Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.
Chapter 3
To the Master's Office Part 1
Along the way, they passed by the bar. Noticing Lucy, the girls smiled and slightly waved at her, causing her to smile and wave back. It was also at this point that Mirajane joined the party. This caused Merodi to give a small squeak. She respected the white-haired beauty, and acknowledged her strength. Actually, that was one of the reasons why she wanted to join Fairy Tail in the first place. The other reason was that the group had needed the guild's protection and a place to stay. You see, the girls were the daughters of successful businessmen and their equally talented wives. None of the girls' parents cared about them much. They paid attention to the girls when they needed them for something like having them befriend children of other powerful people. That's why, one day, after Arumi had a fall-out with her father, she decided it was the last straw and that the time had come to leave the house. She notified her friends of her plan but swore all of them to secrecy.
Yay~ Flashback time!
For days, she stored up her necessities. She carefully hoarded all the nonperishable foods in her seemingly bottomless bag (it was limited edition bag magicked to carry an impossible amount of objects) and packed suitcases of clothes and other essential utensils. When the designated day came about, Arumi summoned her familiar, Icy, a snow teddy, to carry her stuff. She destroyed any and all tracking devices on her belongings, jumped into her favorite green turtle car, and drove out. One by one, she rounded up the girls and together, with their heads held high, they walked out of their abusive families and into a new life filled with laughter, fun, and most importantly, love. They would take no more of the treatment they had received thus far from their parents.
Naturally, they chose to seek help from Fairy Tail, as not only was one of their own there, but also, Fairy Tail was strong enough to repel all enemy guilds their parents might hire to retrieve them. Their journey from Hargeon to Magnolia went by all too slowly, lengthened by the girls' fear of their parents' wrath should they find out that their pawns had decided to walk off the chessboard of their life. On the way to Magnolia city, the girls got lost multiple times due to Arumi's fantastic navigation skills. But after many twists and turns, they finally arrived at Magnolia, thanks to Arisu's GPS. The girls' fears had been soothed somewhat on the trip there. Upon arrival, they felt their excitement rising. They were starting over. Fresh. A new beginning. It was exhilarating yet frightening at the same time. They wanted to just race down to Fairy Tail right away. But the thought of leaving behind a trail of breadcrumbs for their parents to find held them back. They had successfully gotten to Magnolia, yes, but what about Arumi's car and their luggage? Where would they stay? At the thought of potentially being found out, the girls' excitement immediately decreased. They put their heads together in an attempt to form a feasible plan.
After much deliberation, Niki sighed. Pulling away from the group, she pulled out her phone to play some games. The others felt her pull away and decided to just give thinking a rest. If worse came to worse, they figured, they could just sleep in the car. It was roomy enough for all of them anyway. Grinning, the quartet raced out of the station and out on the streets. It was while they were outside that Arumi brought up the great point that they didn't know where they were, let alone be able to find Fairy Tail. Of course, being the one with the worst direction sense ever, Arumi didn't understand why the girls suddenly rolled their eyes at her. Confused, she asked, "What?"
To which Arisu replied sarcastically, "That's why we use that little device we call a GPS, smartie."
"Yeah, Mi-chan! We could ask someone for directions or call Lu-chan and ask her how to get there. There are plenty of ways to get to where we want to go, so don't freak out on us. Don't worry about it. We still have some cash left over and I'm sure we can find jobs either as mages or as workers somewhere. Just relax. Pretend we're here to have fun and visit Lu-chan." Niki counseled.
"Fine. I don't understand why we even brought a GPS. I mean it's not like I didn't know where I was going. It's been such a long time since we came to visit Lu-chan that I forgot the way...(pause). Wait a sec! (turning to Arisu and grabbing her shoulders) Why'd you bring a GPS?! They could use that to track us!" Then, giving herself a smack on the forehead, she continued, "Oh my god! I can't believe we even brought our phones! Did you guys check your stuff for bugs? We need to get new phones! Now!"
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down Mi-chan. Or else you'll start hyperventilating. It's fine. I made sure we had a scrambler up and running the minute we left Hargeon. They can't track us. I had the expert himself make it for me, so there's no problem. Just calm down. Seriously. Before you faint on us again. We're gonna need you as bait if they come for us." Niki said conciliatorily.
Arumi's eyebrow twitched. "What was that about me being bait?" She growled threateningly.
"Really. Of all the things I said you're most concerned about the bait part?" Now, it was Niki's turn to raise an eyebrow.
Arumi rolled her eyes. "Of course not. That part just struck me as odd. I mean, if They really wanted us all, do you really think me being bait is satisfactory enough? Besides, you guys need me."
"Need you for what? We have a tech expert on our side (sorta), three strong mages and their familiars, and good navigation skills, why would we need you?" Arisu retorted.
"Ouch. That hurts my heart so much to hear that, especially from you dear Risu-chan~" Arumi pouted. She pretended to clench her heart like it hurt, effectively brushing the retort off. "Come on~ You know you need me~ You need a leader and that's what I am. Plus, I know you guys wouldn't risk yourselves running away with me if you didn't care about me. And~ the tech expert you speak of lives in my bag."
Arisu was about to snap back with a witty comeback when she was interrupted by Merodi.
"Has it ever occurred to you that we may have followed you because we wanted to escape from Them?" Merodi asked Arumi calmly, not only rudely interrupting Arisu but also effectively interjecting herself into the conversation.
"Oh. Yeah. That too, I guess. But admit it. The main reason was because you guys care about me and or want an adventure right? And an adventure we shall have!"
"Fine. Believe whatever you want. I still think you're delusional." Arisu complied with a roll of her eyes and a sigh.
"And I still think you're cute when you're being so stubborn like that." Arumi shot back. "By the way, since we got the problem of being followed out of the way, does anybody have any idea what we should do now?"
The others groaned. "Argh! Don't remind me. I've got a headache thanks to this." Arisu complained.
"Oh yeah. I forgot. You don't think. Sorry. I forgot. Let me rephrase that. So, Mero-chan and Ki-chan~ what do you think we should do now?"
"Ohhhhhhhhh! Ri-chan you just got owned!" Merodi and Niki yelled out in unison. Both used the opportunity to slap Arisu on the back.
Arisu growled. "Har har. Very funny. NOT! What about you Mi-chan? What's your smart idea?"
"My idea?" Arumi asked.
"Yeah! Your idea. If you have time to make fun of me then you should have time to think of a good plan."
"Ooooh. Someone's touchy today. For your information, I do have a plan. It's called:'Let's call Lu-chan and have her help us.' Doesn't it sound like such an awesome plan?"
"No. It's not an awesome plan. If we were just gonna rely on Lu-chan to help us out then what's the point of dragging us along with you?" Arisu objected grumpily.
"Awwwww~ Ri-chan are you jealous? (Arisu mumbled: "Who's jealous? Not me!") Don't be. You know the reason I brought you with me. If you don't, then you really are stupid. But, just to be clear. I wanted you guys to come because I didn't want to leave you guys behind. You came with me because you were also tired of your lives and didn't want to be controlled by Them anymore. However, in order to succeed in running away, we are going to need the help of someone who's done that before. Someone like Lu-chan. Any questions, objections or comments?"
"Actually...", glancing at Arisu, Merodi said tentatively," I think that's a good idea."
"Yeah. I agree." Niki seconded.
"Good. 'Cuz that's what I was about to do anyway." Arumi responded in a business-like tone.
Fishing her phone out from her bag, Arumi flipped it open and turned it on. Once it was on, she swiftly ran through her contacts and dialed Lucy's number. After a few seconds, Lucy picked up.
"Hello? Mi-chan? What's up? Why are you calling me so early in the morning?" Lucy answered the phone with a drowsy voice. Early? But the sun was already up. Weird. Frowning, Arumi glanced over at the clock. It said 4:30 a.m. No wonder Arisu was so cranky just now. It was too early. Arumi shrugged and returned her attention to the phone call.
"Hello? Lu-chan. Are you busy right now?" She asked.
" Not really. Anyway, what do you need so early in the morning?" (A/N: This is Lucy, btw.)
"Um...the girls and I are currently at Magnolia station right now. We..um...kinda ran away from home..." Arumi said timidly.
" 's nice." There was a short pause before Lucy finally understood what Arumi just said. She bolted upright from her bed and yelled into the phone. "WHAT?! Why'd you guys run away? Nevermind, don't answer that question. So, you're at the station right now? Do you want me to pick you up?"
"Um...yeah...about that. We kinda sorta drove here so... what are we gonna do with all our stuff and my car? Could you find us a place to stay for a while? Just until we settle down and start earning money. I promise we'll pay you back."
"What are you talking about? Of course I'll help you. You guys can room with me. We'll talk about what to do with the rent later. Just let me get dressed and I'll be there ok?"
"Mm. Ok. Thanks. While you're on your way, I guess we could try looking to see if there are any jobs."
"Good thinking. Stay safe. Bye. I'll be there in about 10 minutes. What part of the station are you?"
"Uh...If I'm not mistaken, I think we're in the visitor's parking lot, parked near the station. If it helps, there's a person selling stuff on the street corner across the road from us. There's also a river on our left. Don't worry, we'll stay in the general area. Niki and I will go look for some jobs while the other two just stay in the car. You know their numbers right?"
"Yeah... I think I know where you are now. Hold on. Don't move away from that area. I live quite close to the station. If you are where I think you are, then I'll be there faster. About the car, don't you have that bottomless bag? Why don't you just get Him to make you a garage in there to keep it? After all, tinkering is his forte."
"By Him, do you mean Kai? I suppose I could ask him to do that...Nice idea Lu-chan! Problem is, how am I supposed to stuff the car in? The opening is too small for even my turtle (car). Argh, nevermind. I'm sure Kai has something we can use to shrink the car. If not, then we can ask Sebastian to fix us a shrinking potion. He's Kai's friend. I think he came with us. He's an expert on potions and such, so he should be able to help us out. Anyway, I'll get them working. You just get here with Leo and the rest. We still have a bit of money left. We can survive on that for a while so you aren't so burdened. By the way, thanks for having us."
"Sure. No problem. We're friends aren't we?"
"Seriously, thanks Lucy." (A/N: The girls only call each other by their given names when they're serious.)
"You're absolutely welcome. Hey, how about you guys join Fairy Tail too? Then we could form a team and go on missions together! That'd be fun! We could even have a picnic!"
"Sounds great. I can't wait."
"Ok. I'm almost there. How about we hang up for now so you can get your boys to work on the shrinking?"
"Yeah. Ok. See you later. Bye."
"Bye."
Snapping her phone closed, Arumi turned to the others. " Ok, so Lu-chan said it was ok to room with her for a while. She's on her way so all we have to do is wait. I gotta get Kai and Sebastian to start working on building a garage in my bag and something to shrink the car. That's all. You guys can just do whatever while we wait."
Then, she pressed a hidden button inside her bag. There was a flicker of soft light and a small male appeared. He was balancing on the edge of the bag looking cool as can be. He was dressed in typical scientist style. That is, with a large white lab coat, safety goggles, gloves, and all the necessary lab safety equipment.
Upon regaining his balance, he gave Arumi a respectful bow, wobbling as he did so. Arumi caught him in her palm just as he was about to fall off the edge. He quickly straightened himself up, brushing off any dust on his coat as he did so. After making himself presentable, he cleared his throat to speak. When he spoke, he spoke with a soft but professional voice that suited him perfectly.
"Good morning Miss. Kai is a bit preoccupied right now so I came in his place. I hope you don't mind." Pausing, he peered into Arumi's eyes.
Resisting the urge to squish the cute fellow to death, Arumi smiled at the man. "Oh no. Not at all. In fact, I was going to ask you a favor anyway. Would that be alright with you?"
"Of course."
"Really?" The man nodded. Arumi's smile widened. "Thanks Seb! Would you please be so kind as to make me some shrinking potion for the car? Just something that'll make the car small enough to fit in the bag is good enough."
"Well then, you're in luck. I just happen to have a bottle of shrinking potion with me right now." With that, he reached into his coat and produced a small bottle of greenish liquid. On the bottle was a label that said 'Shrinking Potion'. "Would you like me to splash the car with it now?"
"Oh. No thanks. We have to wait till Lu-chan gets here. She should be here soon."
"That is quite alright. I shall go back and accompany Kai for a while. Just holler when you need me and I'll come out."
"Ok thanks. Wait, Seb?"
Seb turned around questioningly, "Yes? Did you need anything else?"
"Yes. Would you be so kind as to tell Kai that I need him to build a garage to put the car in?"
"I most certainly will. Anything else you wish to add?"
"Oh. No. Nothing. Thanks Seb."
"Very well then. If you're all set, I'll go notify Kai of your request. See you in a little bit." With a curt nod, Seb disappeared into the depths of the bag.
Lucy arrived five minutes later with her keys in tow. Arumi summoned Seb again. This time, Kai also appeared. Seb quickly shrank the car and everything inside it. Then, Kai drove it into the garage that he somehow managed to build in such a short amount of time before both disappeared back into the depths of the bag with a small poof. (Of course, the girls thanked both Seb and Kai before the pair vanished.) The quintet then walked back to Lucy's apartment, chatting all the way. They were still talking when they arrived at Lucy's house. After a short tour of the apartment, the girls were tired out so Lucy led them to her room where Arumi promptly took out four sleeping bags from her special bag. The girls settled in. Soon, the sound of snoring could be heard. Lucy smiled as she watched her friends sleep. They were probably tired out by the long drive here. Deciding she shouldn't disturb them, Lucy got ready to leave for the guild. She left a short note next to Arumi explaining where she went and how to get there. She also left an emergency number for them to call if something happened and they needed help.
(A/N: This brings us back to the present. Lucy was moody at the guild because 1. She was woken up early so she didn't sleep enough, and 2. She was deep in thought about how to help her friends. She was also too preoccupied to notice that the newcomers were her friends until they walked past her when they followed Master to his office. The girls were slightly intimidated by Master's sudden size change so they didn't greet Lucy when they passed her. They only slightly waved and smiled at her.)