Author's note

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello everyone I'm back!

Okay I know I said I would have this out by Christmas and I'm sorry to have missed that deadline but I was working on a few things one of them being a total re-read of this story and conducting edits. Nothing major just grammar errors or maybe adding a line or two to help with dialogue flow. There were however a few notable edits and one major change. All of them were in the latter half of part 3 (Chapters 28-32) Some of them were smaller reworks like Elfman's dream sequence with the beast, and Kinzo's conversation with Ultear at the very end of chapter 33. One of them was an added scene of Loke deciding to follow Lucy and Reedus as they fled Phantom Lord but all of those are pretty minor.

The one major change THAT WILL BE VERY PLOT RELEVANT IN THE FUTURE occurred in chapter 32. Natsu Vs. Gajeel was completely reworked, and I'm very interested to see what you guys think of it.

Alright well I've kept you waiting long enough. without further adu here is chapter 34 and the first installment of part 4.


The Greyhound Part 4: A Place to Lay His Head

"Great Work Everyone, the foundation is nearly finished. Soon we'll be able to start setting up the framework."

Those words came from Magnolia's resident Re-Quip knight, and disciplinarian, as she marched around what would soon be the limits of a new structure.

Erza was very happy with how things were coming along. The new guildhall would be done within the month without any issues.

Smiling to herself she set down the bags of cement she'd been carrying and decided it was time for a quick breather.

"Alright let's take a 10-minute break and then get back to it." She hollered before watching as her guild mates dispersed.

It had only been 4 days since the war with Phantom had ended and the guild's new foundation was already laid. They'd explained the situation to Magnolia's mayor and the council, both of which were being very helpful.

The council was willing to finance the construction of a new building in exchange for not reporting the incident to the public. Apparently, it didn't look good to have two guilds both headed by wizard saints fighting.

And Magnolia's mayor was sympathetic to Fairy Tail generally so he pulled some strings and convinced the local blacksmith and lumber yard to supply materials at a reduced price.

It was all coming together nicely and things would only be moving faster from here.

"Uhhh this is ruff, manual labor isn't really my thing you know." Said the voice of Lucy coming to stand next to her.

"Oh come on Luce it's not that bad, just think of it as training." Said Natsu trying to console the girl.

"That doesn't make me feel any better. This is much more you and Gray's thing."

The lighthearted chatter brought a smile to the redhead's face. This was what things should be like around here. Hard Work, playful banter, and friends all around.

She was especially happy to see these two acting normally again.

Lucy had been clearly shaken up after the incident, which was to be expected but now she was engaging with her guild mates again as if nothing had happened which was a clear improvement. And Natsu, well she wasn't even sure where to start with Natsu.

When she'd found him after the fight with Phantom was over he was in obvious distress, not physically but mentally, and she couldn't find out why. Whenever she questioned the boy he would just say he was fine, even though he was obviously being haunted by something. In the end, all she could end up finding out was that he'd beaten Gajeel Redfox without too much trouble, but something about the fight was bothering him.

Though with how he was acting now she may not have needed to worry about it at all, the boy seemed fine.

Yes, this was how things at Fairy Tail were supposed to be, but sadly it hadn't been like this for some time.

Recently there had been a lot of strife, and insults. The situations causing them to either fight for their lives or fight among themselves.

Most of that change or at least a good portion of the stress surrounding those situations could be attributed to one person.

Kinzo.

That boy had made her life unnecessarily difficult for the first week or so she'd known him (and she'd barely known him for 2 at this point), but recently that had changed.

He had stepped up and helped her guild survive Phantom Lord's attack despite their differences.

Apparently, he'd helped Elfman gain control of his Beast form, which was made even more significant when she was told that the Take-over mage was about to hurt Mira in his enraged state. So after effectively saving his sister the younger Strauss was constantly shouting about how MANLY his savior was.

It was starting to get annoying actually and she'd asked for the beast mage to stop herself on several occasions… unsuccessfully. Even so, she couldn't really fault the man for being grateful. Especially when she was just as thankful for the rogue's interference.

Jose Porla was about to kill her, but he stepped in. Kinzo saved her, and as much as they butted heads. As much as she disliked him… it was hard to be resentful toward someone who'd risked their own life to help her.

Especially when he still had injuries from the incident.

His arm hadn't completely healed yet. He'd used the last of his potion on it but there wasn't enough to completely mend the gnarled limb. So he still had to use the sling and a cast for the foreseeable future. But she'd also overheard Master talking with the boy about visiting Porlyusica to speed up his recovery and seeing about making more of that miracle drug.

But even knowing he would be getting some help she still wanted to talk to him. She wanted to say thank you properly, and to address their differences.

Make no mistake she still thought that much of his conduct was horrid. He was violent and unnecessarily harsh with the people around him (And he might have seduced a councilwoman, she still wasn't sure).

She didn't like him, but she was willing to be civil and talk things out. He'd risked himself and she wanted to better understand why. And perhaps, if they could find some common ground, they might actually be capable of acting friendly with each other.

But she couldn't do that right now. She was far too busy with building the guildhall, and listening to Lucy complain.

"Honestly, I'm just tired in general. That mess with Eizenwald, Galuna island, and Phantom Lord back to back is way more than I was ready to deal with.

"Ya that was quite a bit thrown at us all at once wasn't it." Natsu chuckled while thinking about how crazy the last couple of weeks had been.

"Yes it was.." the blonde agreed with a resentful tone. "... Honestly I'm ready for this break."

Quickly her eyes widened as if remembering something.

"Oh right Erza, that's what I wanted to ask you. Are we still on for this hot spring trip tomorrow?"

The Knight couldn't stop a smile from growing, as she answered. "Yes, Gray and I are both packed, and if the two of you are ready then everyone should be good to go."

"Great!" the spirit mage responded, before pulling out their tickets. Though if one were to actually count them there were 5 instead of just 4. That reality also seemed to jog Lucy's mind.

"Hey, have you guys managed to find Loke yet?" she asked. "I've been trying to find him to see if he wants to go but…"

It had been days since anyone had seen the playboy, he had seemingly fallen off the face of the planet. The whole guild was worried about him, but none more so than Ms. Lucy Heartfillia.

She had to watch as Gajeel toyed with the man, and had to watch as he was struck down while trying to save her.

She wanted to see him, to thank him, to make sure he was okay. But the boy was nowhere to be found.

Erza could only pity the girl in distress and only felt worse for the news she had to deliver. "Sorry Lucy, I haven't seen him." She revealed. "But I believe Gray said he saw him a couple of days ago headed toward the south side of town."

The girl's eyes lit up. She probably wouldn't be able to find him since the south side of town was where all the shops, stores, and even the hot spring resort itself was. There were just too many people there to be hunting down one person. But at least someone had seen him, hopefully that meant he was okay.

That was good but Erza's comment had her thinking about someone else too.

"Speaking of Gray, where is he anyway? I haven't seen him yet today… Don't tell me he's skipping out on work!" The blonde asked.

"No Lucy, he isn't skimping. Kinzo went off to Sakuramori Town to speak with someone. Gray took it upon himself to tag along. I think he's just worried about Kinzo being influenced by the wrong crowd." Erza revealed.

"Sakuramori town, who would he be visiting there?"


The 'town' was more of a city in all honesty. Its infrastructure was designed to handle tens of thousands of residents at a time along with the constant influx of new travelers coming in from the train station daily.

Needless to say there were always feet moving through the city streets, and even in the early morning bars were bustling

One bar in particular was the aim of two boys, who along with the masses were moving through those busy streets.

It wasn't much, just a wooden tavern with a basic design. It had a porch with hanging lanterns leading to the entrance and a sign that read 'Fortune's Secret' strung to the top of the door.

It was nothing special, but it was his target.

Kinzo moved up the stairs and through the open doorway with practiced ease. He'd spent plenty of time here when he first started out as a dark guild hunter. At least until he'd left Fiore all those years ago.

Gray followed behind at a more cautious pace. He wasn't afraid, he'd been to plenty of bars while out on jobs (especially when he went with Cana) which was exactly why he was being careful. You never know what to expect when walking into a place like this.

And indeed you cannot because once he stepped through the door an assault on his senses took place.

Before he entered it was quiet, but the second his feet crossed the line he understood why this place was called 'Fortunes Secret'.

Music blared from a piano in the corner, cushioned booths lined along the walls were filled with people making merry, and the long wooden bar was filled from end to end with every variety of strong drink.

Clearly some kind of spell had been put over the building. The inside was at least 3 times larger than it appeared on the outside.

Externally the 'tavern' seemed to be held together with tattered pieces of lumber but inside the wood was clearly high quality. Fitting together perfectly and stained a dark brown.

Candle-lit chandeliers hung from the ceiling and a large fireplace built into the wall acted as a notable centerpiece.

There was so much here and you would never have guessed by only seeing it from the outside.

Gray almost got lost seeing everything the tavern had to offer, thankfully his partner knew what he was looking for.

The bar was where Kinzo was headed, and it was where he followed.

The former assassin approached the Oak counter before finding an open seat toward the end, and calling out to the bartender.

"I hear fortune's around every corner in this city for anyone willing to look."

The employee approached, a man with parted brown hair and a thin mustache. Dressed in a fitted vest and black slacks he began to move until he was just across the counter.

He paused for a moment taking in his customer's appearance. Most notably the golden prosthetic eye and his right arm being held in a sling under his jacket.

The man wasn't surprised to see someone so young here. That was somewhat normal actually. No, what was rare was someone so young knowing what to say. He knew the first line but let's see how he responded to the second.

"Riches and fame are open to all, but they often outrun their pursuers."

The kid didn't miss a beat.

"I'm not worried, nothing runs faster than a Greyhound."

The bartender's eyes widened as he registered what was just said.

This kid, this not even 20 something…

was the Greyhound?

He could only chuckle at the absurdity. Even so he's seen stranger things come through those tavern doors.

The kid said everything right and so he let him pass. lifting up the bar door and saying "he's in the back."

Kinzo needed no further instruction. He only rose to his feet, quickly moving behind the bar and through a door heading to 'the back'.

Gray moved to follow but. "Not you, just him." The employee sounded, restricting his path.

Now that pissed him off. He took another step forward in protest, before actually voicing it.

"What but I came here wi-"

Sadly that was all he managed to squeak out before hearing.

"Gray it's alright, just wait out here it shouldn't take long."

Even Kinzo wanted him to stay out here it seemed.

The ice mage just stared at him for a moment, briefly glancing between him and the bartender before grumbling and taking his old seat at the bar.

Fine, he would wait here, clearly Kinzo had something important to take care of.

"Oh and Gray… don't cause any trouble while I'm gone." Came the call of his oh so annoying brother.

"Shut up and leave."

The assassin did just that.

"Who does he think he is 'don't cause any trouble' like I've never been to a bar before."

He knew the metal mage was just messing with him but still. He'd taken all day to travel here only for him to not be allowed to tag along. So the little comments were particularly irritating at the moment.

Even so after he finished ranting all the Fullbuster could do was sit and take in the scenery.

"Honestly, what trouble would I even get into?"

As those words left his mouth he looked over to see a waitress deliver drinks to a table. And one of its patrons getting more than a little handsy.

"Hey!" The woman cried out. Clearly unhappy with the gesture.

But the drunk man was very insistent.

"Come'er sweetie, le'me get a look at ya." He slurred while rising from his seat and reaching out to grab her yet again.

Gray was already on his feet.


Kinzo passed through the doorway and marched straight past the kitchen. He knew the door he was looking for. This place hadn't changed at all in 5 years.

And so opening the last door on his right he pressed on and once the door was open an all too familiar sight greeted him.

A large room with black carpet and pure white walls. A small couch and glass coffee table resting in the middle. Lacrima TV hanging from the wall, and a minibar set up in the corner. Seeing it all again almost had him feeling nostalgic.

But the one thing that really had his attention was the only other person in the room.

A man seated alone on the couch. Lit cigar in his mouth, and a glass of whisky in his hand.

Same as always.

The man took notice of his entrance and once he really saw who was there flashed a giant smile. He was on his feet a moment later. "Well I'll be damned, Kinzo Colt in the flesh."

The smile was returned with equal fervor as the two moved to embrace.

"Good to see you Daniel."

Yes indeed, Daniel Reen, the infamous information broker set up shop in Sakuramori town of all places. At a little-known bar on an easy-to-miss backstreet.

It was proof that humble appearances can hide incredible people.

But while his base of operations looked meek and lowly from the outside the man himself was anything but.

Standing 6'4 and weighing in at 240 lbs of solid muscle he was an imposing figure to say the least.

Dark skin covered his body, and while he had a thick beard around his chin the top of his head was completely Barren.

As they hugged the informant felt something tough pressing into him, and taking a step back to look he saw under the boy's jacket he was wearing a cast.

"The hell happened to you?" He asked with obvious concern and a little amusement.

The rogue almost looked away in embarrassment.

"Tried to fight a Wizard Saint… didn't go too well."

The man just stared at him before chuckling "heh hehehe, of course you did. And how's the other guy doing?"

"Double amputee."

*whistle*

"How'd it go down?" He asked. While gesturing to the couch where they both took a seat.

As they got comfortable Kinzo started his story. "My assassination attempt was botched by the girl I was trying to save and-"

And that's as far as he got before.

"Woah woah woah!" He was immediately stopped and questioned.

You-" came the large man's disbelieving voice as he pointed.

"-were trying to save a girl? …"

He knew where this was going, and he didn't want to deal with it but Daniel wasn't gonna let it go.

"Is my darling boy finally starting to take an interest in the opposite sex?" And there it was

A blank stare "why do I talk to you?"

All was quiet for just a moment, but Mr. Reen had no intentions of stopping.

"Oh come on boy how could I not be curious. I haven't heard anything about your love life since you mentioned that Dimaria girl from Alveraz."

"Uhh, don't even get me started with her." He complained while rubbing his temples. Just thinking about her made him want to steal the whiskey out of his older friend's hand.

"That bad huh? I remember you saying she was clingy but didn't think it got to you that much."

"Clingy ya… Try insanely possessive, and forward. We weren't even together and she had to be within arms reach of me at all times. It made escaping the country pretty difficult actually, considering her magic."

"Oh come on kid, is it so bad to be wanted by someone?"

"… we were 16 and she wanted k- … you know what I don't wanna talk about it."

He could only hold his head in irritation, just thinking about that girl made him uneasy.

Well, in reality, Dimaria was an 'acquaintance' and one that he didn't actually regret meeting. It was just that they parted on, complicated terms to say the least.

The first time they met it was in combat and he found her to be an exceptional opponent. She had technique and swordplay that matched his own, along with an incredible kind of magic. Magic that caught his eye.

He spent the better part of his year in Alveraz traveling with her and Brandish, flushing Griomore Heart out of their empire. And he enjoyed that year but sadly things changed the longer he was there.

Her magic, her incredible magic. It gave her control over one of the most fundamental parts of reality.

Time.

She had absolute control. She could stop the Earth from spinning at the drop of a hat. For her, the world would freeze, but she continued to move. On more than one occasion he had watched the girl slaughter entire dark guilds in the span of a half-second.

She was unbeatable.

But power like that comes at a price, and power like that always has a source.

Chronos.

The self-proclaimed "god of time" resided inside of her. In reality he was no god, only a dark spirit latching itself onto a human vessel.

Dimaria acted as his host and in exchange, he gave her access to his power. Their relationship was symbiotic… as long as Chronos wanted it to be.

But that's the thing about dealing with old 'gods'; they rarely care for their servants.

It was because of him, because Chronos wanted something from Kinzo, that Dimaria started to change.

Chronos came to him one night in a dream, and there he explained everything.

The old spirit revealed that in order to operate in this world he needed a host to house him and give him form. Centuries ago the old 'god' made a deal with a human family. Offer him one of their own as a host in every generation and he would give them strength beyond their wildest dreams.

The family accepted but only on the condition that Chronos would take hosts from their family alone and never leave them. He had no complaints.

So now the old god was bound to a single bloodline, and that bloodline, that family is the same one Dimaria traces her ancestry back to.

That was all well and good, until the lord of time decided he should start thinking about his next generation of hosts.

Dimaria was a powerful vessel, yes, but she was only human she would die eventually even if only of old age. Chronos needed other options when that time came, he needed safeguards, he needed heirs, he needed… children.

Dimaria would need to have children.

And for that she would need a partner, but not just anyone would do, no Chronos wanted powerful, capable, and smart heirs. So Dimaria's partner would need to have those qualities himself.

That's where he came in. Kinzo had… in a way, impressed the time 'god'. Impressed him to the point that the Spirit was adamant the Greyhound would be the one to help bring about his next set of hosts.

But what did Kinzo do to leave such an impression on the father of time, that he would attempt to force the prospect of children on him?

Simple. When time stood still, he could still move. Kinzo had found a way to move inside of Chronos' time and that was reason enough for the wannabe 'god' to try and claim him.

It was strange really, he had only been 16 at the time, but the 'diety' told him in no uncertain terms that he and Dimaria would be partners.

Obviously he objected, not that he had any particular issues with the girl, she was as beautiful as she was deadly, but he had more important things to worry about than having kids because some has-been 'god' told him to.

Grimoire was still his only goal, he wouldn't be distracted from it. Not to mention the fact that his ego didn't like how controlling the ancient spirit was trying to be.

So he refused. And that's when things started to change.

Over the course of the next week, his interactions with Dimaria became more and more strained. Not because they were growing distant, quite the opposite actually.

She was smothering him.

Constantly within arms reach and always asking where he was going and if she could come. It was a far cry from the strong independent warrior woman he'd met earlier that year.

That's how he knew something was wrong, the shift was too drastic. And when he questioned her directly about her sudden change in behavior she always responded with "I'm not sure why, it just feels right."

When he heard that, there was no doubt in his mind that Chronos was behind it. He was messing with her head, giving the girl an attachment to him that wasn't real. It was sickening.

And it didn't stop there, her actions only became more and more possessive. It got to the point that about a week before he finally decided to just leave she was trying to keep him hostage in her tent at sword point.

He couldn't stay there, and after he left he only hoped that Chronos would let the girl go.

Reigning himself back in from the daydream he listened to Daniel speak.

"Hehehe. Regardless what did you come here for? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but this was pretty out of the blue."

"I came to ask if there was any word on Grimoire and explain my current… situation." He offered.

"Hmm?" Daniel was only left to wonder what kind of trouble his boy had gotten himself into.

"Well as for Grimoire they've been eerily silent. No new developments in over 3 weeks." The older man revealed.

Kinzo paused, that couldn't be right.

"3 weeks of nothing? No missing villages, no flexing to keep lesser dark guilds in check?"

"Nope, nothing. But if I had to guess why I would say they're probably planning something big. It's always bad news when these guys go quiet."

And wasn't that the truth.

"…" Kinzo was left to ponder what exactly could be coming, but even with Ultear's constant boasting and belittling him he still had nothing to go off of.

"But don't worry about that too much, there's nothing we can do about it right now. And I'm more interested in this 'situation' of yours anyway."

The boy managed to drag himself away from his worries long enough to hear Daniel's question, and now he had to explain his situation with Fairy Tail.

And so he did, he told him every painstaking detail.

"Hahahaha! You absolute dumbass! Hahaha!"

"Thanks, very helpful."

"Come on kid that's hilarious! You screwed up so bad you wound up getting yourself shackled to Fairy Tail of all guilds pffft, hahaha!"

"Okay old man I get it." He bit out trying not to lose his temper.

"Haha Ah haaaah, ok ok I think I'm good. Whew…"

When the man finally got control of himself the atmosphere slowly turned from humorous to something more serious.

"You are aware though that your reputation and influence in the underworld will start to decrease since you can't take assassination jobs right?"

"I'm aware, which is why I'm here to talk in person. I'm gonna need your help until this whole thing with Makarov and the Contract blows over."

He said his piece while rising from the couch and making his way toward the door. He already knew the man would help him.

"That's fine and all kid, but…"

The rogue stopped, clearly Daniel had more to say. And if he wanted to talk he would listen. The man had earned that much respect from him at least. He was one of the only people he'd really seen as a friend in the past 5 years."

"Kinzo, you remember what I told you when you were 14? When you came walking in here asking for information about Hades."

He didn't even need to think about it, he remembered.

"Ya, you said I should turn around. Runoff to live like a normal kid, and leave war-making to the adults."

"Word for word." He agreed. "And have you thought about what I told you since then?"

No, he hadn't, there was no need.

"… I'm not stopping Daniel. I get that you're tryin to look out for me but I'm not just gonna let him go. Hades has hurt too many peo-"

"Oh don't give me that bullshit." The older man cut in.

"We both know you aren't doing this because Hades has 'hurt a lot of people.' You're doing it because he hurt you, don't hide behind the idea that you're fighting for the greater good, you just want revenge."

"Is that so wrong?"

"… haaah, kid, a life lived chasing after that takes its toll. And I'm willing to bet you've collected your fair share of regrets just in the last few years with what you've been doing.

He didn't like this, he didn't like it at all. "Is there a point to this Daniel?"

The old man thought for a moment.

"Just that I think this mess you've gotten yourself into with Makarov… I think it'll be good for you."

The two just stared at each other for a while neither angry but neither particularly happy either.

"It was good to see you Daniel."

"Likewise kid."

And that was what he loved about Daniel. They didn't have to agree, they didn't have to see eye to eye. They just had to tell each other the truth, and then live with it.

With a nod he turned to leave, and smiling he-

*Crash!*

"Damn it Gray" he didn't even have to leave the room to know it was Gray's doing. Talionis could see him throwing people around through the walls.

"Sorry Daniel, that ones with me. I'll send you a check for the damages." He told him while heading for the bar.

"Don't worry about it kid. I've been meaning to redecorate anyway.

They shared a quick laugh before the boy was running toward his friend.


"Get that punk!" Shouted an angry customer as his friends surrounded the stupid boy.

The reason.

There was now a person-shaped hole in the wall caused by Gray throwing one of their friends through it. Now the Fairy Tail mage was surrounded by 8 pissed-off patrons and getting ready to fight.

"Ice-Make: Ha-"

He didn't get the chance to cast the spell though as a hand pulled him back, and Kinzo stepped in front of him.

"That's enough gentlemen." The new addition told them.

Yet the men didn't seem convinced. "No chance of that, this fucker just laid out one of me boys. So I'll be payin him back!"

The group started taking steps closer, and the assassin let out a sigh.

*Click-click*

Before drawing his gun and leveling it with the leader's head.

"Ok, let me clear something up for you. I wasn't asking."

The men froze.

"Good, at least you can respond to physical cues when words don't work... Grab your 'boy' and leave, before I decide to make the bartender clean up what's left of you."

It took a second, but they listened. And the moment they turned to collect their fallen, Kinzo wasted no time grabbing a fist full of Gray's collar and dragging the boy outside.


"Oi! Hey get off!" The ice-mage complained as he was manhandled out the door and into the open street. Before his captor simply tossed him to the side.

"Jeez wha-?"

"I told you to keep your head down, and you couldn't last 5 damn minutes without making a scene." Kinzo shot at him in irritation.

"Hey that guy was trying to grope the waitress, what the hell was I supposed to do!?" He argued

"Oh I don't know, maybe solve the issue in a way that didn't involve sending him flying through a wall and getting his friends to gang up on you?" He mocked.

"Maybe you tell the bartender and he fixes the situation."

"Or maybe even, Heaven forbid, you stay out of it altogether and let some other white knight wanna-be save the day?"

The boy who was now shirtless was a little embarrassed at the other solutions presented but upset at the last one mentioned.

"Hey, doing nothing is never the answer. I would just be complicit at that point!"

No answer.

Still nothing, Kinzo wasn't even looking at him at this point. He was focused on something to their left.

"We have company."

Gray turned his head in confusion before looking at the street corner and seeing exactly what he was talking about.

… Oh no.

"Why is she here!?" The ice mage cried in panic as he sprang to his feet.

Juvia, Juvia was spying on them from the corner… Er well. More like staring creepily at Gray.

Kinzo nearly snorted. He'd heard the strange story from Gray's own mouth. About the weird water mage who he'd 'fought' during the Phantom incident, and her strange behavior around him.

In the last 4 days since they'd met, she'd been popping up more and more. (And even followed him to a different town.)

It was pretty obvious what the girl wanted, but Gray was clearly clueless… or at least playing dumb.

"I'm headed for the train, I still have things to take care of back in Magnolia. Catch up once you're done with whatever this is." He told the boy before turning.

Gray's face immediately paled as he turned to beg his friend to stay.

"What you're leaving!? Wait what do I do? I can't get this chick to leave me alone!"

"I don't know, but you better do something since 'doing nothing is never the answer.' After all 'you would just be complicit at that point'." His brother mocked.

Gray was ready to scream at the man to take this seriously, but his voice died as he heard excited breathing coming from behind him.

"Gr~ay-sama!" He heard along with the pitter-patter of feet rushing toward him.

Oh no.


*Boom!*

"Faster," Kinzo said as a burst of magic flew past his head.

*Boom!*

"You're all over the place, clean it up." He chastised while dodging another blow. The magic destroying a nearby tree.

*Boom!*

"Still not fast enou-"

"Errragh! I get it, I'm slow!" Came the angry cry of one Cana Alberona, as she threw two more supercharged jabs. Both of which missed.

After yet another failed attack she just stopped moving, stopped trying.

The brunette looked both pissed off and downcast at the same time. Her brow scrunched in heated displeasure, but only able to look at the ground.

"I'm bad at this I know, you don't have to keep rubbing it in with those comments." She mumbled in dejection.

They stood in the clearing she'd brought him to a few days prior. Demolished trees and large craters littered the opening. The damage from her now somewhat constant lessons.

But their surroundings weren't his concern. No, he was more focused on the girl's sudden outburst. He'd seen her getting frustrated, it was obvious actually, but he wasn't expecting the usually laid-back girl to snap.

He didn't understand why… well he did. They'd had three training sessions at this point where he was coaching her on how to build up Crash Magic quickly for successive punches instead of just relying on one Hail Mary attack that would leave her open if it missed.

And in those 3 sessions, she hadn't hit him once. It was obvious that was what made her upset. What he didn't understand was WHY it made her upset.

He laid it out very clearly on their first day that he didn't expect her to hit him in the first few sessions (and he really didn't want her to, it was Crash Magic after all.)

So if that wasn't the issue, what else would be bothering a teenage (wait, is she in her early 20s?) girl?

Maybe something was messing with her self-confidence?

If so he might be able to clear some things up.

"Cana, you're not bad at this."

That got her attention, and she finally looked up at him.

"What do you mean? It's been days but I still haven't hit yo-"

"And I told you, you wouldn't hit me." He said to silence her.

"You've been at this for what, a week? You're trying to learn one of the most technically demanding forms of magic known to mankind. And you're upset that you haven't mastered it in a few days to the point that you can hit me of all people?"

She looked a bit sheepish at his words but didn't quite give up.

"You're in a cast." She shot out.

"And?"

She didn't have anything else to say as he seemingly ignored her reasoning, and she just looked back toward the floor.

He let out a sigh. A week ago he would have just ignored whatever issues she was having. It wasn't his problem after all. But now he was somewhat invested in her, and Fairy Tail generally.

"…Cana what's wrong?"

She looked at him in a questioning manner. "What do you mean 'what's wrong?' I can't keep up with you at all and if we were to really fight I would stand no chance."

"… that didn't seem to be bothering you yesterday? So what's changed since then?" He asked while still trying to figure it out on his own.

That seemed to do it. That one little phrase gave her pause.

"… do you know what an S-Class trial is?" She asked.

He shrugged

"Fairy Tail has a competition every year to decide who gets to be the newest S-Class mage. If you win you're given the title and allowed to take higher ranking quests…and the trails are coming up in a few months." She explained.

"… that's nice and all but what's it got to do with your altered behavior?"

"Cana?"

"I talked to Master yesterday and… he said I would likely be participating this year. Apparently, my leadership abilities and decision to learn a new kind of magic impressed both him and Erza. So now I'm gonna be competing."

"And that upset you?"

"What? No, it didn't upset me. It's actually an honor to be allowed to compete."

"Then why are you so irritable?"

(Ok Kinzo, buddy, you really need to work on how you say things.)

"If this is an honor shouldn't you be more eager to train rather than feeling discouraged?"

(Ok that was better.)

She gave him a look and said "I am eager to train, it just… I don't know. I guess it feels like more weight is on my shoulders now. It feels real now."

"So becoming S-Class is that important to you?" He summarized.

She nodded, it was one of her goals after all.

"Why?"

Her head shot up and she looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"Why is being S-Class so important to you? As far as I can tell it's just a title. Sure the old man might let you take some harder jobs but other than that what do you get?"

"Well, I mean… if you're S-Class then it means you're strong so-"

He cut her off almost immediately.

"Being called something doesn't make you any stronger or weaker. If the old man made you S-Class right now you wouldn't be any different, so that's not an answer."

She had to think for a second about that.

"I'm not saying it would but… the people who get promoted, they're acknowledged."

"You don't think your guildmates acknowledge you after the way you lead them through the Phantom invasion?"

"No no, I know they do it's… it's not them I'm worried about… Haaaaaah!" She grunted in irritation while pulling at her hair.

She was gonna have to tell him, there was no way around it besides just staying silent and refusing to talk.

"… do you remember how I told you my Father knew Crash Magic?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Well, he was strong. Really strong… unapproachable even. But maybe if I could be S-Class, maybe if I could prove to him and myself that I'm strong, then…"

The thought died off as her voice grew quiet but he basically understood. She wanted her father's approval like so many other people, but he needed to clear something up.

"Cana" he called out and she gave him her attention.

"I understand and respect the desire to be strong but your reason for wanting it matters. Don't do it for someone else, I tried that… It didn't work."

Heh not only did it not work, he wasn't even able to manifest his primary magic because of it.

"Do it because it's something you actually want, not because your father might accept you if you do."

"Besides, any man whose love is dependent on how well his kid performs has no right to call himself a father."

He could practically hear his own mind screaming at him, calling him a hypocrite.

"You're gonna tell her that when you think you have to kill Hades for your own mother to not hate you?"

It was a fair point, but he knew what he'd said was still true. And based on the way Cana's face focused in thought he'd said something right.

That was good.

"Alright I think we're gonna call it here for today." He voiced before turning to walk back toward the path and eventually back toward town.

She registered his words and immediately started to protest. "What? But it's only 2:00, we still have hours of daylight left!" She complained.

"Sorry kid but I have some other things to take care of, and you clearly have a lot to think about."

"Besides, if you wanted to keep training you could always do it solo. Just keep practicing what I taught you, quick jabs laced with Crash Magic instead of haymakers that anyone could dodge."

She pouted but he didn't bother to look back, only heading toward what would hopefully be his last chore for the day.

Cana on the other hand actually followed him not long after. She wanted to clear her head and talking with Mira while she drank normally helped with that.


When the fortune-teller arrived at the guild she was impressed to see the skeleton for the first floor already set up and the foundation complete, but that wasn't why she was here. No, what she was looking for was the large circus-like tent set up a few hundred feet away with a racket coming from it.

When she moved past the front tarp she was greeted with a miniature guildhall. The tent covered several wooden tables set up with her guild mates enjoying themselves around them. And in the far corner she saw Mira working behind a portable bar.

It wasn't perfect but it was good enough for now, she thought while making her way toward the bar and platinum blonde.

The barmaid smiled at her as she approached but she stopped moving when she overheard part of a conversation.

"If Kinzo didn't come back with you then where is he?"

Looking over she saw what seemed to be an irritated Erza and a traumatized Gray. The ice mage was practically shaking with anxiety… but Erza wasn't even threatening him right now so she didn't get why.

Though when she took a closer look the boy's clothes and hair looked drenched. Did it rain earlier?

Anyway, the boy replied, "He said he had stuff to take care of in town and came back before me. That bastard really just left me there alone with her."

Cana didn't understand that last part but she got the gist and figured she could try answering Erza's question.

So walking over she caught her attention. "Hey Erza if you're looking for Kinzo I was just with him but he took off saying he had some errand to run.

The redhead turned to acknowledge her. " Oh hello Cana, you said he was off doing something else?"

"Ya didn't say what just took off."

"Well that is a shame, I suppose I'll have to find him later then." She said before turning to Mira.

"If Master asks for me, let him know I'm running to the blacksmith." She informed the girl. And with a smile she nodded before the redhead was moving away.

Once she was gone the sound of something being thumped into the table behind her brought Cana back to her senses and when she looked over Mira had dropped a mug of ale right in front of her.

"You seem distracted. Drink for your thoughts?" She asked.

The brunette could only smile before sitting down, and starting to discuss the day's events (minus her daddy issues).


Kinzo was at the local forge. It was run by a man named Bert, a middle aged fellow who'd devoted his life to blacksmithing. And he was currently trying to strike a deal with the man.

"Wait a moment sunny, you mean to tell me what you're trying to buy is just the right to use me forge? You're not askin for me to craft you somethin, you just want to use some tools and do it yourself?

"Yes that is correct."

"No offense friend, but do you even know how to work metal?" He was skeptical to say the least, and the fact this kid was in a cast wasn't giving him any extra confidence.

Kinzo almost took that question personally. But instead he just pointed to what looked to be a crooked sword laying on a table behind them, and asked "May I?"

Bert caught on pretty quickly and just shrugged before inviting him back.

Kinzo quickly collected the damaged weapon and wasted no time in stoking the fire behind them.

Once the temperature was sufficiently high he placed the blade in the flames until it started to glow a hot orange.

Pulling it out he brought the now heated blade to an anvil before molding one of his mother's rings into a mallet and swinging down.

He hammered on the metal for a few minutes fixing it's awful warp, until the metal started to cool. Once that happened he took it back to the fire to heat it once more before hammering out it's deformities yet again.

This process continued for a bit of time until finally the sword was straight. And once it was he heated it yet again before quenching the blade and laying it on the table for the blacksmith to observe.

And after a quick once over Bert was impressed. His work was good, and the whole thing was made more impressive by the fact that he had only used one hand.

"So can I do some work here?" He asked.

"Hahaha, tell you what kid. Help me with a suit of armor I'm repairing at the moment and I'll let you use my forge whenever you like, free of charge.

Now that sounded like a good deal.


It had only taken about 30 minutes to finish fixing the armor. Bert was basically done already, he just needed some help melting together some of the larger plates before he started painting it.

It was made even more interesting when he recognized the final product. He'd seen the armor before quite recently.

Regardless, that wasn't why he was here now. No he was here at the local forge because he wanted to make a few upgrades. Specifically to his revolver the 'Iron Maiden'.

He had ideas for two new rounds he wanted to try making. His father only had a couple of ideas brainstormed in the journals for new ammo types but he did lay out instructions for how to make your own.

And so he drew the gun, and popped out the cylinder. Inside were 6 cartridge chambers, where the lacrima would imbue bullets with magic properties.

At the moment only 2 were active. Chamber 1: piercing rounds, which were glowing red. And chamber 3: flash bang rounds, which glow yellow.

For these next 2 he planned on filling up chambers 2 and 4.

Starting with chamber 4, he wanted an explosive round. Some of his more recent fights were showing him how impractical it could be to throw large chunks of explosive lacrima around in the middle of a fight.

It would be better to develop ammunition that could fire the material farther distances. So while the explosions would be smaller, he would still be able to blow stuff up, but do it from a distance where he was safe.

The process to make this one was pretty simple. All he had to do was fill the rounds with explosive lacrima and protect them from any trauma that might set them off early.

And after pushing the round back into the cartridge, #4 was glowing orange.

He walked it out back and took aim at a nearby tree. Bert was watching him from the forge but he didn't care. A smooth trigger press sent the new projectile down range.

With a *thunk* it buried itself in the wood and all was quiet…

Until a few seconds later when the oak tree-

*Boom!*

-exploded in a shower of splinters.

"Hmm, about a 3-4 second delay on contact before it explodes. I'll have to keep that in mind." He told himself as he moved back into the forge walking right past a very startled Bert.

Ok that one was easy, this next one would be more difficult.

Chamber 2, after spending some time around Fairy Tail and realizing how much push back he would get for using lethal attacks around them he figured he should probably develop something that would only incapacitate those it hit.

Which is how he came up with the idea for a blunt round.

In archery there are specific arrows called blunt arrows. They're unsharpened arrowheads meant to be used for stunning targets and causing impact trauma instead of piercing damage.

He planned on using the same idea for this new bullet. The only question was what material to use and how fast to send it down range.

It takes anywhere between 25 to several hundreds of lbs of force to break bones so he wanted to keep it in that general range or below.

If that was the case he would have to pull back on the speed the round traveled quite a bit. But the changes would be easy enough to make.

Now for the hard part, deciding what material to use. It needed to be dense, something that was truly solid and wouldn't fall apart or splinter when It made contact. He also wanted something that wouldn't be easily swatted away since these bullets would be moving quite a bit slower than the others (still not that slow though).

The more he thought about it the more he realized… it had to be his metal. It was easily the densest material he'd ever come across. And on top of that, it could absorb any magic attacks meant to stop it.

There really was no competition.

And so pulling out the last round of the day he got to work fitting it with the unique metal.

Holding the casing with his teeth, his hand got to work forging the metal slug style round he would be using.

All in all it hadn't been too bad of a day. He'd gotten to see Daniel, might have helped out Cana, and was about to finish making his second new ammo type. Really, not much could sour his mood at this point.

*Jing-jing*

The ring of the bells hanging off of the front door sounded, and as he looked up one Titania Erza came walking through the entrance.

Great.


Black boots and the sound of shifting metal could be heard as Erza pushed through the front door, eager to pick up her order.

Bert said he'd have it done today and Bert was always reliable so she knew it would be finished and in pristine condition.

So as she moved through the door, the last thing she expected to see was the boy who'd eluded her all day.

Kinzo was seated behind the counter mingling with the forge equipment. Gun on the counter, right arm in a sling, left gripping a hammer, and a bullet held between his teeth.

They made eye contact, but she wasn't sure what to say. So they just sat in silence for a while.

"Ah…" until she remembered what she wanted to talk about.

"Kinz-"

"Your armor is in the back, Bert is putting on some finishing touches." He told her absentmindedly after taking the round out of his mouth.

But as soon as he'd spoken he was right back to work. Hammering away at some small piece of metal that she imagined had something to do with the bullet.

The response was short, and seemed to rob her of the confidence needed to speak. So all she could do was nod her head in defeat as she walked toward the back.


"She's good as new!" Bert said with excitement.

Looking the armor over it was indeed 'good as new'. The hulking form of her Adamantine armor stood before them in perfect condition. It looked like it was fresh off an assembly line. Which was impressive considering the state it was in just a few days ago.

"Impressive work as always Bert." She told him before Re-Quipping the suit back into her storage space.

Her words were pleased, but the blacksmith knew something was wrong. All of her movements and mannerisms were far too subdued.

"… Ms. Scarlet is everything alright?" He asked her.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine Bert. Just a bit distracted," she offered. "I trust the standard amount will be sufficient?" she asked while pulling out a healthy stack of bills.

"The payment is fine Erza, I'm more concerned about you."

Her eyes widened for a split second before she immediately started running damage control.

"I'm fine Bert." She said with an obviously forced happy tone. Next she forced the Jewels into his hand and said "thanks for your hard work!" Before she was out the door and heading back toward the main forge room.

Bert could only sigh at the obviously troubled girl as she left.

The redhead made her way back toward where she knew Kinzo was, but when she arrived he was gone, having slipped away once again.


It was easily mid-afternoon when the assassin finally made his way to the large tent that was acting as Fairy Tail's temporary hub. And as he entered he was happy to see that most members had already taken their leave for the night.

But even if that hadn't been the case he was only here for one reason and that was to get some decent food. Because the frosted chain around his neck was starting to sting and if his suspicions were correct he was gonna need the warm meal.

It had been 4 days.

4 days since she'd convinced him to help Fairy Tail, 4 days since he'd cracked her ice, and 4 days since he'd heard her voice. It had been completely silent for the better part of a week and the necklace he wore hadn't felt cold since he'd spoken with her last.

But now after several days he could tell, Ur was starting to regain her strength.

From what He'd gathered he had wounded her when he broke the ice she was manifesting on him the day Phantom attacked. And she'd spent the last few days recovering which explained why he hadn't seen the woman in any of his dreams.

But now he had reason to believe she would be showing up again soon so he was doing everything he could to prepare mentally. Because he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about seeing her again.

As he pushed through the space making his way toward a stool at the small bar he breathed a sigh of relief, and took a seat. Content to simply wait until someone came to take his order.

He didn't have to wait long before platinum blonde hair stood up from behind the bar and the sound of soft humming filled his ears.


"Hmm hm hm hm" came the soothing sound of Mirajane's voice, as she rose from behind the portable bar. Having finally finished organizing all the job fliers and other notable items.

She was having a good day, just spending her time serving drinks and talking with patrons. One conversation she enjoyed in particular was her chat with Cana. Hearing about how the girl was progressing in her new type of magic was always interesting and listening to how she described Kinzo as a kind of mentor always managed to pique her interest.

Honestly she was just trying to hear anything she could about the boy in question. After all no one but Gray had seen him since the Phantom attack, and not for lack of people looking either.

Erza was trying to find the boy as well, clearly hoping to talk with him about something. Even so she'd come up empty day after day. It was rather disheartening since the barmaid was just as eager to speak with her 'savior'.

Haah… that boy had stepped in when no one was expecting the help, he'd fought for them at his own expense, and most notable for her. Kinzo was the one who helped free Elfman from the beast.

His actions on that day had not only saved her life, and the lives of her guild mates, but he'd also helped her little brother move past two years worth of trauma and self-hatred. It was amazing.

He'd done so much just for her family, even after all the awful things she'd said to him, the way she'd treated him, he still saved her family.

She needed to talk to him, even if only to apologize, but she doubted the boy would be showing up anytime soon.

Which is exactly why when she finally stood up and her eyes locked with the object of her musing, she immediately took a step back in surprise.

"Eeep!"

Managing to trip over her own feet in the process and falling flat on her rear, knocking over dishes and cups as she flailed.

*Clang-clonk*

"Ow"


Kinzo raised an eyebrow as he watched the girl flinch back at the sight of him, and couldn't help but smirk when he heard her tumble onto the floor below.

"Watch your step," he offered.

Mirajane was quick to get her feet back underneath her, standing at full height, but that did nothing to help the embarrassed look dressing her face.

"Uh, oh Kinzo… how are you?" She managed to sputter out.

He just looked at her for a moment before glancing toward the floor which was still littered with the plates and beer mugs she'd tossed about while falling. And he couldn't help but notice she was making no move to pick them up, instead being completely focused on him.

It made him chuckle.

"Nervous?"

And the way her eyes widened almost made him laugh

After that it was quiet. He asked for a steak and something to drink, she cooked, poured, and laid the meal out a few minutes later.

He ate, she watched while cleaning up the mess she'd made, and without really noticing over an hour had passed.

The boy reached into his pocket pulling out a few jewels, and voiced that he was taking off.

"Thanks for the food, I'll be going now."

Mira watched as the bills hit the table, followed by his hands as he started to rise from the seat, and that was when she decided.

"If I wanna talk to him, I better do it now."

And so after a quick mental pep talk, she steeled herself and told him to stop moving.

"Kinzo wait."

The assassin halted, half of his body in the seat, the other half standing on the floor.

He looked back up at the girl who'd called him with a somewhat annoyed face but quickly swapped it out for one more neutral as he waited for her to speak.

As he waited.

For her to speak.

Any second now-

"Did you need something?" he finally asked, trying very hard to maintain his neutral expression.

"Ah! Oh yes." She was getting in her own head too much.

"Just talk to the guy." She berated herself before coming back to reality.

But as she looked toward her target again she realized, that was easier said than done.

"Ahem, ah… I was just gonna ask… or we I mean. I wanted to say… Arugggh!"

"Why is this so difficult!?"

She asked internally, while on the outside she was damn near growling at herself.

Come on it wasn't that hard to say a simple thank you!

And so opening her mouth again she was ready to attempt stuttering through what she planned to say for a second time. But she didn't get the chance.

"How is Elfman doing?"


"How is Elfman doing?" He asked.

He'd sat there quietly for a few minutes waiting for her to speak but… Watching Mira stumble over her own words was painful. The girl was clearly trying to say something to him, but was struggling with how to start. So he decided to throw her a bone by asking about her brother who he knew was fine.

She paused, halting whatever amalgamation of the English language she was planning on assaulting him with next, and turned her mind to answering the surprise question.

How was Elfman doing?

Honestly "He's fine, a little roughed up, but fine. He's definitely in high spirits and ready to start taking jobs again… And of course, he's very grateful for everything you did for him." That last bit, the last half-sentence she'd shot out was what she'd been trying to say all along. That they were thankful.

"That's good," Kinzo responded with a somewhat less apathetic expression. "But he has no reason to thank me, all I did was yell at him a bit. Everything else was on him."

She stopped immediately as those words touched her ears, and an unhappy expression took over. Because that just wasn't true.

"Why are you trying to downplay what you did?" she questioned.

He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her challenging tone. "What do you mean?"

"I mean why are you acting like you didn't actually do something that helped us?" No, she wasn't gonna let him get away with pretending it hadn't happened.

The assassin was careful to keep an eye on her, not sure what point she was trying to make. "Because I don't think I did anything special for Elfma-"

"You could have just shot him." She cut in. And he paused.

Ya, I suppose he could have just shot the Beast mage in his enraged state. That does seem to fit his track record more than talking the guy down and helping him regain control.

He thought about it for a moment longer, but as he did he still didn't think it was all tha-

"You could have just left Erza to die." The barmaid continued, and his eyes narrowed in response.

So she knew about Scarlet's little self-appointed suicide mission to take on Jose, and apparently also knew he'd been the one to bale her out. Or at least keep her alive until Makarov came.

And that was why he didn't think it was all that big of a deal, He hadn't been the one to actually save her, it was the old man. So the old fart should be getting her thanks not hi-

But before he could even finish the thought she was at it again.

"You could have just let Lucy be taken."

… Okay the first time maybe he had helped the girl, but not the second time. The second time he hadn't done hardly anything, it was Natsu who'd helped her, not him.

But even so that wasn't what he was really focusing on, no he was more concerned with why this girl kept bringing up ways she thought he'd helped them. What was all of this about?

A shaky breath touched his ears, as he refocused on the model who now looked much less confident than she had only moments earlier.

"You could have just ignored me, when I cried for help." She all but whispered.

And there it was, there was the insecurity. And there was the one example of 'helping' he couldn't just handwave away. Because he didn't have someone he could push the responsibility on to.

Elfman had basically saved himself, Erza had Makarov, And Lucy had Natsu, But what about her? No one else was there, no one else could have responded to her call for help.

It was just him.

"Why would you dismiss all that? Why would you pretend and claim you didn't do all that for us?" she asked him, trying to understand.

He didn't have an answer.

Which is when the thing that had been really bothering her for the last few days came up.

"Kinzo… do you regret helping us?" That was the only thing she could come up with, the only reason she could generate for why he wasn't accepting the fact that he had helped them.

And that was what she was so afraid he would say. That he wished he hadn't stepped in, that he hadn't come to their rescue.

She was afraid he only hated her more for what she guilted him into doing. That he still resented her for what she'd said, for the way she'd treated him, and for how she'd accused him of something he hadn't done.

But when she looked at the man across the bar, as she took in his form, he didn't carry any notion of anger. There was no irritation or even annoyance dancing across his features.

Only contemplation. He was simply thinking.

'do you regret helping us?'

That was the question playing over and over again in his mind.

Did he?

I mean the only reason he'd stepped up to help them, to help her, in the first place was because of Ur's constant attempts to appeal to his conscience.

His master had spared no expense in her efforts to get him moving in the 'right' direction. Whether it be speaking to him in dreams or whispering to him while he was awake. Challenging the way he viewed the world, or even coating him in ice, she had done everything in her power to get him to do what she thought was right. To do what she wanted.

But was that what he wanted?

She'd effectively tried to manipulate him, Ur's constant input never failed to remind him that to her doing nothing in the face of Phantom was the same as killing Fairy Tail.

She'd guilt-tripped him into helping.

They all had.

Did he resent them for it?

"Mira,"

Did he blame her?

" honestly, when I finally decided to help you,

Should he have stayed out of it?

" when I finally moved…"

Did he regret it?

"... It was the most relief I'd felt in a long time."

No, no he didn't.

"There was no doubt, no second thoughts, no guilt. I knew for certain I was doing the right thing, "

When he stepped in it was like he could finally breathe, like something that had been tightening against his chest for so long finally let go.

"and I don't get to feel that very often."

He couldn't help but smile at his own words, Ur had been right all along. And while he still didn't particularly like these light mages, at the very least he could lend them a hand from time to time for both Gray's and his master's sake.

But that smile disappeared as he looked back toward the woman who'd questioned him in the first place.

Mirajane was just looking down, eyes shadowed by her long bangs. She didn't get it, she didn't understand how he could just be okay with everything. She didn't believe him, didn't believe he was content with the way he'd been brought into their fight especially with the way-

"How can you be okay with this after the way we treated you?"

Her voice was strained but the words came out clear enough.

He was ready to answer, but

"How can you say you don't regret fighting for us when we called you such awful things, when we accused you, when I treated you like some kind of monster?"

She just couldn't wrap her mind around the idea that this boy who she'd viewed so lowly didn't hate them, hate her.

"How can you not hate me…" and finally her eyes glanced up to his arm. The arm that was still broken, resting in its sling. "... when I'm the reason you got hurt."

He followed her line of sight back to his cast, and started to understand why she was so adamant about this.

"It's not that bad, a broken arm is far from the worst inj-"

"DON'T!" she all but screamed.

"Do not try to play this off like that's all that happened! Erza told me what he did to you, how mangled you were after Jose got his hands on you. You almost died, and if Master hadn't shown up…" she didn't want to think about that.

In the end he figured it out. He figured out why she was pushing this so much.

It wasn't that she really thought he regretted helping them, no. No in reality it was her, because he had been wounded, Mira regretted asking for his help in the first place.

Well, she could feel guilty about his injuries all she wanted, but he wasn't gonna let her pretend she was the only reason he was there.

"And what, that's supposed to make me wish I could go back and stop myself from fighting for you?"

"Shouldn't it!? The only reason you got hurt is because I begged you to help us! If I had just let you be, just listened to you when you said you wanted nothing to do with us then-"

"And what gives you the right to decide that for me?"

She paused, what?

"Why do you think you should get to decide whether or not I regret doing something? More than that, what makes you think you were the thing that convinced me to do it?"

She glanced up, confused and almost disbelieving of his words.

"Was I not…?"

"Even if you were, you need to understand something right now. You could have begged for my help all day long, given me every reason to help you, threatened me, so on and so forth. But at the end of the day, that's all you can do. In the end, I'm the one who makes that call. Not you."

"I chose to help you, and I have no qualms with my decision. Don't kid yourself into thinking you have the ability to make me do anything."

'It's not your fault' He was saying it in a kind of backhanded way but that was the point he was making. And she understood that but,

"But what about your arm?"

"It'll heal." A simple response to a simple question.

This was a settled matter in his mind, she had very little to do with why he ended up moving. But for Mira, well.

"How am I supposed to believe that? How am I supposed to believe that you don't blame me?"

That just wasn't possible. Someone completely foreign to her guild, who had only been further ostracized by her own actions, had run headfirst into danger and potential death. And regardless of what he said she did not believe that her pleas for help weren't at least part of the reason he'd come.

For her, there was no way you could run this equation with all those variables and not come to the conclusion that he resented her and that it was her fault.

"I wouldn't doubt his word child."

The sound of a new voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked up just in time to see Makarov take a seat right next to the boy in question.

"After all, he told you himself, he made his own decision." A half-smirk and a smile were shared between the two men as he hopped onto a vacant stool.

"But Master-"

"Mira." he called out with force. This needed to stop.

"Should Levy feel guilt for my injuries?" He asked her.

She looked at him like he was crazy. "What, no why?"

"Why not? It was because of what was done to her and her team that I moved forward with the attack on Phantom Lord. According to your logic, since Levy was the reason I acted, shouldn't she be held responsible for what happened to me?"

No, no she shouldn't.

The thought of placing that blame on the small girl almost made her sick.

"I couldn't even think of doing something like that." was her response.

And that was exactly the old man's point.

"Child, if you wouldn't shift that blame onto her, why on Earth would you do it to yourself?"

"..." She had nothing to say. What could she say?

"Damn old man, you're a lot better at this kinda thing than me."

Kinzo stood, finally exiting the seat he'd been in for well over an hour now, but not before complimenting his elder's ability to seemingly get threw to the girl.

"On the contrary Kinzo, I think you handled things just fine."

He could only chuckle at the man's words, very much disagreeing.

"Though I am curious young one, what brings you here?"

"Just grabbing a bite to eat."

"Well, it is a nice surprise to see you. You've been rather elusive these last few days."

"Ya I've had a few errands to take care of, and plenty to think about."

"Indeed, and have you taken any time to think about what I told you? There happens to be a small home for sale just outside of town if you're interested." The old man offered in a not so subtle manner.

"Makarov I will never understand why you feel so invested in my living conditions." he shot back, a small bit of amusement laced into his words.

"Is it so wrong to be concerned about someone sleeping on the ground when they could have a bed?" The elder asked in poorly feigned innocence.

"It is when the person showing concern clearly has an ulterior motive." he countered that amusement never leaving his tone.

"Heh, all I'm saying boy is that sleeping on the ground too much is bound to give you back problems eventually. Take it from someone with experience."

Kinzo could barely suppress his smile. It obviously wasn't the back pain Makarov was trying to spare him from. He just wanted the boy tied down to this city, wanted him to start setting in roots. But he had no intentions of playing along.

"I'll think about it old man, but for tonight I'm heading back to the nice soft ground." He said while waving his hand as he started to walk away.

"W-wait! You're leaving already?" Mira stuttered out.

Kinzo just stopped and raised an eyebrow as he looked back. "Did you need something?"

No, she didn't need something, she wanted to offer something.

Her and Elfman's spare room.

It was the least she could do, getting him off of the cold hard ground for a night, and Elfman would have no complaints since he practically worshiped the ground Kinzo walked on for what he'd done to help them.

"Look if you wan-"

"Kinzo there you are!"

The platinum blonde was interrupted and as the three twisted their heads to see who had called him they were met with a head of scarlet.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." Erza revealed, having steeled herself after shying away at the blacksmith.

Releasing a sigh Kinzo got ready for whatever this was gonna be. Honestly, he'd been trying to leave for the past 30 minutes.

"Sorry Scarlet, I was just leaving, so unless it's important this is gonna have to wait."


The redhead had spent the better part of today looking for her dark-haired assassin. After chickening out at the forge she spent the rest of the day trying to track him down because damn it, they were going to talk.

She needed to get some stuff off of her chest, she needed to call him out on some of his bull shit, and they needed to come to some kind of understanding. At the very least they needed to be on the same page about what to expect from each other.

More than that she just wanted to understand what ran through his head or what had happened to him to warp the way he saw the world so much. Why had he become an assassin, why was he so willing to hurt people, but less willing to help them?

They were questions that currently she needed answers to, because she just didn't understand the enigma that was Kinzo. He was a violent man, with obvious anger issues, and a distaste for her. Yet at the same time, he for some reason had aided them against Phantom Lord and willingly taken on injury for her sake.

She needed to know why.

"Sorry Scarlet, I was just leaving, so unless it's important this is gonna have to wait."

But clearly, he had other ideas.

Suddenly all the confidence she'd built up throughout the afternoon as she searched for him melted away leaving behind once again that feeling of uncertainty.

And as he walked away she started racking her brain.

They NEEDED to talk, or at least she did. But he clearly was not in the mood to stick around the bar.

Fine, maybe they could talk later… oh please like that would happen. It was nearly impossible to track or pin the guy down, as noted by her hunting for him for the better part of a day.

More than that even if she did find him the idea that he wouldn't have anything else he was heading out to do seemed low as well. Case and point being today.

He'd traveled to Sakuramori town and back, trained with Cana, stopped by the blacksmith long enough to be acquainted with the smith himself and have access to the forge, before finally coming here and eating.

He was always doing something so the idea of him having free time to just talk seemed low to her.

Regardless, the boy was getting farther and farther away while she thought.

"Aragh! How do I get him alone with no distractions!?" That was when it hit her, the hot spring trip. Lucy had an extra ticket, and something told her the girl would have no issue with giving it to the metal mage.

"Kinzo wait!"


He'd reached the tent flap, was holding it up even, when once again his name was called. These people were starting to annoy him, he was just trying to go to sleep and have the most stressful dream/conversation of the day. But here he was dealing with Erza.

"What is it Scarlet?" he asked, trying not to sound too short with the girl, but making it clear he wanted to leave.

She took a moment to steel herself but quickly enough said "My team is going to the hot spring on the south side of town tomorrow for an overnight stay. And we have an extra ticket so I wanted to see if you would come with us?"

The offer caught him off guard, but he already knew his answer. "Thanks for the thought Erza but I'm gonna pass. Hope you have a nice time." he sent back before moving through the tent flap.

He didn't make it a half step before he heard her call out to him again.

"Let me know if you change your mind!"

He just waved his hand as he left, ready to be away from these people for a bit.

After all, the day's biggest obstacle was still in front of him. He still needed to speak with Ur, and if the hum coming from his necklace was anything to go by she was tired of waiting.


Makarov watched as Erza sat at the small bar with an air of defeat around her, and he couldn't help but smile. His Children were making an effort with Kinzo now, which was a far cry from the way they'd treated him only a few days prior.

This was good, even if the boy resisted their advances at first he was confident the troubled youth would come around eventually.

So with a small smile, he got to work cheering up Erza and easing Mira's ever worrying mind.


Author's note.

And done. Jeez that was long.

Anyway, there you have most of the base interactions with other characters I was hoping to get done. My leave ends pretty soon so unfortunately, I don't know If I'm gonna be able to update again before I have to head back. Either way I had a good time writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading.

I know it's late but Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New year.