March 25, x776
I'd been looking forward to working with Reedus. He was a pretty cool guy with some pretty cool magic. I'd wanted to work with him for months, so when the opportunity presented itself with the perfect job, I jumped on it immediately.
Then in true Fairy Tail fashion, what should have been a relatively easy overnight job had turned into two weeks of utter hell.
How could such a simple job have gone so wrong?!
I shook my head violently. No! I was not going to think about that ever again! The job was done, we'd been rewarded, and I was now traumatized for the rest of my life! I had had quite enough of the past fortnight, thank you very much!
Reedus' trembling hand came down on my shoulder, grounding me in the present rather than the memory of- stop that! I looked up at him, he honestly wasn't doing much better.
"You alright, Helio?" He asked, his tone was unsteady, but the concern was audible. I nodded shakily.
"Not yet, but I will be. Let's just get back to the guild and pretend this never happened, alright?" Reedus nodded enthusiastically at that idea, and began almost sprinting back to the guild.
Things seemed normal as we got closer to the guild, a low murmur was audible, even through the doors. I felt the tension and stress of the last two weeks melt away, leaving only a tired contentedness even before I got up the stairs.
It's amazing how quickly you can relax once you've gotten home.
Reedus pushed through the doors and I followed him, already beginning to unconsciously smile as I noted who was here and who wasn't. Seemed just about everyone but Gildarts was home at the moment, that's good.
Wait, what were they all looking at?
I peeked around Reedus, who had stopped a few feet into the guild and was greeted with the sight that had everyone staring and muttering.
'She's here already?'
There, standing over a barely conscious Gray, was a one-eyed Erza Scarlet.
'Not how I expected today to go.'
I sighed tiredly as I walked up to them. I was not going to put up with this right now. I was hungry, I was tired, and I wanted nothing more than to eat, sleep and forget that job ever happened.
So I did the first thing that came to mind, no matter how ill-advised it might be.
I walked up behind Erza Scarlet and grabbed her shoulder.
Erza looked surprised.
Gray looked mortified around his efforts to stay conscious.
"Gray, what did you do?"
He grumbled something along the lines of "Screw you, Helio." Erza coughed slightly, before she turned to look at me with a creepily mature stare.
"I don't believe we've met. I'm Erza Scarlet, I joined two weeks ago." She stepped away from my hand on her shoulder and nodded at me.
She's so… mature for a ten year old girl.
'I can't believe I missed her because of that job!' Seriously! She must have been in town when Reedus and I left! Memories of paint and pain threatened to overwhelm me before I beat that trauma into the mental lockbox it would be staying in for the rest of eternity.
I shook my head and nodded back at her. "Nice to meet you Erza, I'm Helio Dart." My stomach grumbled as I fought back a yawn. "I'd be more lively, but I'm beat. Let's talk later, yeah?" I waved at her as I headed to the bar. Genkei was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Job so bad you can't get excited for a new member of the guild?" He asked, already pulling out a glass and filling it with juice. I shuddered. "I knew it was taking too long, but was it really that bad?" I took a long pull of my drink before answering.
"I just want to forget it ever happened." I said tiredly, Genekei nodded with a grimace.
"I know the feeling. How about I whip ya up something special? Help wash away the bad memories." I looked up at him with an exhausted grin.
"You're the best, you know that?" He chuckled as he went back to the kitchen. I laid my head against the bar as I waited. I didn't want to fall asleep and waste Genkei's food, but I was just so tired.
My mood wasn't really improved by Erza's arrival, either. I'd been looking forward to it all year, and that job made me miss it! She'd been here almost two whole weeks, and by her behavior, I'd missed something important to her development.
Whatever it was, I was sure it involved Gray being a prick.
I sighed into the bar. Helping Cana had been easy, she'd just needed friends who knew her secret and could give her support. Gray was mostly fine, beyond being his friend, there was nothing I could do for him until the Galuna Island job showed up on the board.
Erza didn't have problems that could be fixed with a good long conversation and a hug. Erza was part of a long-term hostage situation. The Tower of Heaven would hang over her head like the proverbial Sword of Damocles until Jellal sent her friends to bring her back.
Which was a plot I couldn't derail. At least not until I found the Tower and was either strong enough to kick Jellal's teeth in, or had some way of purging him of Ultear's possession.
The Tower of Heaven was in my journal in detail, from the plot around it, to what I remembered of the magic of everyone involved; but it had a very crucial addendum:
DIRE CONSEQUENCES ASSURED IF APPROACHED EARLY
Erza's friends were hostages. If Jellal/Ultear had even a hint of her approaching the Tower with the intent of freeing them, there was nothing stopping him from murdering them all in cold blood. I didn't want to try to free everyone early just to cost Erza her friends. So all I could do for her at this moment was be her friend, and help her in any way I could.
There were some things I just couldn't do anything about, this might be one of them.
"Here ya go, Helio! Best eat it up now before you fall asleep!" Genkei pulled me from my musing with the smell of something divine.
Figuring out how to help Erza could wait, supper and my bed were calling my name.
March 26, x776
The next day brought a return to my routine, and the usual energy I got from a good night's rest and the sun's rays. I was whistling as I walked up to the guild hall, waving at a few merchants that were opening up nearby. Nothing I didn't do every morning when I was in town. Said routine continued until I spotted someone other than Gramps and Genkei that beat me to the guild.
Erza was sitting at the bar, eating with almost impeccable manners.
'She's in my seat.' I shook my head to clear the irrelevant thought and sat a few stools down, waving at Genkei as he refilled Master's coffee. "Good morning, Erza!" I said happily, she looked up from her plate, her lone eye scrutinizing me before she nodded.
"Good morning, Helio." She turned away and went back to eating.
Well that was curt.
We sat in silence for a few minutes before I finally spoke again. "So, how are you enjoying the guild so far?" She ate the last of her food before looking up. "You've been a member for a couple weeks, right?" She nodded and set her fork down, wiping her mouth.
"It's been… nice, so far. Gray's stripping is disgusting though." I snorted.
"Is that what got him beat up yesterday?" He was in his boxers, wasn't he? I'd just quit noticing somewhere in the last few months. She nodded firmly in response.
"It's a habit that needs to be broken." I laughed, getting a raised eyebrow. "What's so funny?" I raised a hand in supplication.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm not laughing at you, but don't you think we've tried? Cana tried spraying him with water every time he stripped, I tried giving him sunburn, and Levy tried covering him in runes that wouldn't let him take off his clothes, but it never works. Gray's stripping transcends logic." Erza pounded her fist into her palm.
"Then I will simply try harder." That look in her face was scarily determined.
"Good luck."
I honestly don't know if I directed that to Erza or Gray.
She nodded, "I have a feeling I will need it."
"Anyways," I asked, "What type of magic do you use? You don't seem like a normal magic swordsman." I pointed to the cutlass on her belt. She leapt off her stool and nodded.
"I'm not. Master is helping me with my Telekinesis and Requip abilities." She glowed for a moment before her dress and breastplate changed into a set of chainmail with a white gambeson over it. She glowed again and was back in her usual attire.
I blinked.
I knew how hard it was to requip into a new outfit. I had tried on and off for years to manage it, and while I could, it took too long and was usually quicker to just do it myself. To manage it with armor, not long after first becoming a mage?
That is incredible.
I had thought it would be simple, Erza did it all the time, in battle and out. Turns out that being able to change into armor -even armor as simple as mail and a gambeson- in a second was a feat many couldn't accomplish. Bringing items to your hands was one thing, any third rate mage with a frail grasp of how to use magic could do it, but getting them to form around you was hard. Even if you accomplished it, managing to change quickly enough to be efficient took more effort than most were willing to put in.
Doing it in the middle of battle, and working into a fluid and deadly style of combat?
Even at ten years old, Erza Scarlet was a very impressive mage.
I whistled, "That's impressive, Erza. How are you with a sword?" Our conversation was interrupted by Genkei casually twirling his knives to cut up an assortment of vegetables without even looking.
"She's better than I was at her age, that's for sure!" He said, smiling proudly at her. "I've been giving her lessons the last week or so, and she's a natural! She's soaking them up like a sponge!"
Erza turned to him, cheeks pink as she failed at hiding her bashful smile. "Thank you, Master Genkei." Genkei stopped what he was doing to wave his arms at her.
"No need for any of that, now Erza! I told you that just Genkei is fine!" Erza blushed a little more, and nodded.
"Hey Erza, what do you say to a spar?" I asked. I wanted- no, I needed to test myself against her.
If I wanted to be one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail, who better to measure myself against than the future queen?
Erza looked pensive and I began speaking again, "Not right now or anything, just sometime soon, yeah? You seem strong, and I want to see how good we both are." I grinned, Erza gave a small smile and nodded.
"I think I would like that, Helio." I whooped excitedly.
"Yes! Just let me know when, okay? This is gonna be awesome!" Erza gave a short chuckle.
"I'm looking forward to it myself, maybe later today? I don't want to be too tired for my lessons though, would afterwards work?" We stood there planning for a while longer before Master interrupted us as the other early birds began to file in.
"Erza, Porlyusica said it's ready when you are." She turned from me to Gramps so quickly that I blinked and missed it. Her face went from closed off but happy, to almost painfully hopeful in a heartbeat.
"I'm ready." She said, the hope and joy leaking into her voice as she shook. Master nodded solemnly.
"Then come along, child. You should be back by dinner at the latest." Erza turned from him to me.
"Sorry Helio, our match will have to wait." She sounded honestly apologetic. I shrugged with a smile.
"No problem Erza, I can tell this is more important, go on." She gave a small, honest smile before turning around and meeting up with Gramps at the door. I leaned against the bar and took a sip of my drink.
Guess that's her new eye, good for her.
I looked over at the board, since I wasn't gonna be sparring Erza, I suppose I could do a job or two.
March 31, x776
Our spar ended up delayed for the next few days. Things kept popping up that made one or both of us busy.
Erza needed to get used to her new eye and then she needed to focus on her lessons with Genkei to account for her returned depth perception. I had a lesson with Laxus. Gray, Cana and I all got into a free-for-all. Levy wanted someone to help her with her magic. I had a new spell to test out. Erza had an important lesson with Gramps.
Finally, we'd managed to both be free at the same time, and we were practically itching for a proper fight.
Fresh from the Tower, or everyone's favorite Fairy Queen, Erza was still a Fairy Tail wizard.
There's not one of us that doesn't love a good fight.
"Are you both ready?" Cana called, standing off to the side. Erza was already in the mail and gambeson she'd shown me days ago, her hand tight around the short sword in her grip.
Neither of us spoke, holding our gazes, sizing each other up.
Then, almost in unison, we nodded.
"Begin!" With that verbal command, the both of us leapt into action.
Instinct almost had me begin with my usual combination, but I couldn't treat her like Wakaba or Cana.
Erza, unlike my usual sparring partners, was most dangerous up close.
But so was I.
So instead of the fight being opened with a barrage of Flares and Fusions like I usually did to harry Cana or Wakaba as I closed the distance, I treated it like Gray.
A quick Flash to obscure sight, followed by getting in her face.
Where my Flare Punch was met with cold steel.
I narrowed my eyes as I ducked and dived under multiple swings, Erza already changing from a short sword to a long sword to keep me out of my preferred range. She glared at me, eyes flashing as she leapt into action, keeping me on my toes rather than providing me with the crucial moments I would need to properly retaliate.
Even this new to swordsmanship, she's able to keep this up?
She has some impressive instincts.
Instincts however, will only take you so far.
I parried her blade with a Flare Punch and pulled out my staff, taking advantage of my newfound reach to keep her away as I got some distance, knocking aside her sword before leaping into the air and landing atop the back door's overhang. I knew better than to let the fight continue like that for too long.
Even as a rookie, Erza would be able to beat me if I fought her with my staff.
Staff sent back to my requip space, Flare after Flare flew from my hands, slamming into Erza and the ground around her. She was doing everything she could to keep them off of her, leaping and even catching them on the blade of her sword. She took the attacks she couldn't dodge or parry with a grunt as she forced her way through my barrage. Her gambeson was damaged, seared and peeling along the seams, but her mail was holding strong. With a wordless roar, she leapt up to meet me, and I shifted my stance to meet her.
Erza's long sword flashed in the noon sun as it angled for my neck, going for the quickest way of ensuring my yield.
I slid underneath it, blade centimeters from my scalp and planted a Flare Kick right into her gut.
I could smell the metal heating up as I made contact with her before I spun around and roundhoused her into the ground below.
She almost recovered.
I kicked her sword away and brought a fist shining with sunlight inches from her face.
"Yield." I demanded flatly, my eyes narrow as I watched for any sort of trick. Wakaba would be throwing his weight against me, Cana would be trying to be sneaky and blow me away, Erza could do any number of things, and I wasn't going to let her try…
"I yield." Erza's voice was shaking slightly, no longer the mature tone I had grown accustomed to the last few days. I felt a bit of shame come over me as I stepped off her.
This wasn't Titania. She wasn't the strongest woman in Fairy Tail yet. She was a ten year old girl who had been in the guild for less than a month.
Impressive Erza may be, but she had almost no experience.
I might have gone a tad overboard.
I held out a hand to help her up, a smile already on my face. "Good fight, Erza! You're way better than I was when I first joined!" I pulled her to her feet, "Sorry if I went a little too hard on ya." She glowed for a moment as she changed back into her normal attire.
"It's fine." Her voice was back to its usual tone. "I'll learn from this and get better." Her eyes flashed, "You won't win so easily next time." It was a statement written in stone. My answer came with a wild grin.
"I look forward to it!" Actually, speaking of next time… "What do you say I teach you some hand to hand? I'm no master or anything, but I can give you the basics and let you find a style from there. A solid grounding to build from will be good, and a fight won't end just because someone took your swords." She closed her eyes in thought for a few moments.
"I'll take you up on that." I nodded.
"We'll start after your lesson with Genkei then." She nodded and walked off, her head bowed in thought. Cana took that opportunity to jump on me.
"Went a little overboard, huh?" Cana asked with a smirk. I blushed and turned away.
"No. I took her seriously." Gray snickered. "Shut up, Gray. Unlike you, I actually beat her." He scowled.
"Screw you, Helio."
"What was that? I can't hear you over the sound of how much you suck."
"I only lost cause we weren't using magic!"
"Excuses, excuses."
He growled, "I'll show you suck! Get over here dammit!"
"Bring it!"
A/N: I have no clue where the bants with Gray came from… it kinda just happened.
Also Erza.
Also Helio forgetting that Erza isn't among the most powerful wizards in the guild at the moment.
Oops.
As always, thank you to FFN user obliviousss for brainstorming and ideas.
See y'all next time!