Three updates at once... Don't expect this often xD But this is definitely the last chapter for Fantasia. And I'm giving you a little surprise out of this, so I hope these three chapters were worth it. C: Enjoy chapter 8!
"So, Shrimp, what the heck are you supposed to do at this kinda place?" Gajeel and Levy were strolling through the road, people bustling and stopping at the stalls that lined the sidewalk. The Dragon Slayer had a fist on his hip and his arm swung casually as he walked. Levy had her hands behind her back, her petite figure struggling to keep up with Gajeel's long strides.
She grinned up at him. "You have fun!" Before Gajeel could say anything, she grabbed his wrist and began yanking him through the crowd, much like he had done with her before, and scanned the stalls for something entertaining.
"O-oi! Shrimp-"
"Gajeel!" She pointed at a large, stuffed panda hanging from a nearby stall. "Can you win that for me? Please?"
They slowed to a stop at the stall, and Gajeel saw that it was a game where you threw wooden balls at dishes a couple meters away, trying to break them. Looked easy enough.
"How much?" He asked the stall owner.
He winked at Gajeel, an act that he found highly disturbing. "You're a Fairy Tail mage, right?"
Before Gajeel could even utter so much as a sound, the owner quickly said "Well, I could already tell that you are."
Then why the freak did you ask? Gajeel thought. He scowled at the stall owner.
"For you, my boy, free! But..." He reached out behind him, and set a weird pair of glasses on the counter. "Only if you wear these! That is my challenge!"
"Challenge?" He picked up the glasses, and tossed them in his hand.
Levy lightly tugged at his arm. "The games at the festival are free for Fairy Tail mages, but only if they take the challenge. The mage cannot use magic, but if they win, they could pick any prize they want, no matter how hard it was."
"Oh hoh! You know quite a bit missy!" The owner winked at Levy, who immediately hid behind Gajeel, and earning him a fierce glare from a certain Iron Dragon Slayer.
"A-and all the challenges are approved by the master himself, to make sure that they're fair..." She continued from behind Gajeel.
"Alright." Gajeel slipped the glasses over his eyes, and swore. "Shit! There's three of everything!" And, much to his dismay, three of the creepy stall owners as well.
All three men winked at him. Triple disturbing. "It may look like there's three of everything, but there's still only the same amount, and in the same place. You're challenge is to break at least three plates in only three tries." He felt the smooth surface as something round was tucked into his hand.
He raised his arm, and was about to hurl the ball at a random dish when the owner shrieked "WAIT! Let me get out of the way first!" He quickly moved aside behind a small door in the stall, and watched through a crack.
Levy grimaced. The timing at which Gajeel's hand was about to release, speed, and the angle, almost assured Levy that, had he not been stopped, the owner would have been nailed straight in the head. With a wooden ball, no less.
When the owner got out of the way, Gajeel aimed his arm again, and hurled the ball. He smiled as he heard a satisfying crash, but was puzzled by a strange sound that quickly followed it, and a woman's scream.
He turned to look at the three Levy's, who seemed to be wincing. "Uh... Shrimp? What did I just do?"
"U-um... I think we should just..." He heard a couple angry shouts, and people running. He then felt small hands push him from behind, steering him away from the booths. "Run!" He saw Levy pull him by the wrist at an astonishing speed away from the stall.
He stumbled over a foreign object. "W-wait! Shrimp! I can't see!"
"Just run!" She yelled, sounding panicked. "I'm sorry!" She shouted over her shoulder. Footsteps were getting louder. He turned around to glance behind him, and momentarily forgetting that he was wearing triple quantity glasses, hissed in surprise at the what seemed to be a mob of Magnolians chasing after them. Thinking fast, he ran ahead and slung Levy over his shoulder, who shrieked.
"Eek! Gajeel!"
"Just shut up and run Shrimp!"
"How can I?! You're carrying me!"
"Pretend or something!" He growled.
"What the hell is that?!" She scoffed indignantly.
Their heated argument continued loudly as the two ran off, quickly leaving behind the four people that were chasing them.
"So, uh... Wendy-chan... Is there anything in particular you wanna do?" Romeo looked at the blue-haired girl beside him, and quickly looked away, his face flushed.
"Well... not really..." Back at Caitshelter, there were never any festivals or celebrations like this, so all this was new to her. "Is there anything you like to do?"
Romeo looked at her thoughtfully. "There's usually a magic competition. You have to hit a Magic Power Finder as hard as you can. The higher the number, the better your score."
"Sounds interesting." She commented truthfully.
He nodded. "I participate in it every year, just to see how much stronger I'm getting."
"Oh, really?" She looked at Romeo, slightly awed. "But I heard you guys didn't do it the past few years."
The dark-haired boy shrugged. "I went to other towns." He scratched the back of his head. "It's kinda become a tradition for me, really."
"That's pretty cool." She said sincerely.
Romeo blushed. "Ah, really?"
She smiled and nodded at him. "Yeah! A-and I bet you'll be stronger this year!" She added shyly.
He looked at her gratefully, not being able to find the right words to say thank you.
"Oh, is that it over there?" There was a large crowd of people standing around a fence, the middle of which floated the large, Magic Power Finder.
"Yep, that's it." He suddenly had an idea. Turning to Wendy, he said excitedly "You should participate too!"
"I-in front of all those people?!"
"You just got your second origin, right? This is a good way to test it out." He began gently pulling her towards the crowd. "It'll be fine! What can go wrong?"
"People will make fun of me..." Wendy murmured.
She was shocked when Romeo spun around to face her, and gripped her shoulders. "Wendy, you are crazy strong. Strong enough to fight beside Nastu-nii." He grinned. "If anything, I'll be the one getting made fun of when you get a higher score than me."
"...Okay." She reluctantly agreed. She then gave him a small smile. "You sure you won't mind if I get a higher score than you?" She said teasingly.
He waved his hand dismissively. "If a girl younger than me is obviously stronger than I am, I deserve to be made fun of! I'm not holding back." He glanced at her. "You shouldn't either. Some of the people are really strong."
Was this a good time to try out that new technique she got from Porlyusica? "Alright!" Wendy said, this time, more confidently.
The two made their way through the crowd, just in time to see a man score 4,541. He pumped his fists triumphantly in the air, and the crowed roared.
"Is that a lot?" Wendy asked Romeo.
"Kind of. On average, most wizards get about 3,000. So that's pretty good." He leaned over and whispered in her ear "I still think you'd get more though."
Wendy shied away, her cheeks red. "H-how much do you think I'd get?"
He shrugged. "At least 7,000."
Wendy gasped, distantly watching Romeo call over the man who ran the competition.
7,000?! That's 3,000 more than that other man... Her head spun, thoroughly convinced that she was being overestimated.
"Hello! We'd like to enter!" Romeo gestured to himself and Wendy.
The man chuckled. "This is a competition kids, not a game."
Romeo scowled. This guy was annoying him. "So?"
"So I'm saying that you'll only embarrass yourselves." He waved them away. "Just go somewhere else! There's a nice fishing game not too far from here..."
"We might be young, but we are Fairy Tail mages! Underestimating us is not wise!" Romeo seethed.
The man chuckled again. "Alright, Kid. Suit yourself." He opened the the gate, and Romeo stomped through.
The dark-haired boy prepared his magic, and he heard over his shoulder "Hey, kid! You get at least 3,000, I take back what I said!"
"Fine!" He shot back. He got 2,778 last year. He can bring it up to 3,000.
He faced the Magic Power Finder, and took a deep breath.
I can do this! He thought to himself. I'm a member of Fairy Tail! I can do anything!
"Do your best! Romeo-kun!" He looked the Sky Dragon Slayer, and smiled gratefully at her the second time that night. All his doubts were erased.
He aimed at the large orb in the air, and yelled "Blue fire!"
His magic squarely struck its target, and the Magic Power Finder froze over.
As soon as the ice cracked and fell apart, the orb began calculating the magic power. Romeo held his breath, and closed his eyes.
He heard that familiar 'ting' sound, signaling that the orb was done. He slowly looked up, and his heart sank as he read the numbers left to right.
2...
9...
9...
9...?
The crowd was silent, but the man behind him howled with laughter, and yelled through gasps "Nice try Kid! Maybe next time!"
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" He roared. One point. One. Damn. Point.
"Geez, these Fairy Tail mages kinda suck, huh?"
"Yeah, I mean, not even 3,000?"
"That guy before had like, 4,500..."
Romeo's shoulders shook as he heard those nasty comments from the crowd. They were extremely common during the last 7 years, but no matter how many times he heard them, they still broke his heart.
"6,000." He heard a familiar voice say.
"Hah, hah... What kid?" The man's laughter subsided.
"6,000." Wendy repeated coldly. "If I get at least 6,000..." She turned to face the crowd. Her eyes were dark with fury, her tiny fists clenched. "You take back what you said about Fairy Tail! All of it!"
At first, various murmurs wove in and out of the crowd. But soon, those murmurs turned to laughter, accompanied by jeers.
"You, get 6,000?! Please!"
"Yeah little girl. I mean, you're like what, 10?"
"Dream on!"
Wendy ignored them, holding her head up high. She strode over to the Magic Power Finder, which had finished resetting itself.
"W-Wendy..." Romeo moved aside, making way for the angry Dragon Slayer. His eyes were clear, but a single tear glittered on his cheek.
"I got this, Romeo-kun!" Her magic slowly started pouring out of her small body, causing her pigtails to flutter from the wind. "No one makes fun of Fairy Tail and gets away with it!"
Rome backed away as Wendy began preparing her spell. I love Fairy Tail... She thought. She thrust her arms out beside her, spread out wide, and a blue magic circle spun furiously beneath her legs. And I don't want Romeo to be sad... She tapped into her second origin, and muttered "arms," instantly feeling strength build up in her muscles. Power swelled up inside her body, filling it with her newly-attained magic power, and threatening to burst.
No one can hurt him! Or my guild! "DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ART: SHATTERING LIGHT! SKY DRILL!" A large wind barrier that reached the sky surrounded her and the Magic Power Finder, blocking the action from the spectators' view. The ground shook with magical energy, and filled the air.
Wendy focused her magic power on the green orb, and willed the barrier to contract. She squeezed her eyes shut as the barrier hit the orb, pounding it relentlessly with blades of wind.
"Wendy!" Romeo yelled.
The crowd witnessed the scene in amazement, anxiously waiting for the barrier to clear up. Suddenly, strong winds rushed at them, and the people shielded themselves from it best they could.
When they looked again, and they saw a slightly battered Wendy, the barrier having disappeared. They held their breaths as the Magic Power Finder calculated her magic power, antagonizingly slow.
The orb tinged, and the crowd gasped as the number came into view.
9,999.
The crowd stayed silent, savoring the moment for as long as they could, making sure that it was reality.
The orb cracked, shattering into a thousand pieces, and dissipated into the air.
Wendy turned around, grinning triumphantly.
The crowd erupted in cheers, screaming the guild's name over and over. The owner merely gaped at her in shock, his jaws practically hitting the ground. "I-impossible..."
"We're Fairy Tail, Gramps. Nothing's impossible." Romeo gestured. "Aren't you going to announce the winner?"
The owner slowly closed his mouth, and muttered "Yes...yes, that's right..." He cleared his throat, and turned to face the audience. "The winner of this year's competition is..." He glanced at Wendy. "What's your name again?" He hissed.
"Wendy Marvell." She said loudly.
"Wendy Marvell!" He boomed, and several people laughed. "You may now receive your prize." He waved his hand, and a large orb rose up from the floor. "Put your hand on the orb kid. It'll read you and choose your prize accordingly."
"It... chooses for me?"
He shrugged. "Don't look so nervous. The orb never gave anyone something they didn't like. Just touch it."
Wendy slowly reached her hand out, and her fingers brushed against its smooth surface. She yanked her hand back as the orb glowed in response.
A large, glowing item appeared in the air, slowly falling in front of her. She placed her hands beneath the object to catch it, and a large, old-looking book materialized in her hands.
"A Book of Ancient Healing..." She murmured. Her eyes widened. "By... Grandeeney?!
"Oh? That's interesting." He peered over at the dusty tome. "Never seen someone get a book before."
She beamed at him, hugging the book to her chest. "Thank you so much!" She bowed, and quickly left the floor, Romeo following behind.
"Wait, Wendy! Where are you going?"
"I want to give this to Poryulusica-san!"
"The cranky old lady? Why?"
She spun around to face him, her eyes glittering with excitement. "She knows my Dragon!" She slowed down to a walk. "But I don't really want to read it yet."
Romeo stared. Wasn't she just running like her life depended on it for the book? Women were so confusing. "Why not?"
"Well... we're not really done yet, are we?" She looked at him, blushing slightly. "I mean, there's still another hour left... Before Fantasia..."
He grinned at her. "Of course! But since most of the stalls are closing down, we could just sit by the lake."
Wendy smiled. "I'd like that."
The two of them quickly rushed over to Poryulusica's house, anxious to drop off the book and spend up the rest of the night together.
Natsu cocked his headed as he heard loud cheers in the distance. "What's that?"
Lucy looked up at him, and said "What's what?"
He squeezed his hand around hers, still joined from their thrilling run a few hours before. The cheers had quickly died, leaving Natsu to think if he had ever really heard them at all. "Never mind."
The two of them were having nothing but fun the last few hours. They went around eating his favorite food, winning games, and, though he didn't know why it made her so happy, he won her a huge stuffed Plue. She was currently clutching it with her free arm, playfully rubbing it against her cheek. "Okay."
Natsu glanced up at the sky, looking at the stars. "It's getting late. They're gonna pack up soon."
"What!?" Lucy cried out in dismay. "But Fantasia isn't until another hour!"
He gave her a crooked grin. "We could sit by the lake."
Lucy had never seen the lake before. She had only ever seen the river than ran near their guild. "Sounds good."
They slowly made their way to the lake, Natsu guiding her.
She looked at his hand around hers, and smiled warmly. At first, she was a little reluctant about going around with their hands joined, but pretty soon, the mood of the festival got to her and she got used to it. Liked it, even.
Of course, there were the awkward moments. Such as when Elfman glanced at their hands and unexpectedly bellowed 'Holding hands is Man!' (earning him a slap from the giggling Lisanna), and when Bickslow shamelessly hollered 'Get a room already!' quickly followed by the chorus of his dolls. These moments embarassed Lucy to no end, but each time Natsu merely grinned at her and squeezed her hand, reassuring that it was okay.
And here they were now, holding hands like it was the most natural thing in the world. And maybe it was. It certainly felt like it.
But what surprised Lucy most was his calm, gentle demeanor during the whole night. Sure, he got a little overboard when they played the games, but nothing like his usual self. It was a side of him Lucy had never seen before. Of course, Lucy had never seen him smile so many times in one night either. They were honest smiles. Not as wild as his everyday ones, but more meaningful.
Soon, they reached the lake. Lucy gasped as she saw the large body of water, lapping at the shores. The dark surface glittered beneath the full moon, and the countless lanterns that were hung throughout the town only further enhanced it's beauty. Natsu sat down near the edge, pulling Lucy along with him. Both their legs dangled over the edge, almost touching the water. Lucy moved her stuffed Plue onto her lap, careful to keep the white fabric clean. She looked up at the sky, and gazed at the stars in wonder. You could see almost all the constellations from here!
"It's pretty, right?" Natsu sad quietly.
"It is..."
"I learned their-" He quoted in the air with his free hand, "-real names." He scowled, remembering the day when Lucy had mocked him for saying the wrong names of the constellations.
Lucy laughed softly. Without meaning to, she shifted her hand so her fingers interlaced with his. "Care to tell me?"
He looked at her, slightly surprised, but began pointing out the constellations. He started off to the right, where a large, ladle shaped constellation glowed in the air. "Big dipper." He shifted his finger slightly, now pointing at a large, bear-shaped one. "Big bear."
"Ursa Major." She corrected him softly.
He playfully growled in response, pretending to be angry. "Same thing."
He continued pointing out the constellations, surprisingly, not getting a single one wrong, though he hardly ever used their scientific names.
Soon, there were none left to point out. They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the coolness of the night.
Suddenly Natsu set his hand in fire. The sudden light caused Lucy to squint. "Natsu, what are you doing?..."
"Let's do it." Lucy looked at him, her eyes questioning.
"Fireworks." He looked back at her, and caught her gaze. "Let's make them, Lucy. Like we did for that block-guy Wally and his friends." He slowly stood up, pulling her to her feet. "Take your key out."
She silently obeyed, understanding what he wanted her to do. She aimed her key high in the sky, awaiting his count.
He took a small breath, his cheeks puffing out slightly. "One... Two... Three!"
They launched their magic in the air, the small spheres shooting high into the sky and exploding upon contact with the stars, creating a loud, but beautiful showering noise.
Levy blinked as the sudden fireworks exploded in the night, filling the sky with color. Red, gold... Natsu and Lu-chan?
She quickly stood up, and said excitedly to Gajeel "Let's do that too!"
Gajeel stared at his hand and muttered "I don't think I can..."
"What? Why?"
"My magic." He said simply. "It makes metal. I can't just shoot metal into the sky."
Levy shuddered at the thought of a giant, metal cannonball hurtling towards innocent citizens. "M-maybe you're right..." She looked at Gajeel, and her heart twisted at the sight of him looking so longingly into the sky.
Like a dragon who wanted wings.
She quickly brainstormed, and came up with a solution. "I know!" She summoned the word 'Gray Fireworks' onto her fingers. "I'll just make them, and pretend that you did!" She summoned the words 'Green Fireworks' onto her other hand, and fired them into the sky at the same time. The exploded in brilliant color, and sizzled into the night. Red and gold fireworks popped again in response.
"Looks pretty legit." He muttered gruffly as the gray one burst. And indeed, it did. The shimmering looked as if the fireworks were made of metal. Though the Iron Dragon Slayer would never admit it, Levy could tell he was pleased.
"Okay then! I'll make a bunch! Just sit there and watch." She then shot off another round of fireworks, larger and more magnificent than the previous.
"Fireworks...?" Erza muttered as the brilliant blooms burst in the night sky.
"They're very pretty." Jellal commented beside her.
She smiled. "Indeed." She requiped into her 'Farewell Fairy Tail' armor, reminded by the old times. Her magic couldn't shoot fireworks, but this should contribute. She tilted her spear to reflect the light from the fireworks and shoot their beams into the sky, knowing her friends will see it.
Jellal prepared his magic to shoot off a firework of his own, but hesitated.
Erza caught him and smiled. "Why do you wait?"
"I'm not a part of this guild... I don't deserve to celebrate... I don't deserve your kindness..." He muttered sadly.
"Nonsense." Erza's sharp voice cut him off from his depressed yammerings. "You are alive Jellal. You are alive and living. You have friends. That is all that matters." She pointed at the sky. "Now shoot, Jellal! Show your magic!"
Smiling, he did as she ordered, and fired a large one into the night. He was surprised when it was not gold, the color of his Heavenly Body magic, but white.
How ironic... He thought to himself. My life has been very, very dark, yet my magic is pure.
He looked up at the sky, and watched as his firework sizzled away. How ironic indeed...
Citizens watched in awe as fireworks filled the night, every color of the rainbow and more. Those with sharper eyes even saw a blade glinting in the distance. They were never told, yet somehow, they knew that this was Fairy Tail's doing. Red, gold, white, green, purple, 3 different shade of blue, heck, even gray. Never had a night sky been so colorful, so full of life.
Fairy Tail was back.
"Are we ready?" Erza turned to look at the people behind her. Shouts of agreement returned to her, and she smiled. "Good."
They were ready to head out. This year, Erza will lead, along with, surprisingly, Laxus. She was to play the role of a queen and he was to be king. Though it was strange when it was first suggested, everyone agreed that such roles suited them.
They were to be followed by Lucy and her spirits, Cana and Macao, Natsu and Gray, (a very strange pair, indeed) the Strauss's, Alzack and Bisca, Laki, Gajeel, and then Wendy. The line of floats was pathetically short this year, but they were still short on members. Unfortunately, Juvia was forced to be unable to participate, as a giant rain cloud threatened the town. Had it not been so large, the poor Water mage would've been able to perform and keep the rain in check, but it was taking all she had to contain it.
The music started and Titania yelled "That is our cue! Stay calm, keep your head held high, and give the citizens the show of their lives." She requiped into her Heaven's Wheel armor, and raised her sword. "Onward!" She yelled.
The mages were greeted by deafening cheers from the crowd. Erza's sworsd spun at a blinding speed, and Laxus, who was wearing his usual attire, focused his electricity on the blades, taking advantage of their natural conducter. The result was a spinning golden circle, that many could say looked like the gateway to heaven. Later, Laxus accidentally shot a large lightning bolt straight into the sky, much to Juvia's dismay. She took her revenge on him by letting the rain pour specifically over him for just a few moments before stopping them.
Lucy's float was decorated to look like a ballroom, and she had summoned Leo, Aries, Virgo, Gemini, and Plue to dance with her. They all wore magnificent costumes, and the golden float made it one of the best.
Cana and Macao put on a stunning performance with her cards and his fire. The two bodies seemed to be playing tag, as the cards dashed back and forth and fire chased relentlessly after them. At one point, Macao used Purple Rain to shoot his fire straight up in the sky, and Cana spun her cards at an astonishing speed around the spewing flames, causing them to swirl in the air much like a vortex and shoot out to the sides.
Natsu and Gray's was certainly one to remember. The Ice mage was slowly creating a kind of structure in the middle, while the base of the structure was being licked by Matsu's fire. When the structure was completed, Natsu shot a huge ball of fire into an hollowed out indentation on top, giving it the appearance of a torch.
The Strauss's had a float with a jungle environment. Lisanna was running and flying as a bird all around the float, and Elfman was roaring at the crowd with his full body takeover. Everyone watched in wonder as Mirajane, who was standing on top, transformed in to her Satan Soul: Sitris. Overall, it was a rather terrifying one.
Alzack and Bisca had loaded their guns with confetti, and was firing them in multitudes at the crowd, who cheered for the couple.
Laki stood on her forest-like float, creating strange structures out of wood. Gajeel's was much similar to hers, only he used metal. The crowd quaked at the sight of the Dragon Slayer feasting on iron.
But many could say that Wendy's performance was the most beautiful. The young mage was silk dancing, the petals on her float swirling around her as she manipulated her magic to lift the fragile things. Her hair fluttered at the slight use of magic, the ribbons somehow bending to her will. Best of all, she did it with a smile on her face.
Erza smiled as she saw Jellal, and he smiled back.
However, that smile was soon replaced with horror.
A small crowd of knights had surrounded Jellal, and ws forcefully shoving him through the crowd. Seeing Erza's face, he mouthed something like 'Don't worry about me!' before he was turned around and pulled along.
She wanted to scream his name, run out to save him, but she couldn't. Not in front of all these people. Laxus and a couple other of her guild members looked at her, worried. She flashed them an assuring smile, and focused on the parade. But the crowd's screams were distant to her. This had to end. Fast.
"Master!" Dressed in her normal clothing, she barged into the master's room at the guild.
"What child?"
"Jellal! They took him away!" Erza was very panicked, something extremely unusual for her.
"Calm down child. I've already been informed."
"You- but- how-" She furiously slammed her hands on the table, breaking it in two, "Why are we just standing here?! What if he's getting arrested?!"
"Take a deep breath, Erza."
I don't have the time! She screamed in her mind. But she did as he asked, knowing that Makarov wouldn't speak to her unless she did. She instantly felt calmer. "Master, what do we do?"
"We wait for the trial next week." He looked at the scarlet-haired woman. "He's being sentenced to immediate execution, but he must first be tried. We'll do whatever we can then."
Erza's eyes widened, and she slumped to the floor, hand face buried between his hands. "It's my fault. He might get killed right in front of us in one week and it's all my fault." She sobbed. Makarov walked a over to the crying woman, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Child, we still have a chance. Do not despair."
She looked at him, her eyes hopeful. "Do we really?" She gasped.
"We do."
She slowly got up, her legs trembling. She wiped the back of her hand against her eyes, and said "Thank you, Master. I feel better now."
Makarov sighed. This just proves that she's still much too young to become Master, although she exceeded the conditions for it. "Don't mention it." He began to leave the room, but stopped at the doorway. "And if all goes well..."
He turned around to face her, and said "He may join our guild."
I feel like the parade was rushed. :P Sorry about that.
Anddddddd Jellal might join Fairy Tail! :D Still don't know if he actually will, but feel free to hope so.
As always, reviews are much appreciated. Thank you for reading! *waves* Bye bye for now! ^.^