Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
Fair warning: this fic is rated M for a reason.
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
"You don't have to be sad. I'm alive. I'm eternally alive as ice. Step into the future. I'll seal your darkness"
Ur said to her beloved student as her body turned into ice to imprison Deliora. She could faintly hear Gray screaming her name before the nothingness enveloped her in an eternal sleep.
Drip… Drop…
Ur slowly opened her eyes when she felt something wet fall on her face, a second drop confirmed it was only water so she closed her eyes and resumed her sleep.
Drip… Drop…
In an instant, Ur was wide awake after realizing something was different, very much different. As her senses returned, Ur noticed her lack of clothes and covered herself only to find out she was alone.
"Where am I?" looking around she found herself in a cave with a light at the end. As she tried to stand up she felt her legs give up, for the looks of it a long time had passed since she used them. Not giving up, Ur tried again and again until she was able to stand in her two feet. Before she exited the cave she found a robe conveniently left there, at first she got suspicious but grabbed it anyway.
Her memories after facing Deliora were foggy at best, but she was quickly recovering them. Amongst them there was a recent one that was clear as day; a young woman that looked like her spitting image with long hair…
"Last stop: Magnolia!"
Ur woke up from her dream when she heard they had arrived at Magnolia. Standing up, she exited the train and set foot on the city in hopes of reuniting with her beloved students and long lost daughter.
Chapter 32: Proof of my Life
Magnolia/ Fairy Tail
Several days have passed since the assault against Deimos and his followers. After turning Erigor and Ikaruga to the authorities, Fairy Tail returned to its day to day normal routine.
Of course, that routine involves fighting and breaking everything in the guild.
"It's good to be home" Mystogan deadpanned as he observed everyone fighting. Next to him Wendy and Pantherlily smiled while Charle just shook her head.
"You could always put them to sleep Jellal" Wendy offered. The young wind dragon slayer was one of the few people allowed to call him by his real name (when the situation allowed it).
"Master forbade it" Was Mystogan's reply.
Seeing them on the front door, Max went to greet them: "Hey there! How was the job?"
"It's was great!" Wendy exclaimed "We completed the job in record time!"
Mystogan smiled at Wendy's cheerfulness before looking around and failing to find a certain person "The guild seems kind of empty."
"Oh! Erza and the girls went to try out their dresses for the wedding" Max said, making sure to put extra emphasis on Erza to see what reaction he could get from him, but he was disappointed by the lack of response from Mystogan. "Anyway Wendy, they asked me to tell you to meet them there."
"Alright! Come on Charle!"
The white Exceed was not as eager to go and try dresses like her young ward, but she followed her anyway "Fine, let's go."
Before leaving, Wendy flashed a smile to Mystogan "Thanks again for accompanying me on my job Jellal!"
Mystogan nodded and watched her go with a small smile hidden under his scarf. "If you excuse me Max, I must report to Master…"
"Hey YOU!" Gajeel interrupted him and said "Don't get any funny ideas about lily, he's my Exceed!"
"Awwww…Is Gajeel jealous" Natsu said, earning a glare from the Iron slayer.
"What did you say Salamander!" In an instant Gajeel tackled Natsu onto a table, which in turn started another brawl. It seemed like they were taking advantage that the girls, especially Erza, were not around to let loose without fear of being punished for fighting.
Mystogan ignored them and went to report the completed job when he felt a familiar presence. Turning around he came face to face with an old foe.
"Laxus"
"Mystogan"
The whole guild grew quiet as the two S class mages stared one another. Ever since fantasia parade, it was common knowledge about the rivalry between those two. Freed and Bickslow tried to stop him, but Laxus was already heading towards Mystogan.
"So you're back."
"Indeed"
Without taking his eyes off of him, Laxus did something that surprised them all: he extended his hand towards Mystogan for a handshake "No hard feelings?"
Mystogan looked at the offered hand for a moment before grasping it with his own "Of course not. We belong to the same guild after all."
Freed and Bickslow exhaled in relief, glad that things worked out instead of escalating, while the other mages resumed their fighting.
"Well, this is a surprise!" Gildarts said while Vergil lagged a few feet behind "You two made up!"
Laxus ignored Gildarts and his annoying grin and instead directed his attention to Vergil. The lightning dragon slayer eyed him for a moment before realizing something "You got your ass handed by Gildarts, didn't you?"
If looks could kill, Laxus would be nothing more than hundreds of pieces by the way Vergil glared at him. Vergil's silence was all the answer Laxus needed.
"If it makes ya feel any better, he 'tests' every mage when they pass the S class exam"
Ignoring Laxus, Vergil uncovered the item on his back and called a certain pink head "Natsu Dragneel"
Natsu only got a glimpse of metal before something hit him hard on his face. "What the hell Vergil!" only when his eyes landed on the sword did Natsu stopped ranting. "Where did this sword come from?"
"From this day forward, that sword belongs to you. I shall train you in its proper usage, but it is your job to awaken Rebellion."
"Cool!" Natsu grabbed the large broadsword and swung it a few times, cutting a table in two by accident "Oops, sorry."
"Watch where you swing that, Flame head!" Gray yelled.
"You're just jealous I have a sword and you don't, pervert!"
Gray materialized an ice sword and pointed it at Natsu "Wanna test your new toy, fire breath?"
"Bring it on! Popsicle!" Natsu was about to parry Gray's sword when Vergil teleported in front of him. The slayer froze by the look Vergil was giving him.
"Rebellion is Not a toy Dragneel. It would be wise for you to remember that."
Natsu prepared a retort for the half devil but quelled it at the last minute "Vergil's right, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm an S class mage now." Lowering Rebellion, Natsu stared at the ground "You're right Vergil, sorry."
Everyone at the guild was shocked to see Natsu, the loud pink head, apologizing. Gray's first instinct told him to mock him, but realized Natsu was right and dispelled his ice sword. Satisfied by Natsu's answer, Vergil turned around and headed outside the guild.
"Hey Vergil! Let's start training now! By the way; whose sword was this?"
Without turning around, Vergil answered "It was my brother's sword."
Gildarts watched Vergil go and couldn't help feel a bit worry about him "He tries so hard to act like he doesn't care, but deep down I know he grieves for his brother."
Trying to dispel the somber atmosphere, Macao said: "Wow, first Mystogan and Laxus make peace with each other, then Natsu apologizes. What's next? Someone coming back from the grave?" turning towards the entrance, they waited for a few minutes but no one else came.
"Yeah right, what are the odds of that happening" Gray said.
"I gotta hand it to you Lisanna" Lucy inspected herself in the mirror while wearing her bridesmaid dress "you have good taste."
"Thanks" Lisanna said from the changing room while everyone checked their clothes.
As the self appointed wedding planner; Erza was the one that organized, or better said, ordered the female population of Fairy Tail to follow her to try their dresses for the wedding, Lisanna picked Lucy, Juvia, Levy, Erza, Mira and Angel as her bridesmaid while Wendy was chosen as the flower girl. Kinana, Evergreen, Cana and Laki politely refused her offer wanting to wear their own dresses for the wedding (and because six bridesmaids were enough). Bisca accompanied them with little Asuka, feeling a wave of nostalgia of when she married her husband Alzack.
Angel fidgeted with her dress worried about something "Lisanna"
"Yes?"
The girls gasped when they saw Lisanna emerging from the changing room in her wedding dress.
"Wow Lisanna, Natsu won't know what hit him" Cana said, causing Lisanna to other girls agreed with her while Juvia envisioned herself and Gray in Natsu and Lisanna's place.
After getting some compliments about how beautiful she looked, Lisanna returned her attention towards Angel. "What's on your mind?"
"Are you sure I'm the best choice?" The celestial mage fidgeted with a strand of her long platinum hair, a habit she started doing lately.
"I'm sure" Lisanna gave her a smile, reassuring Angel "you are the best choice for my maid of honor."
"It's not that I'm ungrateful but, shouldn't your sister have that honor?"
"If Mira was getting married, she would pick Erza as her maid of honor, not me. You know why, right?" Seeing her shake her head, Lisanna explained "Because Erza is her best friend, as you are mine."
Angel couldn't help but feel happy after Lisanna told her she considered her as her best friend. With Erza (who Angel called big sister), now Angel had two irreplaceable bonds in her life.
"Ok! I accept, but on one condition: you get to be my maid of honor when I get married" Angel said.
"Sure" Lisanna smiled at her "I didn't know you found someone else to marry. So who's the lucky man?"
"Very funny" Angel remarked drily.
Vergil walked a short distance from the guild and settled in the shade of a tree to think for a while. The moment he revived he knew the odds of Nero and Dante being alive were next to none, but still, he couldn't help but feel…something.
"Am I…sad for them?" for Nero certainly, but for Dante? Preposterous! Sure, they were close when they were kids, but years apart changed all that. The last time they saw each other they only had one thing in mind: to kill each other.
For a moment, Vergil wondered what would have happened if he had not jumped down to hell and instead accepted Dante's help. Would they have rekindled even after all that happened between them?
"I guess I will never know."
"Lyon? Lyon is that you!?"
Vergil stopped his line of thought when an unknown woman seemed to call him. The woman looked happy and in tears before realizing Vergil was not the person who she thought.
"Oh…forgive me. I thought you were someone else. It's just that you look almost the same."
"So they have said" Vergil replied as he studied the woman; short purple hair, curvaceous body, maybe in her late 20's or a bit pass 30's, what intrigued him more was the fact that she seemed to radiate the same cold aura that Gray and Lyon emitted.
"Wait! You know Lyon?" Getting a nod from Vergil, Ur couldn't avoid smiling from ear to ear. "Then, by any chance do you know Gray? Are you a colleague of them?"
"Unfortunately yes" Vergil replied "if you are looking for Gray, he is in there."
Ur smile seemed to grow even more when she realized that the guild she was looking for was so close. Thanking Vergil, Ur made her way to Fairy Tail as Vergil watched her go. There was something about that woman that intrigued Vergil. In fact, she looked a lot like that provocatively dressed woman from Tenrou Island. Ultear was it?
"Oh I see. You took care of Deimos while I was gone. Good job!" Gildarts congratulated team Natsu after Makarov told him of the events that happened during his absence. "I knew you could handle it."
"It was nothing!" Natsu boasted. Rebellion strapped on his back.
"Says the guy who couldn't handle the motion sickness aboard the ship" Gray countered.
"Here we go again" Was the thought of most mages in the guild. As Natsu and Gray started fighting each other (again), Makarov lead Gildarts to a private spot to discuss his trip.
"Regarding your impromptu mission… WHAT THE HECK WHERE YOU THINKING!? YOU'RE THE GUILD MASTER NOW! YOU CAN'T JUST GO ON A MISSION WHENEVER YOU WANT!"
"Relax, I knew you were here to cover for me" Gildarts replied with a grin, further infuriating Makarov.
"I'm starting to regret making you guild master."
"You can always return to being guild mas…"
"Anyway, what did you find out?" Makarov quickly changed subject, just as Gildarts expected.
Gildarts grin vanished as he took a serious expression "Vergil is strong alright. Gave me a run for my money after he used some sort of take over magic he calls 'devil trigger', but that's not half of it: I took him to the forbidden lands and he seemed to recognize them."
"I'm guessing that's where he got the sword" Makarov referred to Rebellion in Natsu's possession.
Gildarts nodded before adding. "Not only that, but it seems he comes from a time way before ours. Maybe even before Zeref."
Makarov pondered about all of this; there was still a lot they didn't knew about Vergil, and even when he could feel something evil inside him, Makarov knew that the half devil would never hurt anyone from Fairy Tail of their allies. Because of his code of honor or by the promise he did to Mavis, Makarov wasn't sure.
The front door of the guild opened and, for the fourth time that day, someone came in. Some mages stared at the new arrival and thought nothing more about her, but three mages were shocked by the new arrival.
Ur looked past the stares directed at her and focused on one person only. Gray stopped his quarry with Natsu and stood frozen in place. "It can't be…"
Ur's eyes lit up as she saw one of her students "Gray."
"Ur?" Makarov and Gildarts thought at the same time; being veteran mages, both Makarov and Gildarts knew Ur from way back, but they also wondered how she was here.
Taking a step forward, Ur ignored the confused looks from everyone and focused on Gray alone. "You've grown so much…Gray."
Overcoming his shock, Gray narrowed his eyes thinking this was a trick and made hand seals: "Ice make: Lance!"
"Gray stop!" Makarov's warning was too late as the deadly ice spears headed towards Ur. In the nick of time Ur raised an ice shield that blocked each and every ice spear directed at her. "She's fast…no wonder the council made her an honorary wizard saint."
Gray was left dumbfounded by her ice shield that he didn't notice when she clobbered him in the head. "Ouch!"
"You dumbass! What the hell were you thinking!?" Ur shook Gray by the neck in a comedic way "And why are you half naked!?"
Regaining his senses, Gray replied "It's your fault, with your weird training and all!"
Gray and Ur glared at each other before breaking down in tears. Without warning, Gray embraced her and shed some tears "it's really you!"
"Yes, I'm here" Ur caressed Gray's head while shedding some tears herself. Gray sobbed into her shoulder while saying he was sorry over and over while she repeated there was nothing to apologize for.
Natsu and the others were too stunned by the revelation while Gildarts and Makarov approached master and student.
"Ur? Is that really you?" Makarov asked while she nodded her head. "But how?"
"I don't really know" Ur replied. For several minutes she told them everything she knew since awakening at that cave.
"Without clothes you say?" Gildarts got a lecherous grin, irritating Ur. "As in: butt naked?"
With a wave of her hand, Ur froze Gildarts in an ice cube, surprising the Fairy Tail mages.
"Weird, it usually takes more to freeze you" Ur mused.
"Wow! You're really strong!" Natsu complimented her as he examined the frozen Gildarts "Fight me next!"
"Back off flame head!" Gray exclaimed 'If you wanna be frozen so bad then I'll be glad to help you on that."
"Pfff, you can't even cool my drink."
"Wanna bet?"
While Gray and Natsu fought, Makarov recap on Ur's story. "Forgive me for doubting, but this requires looking into it. You must come with me to see a specialist of sorts to determine if it's really you."
"What the heck are you taking about gramps!?" Gray stepped in front of his teacher "She's really Ur."
"Gray" Ur put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"That may be, but we still need to be sure"
Gray stared at Makarov defiantly, but with Ur's insistence he backed down. "Fine! But I'm coming too!"
Council Prison:
"Let's try this one more time"
Even when strapped to a chair, with a choker blocking her magic and two guards at each side Ikaruga gave Lahar a defiant smile. "Ask away, captain."
"Who was Lord Deimos and why did he attack Phantom Lord and Lamia Scale?"
Ikaruga seem to think for a moment, a very long moment (exasperating Lahar) before saying: "I don't know who he was and this is the first time I've heard about the attack at Phantom Lord, but I do know why he attacked Lamia Scale."
"Care to enlighten me?"
"Of course: He attacked Lamia Scale because he could."
Lahar rubbed his temple, already feeling a migraine forming. "We have been doing this all day now. When are you going to tell us something of use?"
"I already told you what I know" Ikaruga countered with a smirk "Now either release me or lock me in jail."
"Mmmm those are my options: I choose lock you in a cell"
Ikaruga's smile morphed into panic as the guards grabbed her "Wait! You said it yourself: I wasn't involved in the Phantom lord incident!"
"That may be, but there are still witnesses that saw you attacking a member of Lamia Scale while aiding Deimos." Lahar mimicked her actions and smirked while she glared at him "That should be enough to keep you under lock for a year."
Ikaruga seemed to weight her options; go to jail and further taint her family (and by proxy her sister's) reputation, or tell him what she knew in exchange of less time in jail.
"Fine, I'll tell you what I know!"
Lahar smiled hearing her words "I never had a doubt"
"But, I want something in exchange." Ikaruga added.
Several minutes later, an exhausted Lahar exited the interrogation room and joined his reformed partner in the observation room.
"You know she's lying" Doranbolt said, referring to her participation in the phantom lord incident.
"I know, but we really don't have proof she was involved" Lahar said to him. "What's your thought about what she told us?"
"I don't buy it. Why would Deimos do all of this just to kill 'a certain someone'?"
"That's what I thought, but the scanner came positive; she's not lying." Lahar added. "Then again, she heard that from a woman she claims was always next to Deimos. Maybe Deimos was after something else."
"Or maybe that woman and Deimos had different agendas" Doranbolt suggested.
"So, what's the news doc?" Ur asked after Porlyusica finished doing some tests to her.
"For starters, you stink less than the other humans, but you still stink."
Ur held back from lashing out due to Makarov's words "Well, he did say she disliked humans."
"Apart from that, I can safely say that you are a healthy, if ever so slightly smelly, normal human being." Porlyusica said, making Ur growl at the last part.
"I see" Ur smiled but couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed after finding out nothing about her miraculous return.
"Now that the tests are done: Get out of my house!" Grabbing a broom, Porlyusica kicked Ur out where Gray and the others waited. Ur wanted to freeze that old geezer, but that wouldn't look good in her first day here.
"I take it Ur passed the tests?" Makarov asked to which Porlyusica acknowledged.
"If ever so slightly" Was the reply he got from her. Ur heard her but decided to leave it like that.
"Now that I've proven innocent, what say you threat your old teacher a nice meal? It's been a while since I had something to eat." Ur said to Gray.
"I see you cut back on dieting." Gildarts with his troll face "Ready to go all out and gain a few pounds, Ur-chan?"
Gildarts's grin vanished in a second, replaced by one of fear by the glare Ur was giving him "Gildarts…I haven't forgotten about that time. I'll get you later."
Gray watched the exchange between his teacher and Gildarts with a confused look "Something I should know?"
"Believe me, its best if you don't." was Ur's reply.
As student and master made their way back to the guild, Makarov and Gildarts stayed behind to speak with Porlyusica about her findings.
"Was that all?" Makarov asked.
"Yes. I checked to see if there was any trace of magic similar to the R-system, but I couldn't find anything that could tell us how she was restored."
"Well, ice shell magic doesn't kill the caster but turns him into ice. However, that doesn't explain how she is back after the ice melted at Garula Island." Gildarts commented.
"She wasn't revived, but restored to human form" Porlyusica added "Whoever was responsible is someone extremely talented in the dark arts."
While they walked back to the guild, Gray was unsure how to approach the topic about Ultear to Ur. "Hey Ur guess what? Your daughter is alive and well! And she's also a part of an illegal guild called crime sorciere! Ok, maybe not like that" Gray thought "Hey Ur! Did you know your daughter is alive and well? And we kind of have a thing going on between us. Ok, definitively NOT like that!"
"Gray" Ur suddenly said, ending Gray's inner monologue.
"What is it?"
"I want to see my daughter" Ur said, taking Gray by surprise "I know it's much to ask but please, help me find her."
As he looked into her pleading eyes, Gray remembered what Mystogan told them about crime sorciere and how Jellal wanted to meet with them. Team Natsu postponed the meeting in the past due to the situation with Deimos, but now that Deimos was gone it was a perfect opportunity to contact Ultear and her team.
"Ur, I don't know where to start looking for her" Ur looked sad for a minute "but I know how to contact her."
"Am I... being defeated?"
"What's wrong? Is that all you got? Come on! Get up! You can do better than that."
Vergil groaned but managed to stand back "The portal to the human world is closing Dante, because the amulets have been separated."
"Let's finish this, Vergil. I have to stop you, even if it means killing you."
Dante and Vergil charge at each other with their swords for the final showdown; Vergil was the better swordsman, having trained all his life he was above Dante when it came to sword fighting, but his excessive confidence proved to be his undoing. As they clashed, Dante emerged victorious when his sword cut through Vergil, forcing him to drop Force Edge and the amulet.
Clutching his wound, Vergil leans and grasps his half of the amulet "No one can have this, Dante... it's mine, it belongs to a son of Sparda."
Dante noticed how he is walking further into the cliff and runs to stop him when Vergil points Yamato at him.
"Leave me and go, if you don't want to be trapped into the demon world... I'm staying. This place was our father's home."
Dante tries to grab him, but Vergil jumps down into the abyss. As he is falling down, the last thing he remembers is the look on Dante's face when he slashed the hand that tried to help him, the act itself signifying he has severed the bonds between them.
Vergil opens his eyes after reliving the same dream that had plagued him all night. Looking at the hour he notices its 3 am, only an hour had passed between the last dream, so he resolves to get up since sleep is not coming for him tonight. Getting dressed, Vergil decides to leave his coat behind as he makes his way outside the house of the Strauss family.
"Dante, if you could see me right now, you would be laughing on my expense" Vergil thought.
The sound of the front door opening caught Vergil's attention but he did not turn around since he knew who it was.
"Vergil?" Mirajane asked while her vision adjusted to the dark and recognized him "What's wrong? Can't sleep?"
"Sleep eludes me tonight" Vergil offered "I am sorry if I woke you."
Mirajane shook her head "Don't worry; I couldn't sleep either, with the wedding coming up and all that."
Vergil merely nodded as she stood next to him and looked at the stars.
"So?"
"So what?"
"What's troubling you, Vergil?" Mira looked at him with a serene expression; the moonlight gave her the illusion of an aura around her that captivated Vergil for a fraction of a second, not that he showed it.
Vergil rarely opened up to anyone, but found nothing wrong with telling her: "Memories of my brother."
"You miss him?"
The half devil made an uncharacteristic snort at her question "Hardly. Last time we saw each other I tried to kill him." seeing her shocked expression he added "He tried to kill me as well."
"That's…so like you" Mirajane laughed softly, earning a glare from Vergil.
"I fail to see what is funny?"
"Sorry, is just that you try to hide your emotions behind your mask of Mister Badass"
"Mister…badass" Vergil raised an eyebrow at her inaccurate way of describing him. Letting it go, he decided to ignore her and resumed his musing.
Mirajane stood next to him and spoke "It's ok to miss someone. When Lisanna was 'away' for two years, I missed her terribly each day. I know your brother misses you too wherever he is right now. Everyone in Fairy Tail carries the wounds of a sad past, but with all of us together we can find our way back onto the right path."
Vergil turned his attention to her after she said those words "Mirajane, my past is not something that can be changed so easily." Regardless of his thoughts, Vergil enjoyed her company as they stared at the stars above.
"This is so awesome" Natsu exclaimed while Erza frowned "I wonder how strong they've gotten after seven years?"
"I still think you shouldn't have come" Erza voiced her thoughts "You should have stayed with your fiancé and prepared for the wedding."
"But Erza, Lisanna said it was ok." Natsu countered.
"And Angel is keeping her company" Happy added.
"And the wedding is still a few days away."
"Aye!"
Erza knew it was pointless to discuss with him; once he sets his mind on something, there's nothing that can dissuade him. The only good thing was that Crime sorciere would meet them in the outskirts of Magnolia, so they were not going far. Besides them, Gray, Ur, Lucy and Mystogan accompanied them.
"Why did I have to come?" Lucy whined. She was not told about the meeting earlier so Natsu and Gray took it up to themselves to break into her apartment in the middle of the night to get her.
"My other self wanted all of team Natsu to meet with them" Mystogan answered her question. He was still wary about Jellal and his crew, so he volunteered to go with them.
"That doesn't justify breaking into my house at 3 am" Lucy glared at an oblivious Natsu.
Gray and Ur lag a few feet behind the group; while at first it was Ur who wanted to see Ultear so bad, now it seemed like she was reconsidering it. Gray noticed this and walked next to her. "What's wrong?"
"You might laugh but…I'm kinda nervous."
"You're right, I might laugh"
Ur playfully slapped Gray's head as he smirked, glad he was able to dispel her nervousness, but that wasn't her only problem: getting a serious expression she asked "What if she hates me?"
It was now Gray's turn to get serious "She won't, trust me. You're her mother, if anything, she will react the same way I did"
"She will attack me?" Ur deadpanned.
"No. She will cling onto you and cry her eyes out when she is finally reunited with her long lost mother."
Ur smiled at her student's reassuring words. After an hour or so, the group reached the clearing where the meeting was supposed to occur but Crime Sorciere was nowhere to be found.
"That's weird; did we get here too early?" Lucy asked "Or maybe we got here late?"
"Neither" Mystogan said as an invisibility cloak was lifted a few feet in front of them, followed by Jellal surrounding the group in a large magic dome. Mystogan tensed a bit when his other self spoke:
"Relax; this is just a privacy spell to avoid eavesdropping from unwanted persons. Which reminds me; didn't we tell you only team Natsu was to meet us here?"
"Yes, you did" Mystogan replied. "But you never specified if someone could or couldn't go with them."
"Jellal"
Ignoring his other self, Jellal's attention was then shifted towards someone else "You haven't changed a bit Erza" As the two longtime friends stared at each other, Mystogan couldn't help but feel jealousy forming inside him but didn't voiced it out.
"So I guess you've heard by now about my jailbreak?"
"Yeah…" Erza seemed to tense as she stared at Jellal, a thing Mystogan noticed.
Before they could say more, Ultear, who had been staring at a certain person all this time, spoke: "It…It can't be!?"
Jellal turned to look at her before following her line of sight and his eyes widened, Meredy took a peak at the woman with team Natsu and failed to recognize her, but she did find a resemblance between the woman and Ultear.
Gray stood next to his teacher, a look of worry in his features ever since mother and daughter got a glimpse of each other.
Ultear's shock changed to a mix of pain, betrayal and anger "how…How could you!?" directing her glare towards Gray and Ur, Ultear yelled "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME GRAY!?"
Thinking this was a cruel joke from Gray; Ultear did some hand signs and unleashed her Rozen Krone upon team Natsu, ignoring Jellal's call. As the ice started forming, Ur thought fast and countered the attack:
"Ice make: Rose Garden!"
Both ice spells collided as Ur's garden saved them from getting hurt, when the attacks settled, team Natsu were astonished by the beautiful scenery of ice all around them.
Ultear was left speechless after witnessing the rose garden; there was only one person capable of doing this advanced ice make, and that was her own mother.
"You think like Gray" Ur smiled to her daughter "he attacked me too the moment he saw me."
Shocked beyond speech, Ultear brought her hand up to her face as she struggled to speak.
"M-Mother?"
Ur took a tentatively step forward while trying so hard not to break down in tears "Ultear…you've grown…so much."
Ultear couldn't hold it anymore and started crying while Ur started doing the same "Mom!"
After so long, both mother and daughter were finally reunited in a bone crushing hug. Ultear held onto Ur as if afraid she would vanish from her arms while Ur did the same.
"I missed you terribly all these years mom…sob…forgive me! I've done horrible things in my life …"
"I DON'T CARE! You are my daughter and I love you! You are the proof I lived, my tear! My Ultear!"
Cryme sorciere and team Natsu were glad for them as they watched the emotive reunion, while Meredy started crying in happiness for her mother, Jellal wanted answers on how was this possible, but there would be time for that later.
After both mother and daughter had calmed down a bit, Ur told them the story of her miraculous return while also confessing she was still unsure how she got back exactly. Fairy Tail and now Crime Sorciere would look into this, but for now, mother and daughter were happy to be together again.
"As much as we're happy for both of you, we still have to discuss the real reason of this meeting" Jellal said and then told them the same thing he told Mystogan; the strange energy felt during the tournament and its possible link to Zeref, but more importantly, they asked team Natsu's help in investigating it.
As expected, Natsu and the others agreed to help them as Ultear added "We know you have lost seven years of training. As gratitude for helping us in this matter, I can use my improved arc of time to raise your magic level."
"Whoa! You can do that!?" Natsu instantly got excited after hearing that. A few days ago he faced Max and realized he needed to catch up on his training.
Ultear explained to them the mechanics of the second container found in each mage that can be awakened with her arc of time, effectively giving them a sort of power up. Just as team Natsu cheered after hearing this, Ultear got an evil stare: "Of course, you will have to endure extreme pain as you can't imagine."
Natsu didn't understand her explanation but he was still excited by the power up "I don't care! Thank you!"
"Don't touch me!" Ultear glared at Natsu just as the dragon slayer was about to embrace her. While Natsu wondered why was she mad, Ultear remembered her fight with him at Tenrou Island:
Flashback:
"How dare He! I'm the leader of the seven Kin, not someone he can just brush aside!" Restoring her damaged orb she once again used her Flash Forward to send multiple orbs to attack him, thinking she had him she was shocked when Natsu/Vergil cut every last one of them in a flurry of slashes. Once he was done he sent her a stern glare and waved Yamato at her, by instinct she covered her face with her arms but didn't feel the blade cutting her.
"Did he miss?" Ultear got her answer when the top of her suit was sliced off, leaving her topless before him. Once her brain registered her current state of undress she quickly tried to cover her chest with her hands.
"KYAAAAAA!"
Vergil gave a low hmph at the blushing girl "Given your choice of attire, I am surprised you are embarrassed."
"Pervert!" A blushing red Ultear yelled at the stoic slayer. She was not going to forget this humiliation anytime soon.
End Flashback.
Back at Magnolia, Vergil didn't sneeze because he's Vergil. Mirajane still said 'bless you' to him, confusing the half devil.
While Ultear glared at Natsu, Erza asked Jellal a question. "Jellal, is your memory..?"
"Yes, it's all there" Jellal looked crestfallen "Every last detail. Six years ago it came back to me, all the things I did."
"Don't blame Jellal for that, I was the one responsible of all that" Ultear said, feeling remorse for her actions. Ur shook her head and hugged her daughter.
"We can't change the past, but what we can do is make it up for our past mistakes. Like you're doing as Crime Sorciere"
Ultear and Meredy smiled while Jellal felt a bit better due to Ur's words. "You are right Ur-san."
"Oh don't call me like that, it makes me sound old! Call me Ur" Ur replied before turning her attention towards Meredy "You know Meredy, I know Ultear has been like a mother to you all these years, but if you let me, I would like to be as a mother to you too."
Meredy lit up at her words "That would be great; I always wanted to know more about you."
"Don't you mean more like a grandma?" Gray snickered before Ur hit him in the face with a snow ball.
"I'm not that old. In fact; we could pose as sisters!" Ur grinned while hugging Ultear.
"Mom! Quit it!" Ultear acted like she was annoyed by Ur's antics, but in fact she was the exact opposite. Stealing a glance towards Gray, Ultear was forever grateful for his help in reuniting her with her mother. They would have time to talk later, for now; mother and daughter had a lot to catch up to.
Given the circumstances, Jellal decided to postpone the power up ritual (much to Natsu's dismay) for a while so that Ultear and Ur could spend some time together first. There were no hurries; the tournament was still 3 months away after all.
Right now he was talking to Erza after not seeing each other for seven years.
"You said you got all your memories back, right Jellal?"
"Yes"
"Which means, you remember about Simon…"
"I killed him" Jellal grimaced at the memory of their childhood friend dying as he jumped to protect Erza from his attack. "I understand if you don't want anything to do with me. I've prepared myself for death if you wish to take revenge for Simon."
"You think Simon would like that?" Jellal knew Erza was right "Setting up your own guild to eliminate all the dark guilds…is something you did to redeem your sins. You will see it through, right?"
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure." Jellal confessed.
"What did you say!"
"I was trying to redeem my sins when I founded Cryme Sorciere, but now I realize that no matter what I do, I can never make up for the things I did in the tower of heaven. Perhaps I'd be better off dead."
Erza slapped Jellal hard after hearing his lame excuse "Nonsense coward! So you're just gonna quit living because you're not strong enough? Besides: being alive is a sign of strength!"
As Jellal spat more self loathing words, Erza grabbed him by the collar of his cloak causing them to trip and fell down a small cliff on the clearing they were at. When they stopped rolling, both realized the close proximity between each other and couldn't help but feel drawn towards each other. Just as they were about to kiss, Jellal inexplicably pushed her away. Seeing her confused look, Jellal did the only thing he could think of and lied to her about having a fiancé.
"So she's your reason for living?" Erza asked, knowing full well he was lying but deciding to play along with his story.
"I think so."
"I'm glad for you" Erza got up and kissed him on the cheek before returning with the others, leaving Jellal alone in there. After he was sure she was gone, he called someone.
"She's all yours now. Threat her well"
Mystogan revealed himself from the shadows and stood next to the kneeling Jellal. The edolas mage knew he was wrong for eavesdropping on their conversation, but he couldn't help it. "Why did you lie to her?"
"Because I can never be at her side" Jellal said "I've caused her so much pain already and I keep causing her more. She will be better off with someone that can be there for her, someone like you."
"I can't say I'm against your reasoning" Mystogan said "but at the same time, we being the same person, I know how hard this is for you."
Jellal nodded and stood up to return to the campsite when Mystogan's words stopped him "She is not an object you can just 'hand' to someone, let Erza make her own choice."
Jellal gave Mystogan a small smile in responde before changing topic: "We still have 3 months before the tournament. What say during this time I teach you some of my moves in exchange for some of yours?"
"That would be acceptable" Mystogan replied with a smirk. They were competing for the love of the same woman, but he could never truly hate himself.
As Erza made her way to camp, she found Happy snickering and drawing a broken heart in the ground. After that, both Jellal's noticed a blue cat flying into the distance due to Erza kicking him for an unknown reason to them.
Gray discreetly separated from the group and walked some distance away from them and was now just watching the night sky. He was glad for both Ultear and Ur, but he was now worried about what he was going to do next.
"What's on your mind?"
Gray smiled and turned to see Ultear walking towards him with her hand behind her back. Ultear was happy, happier than she could remember being in a long time. When she confirmed no one was around, she embraced Gray and kissed him while he returned the favor.
"I wanted to do that all night" Ultear confessed to him, while Gray thought what Ur would say if he knew about them.
"Actually, I am curious to what Ur would think?" Gray said "would she freak out, or just pass out?"
Ultear grinned at the thought while running a finger over his chest "Is it wrong for me to feel this happy? Fate has given me my mother back and I have you in my life but… I've caused so much pain and suffering for others. I feel that I don't deserve to be happy."
"You're wrong." Gray said to her "You were misguided by the wrong people, but you are working to redeem yourself. Ur-chan you, more than anyone, deserve to be happy."
"Gray…" Ultear looked at him with admiration and love written in her eyes, while Gray struggled to form the next sentence.
"Which is why you deserve someone…"
"Forgive me for interrupting." Both Gray and Ultear were taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of a strange cloaked man and equally cloaked woman. Both mages didn't know who they were, but they could agree that the evil emanating from them was suffocating.
"Who are you?" Ultear got cautious while Gray started recognizing the man due to Lyon's description.
"Deimos! You are still alive!?"
Ultear's eyes widened when she recalled hearing that name before, the man before her was the one responsible for the attack on Phantom Lord. But what was he doing here?
"What are you doing here!?" Gray instinctively took a step forward and partially shielded Ultear from him. Gray's first thought was that Deimos was here for Jellal, but his fears were confirmed when Deimos pointed his finger at her.
"I came here…for her"
A.N.
Well, this is a long chapter. I was going to include more, but I decided to save if for the next one instead (and to leave this chapter in a cliffhanger). I'm evil! What can you do?
And as most of you already know, Yes: it was Deimos who restored Ur so that he could:
1) Recover Deliora's power that Ur drained with her iced shell.
And
2) For Ur to lead him (without her knowing it) to Ultear.
Why does he want Ultear? Next chapter will reveal that and who or what Deimos truly is (Although the previous chapter revealed that).
Moving onto other matters: I finally decided who to pair Mira with (after reading this chapter, it's kinda obvious though). Vergil might be Nero's father, who in turn is the ancestor of the Strauss lineage, but take in consideration that a couple of millennia has passed since that time and now, so Vergil is not committing incest if he and Mirajane get together. Maybe they are, but let's look the other way this time.
The manga has started revealing some good info regarding Acnologia and dragon slayer magic. Right now, I'm starting to piece out just how Natsu will fit into all this in future chapters. Stay tuned for more. Also, superb acting from Sting after 'that' happened. I can now see Rogue joining Fairy tail one day, but Sting...I don't know what future he will have after what he did.
Regarding the lemon scenes, I need suggestions for a site to publish them. Leave me a PM for a site you recommend.
By the way, I'm still looking for help on the song for the wedding. We still have one or two chapters before that time comes. And after the wedding, I'll start the grand games arc.
So far we got:
Gray as best man
Angel as Maid of honor (with Lucy, Erza, Mirajane, Juvia and Levy as bridesmaid)
Wendy as flower girl
Gildarts to give Lisanna away
Makarov as the priest
Happy as the ring bearer
If I forgot one, let me know. Now, onto the reviews:
Digital-Mail: I agree with you; writing battle scenes is a chore, but a necessary chore sometimes. I'm going to leave the "Natsu meeting his biological parents" to you and your story, however, that doesn't mean I won't indulge into the topic myself one day.
THEgirlWHOshipsLISANNAxLUCY: Don't worry about not reviewing before, shit happens sometimes. As for the story…I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the review.
DragonFairy: You raise a good point. I'll let the readers decide what site they want the lemons to be published at. Thanks for the review.
Storm111: Regarding your questions; I still don't know and Yes, Natsu is going to get stronger. Thanks for the review.
djohnson2: I agree with you, the manga and anime have a screwed up pairing mechanic for Mira, which is why Vergil is the perfect choice. At first I considered Laxus, but I just don't see them together. As for Gray; his situation will be resolved eventually. Thanks for the review.
Masterofbalance: Ur's return was already planned from waaaaayyy back. Only till now could I bring her into the story.
The demon key was the weakest, but as you will see in next chapter, it was all a set up to trick them into thinking they had defeated them. The keys themselves will be revealed in the next chapter. Thanks for the review.
Inferrinizzard: In the manga and anime she is considered dead, but here she's alive. Thanks for the review.
T-Biggz: Thanks for the tip. Dante's (and now Natsu's) sword is indeed Rebellion. Vergil is not leaving anytime soon, but I will spoil something; Force Edge will appear on this story. Haven't decided if I should include Nero or not, I'll let you know when I make up my mind. Thanks for the review.
Ryvius: Once again, a fine review right there! (if only 'others' could follow your example instead of just adding to favorite…) Hopefully, the choice of partner for Mira is acceptable "hint, hint".
Can't say much, but the grand games will have a different twist with elements from the Devil May Cry universe.
Thanks for the review.
Oracion Seis Angel: You are not mistaken, Ur is indeed alive and as you can read here she reunited with her daughter. Thanks for the review.
P.S. if you need help with your story, let me know ok.
Frozen-tundra88: Another fine example of a fine review (I'm looking at you: Story followers!)
I left Ikaruga's fate just hanging there in case I do use her again in the future. Erigor's I don't care. Gray is starting to think about Juvia, but they won't get together just yet. Besides, there's still Lyon to deal with.
Thanks for the review.
Lucas Bane: Even though you reviewed chapter one, I'm still hoping you will read the entire story. As you say; the marking theme has already been used, but give this story a try. You won't regret it. Thanks for the review.
Innocence: I'm glad you like my writing style, Thanks for the review.
Reatssa: Natsu will get it. (But you already knew that, right?)
That's it for now. No omake this time, so that this chapter ends with a cliffhanger feeling to it. Until next chapter (that will mark one year since I started writing Bound by Fate)
Demonwithasoul