The 12 Strizers

by Erzats

2 years after the war with Alvarez, peace returned to Fiore. But for the mages of Fairy Tail and their friends, it won't last. 12 warriors coming from an unkown place are coming for them. Who are they and what do they want ? They'll learn it the hard way. OCs, created by me. Multiple Pairing (Nalu, Gruvia, Gale, Rowen, HappyxCharla and others). Advices welcomed.

10. Chapter 10 : Love is in the air

Hey there guys ! I hope you're all good because I am, ready for this 10th chapter already. I hope that you like that fic. As usual, don't hesitate to make a review to share your remarks and advice. In the meantime, we are keeping up the story.

I am not the owner of Fairy Tail, I only use it, that's all.

Chapter 10: Love in the air

/- Somewhere, in an unknown place -/

The raising sunlight leaked through the shutters of the windows of what seemed to be an office. A big desk made of black wood was inside, a man sitting behind it, looking tired, rubbing his left temple with his fingers, his head put in said hand, resting on the armrest of his red velvet armchair. If this man was a perfect stranger, the same couldn't be said about those who sat in chairs in front of him, because those were Vincenzo, Xun, Dmitri and Mizuki, the latter still nastily bashed up by what Juvia and Gray made her undergo, and their expressions were very different one from another. Vincenzo seemed embarrassed, looking away, a hand rubbing the back of his head, Xun remained impassive, eyes closed, Dmitri clearly was wondering what he was doing here, while Mizuki was not proud of her. After a sigh, the man in the armchair replaced the headband he had across his face and left eye (A.N. : Kakashi style) and addressed his accomplices.

- " Tell me. When were we told that we HAD to attack them to test them ? "

- "Well, uh…" tempted Vincenzo.

- " NEVER ! "

The explosion of the 'boss' was stressed by his two hands which banged the desk with strength, making 3 of the 4 'victims' jump, Xun being the only exception who just opened his eyes.

- " You just attacked them without even thinking about any other way to do it. I know we had to test them physically, but we also have to test their spirit and their heart if we want to know if yes or no they can be useful for our project. Did you learn anything useful for us, at least ? Vincenzo ? "

- " They know how to work in team. Even when they aren't form the same guild " Tried the brown haired guy, getting an empty gaze from the 'boss'.

- " No, really ? I wouldn't have guessed that ? Xun ? "

The latter stayed without answering, his eyes fixed on a spot right in front of him.

- " … Very well, thank you for your answer. Dmitri ? "

- " Some of those guys are altruists at heart. " Finally answered Xun, thinking about Rogue.

- " LEARN TO ANSWER WHEN WE ASK YOU THE QUESTION, NOT ONE HOUR LATER ! So, Dmitri ? "

- " … Even the most weakest are strong. " answered the iron man, thinking about how Jet, Droy end Levy stood against him.

- " *sigh* Thank you for the information. Really useful. Mizuki ? "

- " Well … Their feelings can make them very dangerous. " She explained, thinking once again about the violent fit of jealousy Juvia had faked.

- " To say thing simply, not a single one of you learnt something useful. Well done, really. " He ended on a tone of reproach.

- " On the other hand, a fight is probably the best way to know what they are really made of. "

These words drew the attention of the 5 people sitting at the desk on a man sat on an armchair farther in the room, playing cards with 4 other people, a woman seating a little farther checking her make-up, raising the number of people presents to 11.

- " You're not completely wrong, J. But if we could resort to a more diplomatic and psychologic way, we would know better about what they are worth as a person. I just ask for a little more softness for this mission, is it too much to ask that from you ? "

- " It's in adversity that people shows themselves the best. " Chained Xun. " It is one of the best way to know how a person really works. "

- " I didn't said that I didn't share that point of view. I am even completely agreeing. But the fact is that we all have to be in the best of the shape as possible in case our deadline is shorter than planned. And it's not by getting ourselves wrecked by those mages that we're going to do that. Look at the state in which Mizuki is. And Dmitri and Xun aren't totally cured either. Imagine what will take place if we are all in the same state when the moment come. "

- " You needs to cool down, Stan. " Answered the only other woman in the group, without looking away from her mirror. " It is not because he named you responsible for this expedition that you have to put yourself under so much pressure. "

- " Yeah, I know. But that mission is really important, we don't have a margin of error that big. "

This is when the 'boss' noticed that they were only 11, what drew another sigh out of him, lowering is head.

- " Where is that lazy troublemaker ? " He asked, knowing very well that he was going to hate the answer.

- " He left to go visit some place. Called Magnolia. "

- " I knew it. " He declared before dropping on his armchair, massaging his twitching temples.

- " It looks like your desire to be more diplomatic is going to have to wait. " Vincenzo chuckled.

- " Shut up. "

/- Aonami -/

The festival was going full swing while it was only 10 o'clock in the morning. The fine sand beach stomped by tourists who had come take advantage of the sun, the sea and diverse activities, while delighting in drinks and other typical dishes from this side of the country thanks to the many stands raised on the beach. Some people, specifically the managers of said stands, had however noticed, without questioning it any further, that some things had changed : their stocks seemed just a little different, their stands not being at the exact same place as yesterday, those who were competing in the surf contest wondered about the absence of the one who had been THE sensation on the waves yesterday and every one of them who played or swam in the ocean felt that the water was a lot more cold than yesterday, far too much for the season. All his questions had the same answer: the 2 mages who just woke up, sitting in their hospital room where they had spent the night to heal the wounds they acquired the day before, nursing their bodies covered in bruises, which were not only due to the fight they had last evening. After beating Mizuki, Strizer of the ocean, they had spent the rest of the evening repairing the stands, breaking the ice which covered the bay and to put the beach back like it was before to make sure that the festival wouldn't be cancelled because of them, which would have put yet another line on the already solid reputation the guild had as being experts in public goods demolition. They had not completely been healed, but Juvia and Gray had to get back to Magnolia as quickly as possible because they had 2 news to share with the guild, already knowing which one were going to get the most reaction.

They were on their way to the train station, limping all along the way, faces straining at each step so much their sore muscles made them suffer when they were suddenly pushed aside by something, Juvia losing her balance and almost felled to the ground, but Gray caught her before she could touch the ground.

- "Are you ok, Juvia ?" Gray, worried because of the still visible wounds on the blunette, asked.

- "Yes, Juvia is fine. But what pushed Juvia aside ?"

They turned their heads but noticed with bewilderments that the street was deserted, and nobody was near. Perplexed, they resumed their road, being wary just in case it happened again. When they arrived at the station, they got in the train and sat down side by side in one of the cars, the head of Juvia settling slowly on the Gray's shoulder, the latter snaking his arm behind the back of the one who was from now on his girlfriend, moving her closer to him before dozing off, rocked by the light oscillations of the train that returned to Magnolia, Gray falling asleep his mind busy thinking about what happened in the street but decided to forget it, without knowing that this jostling was literally the calm before the storm.

/-Magnolia-/

It was a completely normal day for the guild of Fairy Tail, with the mages discussing, drinking and eating, each one of them busy with their own activities. At the bar, Lucy was sipping on her strawberry milkshake while observing Nastu from the corner of her eyes, the latter busy talking with Panther Lily and Charla. Indeed, in a rare moment of good thinking, Natsu thought that Happy had left to go meet the other Exceeds, so he was trying to know where they could be from Shagotte's daughter and the former guard of Edolas. But alas, none of the two knew where they were situated. The poor pink haired dragon, although less depressed than a few days ago, had the ever-growing desire to leave the town and look for his partner, but he had decided to trust his 'son' and wait for him to returns. Lucy looked at the scene, thinking once again about Happy. His obsession for fish, its uncalled-for remarks all the time, his contagious smile, all the times when she had pulled him by the whiskers because he had made a snarky remark about her weight, but also his small moments of heroism, like the time when he had almost blow up with Jackal from Tartaros to protect the city of the councilor Michello. Those memories made her smile. Happy had probably left because he was feeling useless and weak compared to the other Exceeds, but he had done a lot for everyone.

That is when the doors of the guild opened all the way and the mages saw Gray and Juvia, side by side, covered with bandages, wind blowing from behind them.

- "Hey, guys." Began Gray, before Juvia pursues

- " We are back ! And we have a big news ! "

- " What do you mean, 'Hey, guys' ? What happened to you two ? " asked Elfman, having joined the 2 mages just like many others, encircling the water and ice team.

- " Make that brain of yours work, stupid. What could have put them in this state, in your opinion ? " Answered Evergreen, sighing because of the idiocy of the one that many considered as her boyfriend.

- " A Strizer, right ? " proposed Makarov, who walked toward the 2 mages, his hands behind his back, followed closely by Wendy who hurried to check if the wounds of his friends aren't too serious.

- " Yeah, the ocean's one. " Confirmed Gray, Wendy using her magic on his stomach, spotting some internal damages.

- " And for once it was a girl. " Precised Juvia, getting checked by Wendy.

- " It seems like that group have every kind of people in it. . " Charla, turning to her protégée before asking. " So, Wendy ? "

- " They had more luck than the others, but it seems like some of their organs were compressed. A little bit of my magic and they'll be good for the most part. "

- " Well, take care of them, Wendy. " answered Makarov by turning his heels to return to the bar where Lucy and Mirajane still were. " After all, there is 8 of them left so stay on your guard. "

- " Hey, wait. We didn't told you what the big news was." Took offence Juvia, inflating the cheeks to show its disappointment.

- " Is that so? It was not the elimination of Strizer? Then what was it ? " Asked Gajeel, sitting next to Levy, an arm around the latter both sharing their meals.

The smile of Juvia stretched up to her ears before sticking to Gray's right arm.

- " Gray and Juvia are together ! "

A silence, then laughter. Not what Juvia expected at all. Gray smiled slightly raising the eyes to the sky : he knew that the others wouldn't believe her. She was known to exaggerate their relation. But he did looked forward to seeing jaws falling on the ground, which was going to occur in a few seconds.

- " She is telling the truth. " He said passing his arm around Juvia's waist. " We really are together. "

The silence, then the chaos. Everyone who was drinking did a spit take, like Lucy who sprayed Romeo, who had come get something to eat, but the latter was as the others too shocked to react to that. Gajeel and Levy were coughing heavily, trying to swallow what they had in their throat after the shock made them choke on their meal, Natsu was like the others, frozen, eyes as wide as plate and jaw hanging. Erza even let her strawberry cake fall to the ground, which shows how deep the surprise was. Once everyone had settled down, they threw themselves on both of them and began to drown them with questions, the poor mages not knowing what to do until the characteristic noise of glass breaking draws the attention of everybody.

They turned their head all at the same time, facing Mirajane, still behind the bar, eyes open wide, who had just dropped the glass that she was wiping. Everybody could see her breathing really fast and this is when people became afraid. She was the queen of gossip and auto-proclaimed matchmaker of the guild, spending her time to try to find people who could make great couples and she had under her eyes one of the 'projects' she liked the most. Cana threw herself on the barmaid, pulling her towards another part of the building.

- " Come, Mira. I think you need to calm down before going back. "

- " J-J-Ju-Juvia e - and G-Gray, t-they … "

- " Yes, it was not a dream and I'm as ecstatic as you, now come here, you need to relax. "

Cana dragged the barmaid, paralyzed by what she had just saw, her heart beating faster than never, and took her to the room on the other side of the building, where the swimming pool was, hoping that the she-demon could calm down, but alas, fate had decided to torment the young white haired woman.

/- Flashback: swimming pool, by the time Gray and Juvia returned -/

Yukino was alone, sitting on one of deckchair arranged around the swimming pool of Fairy Tail, her chocolate-brown eyes lost in the pond, her mind clouded with question. She was so focused that she did not hear that someone was approaching her, making her jump slightly by feeling somebody sitting down next to her.

- " Yukino, are you ok ? "

Turning her head, she met Sting concerned eyes, which had just joined her.

- " I looked for you everywhere, I didn't though I'd find you there honestly. What is it ? "

- " Nothing. It is just that … All that is happening … I wonder what is the point of this battle. Knowing nothing about them disturbs me, I don't know what to think of it anymore. "

- " I understands you. " agreed Sting, turning his head to the swimming pool. " A full platoon of guy come out of nowhere and attacks us one after the other to test us. That's completely stupid. But we can't say that they aren't strong."

At those words, Yukino wiggled slightly, but Sting noticed it.

- " Besides, I can't help but be slightly afraid. When I saw what they did to Rogue, I … "

Seeing that Yukino was trembling, with tears in her eyes, Sting took her in his arm to calm her, but it was didn't worked like he thought it would. Once in Sting's arms, the celestial mage let herself go, weeping, letting go all the stress she gathered all the week. Sting let her cry, rubbing her back slowly to comfort her, all the while whispering reassuring words in her ear, which calmed the sobs of Yukino, and after a few moments, she slightly pulled away from Sting. But when their eyes met, they got lost in the other eyes, their feelings getting transmitted in a flash by the spark which shone deep in their pupils. Without a word, lost in their own world, they got closer to each other, closing the gap between their bodies.

/- end of the flashback-/

Cana and Mirajane couldn't move any more, suddenly mutes, their eyes locked on the couple kissing in front of them. Both young lovebird were totally in their bubble, but the dragon sense of Sting noticed that something wasn't right. The dragon of light reopened his eyes, without interrupting the kiss, Yukino still in her own world, turning his eyes towards the disturbance that he had felt and when he finally noticed both fairies in the entrance of the room. Understanding what their presence here meant, he got up suddenly, moving away from Yukino who almost complained about the sudden stop of the kiss when she saw Sting standing, looking flustered, then following his gaze she saw Cana and Mirajane, blushing all of a sudden when she understood that they had been found. Cana looked away from both Sabertooth mages to focus on Mirajane, the white haired beauty could feel her heart beating faster than a minigun, before tipping over to the back, eyes rolling upwards, clear sign that she was in a state of shock.

- " You really chose your moment to jump on each other well, you two. " Complained Cana, without any filter as usual, whereas both lovers blushed even more.

- " N-No, Cana. This is not what you think … We have j-just " tried Yukino, embarrassment killing her, her boiling face between her hands, Sting standing next to her simply looking away.

- " Well, it doesn't matter. " Cana turned back to Mirajane, who already seemed to regain consciousness. " I'm happy for you two, but I'm going to take her to the infirmary, she needs it, I think. "

With this, she slide her arm under the barmaid's shoulder and lift her, taking him to the infirmary of the guild, the card mage already tired of this day.

/-Infirmary-/

- " They sure are noisy out there. What the hell is happening ? "

Minerva, as usual, sat next Rogue in the sick bay, the latter showing no sign of waking up ever since he fell into that coma, her head however turned to the door, intrigued by the noises and the roaring she could hear through the thick wooden door.

- " I don't know, but that has to be something big. "

The voice she just heard was hoarse and broken, but pleasantly familiar for Minerva. Putting back her attention to the bed, she saw Rogue, eyes hollow and tired, but finally opened, for the first time for quite a long time, too much for the young brunette.

- " ROGUE! You are finally awake ! "

- " It seems like it, yes. "

Remembering the promise she made with herself, Minerva got straight to the point, not wanting to lose any more time.

- " Rogue, I love you. "

Rogue turned his head to her, opening his eyes as much as possible considering his current state, shocked by Minerva's words.

- " In fact, I think I'm still sleeping. Yeah, that's it. I'm probably still dreaming. " He was then pinched really hard by Minerva, not amused by that. " OUCH ! OK, I'm not dreaming. But then, you … "

- " Yes, Rogue. I meant to tell it to you at the moment you'd wake up. You have a lot of nerve making me wait for so long. " She complained, arms crossed under her chest, a cute sulky pout on her face. Rogue smiles by seeing that, holding out his hand towards her face, turning her head to him and, forcing on his numb body, got closer to her, putting his lips slowly on her, the brunette eyes opening wide before closing them and returning the gesture, their little moment not lasting for a very long time.

*Boom* - " AAAAAAAAHH! "

A shout and the deaf noise of a body falling to the ground drew their attention and they turned their head to see Cana, standing next to Mirajane, the barmaid spread on the ground, some foam coming out of her mouth, her body convulsing.

- " WHAT THE HELL ?! " Roared the cards mage, pointing a finger towards both tigers. "FIRST GRAY AND JUVIA, THEN YUKINO AND STING AND NOW YOU ?! I'm pleased to see you finally awake, Rogue. BUT IS IT SOME KIND OF PLAN ?! DO YOU WANT TO KILL HER THAT BADLY !? "

The 2 tigers, scarlet red, looked away, trying to do as if nothing happened, but Minerva's mind was running wild over what Cana had said.

- " Wait. How's that, first Gray and Juvia then Sting and Yukino ? You mean that … "

- " I'm very happy for you and all of that, but if you don't mind, I have a barmaid to wake and lovers to tease, and you are part of them, trust me, I won't forget you two. "

With this, she turned around towards Mirajane, still convulsing, still trapped in a seizure, doing everything she could to get her back, under the embarrassed and nervous gaze of the Sabertooth mages.

/- Guild hall, later-/

Life got back on its usual track in the guild of Fairy Tail after the shock, no, the trauma which had been caused by the revelation of Juvia and Gray, Sting and Yukino and Rogue and Minerva going out, revealed at the same time. Thus everybody attended to their usual activities, the talks were mostly about the new couples. Everybody was basically having fun, except for some of them like Lisanna not completely listening since she was busy in picking up the shards of the glasses shattered by Mirajane's powerful shriek when she came back in matchmaker mode. The main mages had split in 2 groups, boys on one side and girls on the other one, every group attacking the new young lovebirds with questions, mainly about what triggered those changes. At the girls table, Wendy sat next to her best friend Cherrya, who was on cloud nine.

- "Ah! So much love, it's so beautiful !" The young pink haired woman, eyes closed and hands joined in front of her as if she was thanking the sky for those changes. It was at that moment that she noticed something strange with her friend. Wendy had a dreamy look in her eyes, fixing a point while sighing, sipping on her lemonade. Following her gaze, Cherrya saw who her friend was looking at and a roguish smile appeared on her face.

- "So, are we eyeing your Romeo, Juliette ?"

*PFFFFFFT* - "W-What ? B-But no, not at all !" Stuttered the healer, coughing noisily, almost choking when she spat out her drink.

- "No, no, no. None of that with me. Admit it ! You are head over heel for him. You don't have to be shy about it, he is becoming a real hottie, I can only imagine what he will look like in a few years."

The words of the God Slayer were stuck on replay in the head of the Dragon Slayer. By looking at Romeo, who sat next to his idol Natsu, she could only admit that Cherrya was right. He had grew up, now a little taller than her, the jobs and the training had paid of, giving him a body many could see as perfect and he had grew a lot in term of power, still far from being one of the powerhouse of the guild, of course, but in a few years, he would certainly become one of the best of the guild. Realizing that she was almost drooling and so almost proving Cherrya right, Wendy shook her head to clear her mind.

- " Don't insist. I said your wrong ! " Wendy said, denying her feeling stubbornly, before putting her glass violently on the table.

*BAM*

Slamming her glass on the table with strength certainly was going to make noise, but not to the point of it being heard through all the guild. Everybody turned their head to Wendy, who like them had no idea about what just happened.

- " Don't look at me like that ! I don't know what just happened, I … "

People who were looking at Wendy, basically everybody, were stunned to see, or rather hear, Wendy's voice whose volume suddenly start going down to the point of making her go mute, the latter realizing just now what was happening to her and judging by her expression, she was as surprise as the others who tried to understand what was happening to her, the concern on Romeo's face being clearly visible, which Cherrya noticed but kept for her.

- " But what happen to her ? " Asked Charla, worrying for her protégée.

- " I detect no magic. What could cause that kind of thing ? " Wondered Makarov.

- " Wendy, calm down. " Ordered Erza, managing to calm Wendy down before keeping up with his instructions "Try to say something. "

Wendy shook her head, expired then inspired before opening her mouth.

- " Help me ? " What should have been an whispered sentence came out of her mouth like a cannonball, with the volume of a concert speaker at maximum power, which drilled the eardrums of all the people around her.

- " Oh no ! I'm sorry. Ah but … " Wendy put her hands to her throat, the volume of her voice had returned to normal. " It's back to normal. "

- " It's all very good, but that doesn't explain what caused those sound problem, for lack of better words. " remind Erza, an eye closed, rubbing her bruised ears.

- " I think I know. " Answered Romeo, surprising the other, all eager for answer. " Makarov said that he hadn't felt any magic. But if we are talking about something non-magic, I can only think about a Strizer. "

- " Uh, Romeo. You have some point, but I don't see what kind of Strizer would have fun disturbing Wendy's sound. "

- " The bored kind. "

This new voice, totally unknown, drew immediately the attention of the mages who found it coming from the second floor. Sitting cross-legged on the railing was a young man, about 16 years, with blond middle-length hair combed in a Owen Wilson style and with grey eyes who seemed to change into multiple colors. The tanned skin, he wore a grey opened Hawaiian shirt with purple flowers and sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pendant shaped like an eagle around his neck, a sky blue bermuda shorts and purple and white shoes. He had a smirk on his face which augured no good. The sudden appearance of this guy made the mages uneasy : for the first time, the Strizers came to find them at their home.

- " The little guy was right. You need to trust the youth more, they could surprise you. "

- " Small guy ? Hey, we have to be the same age, dude. " Romeo said, not appreciating to be called 'small guy'.

- " And that's the case. Both 16 years old. " Answered the Strizer before smiling with all his teeth like an idiot. " So, does my sound manipulations pleased you ? "

- "Then it's you who made me mute ?" Asked Wendy to confirm her suspicions which were more than founded.

- "Yeah, cutie." Romeo twithed slightly by hearing this guy call Wendy 'cutie'. "Moreover, I didn't came here to have fun, well not in that way at least. Let me introduce myself."

With this, he jumped on the railing above the bar, ending standing up in front of the mages. He opened his hands, palms facing towards the sky. Suddenly, a deep rumbling noise could be heard outside of the guild and suddenly, the windows of the building burst and violent gusts of wind entered the hall, forming mini whirlwinds here and there in the guild.

- "My name is Daniel Anderson, Strizer of the sky. Pleased to meet you. Are you ready ?"

/- Not far from Magnolia -/

In the border of a forest stood a man, wearing a long hooded jacket, with blue hair and a red tattoo on the right side of his face, going over his eye. It was Jellal Fernandez, who left the festivities for the anniversary of the victory against Alvarez for a job. His eyes were fixed on Magnolia, which was visible far off, worried about the kind of wide tornado which had just formed over the city. Behind him stood a man, completely hidden by his hooded jacket, Jellal talking to him without turning around.

- "It's going to be you alone, now. Are you ready ?"

- "More than ever."

- "Good. Then let's go." And they went out of the wood, hurrying to reach Magnolia, ready to give a hand to the fairies who will need it.

There we are, the 10th chapter is done. I'm not that good with romance, so I'm sorry if this was kinda messy. I hope the story pleased you so far and that you'll like the rest. See you next time !

Next time : Storm warning on Magnolia. Winds from a dragon, a god and another world. Gathered in front of the cyclone jail. A hero nobody was waiting for.