Fairy Tail: Rekindle

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Chapter One: The Fairy Tail

Situated between the boarder of Fiore, the Land of Magic, and Seven, the Science Region, was a small town called Holly. Though it was small to the other villages in Fiore, it had no shortage of people, mostly travelers moving between the countries. What the town lacked in size, it made up for with amazing commerce, selling and trading valuable items that were not normally seen in their respective countries. And Holly Town is where a new story of magic and wonderment will unfold, starting with a girl.

The train was just entering the station from Magnolia and several dozens of people were just exiting the platform while several dozen others were making the return trip. Among those arriving was a young woman with short, black hair and a wide grin stretched across her face. Her clothing consisted of a red, low-cut tank top, a pair of navy jeans, and a tan jacket with a black collar. Barely visible over the collar of her shirt, stamped on her left breast, was famous mark of the Fairy Tail guild, telling the world where her allegiance lay.

The Fairy Tail wizard looked around the crowded station, noting that many of the travelers had darker skin than normal Fiore citizens – they must have been from Seven. She whistled impressively as she looked out the nearby window and saw that there were even more people walking in the street.

"Dad wasn't kidding," said the Fairy Tail wizard. "This place is packed. I think I'm better keep a close eye on my wallet.

"This is Ur Fullbuster," said the Narrator."Daughter of Gray and Juvia Fullbuster and a bright and beautiful member of the Wizard Guild, Fairy Tail. She is very modest, but she has inherited more than just her father's magic."

"Um…excuse me, miss," said a red-face station manager. "Um…sorry, but we have a strict dress code in Holly Town."

"Like what?" asked Ur.

"Like you have to be wearing something," said the manager embarrassingly.

Feeling a sense of dread wash over her, Ur looked down slowly and only just realized that her shirt and jacket had mysteriously gone missing, exposing her white and blue bra to the public. Most of the men had stopped to stare about her bountiful breasts and even a few women, but many of them were seething in rage and jealousy. Mothers were covering their children's innocent eyes and slapping their husbands for staring, tutting at the girl's shameless act. Ur, red-faced, tried to cover herself as best as she could, wishing the Earth Land would just swallow her up right then and there.

"Damn it, dad!" Ur screamed.

In the merchant district of Holly Town, there was a sole magic shop that stood out of place between a coffee shop and a boutique. Magic shops weren't all that uncommon despite Seven's disbelief in the practice, but this particular shop caught the eye of someone looking for something a little unique. The owner of the shop, a non-magical merchant dressed up as Merlin, was rearranging his stock when the bell over the front door alerted him of a new customer. The owner stumbled behind the counter and presented himself formally as he looked over his potential buyer.

The owner was quite surprised to see such a young girl alone in a shop full of (possibly) dangerous magical artifacts. Her skin was a shade darker than normal, meaning she was from Seven, with wide brown eyes and was a several inches shorter than most girls her age. Her hair was tied into a low ponytail by a blue ribbon and wild bangs in the front. She wore a pair of jeans, a white tank top covered by a sleeveless jean jacket, and a black string necklace carrying a golden key shaped like a vase.

"Greetings, weary traveler," said the owner, playing up the role of an elderly wizard. "Welcome to my magic shop. I hope you find everything…"

"Why are you in a dress?" said the girl bluntly. The owner flailed and dropped out of sight for a moment before pulling himself up.

"It's not a dress, it a wizard's robe!" said the owner severely.

"Whatever you call it, it's still a dress, ciudat," said the girl.

"This feisty young lady is Izumi" said the Narrator."She is an ambitious, headstrong, and assertive wizard that has recently moved from Seven to learn magic from the wizards in Fiore. She has a very nasty temper when someone calls her short."

"So, um…Mr. Cross-Dresser," said Izumi, purposely ignoring his glare. "I've been walking around town looking for something special. Think you got anything I might be looking for?"

"Of course!" said the owner, suddenly choosing to forgive his customer. He bended down behind the counter. "I have all the latest magical items that every lovely young wizard could ask for! You don't strike me as the type of girl looking for something fashionable. You're looking for something with a real thrill. Well, have I got the right item for you."

"You do?" said Izumi.

"Where did I put it…Aha, here it is!" said the owner. She stood up and placed on the counter a small satin box with a silver key. "I couldn't help noticing that you were wearing a Gate Key, so I thought you might enjoy this. It's the Canis Minor Gate Key, a very popular pet with the ladies."

"Well, you have the right idea, but dogs and I don't exactly have a great history together," said Izumi grudgingly. "Besides, I'm not interested in Silver Keys. What I really want to find is the Golden Gate Keys."

"Golden Gate Keys, huh?" The owner repeated, closing the box. "Sorry, but don't sell Golden Gate Keys. If I did, I would have sold it already and moved out of this town."

"But this is the twelfth magic shop I've been to since I arrived in town!" Izumi shouted, slapping her hands on the counter. "Da-mi o pauză. Don't you know anyone in town that might sell them?"

"Golden Gate Keys are a lot different than Silver Gate Keys," said the owner sympathetically. "Silver Gate Keys have hundreds of copies that they can easily be bought in stores like this one. But Golden Gate Keys are very rare and valuable that only one exists for each of the twelve Zodiac signs, meaning there are only twelve. If you're looking for Golden Gate Keys, you're not going to find them in a small magic shop like this."

"La naiba," said Izumi. "Well, guess I oughta keep looking then."

"I am very sorry I couldn't help," said the owner sincerely. "If there is anything I can do to help…"

"Well, there might be something you can do," said Izumi stiffly. She did a quick look around the shop, as if expecting to see someone spying on them, and then said in a hush voice: "Have you ever heard of a…Black Gate Key?"

"A Black Gate Key," said the owner suspiciously. "I may not be in one of those fancy-schmancy wizard guilds, but even I know that there is no such thing as a Black Gate Key. Are you sure you're not confusing it for the 13th Gate Key?"

"Uh…yeah, you're probably right," said Izumi nervously. She steady walked backward to the door, laughing awkwardly. "I uh…really should be getting back. Tourism and all."

Izumi tried to ignore the owner's suspicious gaze as she opened the door and ran out of the shop as fast as she could. She dashed down the street, through the thick crowd, and turned the corner into a deserted alley before she started to calm down. Izumi leaned against the wall and slumped down to the ground, scolding herself for being so careless. Of course that shop owner had never heard of a Black Gate Key before – until a few days ago, Izumi had never thought it existed either.

When her guardian told her that they were moving to Fiore, Izumi was so excited that she couldn't fall asleep, which resulted in some severe insomnia that her guardian scolded her for. But on the occasions where she did catch some sleep, her dreams would be the same, mostly in fractured images. All she could remember was a sea of fire, a horrible screech, a woman in tears, a pair of red eyes, and a black key. Izumi kept telling herself that it was only a dream, but there was something about that black key that made Izumi uncomfortable.

"Thinking too hard again?" said a monotonous voice. "Do be careful before you hurt yourself like last time."

Izumi groaned loudly and looked down at Blaise, her Exceed partner. Blaise was a rich purple cat with a slight bend in her tail wearing a pair of white pants, a lavender coat, and a red jewel around her neck like a collar. Her golden eyes were narrowed to scold Izumi, but she was already used to the Exceed sullen expression.

"This is Blaise"said the Narrator. "A stern, yet kind-hearted Exceed with plenty of magical potential. She has recently been nominated as one of ten potential contenders for the position of the Exceed ruler."

"There you are, Blaise," said Izumi cheerfully. "Where've you been all day?"

"Where have I been?" said Blaise strictly. "The best question is where have you been? We're in Fiore not even an hour and you already run off looking for trouble. Marina has been on a warpath looking for you. It's a miracle no one has died yet."

"Aw, she's really pissed off now, isn't she?" said Izumi. She stood up, brushing the dirt off her pants. "Guess we better find her before she starts grabs someone and starts climbing the tallest building."

"For your own sake, don't compare her to a gorilla," said Izumi. "But honestly, can't you learn to stay out of trouble at least for a little while?

"Come on, can you really blame me?" said Izumi with a broad grin. "We're finally in Fiore and there are hundreds of things I want to see like the magic shops, the Rune Knights, magical duels, guild wizards – everything! You heard what Marina told us: Fiore is the capital of the magical world."

"You really are just a child," said Blaise with some amusement. "But I can kind of see where you are coming from. Seven has devoted all of its time towards the advancement of science that it has forgotten the wonders of magic. Being born from magical roots, we were a bit outcast from the rest of the community. I suppose coming to Fiore was the more sensible solution, especially when I become the Exceed Queen."

"You don't know that for sure, Blaise," said Izumi. "There are still other Exceed's who could become king or queen…like Carla…" Izumi giggled when Blaise hissed at the name. "Fiore doesn't have a lot of cool stuuf, but the best part about it is the guilds. Groups of people who have devoted their lives to practicing magic in search of fame and fortune. I would love to join a guild someday."

"Especially one guild in particular, right?" said Blaise.

"I'm telling you, Blaise," said Izumi. "One day, I'm gonna be a great wizard and join the Fairy Tail Guild, just like mom and dad."

Blaise smiled as Izumi slipped off to her own world. Since she was little, Izumi had always wanted to join Fairy Tail after Marina had told her about the amazing adventures of Fairy Tail's strongest team. Izumi's favorite stories were of Fairy Tail's Salamander, Natsu Dragneel. Izumi greatly admired the man for both wild nature and his loyalty to his nakama (or friends) and hoped that if she joined the Fairy Tail guild, she could become a great wizard as he is.

But while Izumi was lost in her fantasies of fighting with the Salamander, someone crashed into her and both of them hit the ground with a loud crash. Izumi groaned as she sat up, touching the lump on her head that was beginning to swell, when she felt a weight on her chest and look down. Izumi's face burned as she looked down at the strange man whose face was buried into her developing breast and kicked him across the street into a flower cart without a second thought.

"Perversule!" Izumi shrieked. "Is this how people in Fiore are supposed to act, you disgusting perverti?"

"I – I'm so sorry," said the man, who was now sporting a black eye. "I didn't mean to do it, I swear! It was a total accident! I mean, for a second there, I thought you were a guy, so…" The crowd hissed inwardly. "What?"

"You thought I was a guy!" Izumi roared. She grabbed the man by the collar and started shaking him ruthlessly. "How could you mistake a cute and sexy girl like me for a guy, you blind perverti?"

"He really should have kept his mouth shut," said Blaise.

"Hey, there he is!" said a new voice.

Izumi stopped shaking the poor man long enough to see three large and rather rotund men pushing their way through the crowd toward them. All three of them were dressed in something Izumi would have seen in her Arabian Knights book, but they were nearly as handsome and one of them had a huge tear in their shorts that the crowd was trying hard not to look at. The only difference between them was that they were color-coded into red, blue and green. It was Blaise who motioned to the guild tattoos on their arms: a beast skull on fire.

"There you are, little buddy," said Blue with a wicked grin. "We thought we lost you for a moment. You weren't planning on bailing on us were you?"

O-o-of course not," said the man, desperately pulling himself out of Izumi's hands. "You told me not to leave, so I'm not."

"Well, aren't you a good boy," said Red, patting the man's head hard enough to knock him on his knees. "And since you're a good boy, you won't mind paying what you owe us, would you? It's the end of the month and the boss is very finicky about collecting his protection money. You do have the money, don't you?

"I – I don't have it on me right now," said the man. The colored trio growled and the man visibly panicked. "But I promise I'll have it with me by the end of the week, I swear!"

"You know what, I think I believe him," said Green. The man looked relieved until the green wizard picked him up by his collar, lifting him several feet off the ground. "But just in case he tries to jump out on us again, why don't we rough him up a little. Maybe then he'll learn his lesson."

The man was sobbing pathetically by now, flailing in Green's hands without much success. Green closed his hand into a fist and started to pull back, but then felt someone grab him. Green looked back, surprised to see Izumi maintaining a solid grip around his wrist.

"I think that's enough," said Izumi. "You're made your point, so let him go."

"This is none of your business, little girl," said Green. He casually dropped the man and turned around to Izumi, who had let go of his arm. "Now why don't you run on home to mommy before you get hurt…"

Green tried to flick Izumi in the forehead as a way of mocking her, but made the mistake of letting Izumi get within reach of him. As Green reached out his hand, Izumi suddenly grabbed his wrist, spun around on her heel, and flipped the large man of her shoulder, throwing him into an alleyway trashcan. Red and Blue stared at their friend's legs flailing out of the trash bin and looked back at Izumi, who was wiping her hands as if she had touched something dirty.

Blue was angry, pushed Red out of the way, and rushed at Izumi like a raging gorilla. Izumi noticed him right away and jumped forward with a flying kick to Blue's stomach, causing him to double over in pain. Izumi used Blue's back as a springboard to flip over him and, while still in mid-flip, grabbed Blue by the head and pulled him along with her. Izumi landed on her feet and heaved the fat wizard over her head, sending him crashing into the pile of cans with his Green friend.

Red 's eyes were bulging, his mouth agape. He looked away from his companions and back to Izumi, who was hopping in place and throwing quick jabs as if she was ready to jump into the boxing ring. There was no lack of confidence in Izumi's eyes. Red, now infuriated with Izumi, clapped his hands together and summoned a red Magic Circle in front of him.

"You little alien!" said Red angrily. "Have a taste of my – "

"Ice-Make: Dragon's Club!"

Izumi almost jumped back when a pillar of ice appeared out of nowhere and smashed Red's face into the side wall. Red slumped to the ground as the ice pillar pulled back and Izumi followed the trail down the road to Ur Fullbuster, who was still missing her shirt and coat. Izumi couldn't help noticing how the ice had become attached to her skin and dissolved into a normal human hand when the column had retracted. She was an Ice Wizard – that explained why it was so cold around her even though the temperature was in the hundreds.

"Didn't your mother's ever tell you it's not nice to hit a lady," said Ur, brushing her hair in a charming manner.

"My, my, that was impressive," said Blaise. "I must thank you for your assistance, but if you don't mind me asking uh…where are your pants."

"What do you – oh crap!" Ur shriek when realizing she was only in her striped underwear. "Why does this keep happen? Especially in front of a pretty girl."

"Is this what they call shimapan?" said Izumi mentally.

"Ugh…stupid little bitch," said Red weakly. Green and Blue, who had just come out of the trash, helped their red-clothed friend up. "Who do you think you're messing with?" Red's eyes wandered down from Ur's face to the guild mark on her breasts. "Holy – this chick is from Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail?" said Izumi excitedly. "She's in Fairy Tail? You're in Fairy Tail?"

"Yep," said Ur, suddenly not embarrassed to be out in her underwear. "I'm a proud member of Fiore's strongest guild…next to the White Crusade."

"The boss hates Fairy Tail wizards," said Green. "If we bring her back to the boss, maybe we'll get a promotion or a pay raise!"

The other fat wizards seemed very excited at the thought and joined together as they used their magic – Re-Quip – to summon a variety of heavy weapons to their hands. The three stooges made their charge; Ur looked ready to laugh. She slapped her hand against her closed fist and an ice-blue magic circle flashed beneath her feet, sending the temperature freefalling by another fifty degrees. She brought her hands up to her mouth, shaping them into a funnel, and said:

"Ice-Make: Roar!"

Ur took a deep breath and exhaled through her hands, blowing out a sparkling mist. The three stooges, not even suspecting the danger, marched into the mist, and soon found themselves unable to move. As the mist slowly began to settle, Izumi saw that the three stooges had been flash frozen in thick cases of ice. Izumi was in awe, stars were flashing in her eyes. Ur noticed Izumi staring at her and brushed her hand charmingly again, this time adding a wink to the pretty lady.

"My, my, you are a clever wizard," said Blaise. "You defeated those three stooges with no trouble…but…" She pointed down the road where the entire street, including the pedestrians, had been flash frozen, "you may have gone a little overboard."

"Oops, my bad," said Ur sheepishly.

"That was minunat – how do you say, awesome!" said Izumi, grabbing Ur's hands. "The way you just appeared out of nowhere like a mysterious hero and took out the bad guys like they were nothing – just what I'd expect from a Fairy Tail wizard!"

"Izumi is a huge fan of Fairy Tail," said Blaise when Izumi started hopping up and down giddily. "My name is Blaise – Blaise Olivie Claus Ixpellia III, the next leader of the Exceed community."

"Nice to meet you," said Ur. "I'm Ur Fullbuster, Fairy Tail wizard obviously. It's a pleasure to meet you Izumi and Blaise, but um…you guys wouldn't happen to have a spare pair of pants would you?"

Thirty minutes and four pairs of pants later, Izumi, Ur, and Blaise arrived at the Holly Town Park and took a seat on the nearby bench, staring out to the lake as the setting sun glistened across the surface. Ur, probably as a way of thanking them for their help earlier, pair for drinks for herself and Izumi and spent a couple hundred jewels buying a bucket of trout for Blaise. As they watched the sunset together, Izumi commented how much it seemed like a date – Ur was visibly disappointed when she realized Izumi was joking.

"So, it's Izumi and Blaise, right?" said Ur. "I've seen few Exceeds over the years, but this is the first time I've seen someone like you, Izumi." Her eyes went wide and slapped a hand over her mouth. "N-Not that I was trying to be racist or anything! It's just that most people in Fiore don't have your kind of um…"

"Skin color?" said Izumi. She laughed when Ur smacked herself over the head. "Hey, don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean anything by it. As you probably already figured out, I was born and raised in Seven, the country on the other side of Holly Town's boarders. It's mostly a desert over there, so our skin is naturally darker. We just moved to Fiore today with Marina. She's our legal guardian."

"She probably very pissed by now," said Blaise.

"Marine used to live in Fiore before I was born," said Izumi. "When we were little, Marina told us all kinds of bedtime stories about Fiore and the wizard guilds. My favorites were the ones about Fairy Tail's strongest team: Natsu the Salamander, Princess Lucy, Titania Erza, Wendy the Sky Maiden, and Gray the uh…Gray…" Ur laughed loudly at the weak finisher. "Marina said they have hundreds of different magic in Fiore, so I'm glad I ran into real wizards today."

"Don't they have magic in Seven?" asked Ur.

"Magic is ruled out by science and logic in Seven," said Blaise. "Most of them think it's just smoke and mirrors and think there is a logical explanation for everything. Most of the parents try to teach their children that magic doesn't exist, which is why most of them told their children to stay away from Izumi."

"That's gotta suck," said Ur.

"I did get a bit annoying when the other kids started picking on me, but I just beat them up," said Izumi with a mischievous smirk. "That's in the past now. I'm in Fiore and there's thousands of different types of magic I want to see. I can't wait to see them all." She turned to Ur and leaned in close, causing her to flush. "Hey, I saw your magic earlier. Since your name is Fullbuster, you must be Gray's daughter. That means you use Ice-Make magic, right?"

"For the most part, yes," said Ur. "But my Ice-Make Magic is special. Maker Magic is limited to the user's imagination and there are different styles to Maker Magic. My dad uses Static Ice-Make, which creates inanimate objects from ice. Uncle Lyon uses Dynamic Ice-Make to create animated animals."

"But I get the suspicion that yours is different somehow," said Blaise. "That breath you used wasn't static or dynamic style."

"Very observant, Blaise," said Ur. "At first, I could only use Static Ice-Make like my dad, but then I started watching how Dragon and God Slayers used their magics and tried to mold my Ice-Make into mimicking them. It took me seven years, but I finally perfected my Slayer Ice-Make Magic."

"You invented your own magic?" Izumi squealed. "That is minunat!"

"That means awesome, right?" asked Ur; Izumi nodded. "Thanks for the compliment. Hey, what kind of magic can you use? Since your wearing a Golden Gate Key, you must be a Celestial Spirit Wizard, right?"

"Not even close," Izumi laughed. "I don't even know the first thing about using a Gate Key, so there's no way I can be a Celestial Spirit Wizard. But even if I can't use them, that's not gonna stop me from collecting all twelve Golden Gate Keys."

"Okay, now I'm confused," said Ur earnestly. "If you're not a Celestial Spirit Wizard, why are you going out of your way to collect all twelve? Are you planning to sell them off when you've got them all?"

"I could never sell off a Celestial Spirit like some cheap trinket!" Izumi screamed. She quickly calmed herself when seeing Ur's alarmed expression. "Sorry about that. I'm very…sensitive when it comes to Celestial Spirits. You see, my mom was a Celestial Spirit Wizard. This key I'm wearing – Aquarius – was given to her by my grandma and it was passed down to me." She fingered the key sadly. "There were some complications during my birth and my mom died because of it. Before she died, she asked Marina to take care of me."

"What about your dad?" Ur asked.

"I'm not sure what happened to him," said Izumi. "Marina thinks he died, but I'd like to believe he's out there somewhere looking for mom and I. One of the reasons I want to join Fairy Tail is because they were both wizards in the guild and maybe, somehow, they'd help me find my dad."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that your mother was Lucy Heartfilia," said Ur. "She was the only Celestial Spirit Wizard Fairy Tail ever had – that help narrow down the list. I always wondered what happened to her. Well, now I know."

"When I wear this key," said Izumi softly, "it makes me feel like I'm a little closer to her. And maybe if I can collect al twelve, I might be able to understand a little about how she felt."

"Hmm…collecting the twelve keys is going to require a lot of traveling money," said Ur. "And right now, I'm guessing you two don't have a job. What to do…what to do…" She snapped her finger as she had a 'eureka' moment. "I know! Why don't you guys find some work at Fairy Tail? Some jobs might not pay a lot, but they are a good excuse to travel and you'll see tons of magic."

"Seriously?" said Izumi with starry eyes.

"Seriously," said Ur. "The master is an old friend of my dad and your mom, so you're guaranteed a place in the guild. If you want, I could take you to Magnolia after I finish the mission here."

"You have a mission?" said Izumi eagerly. "What is it? What is it?"

" Cool down, girl," said Ur, blasting Izumi in the face with fresh powder. "It's a simple bandit mission. Some small time crooks called the Dragon Fangs have been causing trouble in Holly Town and the mayor posted a bulletin for any available guilds to take care of them."

"The Dragon Fangs?" Izumi repeated. "They sound cool."

"They are so not cool," said Ur. "They may be small time crooks, but they've started making a name for themselves in the Dark Guild community. They're not as big as dark guilds like Tartaros and Raven Tail, but they are starting to take over some of the small dark guilds like Naked Mummy and Death's Head Caucus. They've also been causing problems for legal guilds like Quarto Cerberus, but let's face it; those guys are a joke anyway. You already saw three of their flunkies earlier."

"If that is the extent of their power, then I don't see how they could present a problem," said Blaise.

"You might be right, but they're not what I'm worried about," said Ur, lowering her voice so that only Izumi and Blaise could hear. "I don't want this getting out without any confirmation, but there's a rumor that the Guild Master used to be in Fairy Tail."

"What?" Izumi shrieked. "That can't be right! No one from Fairy Tail would ever turn bad!"

"I wish I could say that was true," said Ur. "But there have been people even from Fairy Tail who has turned evil like the second master and Ivan Dreyar, the third master's son and founder of Raven Tail. There were also some people who left Fairy Tail during the Seven Year Gap and never returned, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was one of them."

"That bastard," Izumi growled, punching her palm. "Someone needs to teach him what loyalty means. When I get my hand on him, he's gonna wish he never…"

"Never what?" said a harsh feminine voice.

Izumi and Blaise 'eep'ed loudly and stiffly turned around, looking as if they were facing death itself. Standing behind them was a tall and voluptuous woman with choppy, sea-blue hair that touched to her shoulder and eyes narrowed dangerous on her prey. Her attire was simple: a blue turtleneck sweater, a pair of blue pants, and some sandals. Ur could see the waves of killer intent rolling off her, so it came as no surprise when Izumi and Blaise dropped to their knees with their faces in the ground.

"Please forgive us, Marina!" Izumi and Blaise cried.

"Like hell I will!" Marina screamed.

"This beautiful, yet freighting woman is Marina Curry," said the Narrator. "She is Izumi's legal guardian and caretaker. She is a retired wizard from the Mermaid Heel guild who has spent her life raising Izumi and Blaise.

"You two are in deep shit," said Marina with a demonic shrill in her voice. "Do you know how worried sick I was? I've spent the good part of four hours – four hours I could have spent relaxing after a long trip – running around in a panic looking for you two! We're not in Cinque anymore, so you can't just run off whenever you feel like it! I thought I could count on the cat for help, but even she doesn't know how to follow order properly!

"Hey!" Blaise snapped, but quickly backed off when Marina shot a glare at her. "You're right – stupid cat, stupid cat."

"I'm so sorry, Marina," said Izumi sincerely. "But I was so excited to be in Fiore that I kinda got ahead of myself. But look, I made a new friend."

"H-Hi, I'm Ur Full - " said Ur nervously.

"I don't give a sand rat what you've done," said Marina strictly. "You deliberately disobeyed my orders and you need to be punished for it. You two are grounded for the next week."

"Grounded?" said Izumi and Blaise. Marina shot them another glare, daring them to complain. "Yes, ma'am."

Marina turned on her heels and marched away, waiting for Izumi and Blaise to say good bye to their friend. Izumi frowned as she got up and look at Ur, wishing she didn't have to say good bye to her new friend so soon. But Ur smiled in an understanding way, waving her off before Marina could get mad. Marina, getting impatient with the two, snapped her fingers and Izumi and Blaise were sudden standing in attention at her side and directed them back to the hotel. Ur laughed nervously as her new friends marched down the street, pondering if they were going to be all right.

"I think she'd get along real well with the master," said Ur.

Later that night, most of the shops in Holly Town had closed down for the night since the last train had left an hour ago, meaning there were no more customers were coming in and out of town. For the most part, the town was quiet until a loud crash came from down one of the empty alleys. Red, Green, and Blue of the Dragon Fangs was cowering on the ground, covered in fresh bruises, trying to protect their faces from their enraged master.

"So let me see if I understand this right," said the master darkly. "Three of my strongest enforcers were beaten by two teenage girls and a cat." He smashed his fist into the wall, ripping out some of the brick. "Just give me one reason why I shouldn't burn you three alive."

"O-one of the girls was from Fairy Tail," said Red fretfully. "An Ice-Make user than liked to take off her clothes."

"An Ice-Make stripper," said the master softly. "Well, I guess you three wouldn't have stood a chance if it was Gray's little bitch. I guess in a way I should be grateful to you three for bringing this to my attention. I have a little score to settle with Gray and having my way with his little girl should make up for that. Round up all the boys – I want everyone here in an hour."

"Yes, master," said Blue.

The three stooges stumbled past their master and took off down the road before he had a chance to change his mind. The Dragon Fang master lifted his hand and ignited a fire in his palms, illuminating his features. He was a tall and muscular man with locks of hot-pink hair and pointed teeth. He wore a sleeveless, black coat with gold trimmings, baggy white pants with a black waistcoat, a pair of sandals, and a scale patterned scarf. The tattoo of the Dragon Fang was printed in red on his right shoulder.

"Time to settle up, Gray," said the master. "You should have learned better than to mess with the Salamander."

And that's the end of the first chapter after I have made some major improvements on it – I had to basically rewrite eighty-eight percent of the chapter to make it seem halfway decent and I hope it shows. I wanted to particularly emphasize the cultural difference between Izumi and Ur by repeatedly bringing up Izumi's skin tone and unique language. I think having a culturally unique character in the story makes for great reading. Next chapter goes into detail of Izumi's family and her unique magical powers. So tuned for the next chapter of Rekindle!

Seven-Fiore Translator

Ciudat – eccentric, weird
Da-mi o pauză – Give me a break
La naiba – Damn
Perversule! – Pervert!

Fairy Tail Guild Card

Name: Ur Milkovich Fullbuster
Age: 16
Magic: Ice-Make (Slayer)
Likes: Shaved ice, pretty girls
Dislikes: hereditary stripping habit
Relatives: Gray Fullbuster (Father), Juvia Fullbuster (Mother), Kouji Fullbuster (Brother, deceased), Ultear Milkovich (Godmother)
Description: Ur is famous among wizards as a natural prodigy, having developed her own branch of magic based on the Dragon and God Slayers. She was influenced by her father and godmother at a very young age and developed a stripping habit from both of them. Ur is an open homosexual that has occasionally made the "Top Ten Wizards I would Want To Date"