There will be foes of great power for you to face." He could see the trepidation in their eyes, "But thankfully you won't have to take it alone. You both shall work with a team."

"A-A team?"

########Omake: The Secret Arts of Love########

"Please, Juvia begs for you to give her a chance to learn your secrets! H-Her skills have faded as of late, and she fears that if she doesn't push herself further then she'll never be able to keep up. So with your years of skill, wisdom, and experience, can you please teach Juvia your techniques."

"Ninjutsu is the art of stealth and hiding in the shadows. In ancient times it was used in silent assassination, snuffing out the lives of politicians and powerful figures to either instigate or prevent wars from happening. I use it to hide in shadows, sneak up on my enemies, and learn what I can without them knowing. And I'm not gonna teach any of that to you because I'm 95% sure you'll use it to spy on Gray!"

Naruto looked down at the begging Water Mage challengingly as Juvia sweated under his scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes dipped to the side and she mumbled, "T-That's not true at all. What are you talking about, Naruto-San? Juvia would never do that."

"Look me in the eyes and say that."

She couldn't.

"That's what I thought." The blond crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow, "And why exactly did you think I was gonna teach you any of this stuff to begin with?!"

"J-Juvia asked Erza-San for assistance, considering she confessed to her love and Juvia has been struggling with hers! A-And she said that you could help Juvia understand her target better if you taught Juvia your skills! No, she said you would do it f-for love!" Juvia clasped her hands together and begged, "Please, Naruto-San! Will you help Juvia for the purpose of love!"

Naruto scowled and shook in place before clicking his teeth. He knew from the stories his friends had told him that Juvia was a formidable and dangerous Mage in the heat of battle, yet she looked up at him with pleading eyes and a whimpering expression that could put Erza and Koyuki to shame. He growled, "Dammit Erza! She knows I love love!" The whiskered Mage sighed, and Juvia realized that she had somehow gotten the chance she had begged for as he stood up, "Alright, I'll teach you what I know."

"Thank you! Oh thank you, Naruto-San!"

"Don't get too excited. This'll be hard work, you got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good. I'm gonna teach you all the tricks and skills I've learned over the years. Don't expect to be finished or have any breaks for a long time! It's gonna take months to get even the basics down! Think you can handle it?!"

"Yes sir!"

"Then let's get started!"

One Week Later

Gray felt a shiver down his back as he sat in the center of the guild. He had been on edge all week. Paranoia settled firmly in his brain. He had been seeing shadows in the corner of his eyes. Felt like he had been watched every hour of every day. He even found clothes lying in the street neatly folded and pressed just when he had realized he had accidentally stripped.

He was going crazy. He was losing his mind. He needed to calm down. He shook his head and picked up a fry from his meal before throwing it in his mouth. He swallowed and grimaced as he realized they needed more salt-

"Here."

"Thanks." He took the salt shaker from over his shoulder and sprinkled it over his meal. He tried it out and hummed in content as they were now perfect with the help of some...

...

Gray slowly turned around to see a curvy figure completely clad in a black shozoku. The mysterious figure bowed her head, "Greeting Gray-sama, Juvnin, Juvnin."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Wait Gray-sama!" Juvia threw smoke pellets at her feet and started disappearing and reappearing behind Gray as he sprinted down the street.

"Young love." Erza said with a giggle before nudging her pouting lover, "I thought it was going to take months to teach her."

"Some people pick it up faster than others. Took me tons of blood and sweat but whatever. Let her have her fun. Doesn't bother me. Not one bit."

It bothered him a bit.

To be fair, Juvia was a lot more motivated than he was.

"Accept my ninja love, Gray-sama! Juvnin, Juvnin!"

########Hunter########

Done

So, the next chapter is the start of the next big arc. And oh man am I excited. I've been looking forward to reaching this point since I conceived of this story. It's gonna be amazing.

Also, if someone can PM me a good translation website, I'd appreciate it. For the next few chapters I really don't wanna rely solely on Google Translate.

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