Fairy Tail: Rekindle
Fairy Tail, Rave © Hiro Mashima
Chapter Four: Guild of Insanity, Part 2
Fairy Tail turned out to be everything Izumi had expected and a quite a few things she didn't expect. From the humble tavern that served as the guild's base to the variety of personalities that had joined the wizard organization before her. Though she could have done without the cross-gendered weirdo that pretty much attempted sexual assault – she still didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. Now sitting at the bar, a mug of apple juice in hand, Izumi watched with interest as the door to the guild hall was flung open, slamming against the wall with an audiblethud.
The man who entered shortly after had a mess of silver-white hair and mysterious amethyst-purple eyes. He wore a black jacket with a white collar, a plain-white undershirt, a pair of pure-white pants held by a leather-brown belt, a pair of black sneakers, and a silver necklace with three crystal shards. He carried an unbelievably large broadsword with a distinct pattern at the hilt and a black musical note on the surface strapped to his back. The symbol that distinguished him as a member of Fairy Tail was tattooed on his right forearm in red ink.
Izumi would have been impressed with his overall appearance if it wasn't for the fact that he was holding his stomach, which was emitting a growl that could be heard across the room. He didn't have much effort to remain standing and promptly fell face-first into the floorboard, moaning pathetically for all to hear.
"Hungry…" The silver-haired teen whined.
"Great, another weirdo…" Blaise sweat-dropped from her place on the counter.
"Blaise, don't be rude." Izumi chided, setting her empty glass aside. "I'm sure he's a really great guy."
"No, he's a weirdo." Ur laughed. Izumi nearly face-faulted at the blunt comment; how was it possible to distinguish the weirdoes in a group like Fairy Tail? "Just like the rest of Team Shard Caster."
"Team Shard Caster? Izumi repeated curiously.
"Haru, get a hold of yourself. You're causing a scene."
The next person to walk into the guild was a few inches shorter than Haru, but his expression was one of authority. He had a mess of short, chestnut-brown hair that was part on the left side and pupiless, light-grey eyes. He wore a pitch-black, sleeveless shirt with a moss-green cloth draped around his shoulders that was pinned into place by a silver Fairy Tail insignia. He also wore pitch-black pants with multiple turquoise straps intersecting across his legs, a pair of dirt-brown boots, and three silver bangles on each of his wrists. His Fairy Tail mark was located on his left cheek in turquoise paint.
"This is Glace Echo – the unprecedented leader of Team Shard Caster. He is one of the few members of Fairy Tail to have earned the title of S-Class Wizard."
"Haru, would you mind getting off the floor before you embarrass yourself even further?" Glace requested.
"But I'm hungry…" Haru moaned
"This eccentric young man is Haru Glory, a most recent addition to the Fairy Tail Guild. His branch of magic stems from his unique magical sword called the Ten Commandments."
"You've already said that." Glace sighed, rubbing his throbbing forehead. "But we're back at the guild now, so try to show some dignity."
"That's like trying to fly a fish in winter during a tsunami."
Izumi's attention shifted over to the last two members of Team Shard Caster that had just entered the guild. The tallest of the team was a slightly muscular man with blond hair that spiked backwards with deep-amber eyes and distinct scar running down the left side of his face. He wore a mustard-yellow t-shirt with a black, long-sleeved underneath, a pair of emerald-green pants with a chain in the right pocket, a pair of plain-white sneakers, and a rope necklace with four animal teeth – Izumi guessed they were tiger. His Fairy Tail mark wasn't visible, so it was to be assumed that it was beneath his clothes.
The next one to come up was rather thin in comparison to his teammates, but looked strong nonetheless. He had a mop of mess, jet-black hair with ocean-blue eyes and a thin scar just beneath his left eye. He wore a snow-white t-shirt, a black vest with silver plates overtop, a pair of pitch-black pants supported by an overlapping layer of crimson-red belts, a pair of pitch-black, steel-toed boots, and small pouch strapped to his right hip. His Fairy Tail marking was located on the back of his right hand and printed in white ink.
"Bringing up the rear are Joules Dreyar and Mesh Gilgaran – the powerhouse duo of Team Shard Caster. Though both exceptionally strong in their own ways, Mesh in particular is not very bright."
"That doesn't even make any sense, stupid." Joules stated. He promptly slapped his teammate in the back of the head, which made him look around in confusion. "I'm over here, dumbass."
"I know that." Mesh replied, still looking around the guild. "Did you see what hit me?"
The leader of the wizard team rolled his eyes, openly wondering how they managed to survive this long together. Team Shard Caster made their way to the bar; Glace being the one to drag their sword-wielding teammate since the others outright refused. They stepped up to the counter a few seats away from Izumi and Ur, dropping Haru into the nearest seat. The silver-haired teen dropped face-first into the wooden paneling, begging for food like a wounded animal or Blaise when she doesn't get her mid-day trout.
"Hey, boys." Luna greeted cheerfully, once again cleaning the dirty mugs. "I see you four are back from your first S-Class mission as a team – How'd that go, by the way?"
"Terribly." Glace sighed irritably, settling himself into the nearest seat with his head in his hands. "The Master assigned me to handle an S-Class criminal that uses shape-shifting magic to rape and murder female wizards. I had originally planned to go alone, but my 'friends' somehow got wind of my mission and took it upon themselves to tag along."
"We couldn't just let our buddy go on a dangerous mission alone." Mesh argued.
"I've been on many S-Class missions before." Glace retorted, rubbing the throbbing vain on his cranium. "Anyway, it took us little over a month to do some serious investigating before we managed to track down his location in Iris Town. But once we got there, the others kinda got a little outta control."
"How so?" Luna asked; she was still cleaning the same mug.
"Haru and Mesh were giving everyone the third degree and Joules was too busy flirting." Glace answered, leering at the trio that was trying to act innocent. "But I managed to use my magic to expose the shape-shifters true form and then we had to fight him down. Luckily, we managed to capture him with a minimal amount of damage. After he was detained, the mayor of the town offered us free food and room for the night."
"That doesn't sound so bad." Ur commented, shaking her glass to signal Luna for another drink. "With your branch of magic, I imagine it was the easiest S-Class mission you've ever had."
"It was until the next day." Glace sighed disappointedly. "We were getting ready to leave when we found Joules sleeping with the mayor's daughter." Izumi, Ur, and Blaise grimaced at the mention; Luna smiled absently. "The mayor was majorly pissed when he found out and formed a mob to run us out of town without even paying us for all our work. Three million jewels down the drain."
"It was worth it, though." Joules laughed, ignorant to his leader's piercing stare.
"Hungry…" Haru moaned.
"So, you're an S-Class wizard, right?" Izumi asked excitedly as she appeared around Ur, causing the team leader to jump slight from her sudden appearance. "I heard that S-Class wizards are like, the best of the best. Marina told me all about Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards like Erza Scarlet, Mirajane Strauss, and Gildarts Clive. You must be super powerful."
"That's right!" Mesh spoke loudly, somehow appearing from behind the bar without notice. "Glace is one of the three New Generation S-Class wizards."
"New Generation?" Blaise questioned interestingly.
"It's an unofficial term in Fairy Tail for members that have been here for the last ten years." Luna explained, still cleaning the mug despite the fact that it was already painfully bright. "Wizards that have been in the guild longer like Wendy, Gajeel, or Aunt Mirajane are called the Old Generation. There are three S-Class wizards in the New Generation including Glace, Jak Scarlet, and my cousin, Azrael Justine."
"Whoa, that is so cool." Izumi said captivated.
"Yeah, yeah, they're all right." Joules waved indifferently. He walked around the group and grabbed the back of Ur's chair, tilting it forward to throw her off. Izumi is momentarily stunned until the spiky blond took the seat and stared at her with a suggestive grin. "But if you're really looking for a good time, I'm the guy you wanna talk to."
"Yeah, I don't see that happening." Blaise commented blandly.
"I believe that is the choice of this lovely lady here." Joules chuckled lightly, taking Izumi's hand and placing a gentlemen kiss on the back. "A beautiful woman only deserves the finer things in life. And right now, I am staring into the eyes of a golden-haired goddess. Tell me your name, my love, so that I may savor it with each breath."
Izumi opened her mouth to answer, but the words somehow got lost in her throat and her face was feeling unnaturally hot even for a Dragon Slayer. The tanned foreigner was beautiful in many respects, but this was the first time anyone of the opposite gender had complimented her – most of the boys in her hometown tend to avoid her. The Black Dragon Slayer tried answering again, but her words only came out as an unintelligible stammer, which must have seemed pretty embarrassing from their point of view. Joules smiled again and Izumi's face was redder than before; she wished more than anything that she would just disappear.
Fortunately, she was saved from further humiliation when Joules' chair suddenly tilted backwards, sending the spiky hair wizard tumbling onto the floor. Not a moment later, Ur climbed up and regained her seat with a menacing scowl.
"Don't bother listening to that perverted idiot." Ur grumbled darkly, promptly ignoring his cries of protest. "He's a player – he just says a lot of flowery crap to get into girl's pants."
"Speaking of pants…" Blaise coughed into her paw awkwardly. "Shouldn't you be wearing some?"
"AW CRAP!" Ur exclaimed, taking notice that she was only in her underwear.
"Hungry…" Haru groaned once more.
"As much as I love seeing Joules get what he deserves…" Glace announced, allowing the faintest smirk on his expression. "It's been a long and…disappointing day. I'm heading straight home just as soon as I report to Master…"
The leader of Team Shard Caster trailed off as he turned in his seat, unintentionally coming face-to-face with Asuka. The dark-haired gunslinger had been keeping her distance from Wendy to satisfy her nicotine addiction until she realized she had walked up to Glace while searching for her cigarette pack. There was some awkward tension between them – Izumi noticed that the majority of the guild had gone silent to watch. Glace looked down at the floor, scratching the back of his head shyly, as Asuka surprisingly stuffed the smokes back into her jeans. Neither of them attempted to look at each other, most likely waiting for the other to say something – Izumi suddenly had the desire to make popcorn.
"So, Asuka…" Glace said softly, bravely making the first move. "I see you made it back all right."
"Yeah, it was a couple of thieves." Asuka responded, finding sudden interest in her boots. "And, what about you? I hear you took another S-Class mission recently. How did that work out?"
"Well, I'm still alive, if that's what you're asking." Glace mumbled lowly.
"Yeah…that's good." Asuka nodded slowly.
"And on that note," Ur interjected quickly, grabbing Izumi's wrist and Blaise's tail. "We'll just be going now."
Quick as a flash, the underwear-clad wizard pulled her friends away from the bar and disappeared into the crowd, which had returned to its normal rowdy self.
"What was that about?" Izumi asked once Ur finally released her hand.
"Sorry about that." Ur apologized; Blaise huffed and turned her back in a dignified manner. "I thought I'd save you from getting caught in the middle of those two. They're not normally violent when they're together, but it can be pretty awkward."
"Why's that?" Blaise asked curiously, chancing a glance over her shoulder. "Is there something going on between them?"
"Well…kinda." Ur said slowly, trying to find the right words to describe it. "You see, Glace and Asuka had been dating since they were teenagers and Glace proposed to her last year, which she accepted. We thought they were going to be great together, but when the day of the wedding arrived, Asuka got cold feet at the last minute and left Glace at the altar."
"Ooh, harsh." Izumi winced.
"I think Asuka still loves Glace…" Ur commented thoughtfully. "But she's probably not ready for a commitment just yet."
"That's a twist." Blaise proclaimed, climbing onto the table to face the girls. "Usually it's the other way around."
"Well, let's put that on hold for a while." Ur said, clapping her hands as if to close the discussion. "C'mon there's still one more person I want you to meet." She weaved her way through the crowded guild, waving her new friends to follow. "Since we're going around meeting New Generation wizards, I think I should introduce you to one more person – Jak and Azrael are still on S-Class missions."
"After meeting the other guild mates," Blaise said, seated on Izumi's shoulder. "I'm almost worried how this one will turn out."
"Trust me; Mana is one of the coolest girls you'll ever meet." Ur grinned, looking left and right for her target. "Her magic is really powerful and she's one of the few normal wizards in Fairy Tail. Now that I think about it, Mana and Izumi probably have a lot in common." She stopped for a moment to scan the room. "Now where did she…oh, there she is!"
The Ice-Make wizard pointed to the farthest corner of the guild, where a young woman sat alone with her legs from up on the table and light novel in her hands. She had short, chestnut-brown hair with a lengthy braid on the right side that touched her elbow and ocean-blue eyes. She wore a sleeveless, cobalt-blue shirt with golden tiger prints and a crimson, Egyptian-like eye on her stomach. She also wore matching cobalt-blue pants with golden tiger stripes, a pair of dirt-brown boots with white-wool cuffs, red-cloth belt, and a row of bandages around her wrists. Her most distinct feature was that she possessed two tattoos instead of one like most wizards. One was the Fairy Tail symbol stamped on her forehead in red ink and the three white dots above her left eye with one white teardrop below it.
"That last member of the Fairy Tail's New Generation wizards – Mana Alberona. She is uncommonly quiet amongst the guild members, but can become aggressive on command. She is a favorite for the next S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial."
"Hey, Mana." Ur called. The quiet wizard brought her eyes up from her book, spotting Ur once again prancing around in nothing but her underwear. Only this time, she was accompanied by a blond girl with skin a shade darker than most people have in Fiore and a purple Exceed without wings. "Mana, this is Izumi and Blaise. They're going to join the guild…if the master lets them in, that is."
The silent wizard turned her focus to the royal-purple Exceed, who bowed formally in respect – those two were going to get along perfectly. Then Izumi and Mana locked eyes on each other. Soon, the rambunctious and often irritant noise of the guild was subsided, leaving only them in the void of emptiness. Neither wizard dared to blink or look away whether out of fear or respect. Ur looked between the two curiously, even waving her hands in their field of vision in hopes of getting them to react. It only took a brief moment afterwards before they finally responded and the first thing they said was not what they expected.
"I hate you." Izumi and Mana said simultaneously.
"That was fast!" Ur exclaimed shockingly.
"Ur, why did you bring a foreign degenerate into our guild?" Mana questioned coolly.
"Who are you callin' 'degenerate', you lopsided weirdo." Izumi grimaced.
"I don't intend to start a fight…" Mana said with a dark scowl as she stood up. "But I'll be happy to finish it."
"Bring it on." Izumi growled, cracking her knuckles threateningly. "I've been itching to punch something for the last five seconds."
"Hey, hey, hey now!" Ur shouted in a panic, throwing out her arms to push them toward opposite sides. "There's no need to fight over…whatever it is the two of you are fighting about. Especially not when the master is right upstairs. Now shake hands and apologize."
Izumi and Mana looked at her as if shaking hands with each other was a fate worse than death. The two women caught each other's gaze once more and looked away in a huff, reluctantly holding out their hands. There was clearly some tension between them as they hesitantly locked their hands and moved slowly into a forced handshake. Ur sighed in relief – another disaster avoided. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Without Mana or the other realizing what had occurred, the Black Dragon Slayer flipped her new rival over her shoulder and tossed the braided warrior to a table several feet away, splitting the wood down the middle and sending glasses flying into the walls. The guild stifled their chatter to watch as Mana pulled herself back to her feet; her braid soaked into alcohol.
"Hahaha! I can't believe you fell for that!" Izumi roared with laughed, holding her sides in pure hilarity. "What a dumba…"
The tan-skinned foreigner was rudely interrupted as Mana charged across the guild in record time and tackled Izumi into the wall, creating a large crack in the wood paneling. The Black Dragon Slayer growled in an animalistic manner, bring her hands together and slamming them against her rival's back. However, Mana managed to ignore the blow and raised her head abruptly, slamming it against Izumi's jawline. Izumi hissed from the momentary pain before delivering a solid right hook to her opponent's skull, slamming her into another table that was once occupied. The tan-skinned immigrant jumped forward with her hands stretched to grab the wizard by the braid, but Mana raised her feet against Izumi's chest and flipped her overhead.
At the rate of things, these two were going to destroy the entire guild in less than five minutes. Someone needed to intervene, but the guild members either were too scared or just simply didn't want to. So Blaise brought it upon herself to settle this dispute, jumping to the table nearest to them.
"All right that's enough!" Blaise proclaimed strictly. "You two need to settle down before someone gets – AHH!"
Mana had ducked under one of Izumi's punches, which consequently knocked against her feline comrade and set her flying halfway around the guild hall. But even with the possibility of her Exceed partner injured, Izumi continued to strike against the braided wizard. Meanwhile, the unfortunate Exceed bounced against nearly fifty of the guild wizards, knocking them out of their seats or breaking their mugs. She only stopped once she landed on the opposite side of the bar – Carla grinned in satisfaction. And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse…..
"FIGHT!" A random wizard screamed.
And that's when all hell broke loose. Every wizard was jumping out their seats, throwing their glasses against the wall, upturning tables, and generally trying to beat the crap out of each other. Grace and Razor moved seamlessly from attack to defense to support each other without missing a beat. Mesh literally jumped into the middle of the fray, creating a large dog pile beneath him. Joules chose a rough and tough approach to things, punching the teeth out of everyone that came near him – he didn't even hesitate to knockout Mesh. Glace spent his time dodging and weaving around the fight and Asuka was chasing down some poor bastard that accidentally touched her ass. Kit used his/her female form to gain sex appeal with the men before promptly changing her gender and punching their lights out.
All the while, Haru was still at the counter, begging for food, and Luna was still cleaning the glass with a passive smile on her face, ignorant to the pieces of broken furniture flying past her. Blaise weakly crawled to the top of the bar counter, where Carla was observing the outbreak with Sora and Wendy – a pregnant Dragon Slayer would only make things worse.
"Is it always like this?" Blaise questioned tiredly.
"Yep." Carla answered shortly.
"You seem to be taking this well." Blaise sweat-dropped.
"Everybody, settle down!" Ur shouted, trying to get everyone's attention. "Before master…"
"Hey, Ur." Kit appeared in male form, draping his arm on the Ice-Make wizard's shoulder. "The guys won't fall for the same trick twice, so you think you could flash a couple of guys for me?"
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Ur screeched, delivering a solid uppercut to the mixed-gender wizard.
"This is no place for a beautiful lady." Joules said smoothly, lifting the girl bridal-style. "Let's go back to my place and have some fun."
"Do you ever take a break?" Asuka shouted as she punched the player in the face, promptly dropping Ur on the ground.
"Take that, bitch!" Razor yelled, kicking Asuka across the hall.
"Razor, don't kick Asuka!" Grace demanded with a strong karate crop to her partner's head.
"All right, this has gone on long enough!" Ur bellowed, slamming her fist into her palm to create her summoning circle. "I'm gonna stop this fight one way or another!"
"You guys are all dead!" Asuka sneered, withdrawing he custom-silver pistol.
"In the words of Uncle Elfman…" Kit grinned, transforming into hulking male. "I'll show you how a real man does it!"
"Let's go, Grace!" Razor yelled, exposing four lengthy blades from his wrist.
"Right behind you, Razor!" Grace nodded; her eyes turning milky-white.
"I'm all charged up!" Joules shouted; a surge of electricity coursed through his body.
"It's party time!" Mesh cheered, somehow creating eight sets of extra arms on his back.
"I was hoping to avoid all this…" Glace sighed, forming a circle with his hands. "But you leave me no other choice."
"I getting tired of you!" Mana growled, throwing out her hand to create two ocean-blue summoning circles. "Why don't I just finish you off now?"
"Bring it on, bitch!" Izumi responded with his fists coated in black flames.
"Hungry…" Haru moaned, completely oblivious to the situation.
"Oh dear." Luna mused softly, finally putting down the mug in her hands. "Things seem to be getting a little out of control."
"A little?" Blaise shrieked; her eyes practically popping out of her skull. "They could destroy the entire town!"
With a guild like Fairy Tail, that was a strong possibility. With everyone using their abilities simultaneously, the result of intermingling magic could prove to be disastrous and end up eradicating everything within a five mile radius…again. Quite a few members seemed to realize this and were hesitant to attack, but for the hard-headed types like Izumi and Mana – both of whom were glaring daggers for unknown reasons – wouldn't waste a moment. As it was, everyone was waiting for someone to make the first move. The Black Dragon Slayer and her new rival were slowly inching towards one another when suddenly…
"What is going on here?" A booming and heated voice intruded.
Izumi nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected sound, but also noticed that members of the guild had grown increasingly pale all of a sudden. Everyone was quick to extinguish their magic, including Mana and Izumi, and turned around to face the entrance of the staircase.
Standing at the bottom step was a woman in her late thirties with lengthy, scarlet-red hair that was spiked in every direction and hazel –brown eyes that were narrowed in the deepest scowl. She wore a set of armor that seemed very out of place, but was helpful to instill fear in the guild. He wore a sui of black armor that was adorned with what seemed to be over thirty spikes, passive pauldrons with three spikes on each, bladed gauntlets, spiked boots, and many bat-winged plates around her waist. She carried an impossibly large club on her shoulder, which was – you guessed it – covered in spikes.
The devil woman glared at the guild members, almost daring them to move so that she may bludgeon them to a bloody pulp. When no one made a move, she slammed her club into the floor, creating a wide crater in the wooden paneling. Those who were closest to her lost their nerve and dived away, using some of their friends as shields to protect themselves. Unfortunately, Ur ended up being pushed to the front of the crowd, coming face-to-face with the scary woman.
"H-hey, Master Erza." Ur chuckled nervously. "I see you have your Purgatory Armor out – looks great on you."
"You know I do not permit infighting within my guild." Master Erza said coldly; the Ice-Make wizard actually shivered. "Who started this?"
"They did!" The guild shouted simultaneously.
The whole of the guild formed a path straight down the middle, all pointing in the same direction. Izumi and Mana, who were both pointing at each other, were the unfortunate ones to be caught in the center of attention. If it was even possible, Master Erza's scowl darkened even further. The blood-haired Guild Master stepped around the shaking Ur, grabbing her spiked club as she marched down the line. There was pity in everyone's eyes – how unfortunate for two young girls to be taken in the prime of their life. Izumi and Mana were actually holding each other for support, despite their mutual animosity. Fairy Tail's Guild Master stopped directly in front of them, looking from one girl to the other like a predator waiting to pounce.
"Mana, this is unexpected of you." Master Erza said sternly. "Since this is you first offense, you will receive a light punishment."
"Th-thank you, Master." Mana stammered fearfully, ripping herself away from Izumi and disappearing into the crowd.
"But you…" Master Erza growled; Izumi squeaked quietly. "I won't tolerate outsiders causing trouble in my guild. What is your name, what guild are you from?"
"I-I-I'm not in a guild yet." Izumi gulped, trying to build up what little courage she had left. "B-But I was hoping of joining Fairy Tail like my mom and dad did."
"You're mother and father?" Master Erza repeated curiously, raising a brow to the girl. "Who are you?"
"M-My name is Izumi A. Dragneel." Izumi answered nervously. "My parents were Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia."
"Natsu and Lucy…" Master Erza murmured softly.
A sudden stream of hushed voices broke out amongst the members of Fairy Tail, all of which were discussing Izumi and her assumed parentage. Natsu and Lucy were pretty famous in Fairy Tail along with Gray, Wendy, Gajeel, and the Guild Master herself. But they didn't really know much of them having a daughter. All the while, Master Erza's eyes never left the tanned-foreigner. It took a lot of nerve to claim something as wild as being the child of two famous Fairy Tail wizards, but…there was just something about her that made the master want to believe her. Finally, with a hearty sigh, Master Erza smiled and her armored exploded in a ray of light.
Izumi was blinded until the light died down, at which time the Guild Master was sporting an entirely different look. Her scarlet-red hair was neat and straight and her features softened into a gentle smile. Her attire changed to a sterling-silver breastplate with the famous golden Heart Kreuz symbol on the right and the Fairy Tail symbol on the left side, directly over her heart. She also wore a cobalt-blue skirt that reached to her knees, a pair of silver gauntlets with red orbs in the knuckles, red opal pauldrons, and a pair of silver steel boots. Izumi also noted the white cross/clover symbol on the back of her armor that she remembered seeing in Sorcerer Weekly – it was the mark of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Master Erza stepped closer to the Black Dragon Slayer, placing a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. Izumi briefly flinched, expecting to be punished, but was surprised by the soft smile spreading across the Guild Master's features. It looked like even the fearsome master of Fairy Tail had a soft side.
"Izumi A. Dragneel…" Master Erza spoke softly, brushing a few strands of stray hair from Izumi's face in a motherly fashion. "I should have seen it earlier – you're the spitting imagine of your mother, Lucy. Though when I look into your eyes, I can see the fighting spirit of your father, Natsu. Both of them were close friends of mine. It was heartbreaking when I found out they had…passed on."
"Marina told me all about you." Izumi said, no longer fearing the woman. "She would tell all the adventures you went on with mom, dad, and Gray. I always loved listening to all the great things they've done and it's always been my dream to join Fairy Tail like them. So…" She twiddled her fingers nervously. "Do you think…it would be all right if I joined?"
"As the daughter of Natsu and Lucy," Master Erza grinned. "It would be an insult to their memory if you didn't join." The Guild Master pulled Izumi into a strong hug, slamming the poor girl's head into her amazingly thick armor. "Luna, free drinks all around! Today, we celebrate the arrival of our newest member, Izumi Dragneel!"
The guild hall exploded in a roar of cheers, more for the free booze than the person they were celebrating. The Black Dragon Slayer managed to separate herself from Master Erza – her head ringing like a bell – only to be tackled into a cheerful hug by Blaise and Ur.
"November 15, X811." Izumi narrated in her head. "I finally joined Fairy Tail, the Guild of my dreams."
The Black Dragon Slayer was sitting in a close circle around the nearest table surrounded by Ur, Blaise, and the members of Team Soul Stealer and Team Shard Caster.
"There are a lot of strange people in this place, but I'm not really all that different. I'm sure I'll be making a lot of new friend here."
Izumi and Mana briefly caught eyes with one another before promptly turning around in a huff.
"I also made an unexpected rival on my first day – guess I'm more like dad than I thought."
The Black Dragon Slayer was called to the opposite side of the guild, where Master Erza was waiting with a stamp press in hand.
"This place is a bit insane and I don't know how well things will work out for me, but I do know one thing for sure…"
Master Erza pressed the stamp hard on Izumi's right shoulder and once removed displayed the symbol of Fairy Tail forever imprinted on her skin in red ink – just like her father.
"I already love Fairy Tail!" Izumi mentally cheered.
Please, read and review.
Next Time: Welcome to Fairy Hills
Fairy Tail Guild Card
Name: Blaise
Age: 8
Magic: Battle Mode
Likes: Izumi, sushi, milk
Dislikes: dogs, water, Carla
Relatives: Izumi Dragneel (Partner), Marina (Legal Guardian)
Description: A disciplined, yet kindly-natured feline with boundless knowledge well beyond her years. After being hatched and raised by Izumi, Blaise has taken it upon herself to be her partner and guide the Black Dragon Slayer. She has developed a rivalry with Fairy Tail's Carla in pursuit of becoming the next Exceed ruler.