Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail had been hard at work, repairing the damages to Oshibana caused by the attack of Grimoire Heart and Acnologia. Really, Zeref had wished he could have helped more with the task. However, he had never truly taken the time to strengthen his body, so he had been forced to watch others produce more effective results than he could ever hope to achieve. Perhaps he should take the time to work on that, but he supposed it was something to worry about at another time.

When the town's repairs had finally been completed, the mayor of Oshibana had come to Fairy Tail with a special reward. Thanking them for their services, for acting without even being given wizarding jobs, he invited them all to enjoy a retreat at one of Fiore's well-renowned water parks. However, Zeref wondered if this was the best idea. Even on the best of days, there was always some form of broken furniture in the guild hall. He had advised Natsu early on to set aside funds for repairs at all times, and while the dragon slayer had scoffed at the advice, he quickly saw how expensive it was to constantly rebuild the guild hall and replace the furniture within. As the new guild master, it was his responsibility to take care of such things now.

With that in mind, Zeref stood next to Mavis and gazed out at the wizards gathered in the water park. Really, things were going fine thus far. Lucy and Levy were animatedly talking to each other, smiles on their faces as they spoke. When Gajeel had walked by, Lucy had smirked and given Levy a slight shove. The solid script wizard had the misfortune to slip on the wet floor, practically falling onto the dragon slayer who barely even registered her weight. He simply turned around with a raised eyebrow at the blushing wizard who seemed to be backing away as fast as possible, stuttering out apologies to the man. Gajeel simply shrugged and continued on his earlier path, focused on heading towards one of the water slides.

Natsu was busy as well. Zeref could see the fire dragon slayer in a pool with both Laxus and Gray. It was a combination that left Zeref nervous, making him hover near that area of the water park. Granted, it wasn't as if he could solve anything on his own, without magic. "Are you really just going to stand around and watch them all day?" Mavis smiled at him by his side, while Zeref's gaze continued focusing on the race beginning before them. It seemed as if Natsu was competing with the other wizards, and Zeref was just glad it wasn't through combat.

"Perhaps. I can't say I've ever been to a place like this before." He simply shrugged with the words. Zeref hadn't exactly been focused on entertainment much in his life. It simply wasn't something that had been available to him.

He felt Mavis' hair brush his arm as she shook her head. She was dressed in her bathing suit, clearly planning on swimming. However, Zeref had no intentions of doing so. He was still in his usual robes of black, with his white sash hanging across his torso. Despite being the only person dressed in normal clothes, he refused to change and waste his time when he would simply have to get back into his normal outfit afterwords.

"Well, then you should have fun!" Mavis turned towards him with a bright smile, grabbing his hand. "Come on, I'll even buy you a bathing suit if you don't have one. We could go down the water slides, swim in the wade pool…oh, but don't forget! We've gotta work on our warm-ups first before going in the water."

Raising his eyebrows at Mavis, Zeref tilted his head. "That seems a bit…excessive. Is something wrong with simply resting near the water and observing?"

"But…I wanna swim." Mavis pouted at him slightly, her eyes growing wide. "I wanna swim with you, Zeref…please?" She clasped her hands together, and as he stared at her, he knew she was intentionally falsifying her pout and trembling bottom lip. Either way, he couldn't help but hesitate, glancing towards Natsu for a moment. Laxus had just won their race, and he was shouting at the other dragon slayer.

"Come on, you cheated! How the hell are we supposed to win if you keep using your magic on the water?"

The shouts were loud enough for Zeref to hear them now. "I'm just using my own natural talents to win. Don't blame me if you're too weak to use your magic and swim at the same time."

Natsu's glare seemed to intensify, and the rematch began not long after. "It seems as if swimming makes people angry. I do not believe Natsu was pleased, even if that is to be expected after losing a competition of some form." Though, he didn't understand what the three of them had invested into the race. Maybe he was overanalyzing it entirely.

Rolling her eyes, Mavis dropped her pleading expression and sighed. "That's just Natsu. He likes winning, so he's upset when Laxus doesn't play fair." Studying them, she frowned. "Then again, it should be expected. After all, with Laxus' lightning magic, and the conductivity of water, it does give him a natural advantage. Perhaps Gray could compete if he—" She broke off as Gray did just as she was about to add. The pool they were swimming in began to freezer over, and the ice wizard was smirking at the others as he managed to jump on top with ease.

"Sorry, but swimming isn't really my style. If you wanna race me in my true element, try skating for a change." With that, he began sliding to the other end with ease, while Natsu glared after him.

Scowling, Laxus broke the ice up at the same time as Natsu broke free from the ice by burning it. "Annoying little brat. If that's how you wanna play it, I'll show you a real race."

"No way! If anyone's beating that stripper, that's gonna be me." With that, Natsu began charging forward with a grin again.

At least the ice would melt. There was still no damage actually done yet. Turning his head, he began to frown and search for the others. What was Erza doing in all of this? In fact, where were Happy, Charle, and Lisanna? "Zeref?" A voice from behind his shoulder made him frown and turn around. There, he blinked in surprise at an unusual sight. Captain Lahar of the rune knights was standing there, with a dark blue bathing suit on and his glasses off. "I didn't expect to see you here. In fact…it looks like Fairy Tail has been brought along."

Nodding, Zeref smiled. "It is good to see you, Captain. How has the search for Jellal gone?" While Zeref didn't exactly wish to help with such things, he knew what he had been busy with.

"Zeref! If Lahar is here, he is on vacation. He doesn't want to talk about work." Mavis smiled at him instead, waving from Zeref's side. "I bet he'd rather talk about you…notice anything weird about Zeref, Lahar?"

His gaze shifted between the two of them, before settling on Zeref for a moment with raised eyebrows. "Besides the fact that he is at a pool without a swimsuit, I see nothing unusual. However, I highly suspect that it would be more unusual to see him blending in with any crowd." That statement was emphasized with a slight smile. "As for your question, Zeref, I actually have no issues talking about it. To be honest, there's not much to tell. Jellal's excellent at avoiding detection, and we don't really have any clues as to his whereabouts. Mavis is correct that today is my day off, and since I was in the area, I decided to enjoy the facility. It isn't normally the kind of activity I'd choose for my day off however…a co-worker insisted that I needed to loosen up and see what happened."

Nudging Zeref, Mavis smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. "That's an excellent idea! I keep telling Zeref that it is so fun to try and enjoy the water…but he won't listen to me." She gave another mock pout, while Lahar chuckled and shook his head.

"For some reason, I don't find that surprising. Though, I will admit, I still am not seeing the appeal either. Just what part about splashing in water is meant to be entertaining?" Lahar glanced towards Zeref, who shrugged and looked towards Mavis.

"It's fun because you're with friends. Other people here play games, and race each other…oh, and there's the water slides that make you slide down really fast! There's so much to do, and so many things to explore." She seemed far more excited about this water park than anyone in Fairy Tail had been before they left. Really, he should have seen this coming. Mavis rarely had the opportunity to enjoy places like this either, considering her isolation on Tenrou Island followed by her curse becoming active.

With that in mind, Zeref very nearly gave in to her earlier request, but before he could speak, he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him away. "Excuse me, but I have an urgent matter to speak with our former master about." With that, Erza began towing him away from both Lahar and Mavis, leaving him mystified as to what was going on.

When they were out of sight, Erza stopped and released Zeref. Even in her swimsuit, she managed to display an intimidating stature as she gazed towards him. "Now, I know you no longer possess your magic…but there is a dilemma I've encountered at this facility. It appears as if it has been infiltrated by members of the rune knights, something which we cannot abide by. We all know of their feelings towards our guild, after all."

Erza was crossing her arms over her chest, avoiding his gaze slightly. There was more to this than she was revealing, Zeref decided with a small frown. "Captain Lahar came here with a co-worker. I suppose it is only to be expected that they enjoy the facility as well." Pausing, Zeref narrowed his eyes at her. "Besides, we are no longer a dark guild, Erza. There is little to be concerned over, all things considered."

Moving closer, Erza gripped both of his arms tightly. "You don't understand! This could spell disaster for us, so please, I beg you…distract them and lead them away from here!" She sounded desperate, making Zeref wonder about what the source was of her please. However, at that moment, he saw someone peaking out from behind the fake rocks positioned for decoration around the nearby pool. If he had been on the other side, he may have seen that their actual purpose was to create a waterfall that fell into the pool and sent small ripples over the surface. Zeref was actually focused on the odd man dressed in nothing but a bathing suit and a dark colored scarf covering his face. However, Zeref could see the blue hair on his head, distinctive in color and enough to tell him what was going on.

"Jellal is here." He glanced towards Erza with narrowed eyes. "There is only one member of our guild still in contact with him, Erza. You should know the risks of brining him into public. Should he be caught, it is no concern of mine."

Releasing him, Erza stepped back and gave him a slight bow. "I understand…but I know Master Natsu would be incapable of even attempting to accomplish this task. His distractions tend to be reckless and foolish. Yours would be calculated, and result in little damage to the facility and those within."

"Insulting my brother is not the best method of endearing yourself to me, Erza." He raised his eyebrows at her, watching her bite her lip nervously. Her gaze flickered towards Jellal, while Zeref ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Regardless…for now, I suppose he can take on Mystogan's identity. As for the rest…I cannot guarantee that this will end well."

Stepping out, Jellal seemed to take that personally. "I do not wish to be a burden…nor do I wish to force others to get hurt for my sake. If you could simply speak with the rune knights while I leave—"

"You have just as much of a right to enjoy this water park as anyone else. If you speak of leaving again, I will personally see to it that you stay until the park closes." Jellal seemed to blink at her words, though Erza's usual threatening tone was softer with him than it was with others. She hadn't even managed to make a true threat, something that made Zeref smile slightly.

Observing them, Zeref nodded and turned around. "There is little in this park that I find entertaining. Now, the challenge of not only gaining the attention of the rune knights, but maintaining it long enough for you to escape unnoticed without magic? I suppose it could be a test of how well I've adapted to this new life."

With that, he smiled and began walking back towards where Mavis had last been. She was still there, but Lahar was gone. Instead, he saw her stretching with Makarov, counting off their warm-ups together as she prepared to swim. "Mavis…I apologize for interrupting, but I am in need of a strategy." That made her pause, blinking at him in surprise. "Just what gains the attention of rune knights on vacation?"

"Well, Lahar seemed to be fine with talking with you. Really, the two of you get along rather well." Mavis smiled, stepping away from Makarov. "Just try a conversation with him. He is your friend after all, right?"

"There are multiple of them here, Mavis. Besides, there is little for us to discuss. It isn't as if he wishes to hear about the magical theories behind black magic." Technically, he could speak about other branches of magic, but it would invalidate his point in some ways.

Smiling, Makarov folded his hands behind his back. "Well, I can think of one way to get their attention without conversation, Second." The guild members were beginning to take to odd nicknames. Zeref was growing used to the reference, based off of the fact that he was their second guild master. "Just look behind you. I'd say that little competition is escalating a bit too far."

Glancing behind him, Zeref saw that other competitors had joined the race. Though, calling it a race may have been a bit inaccurate, considering all of them were wizards using whatever magic necessary to slow each other down. It looked like one of the wizards he had met during the Nirvana incident was here, the white haired ice wizard. Based on the glares shared between him and Gray, the two had some type of history together. They both utilized their ice to keep the water frozen when possible, and on occasion, they would attack directly with a variety of spells.

By Natsu's side, Lucy seemed to be stumbling across the slick surface. "Natsu! Why'd you drag me into this?" Her complaint was enough to tell Zeref why the reasonable celestial wizard was taking part in their antics. However, next to her was another unusual combatant. Or more accurately, it was a pair. Levy was slung over Gajeel's shoulder for some reason, being dragged along as he ran across the ice.

Grinning at the others, Gajeel shifted Levy's weight, ignoring the way her hands were pounding on his back as she pleaded to be released. "You guys got nothing on me. I've even picked up some extra weight to give you guys a handicap, gihi!"

"Hey!" Levy glared at him, shoving against his shoulder. "I am not that heavy!" With a scowl, she seemed to think for a moment. "Solid Script: Weight!" With that, the dark blue words took form, and Levy let it drop onto Gajeel's other shoulder. With a gasp, Gajeel stumbled and fell, his grip loosening on Levy and releasing her. However, the ice continued forcing her to slide across the ground, not improving her situation too much.

Oddly enough, this was where Zeref found the other rune knight member. Smiling, the telepath that had infiltrated the guild in the past seemed to be enjoying himself. "You know, I could just win by teleporting to the finish line…but where's the fun in that? As much work as you guys give us, I hate to admit that you're a blast to hang out with."

Zeref was still trying to stay out of this, however, it seemed like other guild members had a different idea. From behind him, he felt a harsh shove, sending him onto the nearby ice. Blinking, he turned to glance over his shoulder, spotting Cana laughing by Mavis' side. The first master was staring at Zeref with wide eyes, before determinately moving forward to join the disaster waiting to happen.

On the ice, Zeref realized he wasn't used to such slick surfaces. True, he had trained Invel in magic, but it wasn't as if he attempted to be fast while walking across ice. Really, he wasn't even attempting to win, so he supposed just walking was fine here as well. "Hey, Zeref's joined in. Looks like I've gotta up my game to beat the infamous black wizard." Doranbolt winked with that comment, laughing as Zeref simply frowned at him.

Being in the race made Zeref realize that the pool wasn't as straightforward as he thought. His conversation with Mavis and his observations of others made him fail to see the curving path it took. The entire pool was a circular loop, surrounding some of the support beams for one of the water slides. Sliding around under them, Zeref began to see that perhaps they should have selected a different pool for their race.

Turning his head to stare at Doranbolt, Zeref narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps, though I suppose I do not have the advantage. When you have an immortal body, you don't worry excessively over building muscle strength." Natsu had been trying to help him improve in that aspect, though the dragon slayer wasn't exactly patient in that regard. Zeref had stopped after only a week of trying to train with his brother, realizing it wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to fight, after all. He just wanted to enjoy moments like this, despite the fact that they still felt so unusual.

"Now, that's a real man's game!" Elfman saw them rounding the pool near him, with the thunder legion standing by his side. With a shout, he leapt into the ice track, but at that moment, the neck-and-neck race had been too close to him. The weight made the ice buckle, forcing many wizards to fall inside. Unfortunately, Zeref was one of those wizards. Water soaked into his robes, and the weight forced him to put more effort into staying afloat than anyone else. The freezing temperatures did not help either.

"Zeref!" Natsu shouted, rushing towards him. "That stupid streaker should have known this was a bad idea." He grumbled slightly, before grinning down at Zeref. "Don't worry, I'll have this heated up in no time!" Flames danced in his palm, and luckily, someone interjected before Zeref was burned by his brother's impulsive nature.

"Don't go blaming me for this, flame brain!" Gray punched Natsu hard, sending him flying into one of the support beams for the water slide above them. "Elfman was the idiot who jumped onto the ice like a maniac."

"Well, if this ice were made by a real man, it would have been able to withstand that force!" Elfman seemed to be taking Natsu's side, now that he was insulted as well.

Shivering, Zeref began trying to pull himself out of the water. However, as he gripped the nearby ice, more pieces broke off into the unfrozen surface he was trapped within. Going unnoticed, Zeref watched the wizards continue their ridiculous argument instead. "They should have just accepted defeat like the weaklings they are." Laxus smirked at them all. "After all, we all know I'm the strongest wizard in the guild. None of you stood a chance against me."

Even though he had not been a part of the race, Freed nodded in agreement. "Indeed, there is no match for Laxus' power. It is your fault for putting him at risk with your foolish spells."

"What did you say?" Gray turned on the green haired wizard, preparing a different spell. "I'll show you risk, if that's what you want. Ice Make: Hammer!" With that, he slammed his spell into Freed, letting the wizard slam into the actual slide itself.

"Gray!" Natsu was getting back up, however, charging forward with flames on his fists. "You're gonna pay for that. Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" With a punch, Gray hit the water slide just next to Freed, sending vibrations all the way to the slide above. It rocked the water, the waves pushing a couple on the slide out of the open tube.

In an instant, Doranbolt was moving. He vanished from sight, teleporting into the air with a determined expression on his face. Then, just as fast as he appeared next to them, he vanished again and reappeared on the ground with the two in tow. "That was a close one. Are you two alright?" Zeref was tense as he recognized Erza and Jellal, having returned to their enjoyment while he distracted Doranbolt for nothing. Did they not realize the risks? Regardless, Erza stood tensely by Jellal's side, stuttering nervously as she replied.

"Y-yes, sire. Er, I mean sir! Yes, sir, we are just fine."

The nervousness was unlike her, but luckily, Doranbolt was not incredibly familiar with her usual confidence. "Sounds great. Hey…you look familiar. Have I seen you before?" Doranbolt was frowning at Jellal, studying him closely.

At that moment, Lahar walked closer, leaning down next to where Zeref was still in the water. "You are all fools, focusing on the wrong issues. Can you not see your former guild master nearly freezing to death in this pool?" That made Doranbolt's question get forgotten, along with the battle between wizards. "Honestly, he isn't immortal without magic. Perhaps he would have survived this before, but hypothermia is a real threat to most people."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Zeref!" Levy rushed to his side, grabbing his arm and pulling him onto the shore. With his robes dripping water and clinging to his body, he really was beginning to regret this entire adventure. However, at the same time, there was something enjoyable, seeing what he was getting away with. Glancing towards Jellal, he began to smile.

"It is quite alright, Levy. Though, I did not have any intentions of swimming today."

Smiling triumphantly, Mavis stood with her hands on her hips. "Well, we can't leave him in that outfit any longer! Since this is a water park, their gift shop will always keep spare swim suits in stock for emergency situations such as these." With that, she sprinted off towards the store. Hopefully, she would at least keep the swim suit reasonable, but Zeref doubted it would be so.

With a sigh, he sat up and glanced towards Doranbolt, who was frowning at them all. "As crazy as this is, I'm surprised nothing broke." He just had to say that. Zeref closed his eyes, hearing the slight creaking from the support beams of the water slide get louder. The slide itself began to shake, and as someone moved to slide down it, it began to buckle from the added weight. One of the support beams cracked, and with that, the entire structure began to fall apart.

Fairy Tail wizards rushed away from the collapsing slide, racing once more though this time with far more motivation. However, Zeref couldn't exactly keep up that well with his current situation. Really, however, he had no desire for his death to come from being crushed by a water slide. Perhaps he still had that lingering depression, but the thought of suicide had lost its appeal after seeing so many things to enjoy in life now that his curse was gone. So, he took the only option available to make fleeing easier. While it was more challenging with them wet, he slid off his robes quickly and resumed running, a bit behind the other guild members due to the delay. He saw a piece of plastic crash by his side, and his heart seemed to stutter for a moment at the sight. Even now, he might not make it.

More shouts filled the area as others dodged falling pieces of the slide. It collapsed into other attractions, taking more pieces of the park with it. When Natsu glanced back and noticed Zeref was so far behind the rest, he slowed down and returned. Before Zeref could even try to object, the dragon slayer crouched down and hooked his arms behind Zeref's knees. When Natsu began to stand, Zeref grabbed Natsu's neck to avoid falling backward. "If Gajeel can run that fast with Levy, then I'll definitely be able to keep up with you."

Really, Zeref didn't exactly like that logic. However, it wasn't as if he was athletically inclined either, so he did not argue. With Natsu carrying him forward, Zeref realized that perhaps this was faster. As the last of the slide began to fall, Natsu and Zeref just barely ran beyond the point where the last piece landed. It rolled slightly when it hit the ground, and Zeref glanced back at the aftermath. There wasn't a single ride left standing.

Laughter came from the Fairy Tail wizards, making both Natsu and Zeref glance towards them. Really, Cana was the only one laughing, pointing at them with a smirk as she stood in what looked like nothing but underwear. "I knew it! Ha, you can tell them you're brothers all you want, but it looks like you're getting a bit dirty with Natsu, eh, Former Master?"

In an instant, Natsu straightened and dropped Zeref with a glare. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Landing behind his brother, Zeref simply scowled at the drunken wizard.

"You are aware of my relationship with Mavis, correct? The one I spent nearly a century trying to resurrect? What could possibly bring me to choose incest over that?" Really, the thought disturbed him to think of. However, Cana still teased him relentlessly about it when the opportunity arose.

She moved to stand next to Mavis, draping an arm around her shoulder. "Because this little one is into some kinky things, eh, Mavis? Do you like the sight of your boyfriend getting hot with his brother?" Mavis shrieked, shaking her head violently in objection.

"No! Zeref isn't doing that, I swear." In her hands, Mavis was carrying a shopping bag. "He just…Zeref didn't have a swimsuit…I went to buy him one, but the slide…" She trailed off, biting her lip.

Deciding to try and move on, Zeref turned towards Natsu. "Please tell me you set aside those funds I mentioned to you when you became Master." Gladly taking the distraction, Natsu frowned and nodded.

"Sure did…but, do you really think it'll cover all of this?"

Glancing at the destruction, Zeref really had no idea. "So much for a weekend off." Doranbolt sighed, glancing towards Lahar. "I guess you were right. Water parks really can be dangerous, but you can't deny that this wasn't entertaining to watch." He paused for a moment, spotting Jellal again. "Hey…you never answered my question. Who is the guy in the scarf?"

Stiffening, Zeref glanced towards Doranbolt to answer. However, before he could speak, Cana decided to drape her arms over him, hugging him tightly to her chest with a smirk. "He's Zeref's other secret boyfriend. Naughty second master, sneaking in another man while on a date with the First. You should be ashamed." How she could flip so quickly was a mystery to him. Vaguely, he wondered how drunk she was today. Normally, she wasn't this persistent in playing matchmaker, especially with someone already in a relationship. After all, she had stopped pestering Alzack and Bisca about this.

With wide eyes, Doranbolt took a slight step back from Fairy Tail. "Uh…right. You know, maybe I don't want to know everything going on with that guild. They seemed fun at first…but man, this is just insane."

Nodding in agreement, Lahar gazed at the blue haired wizard with narrowed eyes. "I think you may be correct in that assessment. After all, it is rather odd that Mystogan still refuses to take off his mask, even while swimming. Wouldn't you agree?" Doranbolt nodded, while Lahar turned to meet Zeref's eyes. He gave a slight nod, smiling as he waved and began to walk out. "It was nice speaking to you again. Good luck with…all of this. Also, don't let Cana get to you. I nearly made that mistake while I was at the guild hall before…and it isn't something I advise agreeing to."

Likely, this had happened while he was dealing with the Tower of Heaven, but Zeref didn't have the time to speculate on the details. As the water park managers came and began speaking with them about the costs of damages, Zeref could only think that he truly didn't like water parks. However, as he glanced towards Mavis and saw the smile on her face as his eyes met her, he decided he could learn to tolerate them. Maybe he just had to go without the guild to experience them, that way he wouldn't be risking his now-mortal life to try and actually enjoy his now-mortal life. Plus, it would have the added bonus of avoiding Cana and her constant taunts about his proximity to Natsu, one which she still failed to see as that of family and nothing more.

Alright, I've got another one-shot ready for this story. I hope you all enjoyed. Thank you to Rin Fujitora for the idea, though I feel like I made this a bit too ridiculous in some ways. Either way, it was interesting to try and write Zeref in a light-hearted scene like this. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!