Chapter 7 Start
Not even half a day had passed before Shen limped down the stairs and into the unusual empty guild. The only one that was present was Mirajane behind the counter and when she saw Shen she just shook her head.
"I told the master you wouldn't stay in bed."
Shen shrugged "I'm not the type that can just stay still and do nothing."
"Well you still shouldn't be moving. Sit down." She said, gesturing to the seats in front of the counter. Shen limped over and did as she said.
"Where is everyone?"
"Makarov gave everyone an order."
"An order to locate the group that is after me and take them out?"
"How did you-"
"Why else would everyone be gone? Either way it doesn't matter. I've been trying to find them for a while."
"Do you really think you could defeat them when they have those weapons against you?"
"No. If I went into their HQ I would easily be taken out. I just wanted to know where they came from so when I mastered my magic, I could take them out."
"You say when you master your magic, but what do you mean?"
"Like you saw in the battle, I had to take three red pills to transform...as I am now I can not transform again until I am able to do it alone. None of my abilities or magic have reached it's full potential yet."
"You mean what you did a few days ago, wasn't your full power?"
"At that point that was the best I could do...now I can't even manage that...the pills I used were the last ones I had."
"I see." Mirajane said placing a cup of orange liquid in front of Shen "Anyway you have not had anything to eat or drink when you were out for the two days."
"What is this?" Shen asked.
"Drink it and see." Mirajane said, with her trademark smile.
Shen lifted the cup to his lips and sipped it, and was greeted with a sour taste "A fruit drink?"
"You got it. Do you like it?"
"It's not bad." Shen said taking another sip "Where's Makarov? He wouldn't be out looking for the group as well, would he?"
"He was called to the magic council because of the damage Natsu did on his last job."
"Natsu must cost this guild a lot for the damages he deals to cities and towns."
"You sound like you have seen the damage first hand."
Shen hesitated for a spilt second "Just a guess. He seems pretty reckless."
"He is, and no matter how many times he is lectured, it doesn't to a thing."
Shen thought for a moment "Igneel was pretty reckless himself. I'll admit I am at times too, but I'm also calm at times, something I got from my mother, but Natsu was raised by Igneel alone, that may explain the way he acts."
Mirajane put a plate of food in front of him "All that's important right now is that you eat and regain your strength." She said, brushing his words aside. Shen didn't even bother asking what the food was, since he was hungry. He finished quickly and Mirajane removed the plate.
"Was that enough?"
"Yeah." Shen said closing his eyes and starting to focus. Mirajane stayed silent as his magic could be felt even through his body and after a few moments his magic faded a bit and he stood up on both legs, no trouble at all. He pulls his pant leg up and rips the bandages off, revealing no wound, blood, or marks and does the same with the bandages on his stomach.
"What did you do?" Mirajane asked, interested.
"I used my magic to make my body functions work faster, healing the wounds and any pain that comes with them. Pretty much I am back to how I was before the battle."
"That's pretty amazing."
"It has side effects...bad ones."
"What are they?"
"Depending on the size of the cut I may be unable to heal it, or heal it and collapse and the second side effect...every time it is used it forces my body past normal limits, and therefore shortens my lifespan."
She looks at him in surprise "Then why did you use it just now?!"
"Two reasons. 1: I am going to be ready for something once the other members get back and 2: They're here." The door burst open and Team Natsu walked in.
"We searched the whole forest around here and found nothing!" Natsu shouted, before noticing Shen was up and about."Shen...You're already up?"
"I am not one to lie around and do nothing. Guessing from your reaction you found no trace of the Dracian Extermination Clan?"
"Nothing at all!" Natsu shouted.
"To be expected." Shen responded.
"Since you are up does that mean your wounds already healed?" Wendy asked.
"I used my magic to mend it, but yes I am completely healed now."
"Shen, you do realize you can't defeat the group when they have weapons like that, right?" Erza asked.
"Maybe once I master my magic I can."
"How much stronger will you be once it is mastered?"
"Remember how I told you about my abilities? Like how human made weapons can't pierce my skin?"
"Yeah."
"Well my magic will increase in strength, but so will they. For example instead of only weapons not being able to hurt me, all magic will have no effect on me!"
"Are you serious?!" Lucy asked surprised.
"You're be immune to magic?" Wendy asked, equally, if not more, surprised and Shen nodded.
"I find that hard to believe." Gray said
"I have to agree Shen...that seems unlikely."
"I know. But it takes many years to master. I have known of my power since I was 9 and have been honing and training it almost constantly for the last 7 years and I can only go so far into the transformation by myself."
"So are you going to try and find them after you manage to master your magic?" Natsu asked.
"Yes. The leader will die by my own hand. The only question is how to train my magic." Shen said as his eyes went over the Fairy Tail mages and he smiled.
"Gray, Lucy and Wendy. If I were to train by fighting, only you three would be able to deal damage to me."
"What about me!?" Natsu shouted.
"You're an idiot..." Gray said "Do you remember what happened last time? He's immune to fire."
"Why us?" Wendy asked, looking nervous.
"What about Erza?" Lucy asked.
"Erza, do you know the answer to that?" He asked turning to her.
"Because I use human made weapons." She answered.
"Yes. Speaking of weapons, where are mine?"
Mirajane spoke up "Over here." She said placing both his steel dagger and his Blood Diamond one on the counter, complete with a new chain "The master got the new chain."
Shen picked up his knifes and smiled as he put the dagger back around his neck and the other one hidden in his coat that he always wore and he turned back to the others.
"So, any of you three want to accept my challenge?"
"You were s-serious?" Wendy stuttered.
"You're too strong..." Lucy muttered.
Gray smiled and stepped forward "I'll accept your challenge."
Shen nodded "Where shall we fight?"
"There is an open area behind Fairy Tail." Mirajane said "Just be careful." As soon as she said that Shen went towards the front door.
"Come on Gray." He said walking out the doors and to the back. The others followed them and they moved to separate sides of he area.
"Ready when you are." Shen said
"I'm ready."
Shen and Gray were both ready, and the others were watching, wondering who would make the first move. Gray made the first move then, placing one fist against the palm of his other hand.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" Lances of ice started to fly as Shen.
"Flame Armor!" Shen shouted as his body burst into flames "Blaze!" He also added and the fire around his body turned blue and burned higher and brighter, and as the lances hit the flames they melted.
"Seems your ice can be melted Gray." Shen said as his flames lowered and disappeared.
"No heat has ever melted my ice before." Gray said sounding annoyed "Let's see you handle this!" He readied his magic again "Ice Make: Saucer!" His ice started to form a shape of a circular saw blade and he shot it out at Shen. Shen stood in the path and quickly moved at the last second, but Gray had another move ready already "'Ice Make: Sword!" An ice sword formed in Gray's hand and he ran at Shen. Shen waited and Gray swung the sword out at his arm and the sword bit into his flesh, drawing a bit of blood, which instantly melted Gray's blade in the middle, cutting it in half, Shen jumped back.
"So your magic can pierce my skin...good to know." Shen muttered "But your ice can't hold up to my blood."
"You blood is pretty hot, isn't it?"
"It is. Now, Gray...I think it's time I went on the offensive." Shen said as he shot a stream of fire at him.
"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray shouted, making a shield that resembles a flower a bit. Suddenly the ice shield shattered, and Shen's flames hit Gray and smoke filled the air.
"I didn't use my full strength there." Shen called out, but then he heard a faint muttering.
"Ice Make: Cannon!" Suddenly the smoke was cleared and Gray stood there, burned a bit, holding what looked to be a bazooka made of ice. Gray activated it and a ice cannon ball shot out fast, taking Shen by surprise and, despite hurting him, knocked him to the ground. Shen stayed on the ground for a moment, Gray still having the cannon locked him, before Shen started to push himself up and he looked at Gray.
"Don't hold back Gray." He said with a smirk and Gray nodded.
"You asked for it!" He fired the cannon again, hitting Shen again. Dust filled the air from the cannonball hitting Shen and the ground. Silence filled the area.
"Shen are you okay?" Wendy called into the smoke.
Suddenly the wind started to pick up and dust blew away from Shen, who was standing up, his wings formed on his back, creating the wind.
"Your magic, like I had thought when I first saw it, is hard to avoid and are quite damaging when it hits." Shen said as he used his wings for more speed and appeared in front of Gray, seemingly teleporting, and he slammed his fist into his stomach and Gray went to his knees. Shen's wings disappeared.
"But we have both hurt the other now. Let's call this a draw for now." Shen said offering his hand to Gray. He took it and stood up, shaking his hand.
"That was a good fight." Gray said "But was that last hit needed?" He said seeing a bruise was starting to appear on his stomach where he had been hit.
"No. It was just a little revenge for blasting me with a cannon twice." Shen said with a laugh.
"Shen!" A voice called out and Erica came from around the corner of the guild and stopped in front of Shen.
"What's up Erica?" He said in a kind tone, and got a few odd looks from Erica and the others.
"Um...My mom wanted me to invite you over for dinner." She said, suddenly shy.
Shen smiled "Sure, sounds good."
Erica seemed surprised and handed him a piece of paper "That's our address and she said to come around 6pm."
"Okay." Shen said looking at the paper.
"I'll see you then." She smiled kissing Shen on the lips, before leaving, surprising Shen and the Fairy Tail members as well. Erza broke the moment of silence that spread over them.
"Shen, I need to ask you something." Erza said, very seriously.
"Yes?" He said turning.
"Before you punched Gray you said when you first saw his magic, that means you saw his magic before. Am I correct?"
Shen seemed to tense up but answered "Yes, I have seen Gray's magic. I know all of Team Natsu's magic, not because I have heard people talking, but because I have seen it, first hand."
"You haven't seen anyone's but Natsu's though, on the mission none of us-" Lucy started to say.
"You spied on us, didn't you?" Erza accused him.
Shen laughed "Correct." I have followed Team Natsu's actions. In other words I have seen you completing jobs, I had been spying on you for a while before deciding I would join Fairy Tail."
"Now answer this. Why were you?" Erza asked in a hard tone.
"I joined Fairy Tail because of Natsu. I wanted to know what he was capable of and I saw it on the missions. I wanted to know how the mage that my father trained handled himself."
"What if you decided he didn't mean your rquirements?"
Shen looked at Erza then turned away "Doesn't matter." He said walking away.
"You were going to assassinate him." Erza said, and that wasn't a question.
Shen stopped walking and answered "If I wanted him dead he would be dead, but you are correct in what I had first planned. If I deemed him unworthy of using my father's magic I was going to kill him." Shen said, leaving them all, but Erza, stunned.
Chapter 7 End