The morning meant the start of a new day, another dawn to what would come to pass as the beginning of another breakfast with the Alberona cottage, along with their little roommate that seems to be…interesting, in his own way.
"Craig, sweetie, try not to shove an entire muffin in your face, please." Cornelia motherly insisted. It was perhaps the third muffin he had, and this was her fourth time asking – today that is.
"Mkay!" Craig muffled as he swallowed the crumbs and muffin. Once again, crumbs were still plastered onto his face, but when he looked back Cornelia, seeing her raised brow and smirk, the little boy blinked and looked quizzically around for a napkin.
"Uuhhh…go fish?" Was all he could say when he couldn't find one. Cornelia and Cana's laughter at his foolishness was what made him blush in embarrassment.
Cornelia wipes away the tear from her full-scale laughter and looked happily at Craig. "Craig, honey, you sure know how to make a woman laugh."
Cana continued to laugh at Craig before she finally began to let up. "Craig! Craig!"
"Hm?" Craig looked away, huffing embarrassment still.
"Do that again!" Cana insisted.
Cornelia looked down at her own flesh and blood. "Now Cana, let's be reasonable. You know eating so much in small amounts of time is never healthy."
"Aww." Cana pouted. The saddened brunette turned back towards Craig, and then she paused upon shock bewildering him. She probably didn't need to ask because Craig was already looking down, his little plastic fork piling link sausages into his mouth. The sight, yet again, made Cana laugh. Cornelia looked back at Craig, her eyes wide upon seeing the vast number of meats he was pouring into his mouth. Craig looked up, noticing he was spotted again. The young boy looked around, noticing how stiff he'd become with Cornelia and Cana watching him.
All he did was blink and raise his free hand to wave at them. "…hello?" He muffled.
Cornelia chuckled perhaps the umpteenth time. Even at this point in time, Craig was still cute when factitiously tried to weasel out of his appetite situation. She knew that he knew, but Craig was a wild child. Manners were still new to him.
"Oh dear." The mother groaned.
After their usual breakfast, and making sure Craig helped in dishes, the cottage inhabitance decided it was time for some pre-education. For starters, Cornelia made do with fruit. In the living room, sitting on a chair, Cornelia smiled down on Craig and Cana as the two children were sitting cross-legged.
"Now, tell me what this is." Cornelia held up a red apple.
Cana pointed at the fruit. "Apple!"
"Food!" Craig called out.
Cornelia sweat dropped at Craig. "…sure." Though Craig wasn't wrong. You could eat it of course. "Now, how about this?" She held up a yellow piece of fruit.
Cana pointed at it. "Uh…uhhh…banana?"
"Second breakfast!" Craig announced.
"Not today, Craig." Cornelia said as she sat the banana off to the side. "How about this?" She held up another fruit, one that was round and ornage.
Cana seemed to be struggling some. "Uhhh…uhhh…"
Cornelia bent in. "Come on, Cana. You can do it…" She watched as her daughter was struggling some, but despite her puzzled expression, the mother knew of a solution. "It's also a color." She added on.
Immediately, Cana's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh! I know now! Orange!"
Cornelia sat the orange on her lap and clapped. "Yay! Very good sweetie!" She cheered. As her daughter smiled with blushing cheeks. Cornelia then reached over right beside her. "Now, let's see you know this fruit…" She pulled out a green pear, holding it up for her little brunette daughter to inspect.
Cana's eyes narrowed. "Hmmmmm…" Her little brows furrowed. "Uhhhhh…."
"It starts with a P…"
"Uh…" Cana looked frustrated. Crossing her little arms, she looked down at the ground. "I don't know!" She pouted.
Cornelia smiled. "That's okay, sweetie. This is called a pear, okay?" Watching her daughter nod in understanding, Cornelia sat the pear down. "Now that you know what a pear is, let's look back at what you know. Okay?" She reached and presented the apple. "What's this?" She asked.
"Bite marks!" Cana chirped.
"Of course, swee-huh?" Cornelia stopped mid-sentence, catching wind of what Cana had just said. Curious, Cornelis looked at the apple. "Bite marks?" She turned the apple around, noticing how it had a sizeable piece missing. The larger brunette looked down at the fruit beside her, noticing how they were all taken a bite out of. The banana had its top missing – even the peel! The orange was bit right into as well. Looking down at her lap, she noticed that the pear was the only fruit that wasn't eaten. Looking around, all she saw was a curious Cana, and Craig, who was suspiciously closer than normal and off to the side. Cornelia looked at him, her raised brow meeting his face, which looked straight, but sticky around the lips, and his cheeks were a little puffy as well.
Motherly, Cornelia smirked. "Craig, sweetheart…?"
Craig smiled, feigning innocence. Only his mouth revealed bits of orange and apple peeling still stuck on the front. Behind the small but also sharp teeth, one could see mush. The answer was clear.
Cornelia's head drooped. "Well…at least you know what they taste like." She mumbled.
Craig hiccupped, jumping up from his spot. The cute manner did lighten up Cornelia some, making her chuckle and giggle. Cana looked over, laughing again at her little roommate and his appetite.
The morning arose in the small apartment, with birds chirping outside the window. With the blinds still shut, very limited light went through, revealing Craig sleeping on his side, with Cana hugging him from behind, holding him tight, as if he were to disappear. With both beneath the covers, the thin yet cozy blanket stirred with Craig's legs moving, showing he was coming around.
He woke up, eyes opening to reveal that he was again being held by Cana. It was taking some brief time, but all he did was just lay there in somewhat deep contemplation. Yes, he was mortally violated in terms of space and proximity from his brunette…friend? But he had to recount the dream that was but another memory lost in the sea of time that came back from a tiny life raft. His eyes shifted to glance over his shoulder, looking back at Cana, who was still sleeping like a baby. He then looked away towards the wall, seemingly passive about her place right beside him. Craig could describe Cana as annoying, but when he thought about it, she was like this key. She was a childhood friend, and when comparing her to those flashbacks that occur, it's like comparing light and dark. To think Cana could change so much after so long; then again, it was probably years ago. It was still something Craig didn't like to think about, considering how mixed up it was making him feel. For now, it was just another morning, waking up in the arms of a booze-loving female who pisses him off.
After several minutes of silence, Craig finally began to move out of bed, feeling Cana's hold slip and forced her to wake up.
"Huuuh…?" The exhausted brunette groaned, turning her head to look up at Craig standing on the one side of the bed.
"Morning…you clingy leech." Craig greeted in a groggy morning tone.
Cana turned onto her back and sat up. Still wearing clothes from yesterday, she looked at Craig with groggy eyes. "Do you ever learn to not throw insults first thing in the morning?" She retaliated.
Craig's eyes narrowed. "Nope."
Cana huffed and looked away. Her vermilion eyes cascaded themselves towards the blinds. "Well, guess morning came." She got out of bed and walked on over towards the blinds.
Craig turned away. "Careful, you might go blind." He warned. However, Cana wasn't hearing any of it.
"Oh relax. I'm not a vampire. I just happen to enjoy a morning of fresh dayli-!" Unfortunately for the brunette, the morning sun was not at all clouded by other buildings or morning distant clouds. Her eyes were met with bright sunlight, making her wince and look away.
"Warned ya." Craig deadpanned.
"Shut up!" Cana angrily spited.
After their little morning got started of course, Craig and Cana washed up – separately of course – and they went downstairs to get another breakfast started. Cana still didn't have booze to settle her morning thirst, but she settled with water, much to her chagrin.
Having a plate of toast and sausage out, Cana began to spread the jelly. She heard something come down from the steps, and she looked up to find Craig hauling a large amount of sheets from the bed down the steps.
"You doing laundry?" Cana raised a brow.
"Yeah, gotta clean my sleepwear, especially since something diseased slept in it and now I gotta wash the poisonous smell off every inch of it all." He half-heartedly exaggerated. He made it to the last step and met the wooden flooring. He trudged on over towards the open laundry room, ignoring the grunting Cana gave of as she chewed on her toast, a tick mark evident on her head. She leered at him as he made it to the laundry room and sat his sheets atop of the washing machine that came with the apartment.
"Remind me again why you decide to stay over." Craig called as he reached and seized the fabric softener sitting on one of the racks in the light green room.
Cana turned away, again huffing out of retort. "Oh please." She then smirked and glanced back at him. "The baby needs a shoulder to cry on when he's sleeping." She teased.
Craig whipped his head around to face her. "…can it, Brownie." He raised the softener and carried it downwards. "Sometimes I fear you'll just poison me in your sleep."
"And how? By making you have sweet dreams and no longer sweating?" She teased again. When Craig growled at her, baring his sharp fangs, Cana knew she got him on the embarrassed side. Her smirk faded and her brow raised when she noticed something awry though. "Uh, Cranky?"
"What now? Can't you see I'm trying to think of something to annoy you too?!" He grunted harshly.
Cana pointed to the washing machine, and Craig followed her finger to where it was pointing to. To his slight shock, he was putting the fabric softener whole instead of the sheets themselves. He caught himself not paying attention and recoiled the fabric softener away from the opening. With a slight huff, he sat it off to the side and put the sheets and blanket themselves into the washing machine. After shutting it and pouring the fabric softener, he started the machine and walked out of the room.
Cana had a hand supporting her chin, elbow to wooden table. "Someone's not paying attention to their duties."
Craig slowly waltzed past her. "Shut up. I told you the morning isn't my thing."
"No time is 'your thing'." Cana deadpanned.
"Well you most certainly aren't a prize yourself in the morning."
"You're a last place prize."
"You're no prize!"
"I'm a bigger prize than you'll ever be!"
"You're dumber than me!"
"You're hideous!"
"You're stupid!"
"You smell like fresh blood!"
"You smell like alcohol!"
"At least I can get a date!"
"At least I can clean up after my own messes!"
"It's not my fault those guys we end up facing are monsters!"
"Now who's the baby who needs a guiding hand, Brownie!"
"Cranky!"
Both growled and glared so hard at the other that they were firing lasers at intersected at the middle. Both sneered incoherently, muttering with scorn with language that the other could understand, firing back with grumbles of other adulterated sentences that make no sense. After some time, Craig and Cana finally whipped their heads away from one another, huffing in retort.
As Craig walked away, he looked over his shoulder and leered back. As he gained distance, he looked over at Cana's plate, seeing the sausage. When he gazed for just that brief second, his narrowed vision retained some stiffness. The memory of last night briefly arose yet again, and he pictured Cana as her little three-year-old self. His eyes and face looked back ahead, looking away and managing to look over at the fruit in the basket on the island table in the kitchen.
He stopped momentarily, examining the fruit. He looked at the apple, oranges, bananas, and the pears, alongside green grapes. It wasn't too long, but as he again reflected on last night, he managed to pull off a grin, snickering some before he reached for an apple, taking a bite out of it.
As he chewed, he looked back at Cana, seeing her look to be calm again as both chewed on their respective breakfast.
The guild hall was as it always was, without a single strand of hair out of place. It was that time of the day where Natsu and Gray would be getting into a pointless argument, and coincidentally Gajeel and Elfman were nearby as well.
"Oh yeah?!" Natsu berated.
"You need to learn manners, punk!" Gray yelled aloud.
Natsu began to put heads with Gray, grinning eagerly. "Oh yeah? How's about I teach you some, starting with that stupid grin not having a couple of teeth missing."
"Here we go again. Bunch of morons." Gajeel grunted.
Lily crossed his arms. "Well, at least you know the guild's volume is as boisterous as it always is."
Watching the scene beginning to unfold, Mirajane smiled. "Oh dear, looks like they're at it again." She said as she presented Erza with her fresh strawberry cheesecake.
Once handed the plate, Erza picked up her fork with a sigh. "Thank you, Mira." She looked over her shoulder, hearing the first punch thrown. As Gray went flying, she retained her calm demeanor. As she looked at Natsu, seeing the gung-ho spirit as bright as ever, she managed a half-grin.
Mirajane noticed Erza's smile. "Aw, someone's a little happy." She cooed.
Erza turned around, eyes shut as she continued to smile. "Well…there isn't anything wrong with that."
"So…" Mirajane bent over on the bar table, mischievously smirking. "Have you given any thought of what you might do with a small lunch with him?"
As Erza opened her mouth to take the first bite, her eyes opened. A small blush appeared on her cheeks. "W-what?" She had to retain her composure, especially with everyone around, although they were getting into the scuffling beginning to unfold with Gray returning a punch to Natsu's face. The redhead looked startled at Mirajane's sudden inquiry. "I-I don't know what you mean."
Mirajane giggled at Erza's lie. "Don't worry, I don't think it's a big deal. It's actually very cute how you have a soft spot for him."
Erza's small blush only served to fuel Mirajane's persistence. She hit the nail right on the head, and yet Erza tried to avoid it, only to fail. The Requip Mage looked back over her shoulder, sneaking a small glance at Natsu as the Dragon Slayer got into another punching fest with Gray. She looked back towards Mirajane, again a small smile passing over her face.
"It's not that I never know, it's just, things have been…difficult as of late." She huffed. Her head lowered and she gazed down at her cake. "I asked him before that incident involving Fogbound, but with Craig and what's been going on, I can't say when I should ask again."
Mirajane retained her smile in contrast to Erza's worry. "It's okay. But you know, you can't have yourself held back forever. Sometimes you just have to take that leap of faith. Trust me, chances like these don't come around every day."
Erza thought about Mirajane's words, keeping them close to her heart. The S-Class Mage smiled again, and she picked up her fork. "Of course, you're right. I can't sit by forever like this. What kind of person would I be if I sat aside waiting for nothing to happen?" She pondered.
Mirajane cheerfully smiled. "There we go."
Erza looked back at Natsu, seeing his smile as he successfully threw another blow to Gray's face. "We'll have to see about tomorrow."
Mirajane smirked even greater. "Tomorrow~?"
Erza could feel just a little pressure from the matchmaker known as Mirajane, and frankly it was making her push boundaries. Tomorrow was another day, but what mattered was today. Erza considered long and hard, but in the end, she just silently looked on as Natsu engulfed the guild hall in yet another brawl.
On the second floor, away from the scuffling, there they were, Craig and Cana. The brunette sat right across from Craig as the mentioned had his head laid on the table, looking like he was going to take a nap. Cana had several mugs gathered around her, looking as though she was going to drink all of them.
Cana sipped and gulped from her mug, raising her head. Craig's eyes opened slightly, the sound of the guild enraged for the umpteenth time booming against his ear drums. "If I had a Jewel for every syllable croaked from their throats, I'd be in a field of gold." He grumbled.
"Mind if I have a bit of the gold myself?" Cana mused.
"Everyone but you." Craig said.
"Now how is that fair?"
"Life's not fair."
"What's not fair is you giving money away to everyone but me!" Cana's voice raised.
Craig sat up, matching her angry tone. "You'd use it to pay tabs!"
"I like booze! You're condemning me because I like booze!"
"I'm condemning you because you're wasting money for wrong reasons!"
"Then what would I use the Jewel for then?!"
"How's about a shirt for once?!"
Their shouting was so loud that everyone below was hearing. Natsu and Gray stopped their scuffling and froze in place to hear what Craig and Cana were yelling about. Everyone stopped in place as well, with midair punches frozen, Elfman raising someone and keeping them up, the man also stunned and frozen. Mirajane and Erza looked up, the former more quizzically. Laxus and Makarov raised brows, along with the Thunder God Tribe.
"My fashion is my business!" Cana yelled.
"Your fashion is exactly why you end up being a distraction while I cut throats!"
"It's not my fault that I got gifts up here for men!" She gestured to her massive greasts.
"You only got the gift of annoyance! And that gift is too giving!"
"You're too giving with you having no greed!"
"Screw greed! Better happy people than happy self!"
"Fine! I'll be happy while you just lay on your bed and see you sob!"
"Fine! I'll be sobbing because you won't leave!"
"Then I'll stick to you like a parasite and watch you sleep like an itty-bitty baby!"
"You're such a creeper watching someone sleep!"
"And you're not?!"
The citizens of Magnolia were quite mild, joyful even. They all placidly carried on throughout the streets, minding themselves to their own delights. Magnolia was about its smiles and its warm demeanor, and it's proven by its sunny weather, the people, and the lively guild hall – which was nothing but straight-up shouting. None knew what was going on inside, but they knew that it involved Fairy Tail in some way.
"Man, the guild hall sure is acting up today." A citizen passing by stated.
"Tell me about it. When is it not like that?" The second one asked.
"The guild's been all over the place if you think about it."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, think about it. Ever since that one guy joined, the guild's been in a huge turn. It's gone to places like that one alliance, and I heard that new guy has been doing all the work by himself."
"Sounds selfish if you ask me."
"Maybe, but that shows how self-sufficient the members are."
As many of passerby had conversations of miscellaneous material, they seemed oblivious to the eyes of someone whose been prowling up the main street. Behind him followed his long magenta coat, quietly flapping in the soft breeze that seemed to graze him, but as it passed him it was left as but a followed, cut-up splice of molecules. He had a magenta hat as well, with had a long tuft of white feathers jutting out. The man also seemed to be carrying something long and sharp behind his back, which caught quite a few eyes.
When the few citizens took notice of him, they could've sworn they felt their oxygen supply diminish. The man passed them, and they all felt their eyes get sore just from looking at every feature of him, which was as sharp as knives.
Elfman sweat dropped. "How long have they been going at it you think?"
"Don't ask me, I'm just amazed they're just yelling at each other for this long." Gray commented, again without much of a shirt on.
The entire guild hall was just scrutinizing on at Craig and Cana's bickering back and forth, each passing second amazing them with how witty each of their comebacks were. They were bickering on for almost five minutes straight, spouting nonsense and what one could describe as embarrassing facts sprawling from left to right. Only what they didn't realize was that that Craig and Cana had far longer bickering quirks, some even close to an hour.
"You suck!"
"You double suck!"
"You triple suck!"
"You infinitely suck!"
They just couldn't stop, no matter what. It was either Craig and Cana, and someone had to get the last laugh. Everyone else was just the peanut gallery. Erza could stop it, but then again, Craig just might throw her out a window, especially with the demeanor he's set on himself from all those scornful memories she was forced to bear witness to.
Makarov sighed. "Children never seem to learn."
"You're one to talk. Just look at Natsu and Gray. You think there's any good example around here?" Laxus smirked.
Makarov huffed at his grandson's inquiry. Just then the old Master's eyes widened and a hitch escaped his throat, this no doubt caught the attention of the other guild members.
Natsu raised a brow. "Gramps, what's wrong?" Just then, Natsu's own eyes widened.
Erza looked around, and then she too noticed the sudden dynamic change. Her eyes widened, her body growing weary. "This pressure…" She turned towards the doorway. "What could be wielding so much intensity?"
"And I say you-!" Suddenly Craig cut himself off. His eyes widened, his sea-blue eyes sharpening. He felt a sharp appeal, and it was disturbing, but in a way, what got his full attention. He looked down at the open doorway of the guild hall. He remained silent, watching as the presence he was sensing drew near.
Cana looked down at the first floor, her body also feeling the uneasy appeal of something. "You feel that?" She walked over towards the balcony, looking down at the others.
Craig's eyes narrowed as he heard footsteps drew closer.
At the open doors, the one walking in was a rather tall man. He had narrow green eyes that were as sharp as a hawk's vision. He had a goatee it seemed, and had a small moustache that had sharp edging as well. His brows were like black narrow lines, the whole ensemble giving a straight, and very serious, face. On his head was a magenta hat with a large white tuft.
He adorned a white dress shirt tucked in at the waist. He had on black dress pants with a black belt, with pointy, fancy shoes. He had a golden necklace around his neck, the end having a children-size dagger. Over his dress shirt was a magenta long-sleeved coat, which gave him tremendous appeal. On his back, there was a massive blade strapped down and sheathed.
As he walked in, his sharp eyes glanced around, piercing like daggers into everyone around him. He looked intimidating to most eyes, and to those like Erza and Natsu, someone who meant business. His footsteps echoed through the confines of the guild hall, the wood so stiff that it dared not break beneath his shattering presence.
"Just who is that guy?" Elfman muttered.
"How should I know?" Evergreen mumbled.
The man ignored the comments thrown around, their inquiries more or less disdainful. He walked up, approaching the center of the guild hall. There, he finally spoke.
"My apologies for my sudden appearance, but you have left your front door open." He said.
Gray's eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah?"
"If I may, I am just passing through here. Have you not someone of higher rank amongst you?" He asked. He heard a grumble from his left, his ears catching wind of the slightest sound. The man turned to look at Master Makarov, seeing his narrowed eyes. The man turned to face him head on. "Are you the one in charge here?"
"Yes." Makarov's tone, it was stern, and extremely leery. No one could blame him, for this man's Magic Power he had, it was something of another caliber. "And who might you be?"
The man still maintained a straight face. "I have no interest in harming you, but I can understand your anxiousness. I apologize once again for my lack of mannerism. Allow myself to be introduced."
Hearing the voice, Craig moved from the chair he was currently standing on and maneuvered right by Cana's side. He looked down from the balcony, witnessing the man's appearance. When he caught whim of the attire, and the man himself, there was no doubt one could see Craig's serious and angry gaze widen some.
"They call me…" The man trailed off, seeing an odd, foreboding presence amongst the group. Turning his head, he looked up at the balcony. He met eyes with Craig, the two looking at one another, staring daggers that pierced the air molecules between them. Their stare was intense, and everyone watching seemed to have their adrenaline levels on the rise. There was a long pause, one that seemed near-infinite.
Cana looked at Craig, who was keeping a straight face. She could see how stern he looked when looking at the man down on the first level. They seemed interlocked until Craig finally lightened up some.
The aggressive being crossed his arms and reeled away from the balcony. "Well I'll be damned…Ace Hunter."
Everyone watching turned towards the man, who was revealed to be Ace. "So, you do have recollection of me…Craig Crius."
"Unless you went and changed your first and last name."
Craig began to walk towards the stairs, but he left behind a startled Cana Alberona. Her shock was as evident as her exasperation. "Wait, hold the heck on! You're saying you know this guy?!"
Craig turned around, looking at her. "Brownie, I know a lot of things."
Cana walked a little closer to Craig, her expression and steps turning cautious. "Craig, but I thought…" Her voice, even that was turned down and cautious. She was maintaining a careful condition, especially how to interpret it so that Craig wouldn't be scorned by dreadful flashbacks.
"Everyone that you've befriended and ended up knowing…"
It was a small insult to personal injury, but Craig could tell she was trying o be gentle. However, it was still painful upon the recollection of the fact everyone he's befriended and learned of his amnesiac perished one way or another. His head lowered and frowned as he waltzed away from Cana.
"…yeah, you're right…they all did…" He trailed off, refraining from finishing the sentence. He looked away, up towards the ceiling. "But that guy down there, he's no friend, but no enemy either."
"So…an acquaintance?"
Craig turned towards her, head raised. "Yeah, something like that." He looked down at Ace Hunter dead in the eye, showing no such thing as remorse. "Like you know, shit threw me off and on a dozen courses of action. I guess you can say maybe some who actually did stay out of my hair tended to themselves; that's the kind of guy Ace is."
"Your past is of not my interest nor was it my business. Weren't those my exact words?" Ace acknowledged.
"Yeah, and you're damn lucky you're stubborn enough to follow to that principle." Craig retorted.
Ace grinned. "Now is that really a way of showing respect to your peers?"
"Tell me the first thing I should know and care about damn greeting why don't you."
Ace frowned. He stared up at Craig, seeing scorn. "I see. You've become more ferocious. How disappointing."
Craig began to walk down the stairway, still leering at him. "Whatever." He reached the bottom, making his stop fifteen feet away from the man. He stood in a laid-back manner, his gaze turning uninterested. Ce saw this, but he nevertheless maintained a sturdy disposition.
Erza managed to intervene. "Craig, what do you know of this man?"
Craig didn't bother turning a blind eye to Ace. "This fancy guy right here? Is Ace Hunter, labeled 'Greatest Swordsman Alive' or some crap about that." He answered.
Erza's eyes again widened, and following her was Cana, then Makarov, and soon enough all of Fairy Tail was in a state of shock. No one could begin to comprehend what was going on as their own minds completely shut down from sheer surprise.
"No way!" Natsu screamed.
"You mean this guy you're bluntly sassing in the world's greatest swordsman?!" Gray bellowed.
Gajeel gaped his mouth. "Just how messed up are the people you know?!"
"Well this is a first." Laxus mumbled, sitting on the barstool. "Didn't know someone like him existed."
"That perhaps explains the Magic Power." Makarov said. "But…"
Erza's eyes shuddered some, shock surmounting still. "I can hardly believe it."
Lucy seemed petrified, the blonde shuddering incredibly out of terror. "So…he's like a big shot?"
"How come I've never heard of this Ace Hunter guy?" Elfman wondered.
Mirajane placed an index finger to her chin and pondered. "That's true. You'd think such a world reputation would get around here somehow."
Ace looked at Mirajane, hearing her questioning aloud. "I can understand your ill-acknowledgment of my stature. I don't tend to travel to these parts of Earth Land very often. I'm not common knowledge, but my reputation precedes elsewhere I suppose."
"Like say Awkinaw?" Craig remembered.
Ace glanced over towards him, the sharpness ever so clear. "Precisely. Such a lovely country there."
"I don't think I've heard of such a place. It must be off of Ishgar." Lisanna speculated.
"Accurate to say. It's far off reaches on perhaps the opposite side of this world. I'm more preceded amongst those there than here." Ace said.
Cana met Craig's side, hand to her hip. "Well now, about time we learn a thing or two of how you two actually know one another. That would be appreciated." The brunette said.
Craig looked off to the side, trying to look like he didn't give a damn. "Right, right. Where was I…?" He reached for the chair behind him and pulled it out, making sure to sit in it. "Let's see hear, it was 3 years ago…" He began to recollect the small town that was lost in time, a small yet thriving community-like town with ports and harbors that had fresh fish every day. The folk were all thriving, and no one seemed doubtful of the port town that stretched for miles right next to the ocean. "I was still emotionally unbalanced like you all once."
"You are still, and worse." Cana pointed out.
"Shut up. Anyway, amongst my travels, I came across Awkinaw. It was small, but it stretched across the sea. Fresh beaches, and by no means were their harbors shabby. Fresh fish poured in every day. It was a wealthy spot for commoners and folk to gather. A few infamous faces even show up because of the abundance of rich satisfaction they get from their food. You'd be surprised how many officials named it one of the wealthiest and most cultural places on its own continent. Anyways, with the exception of myself…" He pointed a thumb towards Ace. "This guy right here just so happened to be there. That's when we first met one another."
3 Years Ago
Craig, barely fifteen and broke. He had only a white shirt with a few messy stains, a little bit being blood. His black pants were baggy, but just his liking. He was unlike anyone in the country, for he was more or less a wreck, a living hell one might say.
The past year ever since his memory was cleaned out was stressful, painful, and mind-destroying. He had no motivation other than the fact he needed to stay alive to honor hid deceased friends he's made. With his eyes half open and barely awake, he lethargically went through the harbor, ignoring the seagull flying overhead and its droppings splattered five feet from his right, right atop of another roosting seagull. The little act was funny, but Craig saw it as gross and flat out ignored it.
He needed food, and it didn't matter what kind. Fish, veggies, meat; he needed protein, and his muscles that he's gained from the relentless combat over the years yearned for the vitamin.
"Gotta see what's on sale." He quietly grumbled. "There's gotta be some sort of place that takes 500 Jewel for freakin something edible…" He scrolled quietly, disregarding the weary gazes the few citizens gave at Craig's poorness. He stumbled through the town, looking left and right, ignoring the urge to snatch and swallow large bags of meat. He was hungry. He hasn't eaten in two days. Such a toll left him poor in health, but at the same time, the main reason he hasn't eaten was because his latest passing made him lose his appetite.
As he made it to an intersection, he came across the sea. He saw nothing but open, vast blue, and by no means was it small. It stretched as far as the eye could see. Sure he's some across the ocean before, but this one farther north of the continent was just blue. It was beautiful, not another word could justify.
There was sudden screaming coming from the east. The sound was rather loud, and it meant only one thing that Craig learned to never run away from: trouble.
His eyes widened. "What?" Disregarding his hunger, he raced off, heading towards the direction of the screaming. As he ran, he disregarded the number of people running in the opposite direction. They had horrified expressions that could only spell disaster. As the many townsfolk escaped off to who knows where, Craig ventured closer dodging incoming people and making it towards the main harbor, where the bigger ships were.
To his shock, citizens were all either running around in the area or were tied up. The number of people tied up began to increase as the muscular and dirty people began to pour off of one of the larger ships.
The ship itself was made of black wood, and it had a skull imprinted of the point. Craig went wide-eyed at everybody pouring off the ship.
"Pirates?" Craig asked.
A pirate raised a sword. "Capture them all! Get as many as you can round up!" One wearing a purple bandana announced. Unlike the others, he had shoulder pads, and a goatee. He looked eager as he pointed his shabby sword ahead. "Secure this port!"
The other grunts followed his order and they begun venturing. Many still rounded up men and women alike, and many more began to make way towards the market area. In total, not one could say, but Craig saw maybe 50. To him, it was a tall order.
He stepped into the shadows, keeping himself out of sight. 'This isn't good. There's a large number, and I doubt many of the people here are armed. And that includes me.' He looked away, his cascading eyes reverting towards the street. 'Gotta slow them down somehow!' Without a moment to spare, he ran through the shadows of the boulevard, carrying his feet behind the stands bustling to save themselves from the raid. He jumped over a fallen chair, and trekked faster towards one of the fatter, larger, tents in the vicinity.
He reached a tent possibly twenty-feet-tall, one that sold furniture. On the opposite side of the street was a similar tent, but that only sold fresh and large fish.
"Sorry about this!" Craig kicked the tent spikes that held up the one tent, and with them gone, the huge tent began to crumble, tumbling down forward. The wiring on the top leaned down, dragging the tent on the opposite side down with it. All around, different types of fish and furniture began to liter themselves across the boulevard, making a wall that crashed like a wave. All of the pirates running ahead stopped in their tracks as the tents fell, their obstacle a hefty one.
"What the heck? How'd this happen?" A pirate exclaimed.
"Drats! We gotta go around!" Another pirate argued. Suddenly, a twenty-pound, two-foot-long fish was sent flying, flopping in midair as it momentarily blocked out the sun. Said pirate looked up, only to be hit in the face by the fish. He fell over, unconscious.
"Hey! Who threw-!" The first pirate looked angrily ahead, only to receive a leathered chair to the face, he too falling over.
All of the other pirates looked down at their fallen friends, and while they were distracted, another was hit by another flying fish, knocking him into the pirate behind him. Many were knocked down, and as they looked up to find the culprit, they were met with surprise.
"Hey." It was Craig, and he stood atop of the debris pile, having a desk over his head. "Yeah, I'm talking to you guys. It ain't wise to gain up on happy, clueless duds. How's about a taste of your own medicine!" He bent his knees, throwing the furniture with all his might. The massive desk went flying in the air, heading towards one of the less muscular guys. He tried pointing his sword ahead, but rather than skewering it, he was crushed by the desk.
The pirate next to him growled. "Grrrr! Stop throwing things at-!" He was met with a flying desk chair, which fell him next.
The pirate next to him now looked at Craig. "Get him!" The pirates all gathered their weaponry, raising arms and heading up for Craig. Craig held up a swordfish, readying for battle.
'At least I managed to block them off for the time being. Right now, I gotta worry about saving my own skin!' He jumped down, the swordfish pointed ahead. "Bring it on!"
Four pirates at once brought their swords down, but Craig nimbly dodged by jumping back. Be brought the swordfish around like a bat.
"Fish Attack!"
He swatted the four men at one, also cutting into them with the swordfish. He then ducked, dodging a punch from one pirate. He then unleashed a Soaring Pain, knocking the larger pirate backwards into a stumble. Craig looked up and saw a sword with his face written all over it, and so he used his swordfish and whacked the man in a hurry. "Is that all you've got?! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" Craig lashed out, startling the pirates with his demeanor change.
Running on his nimble movements, and the fact he hasn't eaten, he was getting the fight over with. "Fish Attack!" The adrenaline he was pulsing through himself was working, and he whacked guy after guy with the swordfish in hand.
A pirate came from behind and went to seize Craig, but he didn't account for Craig to pivot and turn around. "Smash!" He socked the man dead in the nose, making the other pirates cringe in fright as they heard the cone cartilage shatter into pieces. Following through with the punch, the winds went passed the pirate, and said individual went blitzing backwards into more of his comrades.
The pirates all backed off, startled by Craig's volatile nature.
"W-whoa! This guy is nuts!"
"This kid is too weird!"
Craig pointed the swordfish at them all. "I have a fish, and I'm not afraid to use it!"
The pirates looked at him in question, but then looked despondent as they thought Craig was just nuts. Craig was suddenly seized from behind by one of the pirates, hoisting him up. The shocked Craig was caught momentarily surprised.
"Gotcha ya little squirt!" The pirate sneered.
Craig grunted as he maneuvered his left hand, which still had the swordfish in hand. He pointed the tip at his leg. "You forgot, I'm still armed…with a freakin fish!" He stabbed the pirate's leg with the swordfish, making him scream out in hand. The pirate dropped Craig as he recoiled in hectic pain. As Craig dropped back down and landed, he noticed that he managed to diminish a large number already. Unfortunately due to the lack of food, he was already showing signs of wear.
A pirate smirked. "This kid's nuts and all, but it looks like he's tired."
Another pirate had a rope in hand. "Let's tie him up and get him with the rest!"
However, Craig reached behind and threw another piece of furniture, another chair to be accurate. The pirate in front dodged, only for the one behind to wind up taking the blunt and fall backwards. The pirates, all fed up with Craig as he narrowed his eyes at them, began to close in.
A shimmering sound was heard, which resembled that of a sword. The sound reached everybody's ears, and Craig was left startled as the pirates were all stiff the one moment, but then as a wind passed by, a man appeared in front of him, almost like a blur that teleported in front, hoisting a hand-sized intricate dagger. With his position looking like he slashed someone, Craig stared, wide-eyed as the swordfish in hand nearly feel out of his grasp.
The tall man kept his hat tilted to conceal his face as he stood straight up. He slowly sheathed the dagger in hand and then a large clang sound reverberated. The pirates all instantly fell, falling with some form of blood spill.
With the pirates momentarily incapacitated, that left Craig to stare wearily, clutching the swordfish he was using.
"You can be calm. I am not here to quarrel with you, young one." The tall man stated.
Craig still didn't let his guard down. "And…if I don't believe you?"
"Understandable." He turned around, facing all of his vanquished foes. "This may all seem sudden, especially with how well you've managed to fend the boulevard until I arrived. You have my thanks."
Craig adjusted his cautious gaze, still having a very leery gaze. "Thanks." He spatted angrily.
The man looked over his shoulder, and his green eyes met Craig's sea-blue eyes, the sharp daggers in the eyes startling Craig as he looked like he was looking into the world's sharpest object.
"Don't fret. I cut down their ship, and the citizens seized were all returned soundly. However, there is still much more to be done. I doubt that's the last of them." The man with the large dagger said.
Craig stared, lowering his swordfish at long last. His eyes narrowed further, however, as his guard was higher than before.
"And it just started from there." Craig finished. "You happy now?"
"In a blunt summary, that is how it all began. Aside from that quarrel, this young man and I had little to discuss other than the impending situation in that particular city." Ace said. "However, seeing a similar face does bring back nostalgia."
"Ace!" Another voice hollered from outside the guild hall, catching everyone's attention. Craig and Cana looked passively outside while Ace looked over his shoulder to see another person venture into the guild hall.
Venturing inside was a young woman. She looked to be the same age as Erza, only instead of red hair she had orange, wavy hair. Her dark eyes were stern, not at all soft. She looked like she showed no remorse. She adorned a white shirt beneath a long-sleeve black battle top that had a long coat that narrowed down behind her thighs with a slit down the middle, which also had light blue trimming all around the edges and stripes going down the arms. She adorned white pants and black boots. At her waist, which as a black belt, there were two swords sheathed. One was blue with sky blue rimming, and the other was jungle green with neon green.
With a hand to her hip, she scrutinized the guild hall. "Why have you come here of all places when there's an objective at hand?"
"Hello, Andrea." The swordsman huffed.
"We can't dawdle around places like these. Remember, we have a ship to catch up to." The younger swordswoman reminded him.
Craig raised a brow as he looked at the new face. "Geez, everywhere you go is just new faces."
"Who is she?" Elfman asked.
"Don't know." Gray answered.
The swordswoman looked around at the questions, looking unamused. "Such low-lives. Remind me gain why we had to stop here?"
Cana kept a discerning gaze on the woman, as was Erza. Both woman could feel insulted on so many levels, especially with how the swordswoman was brushing them all of as low-lives. Regardless, they persevered and managed to hear it out as Makarov spoke.
"Ace Hunter, is there an explanation for this matter?"
Ace turned towards Makarov, looking him dead in the eye. "A very simple one. Forgive me for not finishing my sentence earlier, it slipped my mind." He turned back towards Craig. "Craig Crius, you're the reason I'm here."
Craig was wide-eyed, and amongst him, the guild was also shocked. Everyone didn't expect Craig of all people to be a solemn reason. Cana certainly was surprised.
"You got a good reason?" Craig asked.
"In retrospect, I'd best give myself a small ideal." Ace explained. "Perhaps I need to make this clear. I have been following rumors about someone describing you in Bosco for about two weeks; and hence while I was on the search, I came across several towns and cities noting of a guild being 'shown up' by one of its more violent members who utilizes blades. I was curious, and so traveled here and found you."
"And why's that?"
"So that I can request for your help."
Andrea looked surprised. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you serious right now?!"
"Yes, Andrea, I am." Ace said with his back facing her. "Forgive my acquaintance. She can be selfish and lackluster. Allow an introduction. This is Andrea."
Andrea looked away with a grin. "I don't mean to say much, but he's taken me under his wing." She modestly admitted.
Cana raised a brow. "So, you're training a swordswoman?"
Ace didn't seem at all surprised. "Whatever this idea of Andrea's is, I'm not appealed honestly."
Craig crossed his arms. "Sounds like a bug that just latched on to a host and is just there."
"In a sense." Ace admitted.
Andrea beamed with pride. "You can say it all you want, Ace Hunter, but no matter what, I swore that for as long as I live, I'd be trained by following your footsteps, literally. Until the day comes when I feel ready to take your title."
"Who do you sleep at night with that thing watching you like a hawk?" Craig asked.
Ace closed his eyes. "Ignore her. Like I said, I have an important request for you to consider, so here me out. There's more than just rumors sprouting amongst the west side of Earth Land, where I resided before coming here. I was hoping to find activity amongst Ishgar for quite some time, but I found no such luck. Seems operations are only happening in the west."
"Come clean." Craig insisted.
"Very well. For some time now, there's been a band of smugglers whose been scouring around with illegal shipments of rare valuables. Their leader is raiding several big cities, and mining has been reported; as a result, many factories and locals have been concerned with these off and on fundamentals. They only travel by ship, so it's reasonable to suspect they don't stay in countries ling before they get what they want."
Gajeel blinked. "Say, now I'm just intrigued. If this stuff is scattered all over, it's gotta be crazy valuable."
"That much is all I know I'm afraid, but I heard from a colleague one week ago. He's informed me that there is a high probability that they are heading overseas right now, heading towards Tahunga."
"Tahunga?" Lucy wondered.
"The heck's that?" Natsu wondered.
"Sounds manly." Elfman said.
Craig spread his footing a little. "Alright pal, let me put the brakes right there. So you're saying that there's an overseas threat that's so grand that you call upon me on a whim. You traveled all over Fiore to find me so that you can ask me of such a favor, or a petty explanation?"
"I'm sorry, but if I could provide anymore detail, I could." Ace apologized. "But I've been tracking this cult for six months, and I have only that much detail."
Craig didn't seem too appealed by his conversation with the higher-ranking ally, but he knew this was all for good intention. Finally he grunted as his eyes shut. "Fine."
"Fine?!" Cana exasperated.
"You know I can't say no. Any threat is still a threat. No matter how big or small, any means of an enemy who is willing to cause trouble deserves nothing less than the attention of someone who refuses to turn a blind eye to them. Even small scorpions hold venom in their stingers. Keep that in mind."
Cana wanted to rebuff, but then she thought back to the Fogbound incident. She remembered Craig's explanation about him always helping out, no matter how big or small, no matter the sacrifice needed. That's the man Craig's become as well over the years. The Card Mage finally backed down with her own sign. "Alright, you got me."
"No one asked you." Craig said.
Cana grew a tick mark. "Well I'm going anyway!"
Craig turned towards Ace. "You have objections?"
Ace maintained a straight face. "I'll allow it, but minimal assistance only. We don't wanna risk our large number of allies giving away our positions." He answered.
Andrea turned towards Ace, looking very displeased. "Hunter, surely you must reconsider this. We're more than capable of dealing with the enemy ourselves. Asking these kinds of guys is only asking for trouble. I implore you."
"The decision stands, Andrea. So please, stand down." Ace informed.
Andrea looked annoyed. She was spatting out a bunch of incoherent sentences, breaking off frequently, but then she finally let out a cold, hard growl. "Grrrrr! Fine!" She angrily went on over and stood in front of Craig. The two met dead in the eyes, but Craig's stare didn't seem too serious.
"You…I don't know what game you're pulling here, but I know we don't need your help. This task has got nothing to do with you in the slightest. So if you get in the way, you'd best move over unless you wanna deal with me, are we clear?" Andrea's threat was evident of her hospitality, and it was clear she found her opinions of them very low indeed.
However, Craig wasn't at all bothered by the swordswoman. "You just make sure to watch who you bark at." He narrowed his eyes. "Because I'm not here to abide by your damnation."
Cana put a hand to her hip. "Yeah, I'm with him on his one. He really doesn't listen to rules when all he does is break them."
Andrea growled and pointed at them. "Don't get in my way unless you want a taste of my swords, fiends." She turned away and walked back behind Ace, who wasn't at all embarrassed by his colleague's demeanor.
"Well she's a peach." Evergreen muttered beneath her breath.
"Wonder how she got to follow the greatest swordsman in the world?" Jet wondered.
"Beats me." Droy said.
Ace turned to leave. "Meet up at sunset at Hargeon. Have your minimal team assembled. I'll be waiting, until then, Craig Crius." With that, the great Ace Hunter retreated, leaving Andrea to follow with her back straight up.
As they both vanished, Craig stared at the open doorway, his muscles tensing up with the funny suspicion something's going on that he did not like.
"You sure we can trust this guy?" Cana asked.
"Ace Hunter is a man of dignity and seriousness. He's never dishonest. That much I know. If he knows little yet asks for an acquaintance such as myself through rumors…then this is dead serious."
The team was assembled, and already they were on the port of Hargeon. It took a few hours, but they all managed. The team the Master had accompany Craig – and Cana – was comprised of Natsu, Erza, Happy, Gray, Gajeel, Lily, Elfman, and Evergreen. It was an odd team, but Master and the Thunder God Tribe came to terms with Evergreen keeping an eye on Elfman, though that was more of Bickslow's idea, and Evergreen's own resentment.
Natsu and Gray crossed their arms, already unable to stand one another. "This is the weirdest team ever." Natsu grumbled.
"This is too bizarre for me…" Gray grumbled, though he was thankful the Master didn't have Juvia assigned. A nice break from the insanity in his case.
"Both of you, be on your best behavior." Erza warned. "Here they come."
Coming into view from the streets of Hargeon, the group could see Ace Hunter and his entourage Andrea. Ace looked as serious as ever, and Andrea followed behind like a soldier. Both met up with Craig and group, ready to board deck.
"So, this shall be your backup?" Ace asked, overlooking the number of people present. There was a moment of silence before Ace looked ahead. "Fair enough. This number should be adequate. Now that we're all gathered, we should tell you more of Tahunga before proceeding further. It is a solemn country with its own island, said island is bordered by massive quarries of rocks that shaped it similar to a dome one might say. Weathering and erosion provided a number of tunnels and open ways for ships and foreigners to gain passage through."
"So that's the description we're looking for. And just how far is it?" Erza asked.
"It resides in the southwest tropics, but if we go by this ship in particular, we should make way for Tahunga faster than any means." Ace informed.
The mention of ship made Natsu and Gajeel sweat bullets on the spot. They looked to be on the brink of paling.
"W-well you guys have fun!" Natsu chimed factitiously. "But I'm just gonna hang it back with my pal Happy and set sailing the loose way!" Any means of lying to get out of this situation was what the Dragon Slayer was going for. No one was buying it, unfortunately.
"Uh, yeah." Gajeel cleared his throat. "Salamander said something smart for once."
If he wasn't feeling like barfing right now, Natsu would've socked him in the teeth.
"You boys behave. Happy and Lily need to conserve as much Magic Power as they can in case of an emergency. Besides, the tropics hold chances of horrendous weather such as hurricanes. It'd be too big of a gamble." Erza chided, getting both Dragon Slayers to pale.
Cana turned towards Craig. "How many times were you carried off by a hurricane again?"
"Twice." He answered.
Ace proceeded towards the boarding. "This should meet our accommodations for the duration of our voyage until we reach the country. Let us advance at once. For us, there is not a second to waste."
"Come on you slouches! Up and at'em!" Andrea shouted.
Natsu sweat dropped as he began to step onto the walkway. Already he looked like he wanted to throw up. "You think it's too late to swim there?"
"I'd rather not rust before I get there…" Gajeel looked back up as he continued climbing. "…but…"
Everyone boarded the ships deck, and the last ones to advance were Cana and Craig. The two hoisted themselves up towards the wooden deck, their feet planting in the stern wood.
Elfman looked down at the deck. "Wow, it's more spacious than I thought. You can have a party on here!" He wasn't wrong. The ship did in fact had a large amount of space to carry a whole crew. It looked like a pirate ship, but the sails were well-fabricated, and the wood shimmered in the burning orange sky.
"Guess now's as good as any time to get to it then, huh?" Gray speculated.
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
Cana was wearing a white shirt with slits in the arms, something somewhat concealing for the temperatures and cool winds of the seas. The brunette heard seagulls overhead caw out. When she thought about it, it's been a long time since the Card Mage had been on a boat. Looking up, she noticed how Craig was above the cabin quarters. He stood atop, his hand clutching the mast. He looked out to the sea, almost expectantly. The brunette could tell Craig had some form of screwy history with the sea; after all, he did cross it and end up on the bottom in some way, shape, and possibly form. It wasn't in her place to say, but she was helping out where she could to make this journey bearable. The brunette turned her attention towards Ace and Andrea, who were steadfast and at the wheel.
"We're off." Ace announced. "Everyone, no matter what, stay on guard!"
As the ship began to leave the port, Natsu and Gajeel contradicted his warning by falling over, cheeks puffed out.
Lily crossed his arms. "As expected for your typical Dragon Slayer."
Happy huffed. "This is going to be a long trip."
The ship embarked, the race for Tahunga beginning as the beaming rays of the setting sun enlightened Craig's face as the sea breeze flowed through his slicked back, crow-colored hair.
The ship went on, and it's only been a few passing hours since the voyage had begun. The sun had long since set, the sea creatures lighting up the ocean floor, creating a universe of spectral lights that reflected the night stars in the sky. Though the passing hours seemed slow, the ship was moving remarkably fast thanks to the Engine Lacrima Ace managed to get his hands on. The Jewel it took to get was not pretty though.
"Aw yeah! Now this an evening!" Gray commented as he looked out to the sea, the horizon showing more stars.
"The sea is manly!" Elfman announced.
"Gurgh!" Natsu and Gajeel, however, were on deck, the opposite side and taking the liberties of emptying reserves…for the third time. Lily and Happy kept them company the entire time, not that they had anything better to do anyway. Of course Happy's constant spouting of sea fish was starting to get cumbersome.
Still on the mast's side, Craig sat cross-legged. He looked out still, somewhat nodding off expectantly for someone who doesn't find the sea relaxing all that much. The more the temperamental being stared out, the more he pondered of the past. Unpleasant and pleasant adventures alike went on in his mind, like those times he fought giant waves, sea monsters, and sea legends. None would believe he went up against Poseidon or Davy Jones if he ever tried explaining. And as always, the friends he made were taken away by such legends, swept away in the sea of time. Deadly sharks were another matter themselves.
Cana climbed up right beside him. "Hey, sea paranoia getting' ya?" Once she managed to lift herself up completely, the hardy brunette took her spot right next to Craig. "This seat taken?" She smirked.
Craig looked out, uninterested. "Yeah, a seagull had dibs on that fifteen minutes ago." He mused.
"Well sucks for it then."
Craig looked over towards her. "Shouldn't you be sleeping in a bottle nest or something?"
Cana rested her chin on her hand, looking away by her own chagrin. "That guy doesn't allow alcohol. If I had known that, I would've saved my rations better." She pouted.
Craig rolled his eyes away, grunting as he couldn't expect anything else.
"So what is it?" Cana paused.
Craig stared ahead, again looking expectantly at the sea lying ahead. "That guy? Yeah, he's a stick in the mud."
Cana blinked. "Wasn't that around the time you picked up those?" She pointed to his swords, which were still sheathed, but the thin jacket was now adorned on him to compensate to cool breeze.
Craig grinned at the memory. "Yeah. That's the time I realized I could slice ass rather than kick ass. Following that, I learned I could do both. It's a crazy ride, but it's true. That time I met Ace, was the time I got these bad boys and improvised."
Cana smirked. "Bet ya cut yourself more than a few times there."
"Almost cut my own limbs off…but I pulled through, just like my dumb luck always does." He put a hand on his blood red sword, looking down at the sheath. A frown cascaded onto his face. "I never had interest in training with swords. I never took the time, nor the consideration. Everywhere I went, all of my training, it's just…in the midst of battle. I only cut the crap out of people now because I had to think on my feet. Every use has a purpose, and for me, I never trained like others did."
Cana raised a brow. "And what about that Dragon?"
"Slicerax? Tch, yeah, same. Like I said, I improvised. Though…" He grinned. "That old bastard had words beyond his years when it came to 'believing in the sword as it does its master's will'." He clutched his blade tighter. "But no, Ace could've trained me, after seeing what I did to the hardest opponent of his life, but I had no desire being the best. He looked up at the night sky, grinning. "I don't want something so trivial. I want something with meaning. I have my life, and that's all the meaning I'll need. I have experience and skill, but what Ace has, I have no desire in."
"So I you were challenged by him…"
Craig looked away. "I don't care. I wouldn't call myself a swordsman anyway. They just help me live my life the way I want to live it. I just give them use…and no matter how, they don't mind."
Cana picked up how Craig was speaking, as though the swords were sentient. While the case did happen before in some way with Craig, Cana held nothing against him. It was admirable to see Craig take his own path. He had the power to slice anything, yet if challenged by Ace, he wouldn't even dream of it. A shame to many swordsmen who desperately want the title, but who knew what Ace thought of it?
Cana grinned. "You're one screwed up person, you know that?"
Craig narrowed his eyes. "And you're a Brownie who can't get a hangover, so there."
Down beneath them, Andrea was leaning against the side of the cabin quarters. Her arms were crossed, and with her head turned, she was taking in everything she heard from Craig. Now she understood, she understood why Ace needed help, at least to her. Someone who was perhaps more than capable of meeting his experience level, but rather shows no desire to fight. Her eyes narrowed, her perception of the voice grating her nerves.
"Blurgh~!" Natsu was on port, letting out a few more contents that were in his gut. He didn't seem like he wasn't going anywhere soon.
"You'll be okay." Happy said, patting Natsu's back with his paws. The blue Exceed comforted his friend, and by the looks of it, he's gonna be at it for a while, at least until his friend passes out. He heard the sound of boots clanging against the wooden deck, heading his way. When he turned around, he looked to find Erza there. "Erza?"
"You wouldn't mind?" She began to sit opposite of Happy, taking a place right beside Natsu as the Dragon Slayer slouched on the deck.
"Only if you don't mind having Natsu vomit on your armor." Natsu grumbled at Happy's voice, gurgling a bit before his cheeks puffed out again.
The poor Dragon Slayer was unable to respond to any dilemma. The odds were that if he was attacked, he wouldn't stand a chance now that he's motion sick. Happy's padding seemed a little better, but not much at all. It only made more contents wanna spill into the sea. Suddenly when he felt another road ready to burst, something gentle but warm rubbed against his back. It felt like a rubbing hand, but something about it was so warm and inviting. It soothed him somewhat. His queasy stomach was calming down. He managed to muster the strength to look over to his right side, managing only that much strength to see Erza smiling and rubbing his back.
"Erza…" The Dragon Slayer muttered.
"It's okay. You can rest easy." The knight smiled at him. Her strawberry fragrance enveloped the Dragon Slayer's nostrils, and that too managed to calm his nerves. Though it wasn't for long as he sloped down to the wooden deck, passing out at long last.
The redhead continued to look down at Natsu as he was finally soothed to a degree. Her smile never faded.
"What a pitiful site." The voice broke the soothing moment for the two, and Erza's head lifted to find Andrea behind her. She didn't look at all pleased. "Now what kind of excuse is this, huh? Ace did not ask for some handicap that is only good for spewing his guts out."
"Hey! Natsu can't help it! All Dragon Slayers have motion sickness!" Happy berated. However, Andrea glared daggers at him, startling the Exceed.
"Then that kind can't possibly be of any use." Andrea berated.
Erza stood up, her eyes narrowed. "I would appreciate it, if you backed off from my friends." Her tone sounded more of a threat, a level of which matched Andrea. Their glares matched the other, colliding with the other like knives that slices through the pressure around them.
"You will stand down." Andrea berated. "You are in no position to backsass me."
"I will not tolerate your selfish demeanor. You can have at me with your verbal contents, but picking on the weak – especially when they can't fight back."
"If they can't fight at all, then they're no better than scum who should learn to pick themselves up rather than have others do their own work."
Happy backed off to the corner. "Uh…guys…?"
Andrea pointed at Erza. "I know full well who you are, Erza Scarlet. Those who carry swords have only one path for them. To become the greatest of their kind. I will climb to the top, and by defeating Ace Hunter one day, I will have that goal achieved."
Erza shook her head, unable to sympathize with Andrea's perspective. "You're wrong. The path one takes is not guided by his or her sword."
"Yes…it is." Andrea's eyes narrowed. She began to reach for her blade, her dark blue one. "If you're a knight, you play by a code of honor. You have pride, and I have way more pride on the line. My honor as a swordswoman dares not be sullied. If there are those who wield swords, they are called swordsmen, and I dare to defeat all to achieve my dream."
Erza's glare was sharper than it was before. "I would forsake all of my power and pride if it meant protecting my loved ones. That is all I need. I can discard as many swords as I wish."
Finally, Andrea reached her tipping point. She had fully unsheathed her blue and green sword alike, which gave off a shrilling pressure. Her agitation was getting the best of her. "If I am not anything else, I'm the rising swordswoman of the world. I dare not tolerate a coward's cry of shame to the code of the sword! If you have a blade, pick one up, and meet me with dignity!"
Erza turned away, looking down at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer's groggy facial expression left her to back down. "I have no desire to fight you. You'd best back down to retain what-!"
Andrea slashed both her swords from the one side, in which Erza's reflexes caught whiff of. Requipping faster than what the eye could see, she got a sword and blocked the attack, yet the result was shocking. Andrea had more than speed on her side it seemed. Shockwaves went past Erza, reaching out to the sea, taking a bit of the deck with it. Everyone could see a small fraction of ocean get sliced up and spout all around.
Gray's eyes widened. "What the heck was that?"
Elfman looked down at the deck, his eyes widening as well. "What are those two doing down there?"
Erza grunted, feeling such pressure from her blades. 'That almost cut me.'
"I don't have time for your buffoonery with this lightweight. The strongest must clash to have the right to the top!" Andrea announced. "Come on, Titania, your pride and honor is on the line!" The orangette backed away, her two swords in hand. She looked ready to attack.
Erza didn't have a choice. Requipping another sword, she refused to have Natsu insulted. It was bad enough he was picked on, but worse when he was berated for being useless and unworthy. She had faith in Natsu, and she refused to accept anymore actions addressed to the Dragon Slayer. For the sake of Natsu. 'Seems I have no choice, but her attack was so powerful. I'll have to wear her down enough to reason with her.'
Erza crossed her blades and charged on the deck. Her crossed blades clashed with Andrea, meeting a standstill. The winds generated went flying around the deck, and then Erza backed off into a backwards slide. Andrea advanced with a lunge, slamming her two swords down like axes, meeting Erza's two blades again. The impact was so pressurized that the redhead found herself flying off again, but regained her footing. 'She's so pressurized in her attacks…' Not a second sooner, Andrea appeared behind the redhead, slashing her jungle green sword, which Erza barely managed to pivot and block.
Two swordswomen were interlocked in a battle of swords on deck, and as startling as it was, Erza found herself always pivoting and blocking as Andrea was vanishing and appearing left and right, barely giving the redhead time to defend. It was parry after parry, and as Erza found herself on the defensive, Andrea slashed again.
"HRAH!"
Her swords were crossed and she passed the redhead knight, the result being a shimmering bright light in a cross pattern that connected with Erza's blades, shattering them like glass. The blade pieces fell to the deck, leaving Erza grunting as her cheek got a few cuts in. "You don't have the resolve to take on the world. You harbor feelings, a weakness. A swordsman needs resolution and discipline." The orangette berated.
Erza sprung ahead and slashed, but as her blade went horizontal, Andrea jumped, landing on the blade's flat side and using it as a stepping stone to somersault in midair. Her two swords were like rolling blades, and Erza's eyes widened as she came crashing down. The redhead requipped two blades, but they were only barely able to intercept and block off the attack, breaking into pieces as she was pushed back. Again, shockwaves went around, passing her and cutting up bits of the balcony on one side of the ship.
"Hey, cut it out you two!" Gray shouted.
"Yeah, be real men and don't get into fights!" Elfman shouted.
The cabin doors opened, revealing a yawning Evergreen. "What is with all of this commotion-WHOA!" The Fairy Mage recoiled back inside the cabin as half a dozen shattered swords went flying towards her direction, puncturing and embedding into the cabin walls.
Lily looked at the scene right beside passed out Gajeel. "Hey, quit it!"
Erza slashed downwards, managing to make Andrea step back. She didn't take it very well as she slashed, hoping to shatter more of Erza's swords, only the redhead jumped overhead, dodging another projectile wave and saw more of the ship's balcony get sliced off.
The redhead flipped and ended up overhead, landing behind Andrea. They both looked at each other, glaring harsh daggers at one another.
"Come on! Stop!" Happy shouted.
Andrea pointed her dark blue sword ahead. "You're too foolish to think you'll be of any help on this quest! I'll prove it with all of my pride and honor on the line! Hrraaah!" Andrea lunged ahead, both swords ready to stab.
"Your perception is foolhardy in its own right! Haaahh!" The S-Class Mage went springing ahead, mustering up the resolve to finally put Andrea on a defense.
As both met the middle, a sudden flash emitted. Erza and Andrea both went wide-eyed and went still as Erza's blades were suddenly trapped in large icicles embedded into the deck, while Andrea was more than startled with something she never saw coming. The orangette was halted by Craig, who was using only his bare, sharp teeth and caught her jungle green sword, while Craig used his blood red sword to intercept the dark blue one. And to add insult to injury, Andrea couldn't seem to push through, no matter how much pressure she poured into the tip of her blade.
Gray and the other looked off to the side, seeing not just Craig who intervened, but also Cana, who had a card in hand and shimmered with Icicle written all over it. "Alright you two, party's over." Cana announced.
"You heard Brownie, save your children scuffles for an appropriate time…which is never." Craig added in a muffle.
The Requip Mage looked ahead, taking a pause to understand what was happening. She finally conceded and pulled out her sword from the icicle in front, requipping it away. The mage stepped back, her eyes shut. "I apologize."
"Don't." Cana looked off towards Andrea, her eyes narrowing. "We know exactly what you meant by what you did."
The icicles broke and shattered into pieces, leaving blue sparkles as Craig was still left to hold Andrea, who was bitterly scorning him. "You will move out of the way, now!" She shouted. She pushed, but Craig's sword and his teeth kept her from not moving an inch.
"We heard it all. Granted, these guys are a bunch of dimwits, but at least they know not to go picking on the weak. That's below scum."
"I will take nothing from the likes of you." Andrea said. "May I remind you that you were only picked because Ace requested you, not that we needed you in the first place."
Craig's eyes narrowed. "I'd watch that mouth if I didn't wanna lose it."
Andrea's teeth gritted. "What did you say…"
"Andrea!"
Her head picked up, eyes widening when she heard Ace call out her name. She looked up on the higher deck, seeing the greatest swordsman with arms crossed and glowering down. "A-Ace!"
"Stand down." He ordered.
"B-but they…"
"But nothing. You are only making a foolish act on yourself. You're only giving yourself a bad name and sullying your ambition by not taking responsibility for something that you started. Now, stand down, and clean up your mess. This instant." There was a cold tone from that last part that left even the cold Gray shivering down the spine. His eyes were so sharp that they gazed into everyone's core. Cana would feel her eyes hurt just from looking at him.
Andrea relented, but she never liked to leave nosiness unattended. She grunted as she stared at Craig, who only stared coldly at her as he still contained her movement. She looked at Craig and Erza a little longer, showing a small glare at Cana as well. Finally, her aggression settled as her head drooped.
"Fine." She huffed. Craig let go and retracted his singular sword, and Andrea sheathed her blades. She looked back at Craig with a scowl. "But this isn't over, you understand?" She pointed at him. "Don't get in my way, or I'll cut you down. And that goes for your little friends too."
"Andrea." Ace berated.
Andrea hung her head and walked past Craig, but she had eyes full of something Craig never liked to see: Anger, hatred, anguish. He felt her pressure even as she went below deck to get boards to fix the ship as it kept on sailing.
Erza walked away, but not before Ace dropped something. "Ms. Scarlet. My apologies for my colleague. Here." He dropped down a handkerchief, a pink one that fluttered down for Erza to catch. She applied the cloth to her cheek, wiping away the small drips o blood Andre inflicted on her selfish intentions.
"Thank you." She thanked.
Ace continued to look down at her. "Forgive me. I find it cumbersome to deal with Andrea's behavior at times. Such an ambition can lead one on a blind road with no signs to read. She only wishes to defeat me, so to you, you're nothing but a stepping stone…" He looked down at Craig as he lethargically began to find a nearby seat and sat back, eyes gazing up to the night sky. "But I believe she might have it in the worst for my other acquaintance."
Erza looked towards Craig as well. "Someone who doesn't consider himself a true swordsman, and yet battles so well as one…"
"Perhaps such a wayward path is meant to befall Craig. I cannot deter one from their own goals. I have trained from the day I started walking to training. There's no doubt that training only comes as forms of battles for some people. I've learned that all too well."
"…Craig…he's aggressive, but he's got a heart nonetheless. No matter how skewed." Erza commented.
Ace turned away. "You'd best tend to your friend. He's looking pale again."
Erza turned towards Natsu, a smile coming across her face. "Right." She walked away, heading towards her fellow Dragon Slayer and a calmed Happy.
Meanwhile Cana looked down at Craig, arms crossed. "Everywhere you go, just making friends."
Craig twisted his brow. "Shut up."
It was still night, the night still dazzling with twinkling stars. The sea was seeming calm in the cove of some unknown location. The large rocks formed were like massive barricades, providing little space. However, wedges in the rock revealed manmade openings, which were supported by arches that made it stable for passage of ships.
A number of ships went in single-file, heading into the dark waters of some undisclosed location. There was little lighting, and one could barely manage to catch a glimpse of the stars from where they could be.
The ships docked in the darkness, and once the ships dropped anchor and the boards went down, the number of shady figures were smirking with glee.
One the biggest ship of the whole fleet, one could see seven shadows, and one sitting back against a seat, overlooking the smaller ships docking into the ports.
One of the seven smirked. "Looks like we're almost there."
"Yeah, thank god. This took longer than I had expected to find." Another of the shady shadows said, showing impatience.
"Well if this is to work, we needed a sufficient supply. Gathering all of those lacrima was not easy if I remind you well." Another said.
"Let's hurry, and we'd best be sure to not make a sound. Not that one can get through when we're in anyway." Another shady man grinned.
In the back, sitting the chair, watching his seven elites grin, someone looked expectantly at the ongoing scene. It's been a very long wait, but the excitement of the time coming made the scales beneath his eyes crackle. His nails glistened in the poor light, his desire to see what's to come evident.
Happy New Year! To kick off the era of 2017, I have begun a new chapter; and with it a new arc. I got this little idea from watching One Piece Dressrosa Arc, so there might be hefty references from said arc, same goes for the guy who I based off of Hawkeye Mihawk. Aside from those notable references, I made another long chapter, and will most likely be this way for the duration of the story. Did some lost flashbacks, a flashback of the 4 years involving history of a surprising character, and added drama with the setup of Andrea's ambitions. Let me know in comments and reviews what you guys thought of how I kicked off the new year with the Tahunga Arc and those CraigxCana moments. Thanks! :)