AN: Thanks AliceCullen3, Goku275, and Wadeparker.
"Look at me!" cried Blaze happily. "I'm riding the steam train, mya!"
"Steam train!" echoed Iggy from behind her.
"Urp!" gulped Natsu as he watched his kids have fun. Swallowing the bile in his mouth, he beamed at them and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah! Show that train who's boss!" "Do it while you still have the chance."
"So adorable, mya!" gushed Millianna from the poolside. "I'm really glad we decided to come to here!"
The 'here' that Millianna was referring to was Ryuzetsu Land, a popular resort that the Dragneels had decided to visit after Day 3 of the GMG. However, they were not the only Fairies who had decided to come.
Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Minerva, Mirajane, and Lisanna had arrived together before splitting up. Currently, Lucy and Erza were getting hit on by Blue Pegasus, Wendy was playing with Sherria (they had become friends while fighting), and Minerva and the Strauss sisters had separately gone off on their own.
Unbeknownst to them, Elfman and Evergreen had also elected to visit Ryuzetsu Land together. The two were currently hiding out of embarrassment, unaware that Freed, Bickslow, Rufus, and Orga had already spotted them.
They were not the only prospective couple present, though. Gajeel and Levy had chosen to come, as had Gray and Juvia. Well, according to Juvia. Gray appeared to be trying his hardest to escape the water mage, at least when he wasn't arguing with Lyon over the Lamia's attempts to flirt with her.
Sting, Rogue, and the Exceeds were also exploring the resort, the latter all in human forms. Aside from Panther Lily — who looked like a human version of his Battle Mode Shift — all of them looked to be about Wendy's age. (On a side note, Frosch was still wearing their pink frog suit, as androgynous as ever.)
And that was not all. Makarov, Laxus, and Mavis… Romeo, Macao, and Wakaba… Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka… Max and Warren… Cana… Mest… almost every current member of Fairy Tail was present at Ryuzetsu Land.
It was as if a higher being had orchestrated this so-called coincidence. Or maybe strange minds think alike, and that strangeness spread through their guild mark.
Regardless of the cause, the mages of Fairy Tail had been drawn to the resort like moths to a flame. Or rather, given their tendency to cause destruction rather than be destroyed, like sharks to blood. And one more shark had just arrived.
"The innkeeper said that they came here," Yukino quietly said to herself, entering Ryuzetsu Land. "Knowing them, my friends shouldn't be too hard to find."
And they were not. Within a minute, Yukino found Lucy and Erza being gawked at by a handful of men.
"Hey!" greeted Yukino with a wave. Her smile was just a notch too wide, her nervousness and insecurities about the bet still lingering in her mind. "It's nice to see you two!"
"Yukino!" exclaimed Lucy, a mixture of surprise and hope painted on her face. "It's good to see you here, too!"
"Should I take this as a sign that you are feeling better?" asked Erza.
"Yes," confirmed the Celestial Spirit mage, her smile becoming natural. "I was wandering around the city and ended up meeting my… meeting an old friend. We talked a bit, and now I feel a bit better about the wager. I mean, it's still mortifying to think about, but it doesn't feel like my life is ending anymore."
"I understand," replied Erza, nodding sagely. "Your friend reminded you that, even if the general public ridicules you, there are people who will stand by your side no matter what. And, because of that, you can endure any storm."
Her guildmate's words made Yukino pause. She thought about how Sorano was atoning for her crimes… fighting countless groups of dangerous criminals just so that she could call herself Yukino's older sister again. With that sort of support, nothing could stop Yukino. "Yeah, I suppose she did."
"Good!" stated Erza with a smile. The three of them stood there silently for a moment before Erza spoke up again. "I believe this goes without saying, but you can count me, Lucy, and everyone else in Fairy Tail among those who will stay with you regardless of what you face."
"You can say that again," agreed Lucy. "Even if you just need a shoulder to cry on or someone to lend an ear, we'll be there for you."
"Thank you," said Yukino wholeheartedly.
At that moment, a voice called out to her.
"Hey! Yukino!" shouted Lisanna happily, as she and Mirajane approaching the three of them. "How are you doing?"
"Good," she answered.
"I'm glad to hear that," replied Mirajane, smiling. Then, something dawned on the S-Class Mage. "Oh! I forgot to tell you before, but I talked to Jenny and she agreed to cancel the bet. The whole thing was a spur-of-the-moment decision, one that she agreed was completely inappropriate. You're off the hook!"
"Really!?" exclaimed Yukino. Her body sagged in relief. "Thank you so much! But will Sorcerer Magazine accept it? Them and their viewers were promised—"
Yukino's next words were cut off as she and the others gasped. Their reactions were reasonable though, because Jenny had just snuck up to Mirajane and snatched her bikini top, exposing her breasts to the world.
"Ha!" cried Jenny triumphantly. "That's payback for yesterday! The bet may have been overkill, but so is making me pose nude in Yukino's place!"
"Now you've done it, Jenny," replied Mirajane as she used her arms to cover her breasts.
As the two models began a fight where the only winners were the audience, Yukino couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't laughing at Mirajane and Jenny, though, but at herself.
Yukino had been worried that her friends might think less of her for what had happened. She had genuinely thought that Fairy Tail — Fairy Tail — would look down on her. It was totally ridiculous!
"I'm sorry it took so long to meet up with you," apologized Gray. "It took me a while to get away from Juvia."
"It's fine," dismissed Jellal, wearing the mask of his Edolas counterpart, Mystogan. "Although, why did you have to sneak away from her? She's a part of the mission."
Gray sighed, too drained to work up any anger. "First, it was because she was trying to drag me onto a couples' ride. Then, I had to deal with Lyon trying to steal her away. Thankfully, Yukino showed up, drawing their attention. I was able to leave Juvia with her and some of our other guildmates."
"Yukino is actually who I wanted to talk to you about," stated Jellal. He tactfully chose to ignore the fact that Gray could have just left Juvia with his and Ultear's pseudo-brother.
Gray raised an eyebrow.
"I heard about the kidnapping attempt before I left," commented the ice mage. "I'm guessing what you have to say has to do with that."
"Yes," answered Jellal. "Sorano captured the leader of the group that targeted Yukino and brought her back to the rest of us. Unfortunately, our efforts to extract information from her have been unsuccessful."
"Wait, did you torture her!?" exclaimed Gray, before freezing and clapping his hands over his mouth. The two of them glanced around nervously. Fortunately, nobody had overheard the ice mage.
"Torture isn't something an atoning person does," continued Gray in a quiet voice.
"We did not torture her," replied Jellal, quiet but emphatic. "We asked her questions and had Erik use his Hearing Magic to discern the answers. Except, not only was she aware of Erik's abilities, she was also able to avoid giving us any information by concentrating on her memories of an object called the 'Dragon Cry.'"
"'Dragon Cry'?" echoed Gray. It sounded ominous. "Should we be worried about that?"
"No. To her knowledge, it was stolen and destroyed months ago. What's concerning is that she had the mental discipline to counteract Erik's magic. She had to focus entirely on those thoughts and will likely break after several more sessions, but it still shows a level of strength beyond that of your common criminal."
"So, Raven Tail sprung for the high-quality mercenaries to deal with our guild? How flattering," said Gray sarcastically.
"Assuming they're hired help at all," spoke Jellal, surprising the ice mage. "After the 'Dragon Cry' came up, Macbeth mentioned hearing about it from Brain before Oración Seis was arrested. According to him, the thing was guarded by one of Fiore's knight squadrons. That, combined with Bluenote's membership in Raven Tail, paints a very grim picture."
The magic of Zeref. Raven Tail. The kingdom's knights. Were they just being paranoid, or was a disaster of unimaginable proportions hiding just out of sight?
"It's more important than ever that you and Juvia keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious," stated Jellal.
"I understand."
"Good," said Jellal with a nod. He began to leave, then paused. "Also, your swimsuit is gone."
"Damnit!"
"This is pointless," grumbled Kamika as she spied on Yukino at Ryuzetsu Land. The Garou Knight had already been in a bad mood after getting defeated by Alexei when Kama had given her orders to spy on the Celestial Spirit mage after the White Tiger Squadron failed to abduct her.
Unfortunately, she was the only option for this job. If any of the guys trailed Yukino and were caught, they would likely be arrested and branded as perverted stalkers. That only left her and Cosmos, who needed to conserve her energy for tomorrow's event.
Cosmos's magic would work best underwater, after all. Plants thrive with water, while paper gets soggy, blades are slowed, acid dilutes, and the number of producible terrains gets limited. In the event that one of the Celestial Spirit mages competed in the event, Cosmos would have the best chance at 'acquiring' them.
Knowing this didn't make Kamika any less irritated, though. Sadly for her, the Garou Knight's day was about to get even worse. With how focused she had been on Yukino and her own anger, she had failed to realize that her presence had been detected.
A hand clapped on Kamika's shoulder, gripping it tightly. A cold voice whispered into her ear.
"How interesting, that a member of Team Garou Knights is spying on my dear friend Yukino. Especially since, not only is she currently withdrawn from the Grand Magic Games, she was attacked by kidnappers earlier today."
Kamika turned her head a saw Minerva Orland giving her a very menacing smile. Due to her knight training and personal discipline, she was able to avoid flinching at the Fairy's words.
"I also happened to notice that a certain former Dark Mage is on Team Raven Tail with the Kingdom's permission."
"What exactly are you implying?" asked Kamika in an even tone. Minerva's grip tightened. The Fairy's voice lost its faux-playful tone as she cut to the heart of the matter.
"Are the Garou Knights working with Raven Tail?"
"We only serve the Kingdom of Fiore."
"Then is the Kingdom of Fiore supporting Raven Tail in any way?"
"None other than the ways Fiore supports all of its Legal Guilds."
"Then how was Bluenote Stinger able to join Raven Tail on 'probation'?"
"I assume that the guild bribed a politician, though it doesn't matter much so long as he continues to obey the standard probational terms that have been given to him."
"Then why are you following Yukino?" demanded Minerva.
"Because it's bad for the kingdom if something happens to her," answered Kamika, which was not false. She followed up with an explanation that was also technically true. "The participation of the Garou Knights is meant to restore the people's faith in the government, and popular mages getting kidnapped from right under our noses undermines that. Given recent events, it was determined that Ms. Agria was most vulnerable."
Minerva stared deep into her eyes, probing them for even a trace of falsehood. Seconds passed, neither woman blinking. After what felt like an eternity, the Fairy gave a nod.
"Alright, I believe you," said Minerva, letting go of Kamika's arm. "I also get the feeling that you're spying on our teams in preparation for tomorrow, but I'll ignore that since I can respect the shrewdness of it. My friends will still take you down, though."
With that, Minerva left. Kamika let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as her body sagged with relief. Despite the Fairy noticing that she was hiding something, the true nature of her intentions remained a secret.
"However, that was way too close," thought Kamika, deciding to end her spy work. She needed some time to destress after everything that had happened today. "It's a good thing I'm already at a resort."
Omake
"Do you feel forgotten?" Rufus asked Orga. The two of them were standing next to a pool at Ryuzetsu Land.
"No?" answered Orga, confused by the question. "Why? Do you?"
"I suppose I do," admitted Rufus. "I cannot remember doing anything significant since our war with Tartaros."
"Ah, you're bored," concluded Orga. "I guess I'm fine since I've been helping Romeo learn Fire God Slayer Magic."
"Hmm," went Rufus, considering his friend's words. "I guess these past few months have been a bit forgettable. Then again…"
"What?"
"…if I had to put it into words, I'd say it feel as though I've been forgotten."
AN: The Omake is a little joke about how some of the characters have fallen out of focus. As it turns out, balancing a large cast is difficult.
On a different note, I didn't originally plan for Kamika to be so unlucky. I just happened to notice as I was writing this chapter that bad things kept happening to her. Luckily, since Gray and Lyon did not end up on the water slide together, Ryuzetsu Land was able to escape destruction and she was able to rest in peace. *cue rimshot for the bad joke*
Anyway, that's about it. Bye!