After their first S ranked mission, everything else had been easy. A year had passed since then, and they were both twelve; there was little of consequence that had changed, though there were a few small things… They went on missions, killed things, got money, and went home to the guild. Nothing more, nothing less. They had gotten stronger, much stronger after that mission, and now had quite a reputation. The only thing that really bothered Alice was the new guild master. Not that she had anything against dark guilds, but she had been rather fond of the previous one. The train rattled as they shot down the tracks towards their destination. Sara had her head on Alice's shoulder, eyes closed, taking a light nap. Alice stared out the window, watching the scenery melt by her.
They had another S rank; that's all they seemed to get these days. Nothing else was challenging enough. Luckily, nothing bad happened to either of them, thanks to Alice's physique and Sara's rapidly advancing magical power.
Alice was scary herself, but sometimes Sara just terrified her. The amount of power she wielded in that chalice. She really wondered what it was, and where it came from. Sara still wouldn't tell her, and Alice doubted she ever would.
The cloak they had gotten a year ago from their first S rank turned out to be an old piece of cloth that slowly regenerated magic, and proved useful for Sara.
The train eventually slowed to a stop at a little village by the ocean. Alice gently shook Sara awake, before they strolled out of the train. It whistled, then sped off to its next destination.
Sara squinted at the ocean. She had never seen it before, and judging by Alice's face, she hadn't either.
As they exited the station platform, so did another group of people, looking to be about the same age as them, maybe a little older.
"Levy-chan, look! The ocean is so pretty!" A boy with orange hair exclaimed. "Makes me wanna go out on a run!"
"Levy-chan, let's go on a date!" Another boy with black hair interrupted. A blue haired girl sighed dramatically.
"C'mon, Jet, Droy. We have a mission to do. We're not here to relax!" The blue haired girl scolded. The two dubbed Jet and Droy sulked. Sara blinked at them, noticing their guild mark. She tugged on Alice's shirt.
"Al, those three are from Fairy Tail," she whispered, slightly worried. Alice cracked her neck and stretched.
"So? They don't look that tough to me. C'mon, we have work to do," she said simply. Sara nodded before looking back at the other mages.
"I wonder if they know Gildarts," Sara suddenly said. Alice scowled.
The blue haired girl had noticed them. Alice had chosen to go sleeveless today, so their guild mark was plain to see. It was a light grey crescent moon with a spider web in the center. Moonlight Insomniac's mark. Levy's eyes widened as she looked at Sara and saw the same symbol in light blue peeking out of her collar.
The girl quickly alerted her teammates about the potential threat, and the took a defensive stance.
Sara narrowed her eyes and began to open her bag, btu was stopped with a wave of Alice's hand. "Sara," Alice began loudly. "These fairy trash aren't worth our time." Sara hesitated, but nodded.
The girl looked infuriated, and the boys prepared to fight. It seemed almost comical, this stand-down between three teenagers and two preteens. Though Levy was older, Alice looked more intimidating.
"They're from a dark guild!" One of the boys said. "Only horrible people are in dark guilds, and it is our duty as official mages to defeat them!"
When it appeared that the Fairy Tail mages were going to attack, Alice stepped forward, the temperature dropping, as was the norm with her magic
"Alice," Sara urged. "Let's just go. You said so yourself, they're not worth our time!" Alice sneered.
"Fine. But next time they say something bad about you, I'm gonna kick their ass," she said, dramatically turning and walking off.
"I apologize for her attitude. I hope you all have a good day," Sara bowed before chasing after Alice. Levy, Jet, and Droy stared after them in confusion. Had they just been apologized to? From a member of a dark guild?
"We have to meet with the client. C'mon, shrimp," Alice smiled at her as Sara - for once - caught herself as she was about to trip.
"Stop calling me a shrimp, you gorilla," Sara pouted. Alice chuckled and ruffled her hair. Sara's pouting only increased.
The client's meeting spot wasn't that special. It was a corner in the town's bar. They were almost not let in until they showed off their guild marks. The sight of the mark of a powerful dark guild on a child was something the inhabitants of the bar had trouble believing.
"I see you've arrived, Insomniacs," a man in a hood beckoned over to them. Alice shrugged and plopped down at his table. Sara followed, though she was reluctant. The smell of alcohol in the air was thick, and she frowned slightly. She had always hated alcohol.
"Yeah, we're here. You the client?" Alice asked, getting right down to the point. The man nodded.
"I need you to... Take care of this town's official guild. The trash won't let me do my business. I need 'em gone. The reward will be pretty hefty, and a cut every now and then. Yeah?" He explained. "They're holed up in their barn of a guild hall. Takin' it on?"
Alice nodded and leaned back in her chair. "Why not? Let's knock some officials straight to hell," she said, grinning maliciously. Sara stared at the man before placing the flyer she had torn off the guild's request board.
"As mentioned on the flyer, the reward also includes lacrimas. Does this hold true? If not, we'll have to hold you accountable for false advertisement," Sara quietly threatened. The man seemed a little nervous.
"Well, li'l lady, I do have to say! You leave no rock unturned! Yeah, them lacrimas are still a thing. Completely empty, though," the man admitted. Sara smiled.
"Empty? Good. I had been searching for some of this quality!" She said excitedly. Alice rolled her eyes at her.
"Anyway, I want directions to this 'barn of a guild hall,'" Alice mocked. The man nodded.
"Certainly, missus…"
Minutes later, they were at the 'barn', and it really did look like a barn, if one squinted and turned their heads slightly. On the large doors was their guild symbol: a white heart with folded wings. The two blinked before pushing the doors open.
"Oh, oh, welcome! More of our kind!" A shrill voice called out. Sara flinched while Alice looked impassive. A large man- wait, woman? Oh no.
"Oh my god, this lass has great taste!" Another one said. Sara wanted to run and hide. She had nothing against crossdressers, but this group seemed a little too ostentatious. They crowded around Alice a moment. Sara counted "You're a boy dressed as a girl, aren't you? Oh, it's so good to see young'uns stretching their wings!"
Alice realized they had basically just called her a boy and hissed angrily. She pointed to her guild mark. "Yo, I'm here to kill you."
The group quieted down. They looked at each other seriously. "Child, killing is a grave sin. You do not want blood on your hands. It is a guilt that even adults cannot seem to shake off."
Alice laughed bitterly. "Grave sin? Blood on my hands? Too late," she grinned.
"Frost Flash!"
The man (woman? which was more polite? Sara didn't know how to address them and she was getting frustrated) who seemed the centerpiece of the guild was the victim of her attack. She dashed forward and smashed her icy target, killing him (her) instantly. The guild members immediately rushed Alice, but she was prepared. With a smirk, she dashed at the nearest one. The room was already getting colder. Sara quickly took her chalice before the lesser cold of a blade was pressed to her throat.
"Al," she squeaked. Alice froze and turned to see Sara in the hands of one of the guild members.
"Though you killed our guild master, you both still are children. You wouldn't disregard her life so easily, would you? No matter how dark your guild is," the captor said. "We want to know who hired you."
Alice sneered. "Sara, how long are you going to play around like that?" She bluffed. Sara smiled.
"I was just about to get to it. No need to rush me," she said as she gripped the chalice tightly. Now, how was she to do this? Oh. "Orange, strengthen me." She was splashed by the weird orange liquid, much to the surprise of the attacked guild. Sara felt a surge of power and knew her magic was at work. Alice blinked in surprise. She just hoped to catch the guy off guard with a bluff, but instead, Sara had caught her off guard.
Sara gripped the guy's (gal's) arm and threw them over her head. She blinked afterwards. "Well, that's effective," she murmured. She balanced her weight on her toes, ready to trip over air. Alice cackled.
"That's my S!" She called out as she punched the person that Sara had thrown. She scowled at him darkly. "Don't. Ever. Touch. My. S. Again," she spat. "Iron Fist of the Frost Dragon!" The person's face was no more. Sara took a head count. Fourteen left.
"Green, drain them!" Sara called. The three guild members that had been hit by the green liquid staggered. Their magic energy was drained, and the green liquid washed over Alice; She flexed her fingers as she felt her supply regenerate. She stretched happily.
"Thanks for your magic," she grinned. The members of the guild looked at each other. They didn't know who was the greater threat was, the tiny girl with the powerful chalice, or the mountain size beast of a child who so easily had ripped their fellow guild members apart.
A few of the members turned their backs and tried to run out the back door.
"I wouldn't look away from me if I were you," Alice drawled darkly. "Roar of the Frost Dragon!" A swirling ice storm washed over the three that Sara had hit with her green liquid. They were still recovering over the shock of their magic draining so quickly they couldn't dodge. They didn't die, so Alice jumped over to finish them off. She was blocked by a huge drag queen with a nice looking halberd. Alice scowled at him. She jumped back before taking a quick glance at Sara to make sure she was still okay. Sara had made sure to stay a reasonable distance from Alice. She was easily cold, after all.
"Orange, strengthen her," Sara murmured tiredly. She didn't know what was wrong with her suddenly. She had used the chalice's magic more times in a row than this easily. Alice felt the liquid and noted the orange substance dripping on the floor. She laughed and punched her fist while smirking.
"Time for a taste of your very own winter wonderland," she drawled. Sara grimaced. That line was still so very lame.
Alice kicked off and punched the halberd. The queen was surprised by Alice's target before she saw her halberd shatter. Her eyes widened before ice claws materialized on her fingers.
"Ice Talon," Alice murmured before the queen's throat was releasing blood. She fell to the floor. Sara noted the number: thirteen.
Alice went uninterrupted to the three that were incapacitated. The other ten watched in fear as Alice simply stomped their faces in. When Alice turned to face them, they paled and froze. Count: ten.
"D-Daemon," one stuttered. Sara covered her mouth to prevent her from laughing. She wasn't the only one who thought so, after all!
"Yeah, well," Alice said casually, cracking her knuckles "It doesn't matter much to me what others think. I have my reason for living, and you gals have yours. It just so happens our reasons clashed. Mine was stronger. No offense."
Count: zero.
The two girls returned to the bar victorious. They reached the man's table and Sara offered him the mark of the guild they had just destroyed. More precisely, the one that was on the door. He looked at them in shock. It had only been three hours since they left.
"The building is currently burning. Even if the fire is put out, that doesn't change the corpses," Sara said. Alice smirked smugly.
"Reward," she said simply. The man nodded quickly. He had heard of the two children from the Moonlight Insomniacs, but this was just crazy. "Also, this was nowhere near an S-rank. But we'll let you off the hook this time," Alice smiled, showing off her sharp teeth. The man nearly spilled the Jewels as he almost threw them on the table. Alice cooed; the big sack of money was always so very comforting. The man placed the lacrimas on the table more gently, and Sara pushed them into her bag promptly. The two took their leave of the bar, headed towards the train station.
They froze. It was heavily guarded with members from the Magic Council. Alice sighed, tempted to just kick their ass and get on the next train. Sara was the voice of reason. They decided to walk. As they began to head out of the village, Alice heard a small thump, and as she turned around, she saw Sara sprawled face first into the ground. Panicking, she scooped up her smaller friend into her arms and ran to find the local doctor.
After getting directions from some terrified looking villagers, she arrived at a small stone cottage and knocked on the door. A small old woman answered. She took one look at the Sara and started barking out instructions to a small ginger girl behind her who Alice hadn't even noticed. Alice laid Sara down on the bed the old woman instructed her too, and paced nervously while the old woman poured herbs down her throat and thoroughly examined her for injury. After a while, Sara slowly opened her eyes. Alice sighed in relief, but was promptly hit on the head by the old woman.
"She put too much strain on her body! You are much bigger and stronger than her! You should be doing things that cause strain, not her! I can't even think of something that would put so much stress on her small bod in such a short time as the injury and fatigue could have been inflicted!" The old woman scolded. Sara then realized what had happened.
The stupid orange liquid, Alice realized, was the cause of all this. When she used it on Alice, she was fine, but that was because she had a dragon slayer's physique. Sara had a normal, if anything frail, body. When she had used the magic on herself, she had overstrained her body. Alice made a mental note to explain to her thoroughly that she was NEVER allowed to use her chalice on herself, or so help her she would melt the damn thing somehow.
The old woman continued. "She will have to stay here tonight so I can make sure she heals properly. Do you have a place to stay in the village?"
Alice frowned. "No, but-"
She was cut off by the old woman. "Then you shall have to stay here tonight. You can stay in a room with my assistant, Ronia. There's an extra bed in there."
Alice hesitated, then agreed.
She guessed they were stuck here for now.
They next morning, Alice woke up early and went downstairs to check on Sara.
She found both the woman and Sara already up.
"Ready to go?" She asked Sara, nervous to get out of the now guard infested town.
Sara nodded.
They paid the old woman, and after promising to be careful, snuck out of the town by climbing up a cliff near the eastern edge. Well, Alice climbed and Sara clung onto her like her life depended on it (which once they had gotten high enough, it was).
They then headed onto the forest trail to the next town so they could take the train to a location much closer to their guild.
They didn't get far in a forest when Alice stopped. Sara looked nervous from her perch on Alice's back. The doctor had told them Sara was not allowed to walk unless absolutely necessary. Up ahead was a familiar head of chestnut hair.
"I must say, I'm shocked. The two girls who went on that S rank one year ago are top members of a dark guild. There's a bounty out for your heads, dead or alive," Gildarts drawled. Alice scowled.
"Out of our way, fairy."
Gildarts tilted his head. "I'm afraid not. The only way you're getting past me is by force," he replied smoothly.
Alice scowled as she gently set Sara down on a rock. "S, stay here. I'll take care of this guy by myself."
"A-are you sure, Al? Gildarts is famous! He's super strong!" Sara protested. Alice pouted.
"In case you've forgotten, so am I!" she boasted. Gildarts watched them quietly. Those weren't the traits of heartless monsters in a dark guild. He would have to talk to the master. For now…
"Why don't you both join my guild?" Gildarts offered. Alice burst out laughing.
"Hell no, you old bastard!" She denied. Sara looked like she found the concept puzzling.
"Your invitation is denied, baldie," she said simply.
"O-old? B-baldie?" Gildarts sulked. Alice's fingers twitched and the air grew cold.
"So you said the only way forward is by force. Well," she paused. "That's what I'm good at!" She charged. Gildarts blinked, surprised at her speed. She had gotten mucher better in the year between their meetings. He dodged quickly.
He threw a haphazard punch, but as expected, Alice dodged it. She noticed the tree behind her explode. She looked at him with shock before Sara squealed.
"Mini trees! Itty bitty baby trees!" She picked one that had landed near her up carefully and Gildarts watched her grow serious. "Don't get hit, Alice. Gorillas shouldn't be itty bitty."
Alice scowled. "I got it, shrimp. Though if you got hit, it wouldn't matter!" She cackled. Sara scowled at her.
Alice slugged him sloppily, but Gildarts simply took it. Alice's eyes widened when he didn't even skid back. She grinned maniacally. A challenge! Sara looked on, worry evident in her eyes.
What Gildarts couldn't understand was why these two were in a dark guild. It absolutely befuddled him. He had also heard of the infamous children of the Insomniacs, but he didn't believe it. He still couldn't. Those sweet girls from a year ago? Gone. They seemed completely different. What he didn't realize was a dark guild gave them the free reign they yearned. Alice despised rules normally, so a dark guild wasn't too big a deal. Sara, well, just went anywhere Alice did.
The two mages exchanged punches. Alice's seemed ineffective, while Gildarts's were dodged. Alice eventually jumped back, panting. Her grin only widened.
"S, I think I might have a real challenge on my hands," she exclaimed happily. Sara's face was impassive.
"Be careful," she pleaded. Gildarts, again, watched. Those two were like family. Two halves of a whole. Sara's hand was anxiously on her chalice, Gildarts noted. He was surprised to realize that even though he was moderately serious, Alice was holding her own. She had yet to pull out any magic, though. Gildarts was just using the miniaturize spell for now.
"Ice Talon," Alice murmured. Her fingers were coated with sharp ice. Gildarts was wary. Now that it had escalated from punching, he had to step up his game. Alice zig zagged around him before throwing herself at Gildarts. The man lifted a hand with a serious gaze. The ice shattered. Alice quickly used Gildarts's chest as a springboard and jumped off him, landing next to Sara.
"S, I think we should just freeze him and go around, this guy is just as much of a monster as I am," she said, observing Gildarts carefully. Sara nodded, but before she could speak, Gildarts did.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, girls. Like I said, you both have bounties on your heads," Gildarts reminded. Alice grimaced. "So either turn yourselves in, or -"
"Who the hell would turn themselves in?!" Alice shouted. Sara smiled and tugged on Alice's shirt.
"You know how we could thoroughly thrash him," Sara offered. Alice thought this over.
"Yo, old man! I'm gonna cheat, aight? 'cause I got no intention of losing here to the likes of an old fairy bastard!" Alice called out. Gildarts seemed to sulk at being called old. He wasn't old!
"It's not cheating, Al. I'm not a cheat," Sara pouted. Alice ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Having you by my side is like god mode," Alice grinned. "Though if I had to choose between your magic or your company, I'd choose your company."
Sara smiled slowly. "Thank you, Al. You're the bestest friend I could ever have." Alice gave her a thumbs up. Sara lightly traced the chalice before sighing. "Orange, strengthen her!" Alice dripped with the orange liquid. Gildarts watched carefully. He had only seen red. He noted that Sara's spells had gotten faster and more effective, but he'd only be able to compare if he saw red at work. He also noted that Sara had not moved from that rock, and that Alice had been carrying her. Could she not walk for some reason?
Alice flexed her fingers, relishing the increase in her power. Sara watched Gildarts warily, wondering if she could pull off a green on him.
"Green, drain him!" Gildarts couldn't destroy the magic coming at him, and was shocked to feel his magic power rapidly decreasing. He shot forward, aiming for Sara. She squeaked and tried to duck away. Too late did she remember she couldn't walk, and pushed herself off the rock roughly. Alice promptly scooped her up and bolted, intending to get as far away as she could. Unfortunately, Gildarts wasn't having any of that.
His magic scalded Alice's back and her knees buckled. Sara's eyes widened as she nearly dropped her chalice. "Red, heal her!"
The wound rapidly closed and Gildarts's eyes narrowed. As he thought. Sara had improved so much in only a year. He looked at her cloak before recognizing the inscribed runes on the hem.
He couldn't win this fight by endurance; Sara would drain him, and her own magic would regenerate. He had to knock her out first. However, Alice was the biggest obstacle there. With Sara, Alice was a super soldier. He couldn't get to Sara with Alice interfering, and Alice wouldn't go down with Sara still up. He was only a tad bit faster than Alice, so he couldn't count on that.
And he already knew Alice would jump in front of any spell meant for Sara.
He was fighting an impossible battle against possibly the best tag team he had seen in all his years of travel. There was no way he could win, but then again, there was no way they could win either. They were at a magical standstill. And they were only children. He shuddered to think what they might be like as adults.
Alice gently set Sara down at a further location, and rushed back into the battle.
Sara closed her eyes. She had no idea where this fight was going to go, and that scared her.
She kept them closed, listening to the sounds of the battle around her. It seemed to go on for hours. She knew Gildarts was strong, but she trusted Alice. She knew she would protect her.
Suddenly it went went deadly silent. Sara opened her eyes, and almost in slow motion, saw Alice fall to the ground, defeated.
Her eyes welled up with tears. This couldn't be happening. No, no, NO! She had promised! Promised to protect her no matter what! She looked over at Gildarts, and saw that he too, had fallen, but was slowly getting up.
Despite being told not to walk, Sara stumbled over to Alice. It was slow and agonizing for her as she felt the full brunt of the aftereffects of her own magic. She reached her friend and collapsed at her side.
"Al, no, no. C'mon! Get up!" Sara felt tears welling up in her eyes. The last time she had felt so horrible was the day she met Alice, when the kids were teasing her. "You promised me! Don't break that promise! Don't do this to me, to us!"
Gildarts slowly rose from his faceplant in the ground. He watched the tears overflow from Sara and decide that hell, he couldn't do this now. He had just made a big enemy out of not just those two, but an entire dark guild. He decided to try again some other time. Perhaps their circumstances would change a little. Besides that, he didn't know how he would capture them. He had technically won the battle, but he could barely walk, and one of the girls was still technically standing, and he still didn't know the extent of either of their powers. For all he knew, in thirty seconds Alice would be standing and ready to fight again, and then he wouldn't be able to ward her off. It was best for his safety to forfeit and leave now.
When he had stumbled back to the guild, a pink-haired boy was immediately at his side. A white haired girl followed with a smile.
"What happened to you?!" Natsu asked almost panicked. The master looked at Gildarts who smiled sheepishly.
"I met Sara and Alice again."
The guild wouldn't understand this until several years from now.
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