Fairy Tail: Rekindle
Fairy Tail, Rave © Hiro Mashima
Note: First chapter of the Spirit King Arc
Note: As of now, I am enacting my One-or-None Policy. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, Dissidia: Secrets, and Birds or Prey.
Chapter Six: Kane the Iron Fist
As the blinding sun peeked through the opening in the curtains, Izumi groaned lazily and pulled the covers over her head, wishing that morning would wait for a few more hours. Her first night in Fairy Hills had been full of food, laughter, and booze – Izumi was the only one that couldn't have any since she was still a year underage and Master Erza is very strict on rules. Though it was slightly awkward for the Black Dragon Slayer since her best friend – Ur Fullbuster – had no shame walking around in public naked. But that aside, Izumi milked her welcoming ceremony for all that it was worth and partied well into the night.
But now that it was morning, Izumi was seriously regretting it – she was starting to understand why Marina always insisted on going to bed early. When it became apparent that the sun wasn't going to go away, the foreign teenager pushed the covers down with an exasperated sigh. Since she was too lazy to get up at the moment, the Black Dragon Slayer looked around her room – she was excited to say those words. Since she had just moved in, it was reasonable to say that the space was empty with the exception of the common necessities, including a television she brought from Seven. Already, the blond newcomer was thinking of ways to personalize her room that matched her personalities. Perhaps purchasing some polished furniture, a couple of lawn chairs and an umbrella for the balcony, a decent sized bookshelf to place her favorite novels, and a couple of posters displaying famous wizards, particularly Fairy Tail.
One thing that she was definitely going to do was change the carpet color to white and replace the wallpaper to something that matched Marina's hair. Yes, she admits it: Izumi A. Dragneel is a mama's girl. Though Marina had never made any attempt to replace her mother, Izumi had always viewed the woman as a mother figure and was very attached to her. She glanced over at that picture of her and Marine when the Dragon Slayer was seven years-old, holding the giant egg that would one day become Blaise. Said Exceed was sleeping in her cute little cat bed on the floor, swiping her paws in her sleep – Izumi snickered at the partner.
With a deep sigh, the blond wizard leaned further back into her pillow with her hands behind her head, wondering what she was going to do on her first day in Fairy Tail. Maybe she could pick out her first job. Now that she was in the Fairy Tail Guild and would need the money to pay room and board, she would need to take as many jobs as possible. But what kind of mission would she take. Stuck in deep though over this, Izumi turned over on her side…and Mavis Vermillion was staring unblinkingly at her. It took close to a whole minute before Izumi's brain finally caught up.
"Son of a…!" Izumi screeched, tumbling out of bed with a heavy thud. The sudden noise caused her partner to wake abruptly and cling to the nearest object with her fur standing on end. Once going through the task of escaping her sheets, the Black Dragon Slayer sat up and glared at Fairy Hill's resident ghost, who was giggling amusingly. "Mavis! What are you doing in my room?"
"Watching you sleep." Mavis answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I always like to get a better look at new wizards in Fairy Tail. That, and you look so cute when you sleep, especially when you snore."
"That's just creepy." Izumi said blandly. "And I do not snore."
"Yes, you do." Blaise stated, slowly prying her claws from the bedpost.
"Who asked you." Izumi grumbled.
"Izumi!" The girls looked over as Ur, still bare as the day she was born, entered the room without knocking. "I heard someone screaming and I thought that you were either under attack or Mavis was stalking the new guy." She glances at the aforementioned spirit, who leered at the Ice-Make wizard with a bland expression. "Well, I guess that answers that question.
"I don't stalk people…" Mavis muttered softly.
"Put some pants on already, dammit!" Izumi shouted embarrassingly, throwing a pillow at her best friend's face.
Swearing to research some anti-ghost spells for her room, Izumi walked down the stairs to the dining room in Fairy Hills with Blaise lazily clinging to her shoulder. Ur followed them down – thankfully finding a pair of pants, shoes, and a bra to cover up – combing her messy hair as she went along. As they walked into the room, the other residents were already clustered around the table, grabbing whatever they could from the massive amounts of food on the table. Izumi noticed that Pulito was hanging out in the corner, armed with her spray bottle and wire brush, looking ready to continue her eternal war against dirt.
As Ur took a seat in an empty chair between Asuka and Grace, the Black Dragon Slayer soon realized that each of the residents was given specific placement. Erza as at the head of the table, which seemed rather obvious considering her status as Guild Master and head matron of Fairy Hills. On Erza's right side was Grace Rosen, who was reading a large novel in between bites, Ur, who oddly preferred her toast frozen, and Asuka, who was surprisingly free of any cigarettes. On Erza's left side was Mavis Vermillion – can ghosts even eat? – and Mana Alberona, who shot a glare at the tan foreigner before returning to her soup.
While the girls were chatting animatedly with each other, Izumi eventually noticed that there was only one free seat left at the table and it was right next to Mana. This was gonna be a problem. The Black Dragon Slayer would try to pick a different spot – preferably one closer to Ur – but she knew Master Erza had a thing about organization and wouldn't appreciate Izumi trying to mess it up. So with a begrudged glare to Mana, Izumi took the free seat as Blaise Gracefully jumped off of her shoulder onto the table.
"Good morning, Izumi." Erza greeted kindly, taking a bite out of her…cheesecake? "I trust you slept well."
"Well, I had better nights." Izumi answered tiredly, reaching for the closest edible item. "Though I could have done much better without the wakeup call." She glared at Mavis, who was looking away, whistling innocently. "But other than that, this place is great. I do want to make a few changes to my room, but I'm gonna need money for that."
"Then I suggest you take on as many missions as you can." Erza stated, brandishing her fork at the Dragon Slayer. "Even with the first month's discount on your rent, it will still take you a while before you can freely spend on personal items. And most of our more experienced members accepting more difficult jobs, finding a high paying mission won't be easy."
"No problem!" Izumi smirked confidently, igniting her fist in black flame. "I'll take any mission you can throw at me! When I'm all fired up, there's nothing that can stop me!"
"She's right, you know." Blaise said nonchalantly, nibbling at her salmon.
"So you're a Dragon Slayer, right?" Grace said interestingly; Izumi nodded her head proudly. "Just like your dad, Natsu "The Salamander" Dragneel. Though your flames are a little different than Natsu's were. In all honesty, I've never heard of Black Flames. Though I guess God Slayer magic could count as Black Flames. But I've never heard of it from a Dragon Slayer."
"I'm a one-of-a-kind Black Dragon Slayer." Izumi stated smugly.
"One-of-a-kind my ass." Mana scoffed, stirring sugar into her coffee. "The value of the Dragon Slayer has really gone down in recent times. Just because you shoot flames from your mouth doesn't make you any special. You may have seemed impressive back in Seven, but your Dragon Slayer title means squat in Fiore."
"You little…" Izumi snared, clenching her black flamed fist.
"She's not exactly lying." Ur intervened, hoping to avoid conflict that with send Pulito on a cleaning rampage. "Back when Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy were in Fairy Tail close to thirty years ago, Dragon Slayers were a very rare breed of wizard. But after they disappeared during the Seven Year Slump, Dragon Slayers were becoming more and more common. Prime examples were Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney from the Sabretooth Guild. Ever since then, more Dragon Slayers have been appearing all over Fiore."
"More…Dragon Slayers." Izumi repeated slowly, looking very disheartened. "Then…I'm just a…"
"They're not real Dragon Slayers." Asuka interrupted, earning a curious glance from the younger girl. "Most of them are what you call Second-Generation Dragon Slayers."
"Second Generation?" Blaise repeated confused.
"People who put Lacrima in their bodies to simulate Dragon Slayer Magic." Ur explained. "It's basically like that fake Natsu we met in Olender Town. They underwent special surgery to make it seem like they were real Dragon Slayers, but Second-Generation Dragon Slayers aren't up to par with First Generation. Well, maybe Laxus, but he's kind of the exception to the rule. But either way, there are a lot of fake Dragon Slayers in Fiore that it's hard to find out which one is real and which one is not. That's why Dragon Slayer Magic isn't as special in this country as it originally was.
"Last time we checked, there were sixteen different guilds with Dragon Slayers." Grace proclaimed. "Including Titan's Nose and Naga Eye. Even Fairy Tail has five Dragons Slayers counting you."
"Wait, five Dragon Slayers?" Izumi blinked clueless, counting off the names with her fingers. "If you count me, Gajeel, Wendy, and Laxus, that makes four. My dad isn't around anymore and I don't remember hearing about any new Dragon Slayers from the Old Generation. So that must mean it's one of the New Generation. Sora looks a little young to be a Dragon Slayer and Wendy can risk teaching him due to her pregnancy. So does that mean Laxus's son, Joules, is the fifth Dragon Slayer?"
"Joules tries to imitate his dad's magic, but Laxus is a Second-Generation Dragon Slayer." Asuka explained. "His magic can't be mimicked."
"Then who's the last one?" Blaise questioned interestingly.
"You already met the person." Ur said knowingly. "It's…"
"Ur!" Erza shouted unexpectedly, causing everyone to jump. "Was there something you want to ask Izumi?"
"Oh…oh, that's right!" Ur said with an excited gleam in her eye as she faced her best friend. "I was thinking that since we made such a great team together back in Olender Town, why don't we become and official team."
"An official team?" Izumi repeated curiously.
"Yeah." Ur nodded. "Even though everyone works together in Fairy Tail, guild members that get along well with each other get together and form small teams within the guild. That way, any jobs that may seem too long or difficult for one person will be a whole lot easier with a team. The only problem is that the team has to divide the reward money equally among its members, but we can work that out later."
"Some of the best members of Fairy Tail work in teams." Erza said with a smile, sipping her tea eloquently. "Glace, Joules, Mesh, and Haru work together as Team Shard Caster and Grace works with Razor in Team Soul Stealers, who are Fairy Tail's strongest team." Grace scratched her head and blushed embarrassingly. "I myself worked on a team with Gray and both your parents. I think it would be a great opportunity for you Izumi."
"It does sound like a good chance for better jobs." Blaise nodded, glancing at her partner. "What do you say, Izumi?"
"What do I say?" Izumi repeated, pushing her chair back and standing up with a wide grin on her face. "I say, what took you so long? I've been waiting to work with you since we've first met."
"Then it's settled!" Ur shouted excitedly, shooting up to her feet and high-fiving her new teammate. "Soon, wizards everywhere will learn of Fairy Tail's strongest team: Team XL!"
"Aye, sir!" Izumi cheered.
The others sitting around the table clapped politely at the newly established team. Except for Mana, who had promptly ignored all the excitement and silently excused herself before walking up the stairs to her room. Izumi couldn't think of how this day could get any better. She spent her first night in Fairy Hills, had the first decent meal in days, and established a new team with her best friend. Nothing could possibly bring down her mood. That was, until the Black Dragon Slayer accidentally spilled a drop of milk on the table cloth.
"DIRTY!" Pulito shrieked demonically; her jet-black hair curled into two devil horns.
Chaos was all that could describe the little maids cleaning frenzy and by the time the girls were allowed to leave, Izumi, Ur, and Blaise were rubbed raw-red and cringed every time they moved an inch.
The Fairy Tail Guild Hall was lively even at this early hour of the morning. People were crowding around the tables, telling exaggerated tales of previous missions and drinking to their hearts content – Cana was already on her third keg of booze. The members of Team Shard Caster were all cluttered around one table –apparently in a heated discussion with Joules – and Mana had arrived earlier, secluding herself to the farthest corner of the room with a book in hand. Luna had her work cut out for her running back and forth between table, delivering bottles of beer and collecting any empty ones. But over everything going on in the Guild Hall, Izumi's excitement was focused on the small bulletin board nailed to the wall on the right hand side of the bar counter.
After waiting so many years to join Fairy Tail, the tan-skinned immigrant was finally going to take her first job. Her excitement was obvious due to the Black Dragon Slayer pacing impatiently in her spot; Ur chuckled briefly at her partner's enthusiasm. They were forced to wait a couple of minutes for Team Soul Stealers to look over the various missions available before they found one they liked. Grace presented the flyer to Luna, who nodded in acknowledgement, and walked away to whatever mission they accepted. Once the space was clear, Izumi stepped up and scoured over the hundreds of posters and flyers stapled to the board.
The Dragneel girl never realized there were so many types of missions. There were jobs for seal breaking, body guarding, monster slaying, scavenger hunting, research projects, babysitting, and more than Izumi could even count. Ur tapped her chin thoughtfully as Blaise climbed her way to Ice-Make wizard's shoulder for a better look.
"Since it's our first mission together, we should pick a job that's not too difficult, but not too easy either." Ur said thoughtfully.
"There are so many people looking for wizards these days." Blaise commented, sounding almost disapproving. "I guess people in Fiore are more dependent on magic than Seven. It'll take us hours to find a…"
"Found one!" Izumi shouted exuberantly, waving a random poster in her hand; Blaise face-faulted to the floor.
"Well, that was quick." Ur blinked surprisingly, taking the flyer from her partner. "Let's see what we got here. Strong wizards wanted. Need assistance in converting a man out of lava to save a ten-thousand year-old chicken from a man with no skin who wants to take over the world. Experience in fighting underworld demons necessary. Reward: 10,000,000 jewels."
"That is an oddly specific request." Blaise sweat-dropped.
"Uh...Luna!" Ur called, thankfully catching the barmaid before she vanished in the crowd. "I think you posted another S-Rank mission on the Request Board again."
"Oh, I am so sorry about that." Luna laughed comically as she took the misplaced paper; Izumi was visibly disappointed. "I can be a little scatterbrained sometimes when I'm working behind the counter. My mother says I'd leave my own head if it wasn't screwed on."
"Well, try to be a little more careful next time." Ur warned amusingly. "If I wasn't here to stop her, I'll bet Izumi would have accepted that mission in a heartbeat."
"Oh, is this your first mission, Izumi?" Luna asked eagerly.
"Yeah, but there's so many missions to take." Izumi groaned, looking back at the multiple requests posted. "I want to get a good job with a good enough reward, but it'll take forever to found out which one's the right one for me."
"Hey, I know!" The giddy barmaid tossed her tray over her shoulder, drenching Pantherlily in liquor, and marched behind the counter. She bended over to the hidden compartment underneath and retrieved a heavy, leather-bound book that she dropped on the counter with a heavy thud. Izumi and Ur walked over to the counter as Luna started riffling through the pages. "I just remembered that there was a new request we just received the other day and haven't posted yet. I think it might be something you'd be interested in. Let's see…S…S…Street…SOLDIER...Sprite…oh, here we go!" She ripped out the page, handing it to the Black Dragon Slayer. "What do you think?"
"Help wanted." Izumi read aloud. "Requesting assistance in the recent thefts of valuable artifacts stolen by man named the Spirit King. Wizards must have experience in handling Celestial Spirits. Reward: 60,000 jewels and…one Golden Gate Key!"
"Seriously?" Ur asked amazingly, trying for a better view of the flyer.
"You're looking for the Gold Gate Keys, right?" Luna smiled happily. "I remembered seeing the reward and thought it was right up your alley."
"Thanks, Luna!" Izumi said gratefully; her eyes never leaving the paper. "My mama collected all twelve Gold Gate Keys when she was alive and now I have a chance to get one of those keys! This is perfect!"
"Yeah, perfect for me."
The Black Dragon Slayer blinked in brief astonishment before she realized that the request paper had been snatched out of her hands. Narrowing her eyes dangerously, Izumi turned to glare at the thief…only to realize that he was a head taller than her. The man had an imposing stature with well-toned muscles to match, short, spiky jet-black hair and a pair of blood-red eyes. He wore an inky-black, sleeveless trench coat with the image of five connected gears circled by a silver dragon and the Fairy Tail mark in silver thread above it. He also wore a white shirt with three black claw marks on the front, a pair of jet-black jeans, a pair of black boots with metal studs, and black leather gloves. He had two silver earrings in each lobe and his entire right arm was covered silver armor.
Though many would have backed away at the mere sight of him, Izumi was either too stubborn or too stupid to back away.
"Hey, give that back!" Izumi demanded. "I saw that mission first, you jackass!"
"Too bad, squirt, cause I'm takin' this mission!" The newcomer shouted back.
"This brutish looking man is Kane Redfox – a senior member of the New Generation Wizards. He is widely recognized as Fairy Tail's physically strongest member. He is a loner by choice and has poor record when working with others."
"Kane, give that back." Ur asked politely. "This is Izumi's first mission and it's really important to her. Besides, what use do you have with a Golden Gate Key? You don't even use Celestial Spirit Magic."
"Maybe not, but the payoff is too good to pass up." Kane remarked, purposely keeping the paper out of Izumi's reach. "And when I get that key, I can just auction it off to some other loser." A soft growl rattled in the back of Izumi's throat. "Besides, this job is way too tough for a couple of fresh meat wizards and an icy stripper."
"I am not a stripper!" Ur snapped heatedly.
"Ur, your pants." Luna said warningly.
"Damn it!" Ur screeched, trying to cover herself up.
"I'm takin' the job." Kane said, tossing the flyer to the barmaid before walking away. "Tell the master I'll be back in a week or less."
"Hold it, jackass!" The stubborn giant barely grasped the door handle before he was tugged back by his coat. Unsurprisingly, Izumi was pulling at a wad of his favorite jacket with her eyes narrowed dangerously, ignoring the warning signals from the other wizards. "I saw that mission first – it's mine!"
"Izumi, there are other jobs available." Ur said waved nervously. "There's no need to make a scene."
"The reward is a Golden Gate Key – one of my mama's keys." Izumi proclaimed seriously. "If this stuck-up bastard takes it, he'll just sell it off like it means nothing and there's a chance I'll never see that key again. This is about more than just getting my first job; it's about getting closer to my mama." She stepped up to the black-haired giant, trying to make herself look at threatening as possible. "And if you don't understand how important this is to me, then I'll just take that mission from you."
"Sounds like a challenge." Kane chuckled confidently. "Think you can take me, fresh meat."
"I'm gonna kick your ass." Izumi stated, cracking her knuckles in emphasis.
Relocating just outside the Guild Hall doors, Izumi was stretching her muscles in preparation for the beat down she was about to deliver to the smug bastard. Kane, on the other hand, just stood a good distance away from the smaller girl with his arms crossed, looking like he was already bored – that pissed off the Dragon Slayer even more. Their fight was already catching a lot of attention for both Fairy Tail and Magnolia's common residents. Though most of them had chosen to take cover in the safety of their homes and peeking through their windows. Ur was carrying Blaise on her shoulder standing with the rest of the New Generation wizards – not counting Mana for obvious reasons – looking more stressed than normal. And it wasn't because she couldn't find her pants.
"Izumi, please reconsider." Ur pleaded. "I know your tough, but you're not ready for Kane."
"Is he really that strong?" Blaise asked curiously.
"One punch from Kane is enough to break Master Erza's Adamantine Armor." Glace explained levelly, noticeably distancing himself from his ex-girlfriend. "Adamantine is the strongest substance in Fiore, so just bearing able to crack it would take a lot of strength."
"I doubt it's stronger than Adamantium or Vibranium." Blaise commented, earning strange stares from the clueless wizards. "Forget I said anything."
"You're a pretty big deal in Fairy Tail – people say your one of the best." Izumi said confidently, lacing her fingertips in black flames. "But that's only because they haven't seen me in action yet. I'm gonna kick your ass all the way to Seis and back."
"Talk is cheap…midget." Kane retorted, gesturing her to bring it.
That single comment developed a two throbbing veins in Izumi's forehead. One of the most annoying facts about the Black Dragon Slayer's life was that she was always shorter than most people, usually by a foot or a couple inches. Back in Seven, she was always the shortest in her class and even Fairy Tail, the only people that were smaller than her was Grace and Sora. At the mere mention of her height, the teenaged immigrant dashed ahead with her right hand ignited in black flames, reshaping the shadowy fire into the form of a claw.
"Black Dragon Claw!" Izumi howled, slashing her attack across Kane's face. But much to her surprise, the stubborn giant barely even flinched as the heat passed over his eyes. With a soft growl, Izumi pressed her hands into the concrete and swung her leg around with her foot coated in her signature black flames, taking the form of a beastly claw. "Black Dragon Talon!"
But even as her attack slammed into the base of Kane's neck and the flames seared against his skin, the black-haired wizard didn't budge in the slightest. He just stood there like an intimidating sentinel; his eyes displayed hints of amusement and annoyance. Izumi was slightly off-guard and almost wondered if she might be in over her head, but she quickly pushed the thought away. She was going to get her mother's Gate Key and no overgrown street punk was going to get the best of her. With her feet still hooked around Kane's neck, the tan-skinned foreigner pushed off the ground and used it for support as she swung around for a windmill kick across the man's face. The tactic seemed to catch the giant by surprise, managing to stagger him briefly. But as Izumi regained her proper footing on the ground, she realized that all she did was make him flinch – she didn't even have a scratch to show for it.
"What the hell is he?" Blaise said in awe.
"We're not exactly sure." Ur said honestly. "Truthfully, no one has ever seen him use his magic before, but there are a lot of people saying that Kane's magic deals with strengthening his muscle till they're as hard as steel. It kinda makes sense because his father is Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer. Most people call it his Iron Skin Magic."
"Iron Skin Magic?" Blaise repeated shockingly. "Then that means…Izumi doesn't stand a chance."
"Hey, don't count me out just yet!" Izumi snapped, overhearing the conversation. "He may have steel muscles or whatever, but all men have one weakness!" Without warning, the Black Dragon Slayer stepped up and rocketed her foot between Kane's legs. Izumi felt confident that she would reduce Kane to a sniveling baby with that trick, but her hopes were dashed with the muscular giant refused to even blink. "Oh, don't tell me it works down there, too."
"Is it my turn yet." Kane said in a bored tone. "Let's get this over with."
As the immigrant Dragon Slayer stepped back defensively, Kane clenched his right fist and swung around for the first punch. The guy may be big, but he was very slow and Izumi was able to raise her forearm fast enough to block the jab. That ended up being one of the most painful mistakes the blond teenager ever made. The moment the blow made contact with Izumi's forearm, a loud, sickening crack echoed down the street like thunder – everyone flinched and hissed. White-hot searing pain washed over Izumi's radius and ulna bones before it quickly spread down to her fingers and up to her shoulder blade. Never before had the Black Dragon Slayer experienced this type of pain before – not even when she somehow twisted her foot around during swimming. Izumi clenched her right arm painfully, fighting back the urge to cry as she slowly started to lose feeling in her limb.
"AGH! F*CK!" Izumi screeched in bloody murder, dropping to her knees and curling close to her broken appendage. "DAMMIT, THAT HURTS! AGH! WHAT THE HELL?"
"Izumi!" Ur and Blaise cried fearfully, quickly lunching themselves to their friend's side. While the Exceed crawled over to investigate the extent of the damage, Ur stood up and glared at Kane severally. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kane? You didn't have to go that far!"
"If she can't handle it, she should have stay out of it." Kane remarked.
"She just a fifteen year–old girl that just moved to this country!" Ur hissed; Kane didn't back off. "She doesn't know any better!"
"And now she's mopping on the ground like a little baby." Kane commented sadistically, smirking at the injured girl on the ground. "What's the matter, midget? Gonna go home and cry to your mommy?"
"She won't need to." Kane and Ur blinked surprisingly, turning around to find Marina shooting them a glare that could easily rival Erza's "What happened here? Why is Izumi on the ground?" She jabbed a finger into Kane's chest. "Did you have something to do with this?"
"Maybe." Kane snorted. "What's it to…"
The dark-haired giant never had the chance to finish before Marina promptly slapped him across the face, showing a remarkable amount of strength and she sent Kane flying. The Fairy Tail wizards quickly ducked out of the way before Kane plowed through the Guild wall and smashed through a row of wooden tables before he smacked face first into the opposite side. Everyone in guild could feel their jaws drop to the floor – the toughest guy in all of Fairy Tail was knocked out with a single slap. Izumi, who had been observing the interaction between her guardian and Kane, shivered frightfully and embraced her Exceed partner protectively. The lavender feline herself was also trembling as she held Izumi closer – both of their eyes locked on Marina's still raised left hand.
"Was that…what I think it was?" Izumi squeaked.
"I think it was." Blaise answered softly. "The legendary left hand."
"What is going on here?" And to make matters worse, Master Erza shows up just in time to witness the destruction of her precious Guild Hall…again. "What happened? Why is everyone standing around? Why is there a hole in the wall? Why is Izumi lying on the ground? What happened with Kane? And where is my cheesecake?" Luna appeared with her usual sunny expression, delivering the aforementioned desert to her master. "Thank you. Now, back to first question."
"I can explain, Master Erza." Ur answered nervously. "You see, Izumi and I found this really great job we wanted, but Kane wanted the same job. Izumi and Kane started arguing until they broke out in a fight. Kane broke Izumi's arm, but then Marina…slapped him unconscious. And…that's where you show up."
"I see." Erza said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with a fork. "Since Wendy is pregnant, we can ask her to stress herself by healing these idiots. And since Porlyusica has recently…departed…we'll have to take them to the hospital to fix their injuries."
"What about the mission?" Izumi asked weakly.
"Since you two can seem to get along…" Erza said seriously. "Then you two will have to learn by work together. You are under strict orders from the Guild Master to participate as a team and both accept the mission."
"NO WAY!" Izumi and Kane, who conveniently awakened from his coma, shouted outrageously.
"I can't work with this jackass!" Izumi refused.
"I don't do teams!" Kane snapped.
"Do you have a problem with my judgment?" Erza whispered dangerously.
"N-No, ma'am." Kane chuckled nervously, wrapping his arm around the Dragon Slayer's shoulder. "We'll get along swell. Right, buddy."
"Aye, sir!" Izumi answered loudly.
"A mission? Not happening!" Marina said authoritatively. "You just broke to of your bones and you think I'm just gonna let you leave Magnolia on your own? That is not happening, Izumi A. Dragneel!" She grabbed Izumi's unbroken arm. "We are going to the doctor to get you checked out and you are staying in your room until you are healed!"
"But Marina, I have to go!" Izumi refused, pulling her arm out of the woman's grip. "This mission is important to me!"
"What could be more important that you own health?" Marina questioned dangerously.
"The reward is one of mama's keys." Izumi answered determined; Marina's expression softened. "I know you're just trying to look out for me, but this is the chance for me to learn about my mama. If I can figure out how the keys work, maybe the spirits could tell me more about her." She took her guardian's hand and gently squeezed it. "I will always be grateful to you for all that you've done for me, but I want to learn more about my parents. You always tell me that I'll have to grow up one day and make my own choices, so now I making the choice to take this job. Please…can I go, Marina?"
The blue-haired woman stared at the teenaged immigrant. It was hard for Marina to believe that the little girl that she used to sing to sleep was now growing up and becoming more independent. And not only that, she was growing up to be the spitting image of her own mother, albeit with a darker shade of skin. Marina never once considered herself a replacement for Lucy, but that didn't stop her from showing her motherly affection for the child. So with a deep sigh, the blue-haired woman bended down until she was level with the Dragon Slayer.
"All right, you can go." Marina nodded, quickly cutting the girl off before she had a chance to cheer. "But, you are going directly to the doctor first to get that arm of your checked out first and you have to promise me that you won't go overboard."
"How long have you known her?" Blaise said jokingly.
"I promise, Marina." Izumi agreed, hugging her guardian happily.
While the pair was caught in their affectionate embrace, two women inside the Guild Hall were watching them through the hole that Kane made upon his unexpected entrance.
"That woman…Juvia feels that she has seen her before." Juvia commented suspiciously.
"You're not the only one." Cana slurred, managing to sober up enough to maintain her level of thought. "Izumi said that Marina girl and Lucy were pretty close friends, but I've never seen her around the guild before and I don't think they've been on missions together. I don't think even Levy has mentioned her before and she and Lucy were best friends. But…there's just something familiar about her."
"Juvia doesn't know what it is…" Juvia murmured, watching Marina lead her ward to the hospital. "But Juvia doesn't trust her."
Please, read and review.
Next time: Cold Steal
Fairy Tail Guild Card
Name: Marina
Age: Unknown
Magic: Water Magic
Likes: Television drama, dealing punishments, Izumi (out of motherly instinct)
Dislikes: Being interrupted, loud noises, secrets, anyone who hurts her "baby girl"
Relatives: Izumi, Blaise (Legal Wards)
Description: Much of Marina's past remains unknown, but she claims to have been close friends with Lucy Heartfilia since they were younger. Shortly following the tragic deaths of Dragneel family, Marina took legal custody of their daughter, Izumi, under the request of Lucy and left for Seven until Izumi was old enough to return to Fiore. Strangely enough, Marina tries to keep her distance from the Fairy Tail Guild for unknown reasons.