Chapter 5
More than a week after the big sparring match with Natsu, Logan was starting to feel like he could get the hang of living in one place. Some part of him still demanded that he get back on the road and head out in search of something, but he was already starting to feel enough attachment to his new friends to override that part.
Logan wasn't really sure when or if he'd ever agreed to become a part of what was informally known as "Team Natsu," but by inference, he knew that everyone else in the guild seemed to assume he was. He guessed it made some logical sense since whenever he was there, he spent most of his time in the company of either Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, or Wendy.
Since neither he nor the team had gone on any more jobs since he'd first come to Magnolia, his new apartment still had only the barest bones of furniture, but that didn't mean it hadn't changed at all. Lucy had made it her personal mission to help Logan fix up his place.
"I wouldn't say this color is ideal, but I think it'll help to spruce up this place nicely." Lucy said.
At her insistence, and with Master Makarov's permission, they'd taken some old paint from the guild's store houses out back and were repainting the dull gray walls of his apartment to a pale, very white teal color. She'd also enlisted everyone else on their team to help in the effort of painting.
"Yes, it doesn't really go with any of the other colors in the room, but for now at least, it should help." Erza added.
Before they'd all started, she'd used her Requip magic to put on a painter's set of white overalls, complete with a white cap and her hair back in a ponytail. No one asked why she happened to have that outfit in her inventory.
"I kind of like it. With the red couch and the brown rug, even if it doesn't match, I think it gives the room kind of a cool, almost mellow kind of feeling." Wendy said.
"When are we gonna get to paint, already?!" Natsu demanded from over by the window.
"You're not, so stop asking!" Lucy sniped at them. "Knowing you two, if you got brushes in your hands, we'd have an all out paint war in about a minute and I'm not letting you mess up this place when I'm putting so much work into it! This is Logan's home and I want him to like it! Just keep mixing the paint for us."
She then turned to look at Logan, who was doing the wall on the other side of the room with Wendy.
"Logan, you do like this color, don't you?" She called over.
He looked back at her, and even though he wasn't smiling, Lucy thought there was something of a pleased countenance to his expression.
"Yeah, I do." He said. "It kind of makes me think of the ocean. I like what Wendy said. It sort of has a soothing touch to it somehow."
Looking at the Celestial Wizard, Logan didn't think he'd seen anyone be more utterly pleased and satisfied by something he'd said.
Gray then announced, "Hey, Lucy. I think we're starting to run out of the paint we need for this color."
"Oh, no! Really? I thought that might happen but I was hoping we'd have enough. We brought a bunch of other colors from the guild. Any there we could use to make close enough?"
"I don't think so. With all the ones we poured out to test with, I'm pretty sure we can't do that."
"If we do run out before we're finished, I don't mind chipping to go buy some more." Wendy said.
"No, Wendy, I couldn't let you do that. I wouldn't want you to spend your hard earned money just to paint my walls." Logan said.
"I'll chip in as well." Erza declared. She turned and gave Logan a playful, but pointed look, silently saying that he could argue if he wanted to, but there'd be no point to it. "That way, Wendy's part will be less, and that would be fine, wouldn't it?"
"Hey, count me and Happy in on that!" Natsu chimed in.
"Not leaving me out." Gray said.
Logan looked at them all for a moment almost like he thought they were crazy, then just shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, I guess I know when I'm outmatched."
He returned to the wall and his painting then, and despite his face not changing in the slightest, Wendy thought she could detect some real enjoyment on his part for that interaction.
"Hey!" Gray suddenly shouted.
Everyone else looked over to see a streak of white paint splattered across the left side of Gray's face, just touching the corner of his eye.
"Watch what you're doing, you moron!" Gray yelled at Natsu.
"It's your own fault, man. You were leaning down too far while I was cleaning the stirring stick." Natsu said, barely containing a staggering laugh.
Gray gave an evil grin in return. "Actually, this is my fault!"
With that, he flicked his own stirring stick and sent a glob of teal paint streaking onto Natsu's face and into his hair. Natsu's smile descended into a serious frown for a half a moment, then went back up into a devilish grin of his own.
"It's on."
Natsu flung a larger glob of paint from his supplies at Gray. Gray turned to catch it mostly on his bare arm, but some of it still went into his eye. He then dipped his whole index and middle fingers into the paint and hurled a big scoop which smacked right into Natsu's tunic.
The two of them then started outright throwing whole handfuls of paint back and forth across the six feet separating them. The paint nailed each of them in their shoulders, stomachs, in their mouths, all while also splattering on the floor, walls, and the tarps covering the furniture. Just as Gray and Natsu had each dipped their whole hands into the stuff to have paint-fists to slug each other, the unevolved lizard parts of their brains detected danger, and they looked up to see Lucy and Erza looming over them.
"What did I just get finished telling the two of you about the work I'm putting in so Logan can like his new home?" Lucy asked with a grim quietness and murder in her eyes.
"Normally, I'd knock you boys out for causing such a mess, but then you wouldn't be able to clean it up, now would you? And I do think it'd be best if you got to it before the paint dried." Erza added, with just as much power in her voice as Lucy's, but a devilish smile on her face in addition.
"We were just about to do that. Weren't we, Gray, old buddy?" Natsu said, barely keeping himself from trembling.
"Yeah. Course we were. And we're also gonna buy the replacement paint out of our own pockets. Aren't we, Natsu?" Gray said, trying to appease the imposing redhead.
Erza's murderous intensity then transformed into a look of sheer amusement so completely that no one would have ever known it could look differently.
"There now. Everything's settled, so why don't you two get to it?"
The guys nodded, and the girls returned to their own painting.
"I should have told them to go clean my apartment while they were at it." Lucy commented offhandedly.
From across the room, from his position near the corner, Logan had been watching the whole exchange with rapt attention.
"Those two sure do have a way with those two." He said with something like a detached, clinical interest.
To Wendy on his left, his tone almost sounded like that of someone studying a subject that fascinated them, but that they couldn't quite grasp at the same time. From the sound of it, Wendy suddenly felt like she needed to clarify things a little bit for him.
"Personally, I think it's really nice. Even though Lucy and I are relative newcomers to the guild, for better or worse, everyone in Fairy Tail is a family, and families can kind of be a funny thing. When someone's your family, things like love and hate kind of go hand in hand. Someone can be your best friend, but that doesn't mean they won't make you mad or even a little crazy sometimes. But the thing is that when someone's really your family, no matter how much they might push your buttons, you get to know that they'll always be there for you when you need them. Kind of like how you need help turning this apartment into a home, so here we all are." Wendy explained in her sweetest voice.
Logan had turned to look at her as she started talking, and the expression on his face told Wendy that he was really considering what she'd said.
"Family, huh?"
He half turned his head to glance at the others again, and Wendy couldn't help but smile, because she was sure that he was starting to like the idea.
"Okay, all done with this spot." She said.
Wendy turned to go get some fresh supplies for her next section, and just as she was moving, her sandal caught on the edge of an uneven floorboard, and she began to fall. She gave a high-pitched yelp of surprise, gaining everyone's attention, and moving entirely on reflex, Logan whipped around and caught her nearest arm by the bicep. Wendy had been stopped before she'd hit the floor, but that hadn't stopped her arm outstretching to break her fall from going into a sample of paint they'd mixed while figuring out the color.
"That sure was close. Thanks, Logan!" She beamed.
As Logan pulled her back upright, Wendy almost lost her balance again as she began to slip on the paint tarp and she ended up smacking her hand against the wall to her left to steady herself.
"Oh no!"
Wendy peeled her hand away, revealing a perfect print left behind in a dark, sky blue at her shoulder level.
"Oh, Logan, I'm so sorry! That spot had just finished drying too." She said with heartfelt apology in her voice.
After making sure Wendy was stable on her feet, he let her go, and then just stared at the hand-print she'd made. Logan looked at it for a long time. Wendy couldn't tell if he was mad about it or just working something out, but what he did next surprised her. Leaving Wendy where she was, Logan walked over to where they'd stacked the many different colors of paint they'd opened, and came back with a quart of black. Everyone saw him do it, and everyone was watching as Logan knelt down beside Wendy, stuck his right hand into the paint, and then made another print on the wall right beside hers. Wendy was confused for a second, but then her lips spread in a wide smile.
"I guess you don't mind it then."
From behind them came, "So, can we do it too?"
Logan and Wendy looked over their shoulders to see Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Natsu all huddled together closely behind them. Each of them had already taken a can of paint from the stockpile, and all were smiling like a pack of idiots. Logan looked them all over and shrugged his shoulders like it didn't even matter.
"I guess it couldn't hurt anything."
He said it in a neutral tone, almost lackadaisical, but the rest of them thought he was still just trying to not give himself away for whatever reason.
One by one, they each took their turns making their own hand-prints right beside Logan and Wendy's, with Erza's in red, Lucy's in pink, Gray's in navy blue, and Natsu's a fiery orange. Once they had all done it, they took a step back together to look it over. Seeing those five prints lined up next to his, Logan suddenly sensed this overwhelming sensation welling up inside him. It was a pleasant, satisfying kind of feeling that seemed to fill up a piece of him. He couldn't say exactly what the feeling was, even to himself, and it even scared him a little bit, but whatever this feeling of closeness was, he thought he liked it.
Breaking up the moment and bringing Logan out of his musings was a knocking on the glass of the closest window. Happy and Carla were hovering just outside the window, their Exceed wings spread fully. Natsu went over to open the window and the two little cats floated in and landed gently before retracting their wings.
"Hey there, little buddy! So, what's the word from the guild hall?" Natsu asked.
"I'm afraid it's not what any of you want to hear." Carla said.
"Yeah. There's nothing new on the job board, but that's not the worst part. Master says we all have to go to the guild hall and do some work around the place to pay for the food Mira keeps making us." Happy reported.
"You mean we've been working here all morning and now we gotta go to the guild and work?" Gray asked.
"Blame Master, not me. He says if we aren't all there in half an hour, then no dinner for any of us."
Lucy sighed audibly. "Probably no getting out of this. We better get there before Master gets angry."
With that, they all took turns dividing themselves between Logan and Lucy's bathrooms to change out of their painting clothes before heading off.
OOO
"Thirteen seconds to spare." Master Makarov announced as the eight of them all came in together.
"My apologies, master. We could have been here slightly sooner, but we needed to change first." Erza said.
"It's quite alright. Just trying to keep all of you on your toes."
"Okay, Gramps, so we're here now. What'd you want us to do?" Natsu asked with his arms crossed across the back of his head.
"It's not too much. Just that we need some little maintenance around the hall, and by the schedule, it's all your turns to do it. I'm sure you merely overlooked that, my children."
Logan looked to the rest of his group, and he couldn't tell if the looks on their faces meant they really had forgotten, or if they'd chosen to ignore it to help him.
"Natsu, your job is rake up all of the fallen sticks in the yard and then sweep the front walk. Gray, you're to collect the eggs from the chicken coop for Mira. Erza, I want you to mop the floors in here. Logan, since you're the only one with a personal vehicle, I'd like you to deliver a message for me to the master of Blue Pegasus in Clover Town. Lucy and Wendy, I'm afraid I don't have any chores for the two of you, so you're free to do whatever may please you."
"What?! Come on, Gramps! That's not fair to make us do everything while they get to just sit around!" Natsu complained.
"I'm sorry if you're unhappy with the arrangement, Natsu, but the fact remains that all the necessary chores have already been assigned. Or would you rather something else? I believe tomorrow's roster includes scrubbing all of the toilets in Fairy Hills."
Natsu deflated at that, and with the air of a little boy who recognizes he's been out-maneuvered and resents it, crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I'll work the yard." He grumbled in defeat.
"Very well, then. Now that we have that settled, get to it. Logan, if you'll come with me, I'll give you that note. I trust you can find Clover Town, can't you?"
"If you show me on the map, I won't have any problems. Found plenty of places like that."
Master Makarov nodded, and he and Logan went back to his office.
OOO
An hour later...
Once Lucy was finished brushing out her hair, Wendy jumped up from the crate she'd been sitting on.
"Thanks! I needed a haircut." Wendy said cheerfully.
"Well, I'm glad to help. I don't have the scissor skills of Cancer, but it doesn't take much to make you look super cute." Lucy said with a wink.
"Aw! That's sweet of you to say. You made an absolutely perfect afternoon like this feel even better!"
"Yeah, today's been pretty darn perfect." Lucy agreed. "We helped Logan out, and all things considered, it's been pretty quiet and peaceful."
"We better soak it all in while we can, because peace never lasts long in this guild." Carla said.
Lucy laughed at that. "Come on. Are we really that bad?"
The sound of rustling bristles seized the three ladies attention at that moment, and they all turned their heads to see Natsu sweeping the front walkway.
"Hey!" He exclaimed at Happy after only a brief second's concentration.
"You see?" Carla asked.
"Nah. Things are still peaceful around here, Carla. At least for the moment." Lucy said.
Almost directly across from them, from fifty feet away, Natsu had stopped working to glare at Happy, who was snoozing fitfully on a tree stump.
"Happy. NO SLACKING!"
Happy awakened with a start, jumping to his feet. "Aah! Fish?! No, it's just you."
"What do you mean it's jut me?!"
"Oh, don't be so sensitive. I was just having the most amazing dream about a super humongous fish buffet that went on as far as the eye could see! I think I'm gonna go back to it."
Happy sat down and closed his eyes to try and nod off again.
"No way!" Natsu shouted.
"What's the big deal, man?!" Happy asked with aggravation.
"The big deal is you're supposed to be my partner!"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, don't you see that I'm doing all this yard work over here? Not laying around."
"It is your turn. Why should I care?"
Natsu instantly countered, "Because your partner is working his tail off while you're dreaming of stuffing your face! That is so not cool!"
"Those guys are so immature." Lucy commented to Wendy and Carla.
"My, don't you catch on quickly." Carla added.
Wendy couldn't help but give a little laugh at all of it.
Across from them, Natsu and Happy were still going.
"We're partners on missions and stuff, but stupid yard work is a completely different thing." The cat said.
"What in the heck is the matter with you, Happy? How could you be so cold?!" Natsu asked.
"Oh, please, I am not cold. No way! It's way too nice today! It's so warm and sunshiney out here!"
"So, what are you two idiots flapping your gums about this time?" Gray asked as he came up to them. "Work would go a lot faster if you didn't stop to complain about it."
"Who asked you, Frostbite? And for the record, I'm not complaining about cleaning up. I'm just saying that cat should help!" Natsu emphasized this by pointing at Happy, who was no longer there.
"Are you enjoying this nice weather, Carla?" Happy asked.
"Indeed, I am."
"You can't just walk away while I'm talking to you!" Natsu griped at him.
At that moment, Max Alors and several other members of the guild approached the six of them.
"What do you know? It's been seven whole years and Natsu hasn't changed one bit. Still a brat." Max said.
"What are you surprised? He's been that way practically his entire life." Happy said.
"Are you trying to say that you've changed?" Natsu asked. "I mean, obviously, besides getting older and stuff."
"Yeah, I've gotten older on the outside, but I still feel pretty young on the inside." Max said.
"So, what you're trying to tell us is that you're basically just an immature old fart?" Gray asked.
"If you want me to show you my new skills, you're on!"
Natsu dashed closer to Max in excitement. "Ha! Bring it, you dusty old geezer! Let's throw down right here!"
"Thought you'd never ask!"
"Hey, wait! You guys are going to fight right now?!" Lucy asked.
"Sounds like a plan to me. It's perfect weather for a little outdoor sparring match. Don't ya think?" Gray said, secretly rooting for Max.
"Yeah! Now I've got a fire in my belly!"
"Let's rock!" Max said.
Natsu charged in headfirst, igniting his left fist with a plume of fire, swinging it in a hook punch. It missed entirely as Max easily ducked underneath of it, and with his hands still in his pockets, jumped up and planted a solid side kick into Natsu's stomach. Max followed it up by pulling his hands out and hurling a magically created punch of sand into Natsu's upper torso, sending him flying for a good thirty feet. Natsu turned himself around in midair so that he landed in a crouch, with both feet and one hand on the ground.
"What?! Are you kidding me?" Natsu was shocked.
"Did you really think we sat around and did nothing the whole time you guys were gone?" Max asked. "We've all been working on our fighting chops."
OOO
"I don't believe it." Wendy awed from the sidelines.
"Natsu is getting schooled by Max?" Lucy asked, thinking out loud to herself.
OOO
"Well, it ain't over yet, pal!" Natsu hollered.
He leaped into the air, covering the distance between him and Max in seconds. Before touching back down on the ground, Natsu threw his right foot, his left fist, his left foot, his right fist all in quick succession, but Max dodged every blow with no apparent effort.
"Sand Rebellion!" Max declared.
A pillar of sand erupted from the ground, enveloping Natsu in its clutches.
"Now you're just pissing me off!" Natsu shouted.
He dispersed the sand with waves of fire from his hands, sending it outwards in thick clouds of dust.
OOO
Lucy, Wendy, and the two Exceeds coughed and spluttered on the sand vapor.
"Teach him a lesson, Natsu!" Happy cheered him on.
"Weren't you just arguing with him a minute ago?" Carla asked.
"This has nothing to do with all that." Happy said with a playful little twirl.
OOO
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
"Sand Wall!"
Their two attacks collided with each other; Natsu pushing with everything he had to break through, and Max holding him back without seeming to try.
"I'm a whole lot stronger than I used to be." Max boasted.
Natsu responded with a grunt and roar of angry determination. He screamed at the top of his lungs, and the flames wreathing his body began to be accompanied by sparks of electricity dancing about him.
"Lightning Flame Dragon Mode!"
The magical energy exuded from Natsu's body with a sound not dissimilar to the growl of a dragon.
"Whoa! I don't think I'm ready for this!" Max said as he saw how Natsu was powering up.
"Lightning Flame Dragon ROAR!"
The finely meshed together combination of fire and lightning rushed from Natsu's mouth with a speed greater than any bullet, and carved a swathe of destruction for a quarter of a mile. It barely missed erasing Max from the face of the planet. He stood there, grunting in barely controlled panic as he watched severed wisps of his hair float to the ground.
"Aw, man. I thought that would be like a hundred times stronger." Natsu griped to himself.
"When did you figure out you could use that technique?" Lucy asked.
"Just now."
"That's awesome." Wendy said with quiet reverence.
"Well, that's it for me. I give up, man. Really wasn't planning on getting killed today." Max capitulated.
Natsu turned to the other three onlookers. "Which one of you is next in line?!"
"Uh, I'm good! Thanks, though!" Warren hastily declined.
"Yeah, you win!" Echoed Vijeeter.
Natsu gave a maniacal laugh of victory a second before suddenly falling flat on his face. The other members of his team took a few steps closer to him.
"It makes sense than an attack like that would use up a lot of power." Lucy said.
"You should probably practice a bit more before you pull that one out in a real fight." Suggested Happy.
"Wow. I never knew you were such a good fighter, Max." Wendy said encouragingly.
"Thanks, but obviously I still have a long way to go."
"If everyone in the guild has gotten that much more powerful, why is it you let Twilight Ogre bully you around for so long?" Carla asked with a hint of curious indignation.
"It's a little bit more complicated than that." Vijeeter said.
"It was more of a problem with cash flow." Warren explained succinctly.
"You don't expect us to settle our debts with brute force, do you?" Nab asked.
"That's kind of how Master settled them, right?" Retorted Lucy.
"Oh... yeah." Max groaned, realizing how right she was.
"Hey, guys, listen up. This fight put an idea in my head, and I'm afraid the guild has got a serious problem on our hands." Gray announced.
"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked.
"Gildarts and Laxus are still powerhouses, but no one else has kept up, strength wise. A lot of us were asleep for seven years, while everyone here was training."
Lucy said, "Yeah, you got a point. I mean, Natsu came really close to getting shown up by Max of all people."
"Yeah, you're right, and he's really weak." Wendy replied.
Downcast, Max said to himself, "At least she was nice enough not to say it to my face."
Happy pondered, "I wonder if anyone knows a way for us to give our magic a super-fast boost."
OOO
After forty-five minutes of walking, Gray, Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Happy and Carla arrived at the hollowed out tree which was the home of Porlyusica, the wizard healer. Porlyusica took one look at all of them, and retreated back into her house and slammed the door.
"Scram!" She yelled at them through the door.
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am! But we were wondering if you might have any potions that could help us." Lucy shouted back in her cheeriest voice, trying to get things on track.
"Like maybe something that can make us all a million times stronger." Natsu added.
"There's probably no way it'd be that easy." Countered Gray.
Carla looked to Wendy who was being a bit quiet, and found the normally effervescent young girl with a pensive look on her face.
"What's the matter, child? You seem upset."
With a dismayed look on her face, Wendy shook her head and gave a small grunt in the negative. Porlyusica then opened her door, came back out, and gave them all an angry, imposing glare.
"You know I hate people, so get lost! Shoo! Shoo!" She screamed as she waved her broom at them.
"I've had enough brooms already!"
"Sorry to bother you!" Lucy shouted over her shoulder as they all ran away.
"Why does she hate us?!" Natsu asked.
"Is it 'cause she and Gramps used to date?" Gray speculated.
"We weren't a couple, you fool!" Porlyusica yelled after them.
Wendy suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the older woman. She and Porlyusica shared a moment of eye contact before Wendy continued on after her friends.
OOO
Back at the guild hall, Master Makarov had gathered Erza, Cana, Lishanna, and everyone else present at the moment in front of the bar. He stood atop of a stool, projecting like a regal baring with the air of a man about to make an important, but reluctant proclamation.
"The time has come, kids. I've done all I can in service to this guild. Allow me to introduce Fairy Tail's next master."
"You're really stepping down?" Cana asked.
"I'm honored, and I'll do my absolute best." Macao Conbolt said.
In the interim while everyone on Tenro Island had been missing, Macao had served as the guild's fourth master. Very few would have said it to his face, but no one who had stuck with Fairy Tail during those years would have even jokingly said he'd done a good job.
"It ain't you, ya dimwit." Wakaba, his oldest friend retorted.
Makarov went on, "Without further ado, I give you the fifth master of Fairy Tail, Gildarts Clive."
He gestured with his hand to his left, but where he had meant to find Gildarts, to everyone's surprise, Mirajane was standing in the man's place. Makarov grunted with dismayed shock before approaching the snowy-haired girl.
"Wh-where the hell is Gildarts?!"
"I'm not sure, but he left us a note." She replied cheerily.
Makraov opened it quickly, and his shock turned into an outright guffaw of incredulity as he began to read the letter out loud.
"To Makarov and all of my Fairy Tail family, I'm sorry, being master of the guild just ain't my style."
"WHAT?!" Makarov cried out while reading.
All the others began to laugh at the behavior that was so typically in character for Gildarts.
The letter went on, "But, since I have the rare opportunity to be in charge for a bit, there are two things I want to get done. First, I hereby reinstate Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail."
"He's got some kind of nerve." Makarov commented.
For his part, Laxus was blown away. After what he'd pulled in pitting everyone in the guild against each other, he'd thought he'd never be a part of the family again.
All he could say was a simple, "No way."
"Welcome back to the fold, old buddy!" Bickslow said.
"This is wonderful!" Evergreen cried and hugged Laxus' arm. "The Thunder Legion is back!"
"Yeah, that's true, I guess." Laxus said in a still stunned manner.
Through tears of joy, Fried said, "Thank you, Gildarts! This is a blessed day!"
Makarov became resigned to the idea. "Well, if that is the Master's wish, than so be it."
The letter than said, "And second, I hereby appoint Makarov Dreyar as Fairy Tail's sixth Master."
"But I just retired!"
Everyone in the room started laughing all over again.
"I guess you could say things have come full circle." Alzack said.
"It works for me." His wife, Bisca, added.
Their daughter, Asuka, than said, "Old mustache man's in charge."
"And that's a very good thing for us, sweetheart."
"It's time for me to hit the road again, but don't worry. I'll come back around when the mood strikes me. Take care everybody." The letter concluded.
Mirajane than went up to Cana, handing her a second envelope. "And this is for you."
She opened it, and inside was a card and another letter.
It read, "To my dear Cana, you probably think I'm being selfish. Maybe you're right. But if you ever need me, just use this card to get in touch. I'll come running back just as fast as I can. I promise.
Fairy Tail will always be my true home. That will never change. And I believe with all my heart that we'll be the number one guild in Fiore by the time I return. But gettin' us back on top isn't my responsibility, it's up to you guys. Makarov, that will be your final task as master. I'm counting on you to bring Fairy Tail back to it's former glory."
"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Cana exclaimed and tore the summoning card in two. "I told you, I'm just fine with the way things were, you deadbeat dad!"
Frustrated to no end, Makarov than burst out, "What does that lumbering fool mean 'my final task?!' After the stunt he pulled, I'll never let anyone else be master! I'll be this damn guild's master til the day I die! Somebody pour me a drink! That's an order!"
"Of course, sir." Mira told him.
"Well, he'll be in a rotten mood for a while." Macao quipped.
"What a man!" Elfman declared.
Max responded, "Wow, Elfman. Who would have guessed you'd say that?"
OOO
Back in the woods, Natsu and the rest were all taking a short, collapsed rest after their dash away from Porlyusica's house.
"Hey, who's brilliant idea was it to visit Porlyusica in the first place?" Lucy asked the group at large.
"Yours, genius." Happy told her.
"And she's usually so sweet and charming." Dripped sarcastically from Gray's mouth.
Natsu groaned with tiredness.
"I'd always heard she wasn't fond of people, but I never expected all that." Carla said.
"Apparently she's not too keen on cats, either." Added Happy.
Sitting rigidly on the ground, Wendy had tears forming in her eyes, and it didn't take but a second for the others to notice.
Gray asked, "Why are you crying, Wendy? Did that old lady scare you?"
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Lucy tried to reassure her.
"That witch made Wendy cry? She'll pay for that!" Natsu said sternly.
Wendy quickly shook her head 'no.' "It's not like that! She's just so familiar!"
"What?"
"Have you two met before?" Carla asked.
"I don't really know how to explain it, exactly. It sounds strange, but it's the truth. Her voice and scent, they're so much like Grandina's."
Wendy's words gave them all an understandable start and it was a good few seconds before anyone recovered. When they spoke again, Gray was the first.
"Are you trying to tell us that she's Grandina?"
"How could a regular person have the same voice and scent as a dragon?" Lucy asked anyone.
"Is that really even possible?" Happy asked Carla.
"I haven't the foggiest." She answered.
"Yeah, Wendy, what do you mean?" Natsu asked.
Wendy sniffled. "I don't know. But, she's so familiar. It's confusing. She sounds and smells exactly like my mother, the Sky Dragon, Grandina."
"I say we go back there and ask her what's going on." Natsu said and immediately turned to head back.
"Wait, Natsu." Gray said. "If she's the human version of Grandina, there's a few things that don't add up. Just think about it for a second."
Lucy took over then. "Well, first of all, both of your dragons disappeared without a trace at the same time, and don't forget that the dragon that raised Gajeel also disappeared on the exact same day. All in the year seven-seventy-seven, which was fourteen years ago, but Master Makarov has known Porlyusica way longer than that. They were friends back when they were both fairly young, so that means she and Grandina were around at the same time. It just doesn't add up. I wish it could be true, but there's just no way they could be one and the same."
"I guess that counts out any kind of reincarnation or transformation." Gray said.
Natsu grunted, thinking about it all.
"You know, when you stop and explain it all, it really doesn't make any sense. Besides her voice and the way she smells, her attitude is completely different." Wendy said.
Carla said, "From all the stories you've told me, your dragon was actually quite kind to people."
"Wait a second. You think maybe it's because she hates cats?" Happy uselessly asked.
Wendy then stood back up. "Grandina was nice. She didn't hate anybody."
"Sorry, but it's kinda hard for me to imagine a nice dragon." Gray said, honestly having a tough time picturing it.
"Especially after our run in with Acnologia." Lucy added.
"Igneel was usually pretty nice." Natsu chimed in.
"Sorry if my attitude offends you." A voice said from behind them.
They all whipped around to see their subject of discussion standing right there.
"Miss Porlyusica!" Lucy exclaimed.
"You scared the crap out of me!" Gray said.
Wendy took a curious, but cautious step closer to the older woman.
"There's really no use in hiding it anymore, so I might as well tell you my big secret." Porlyusica began. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but I'm not the dragon that you seek. I'm just a human being, same as you."
Wendy couldn't help but let out an almost inaudible whimper of disappointment. For just a second, she'd really allowed herself to believe that she just maybe might have found her beloved mother again.
"But, why do you hate humans so much?" Natsu asked.
"Because they ask too many stupid questions!"
"Sorry."
She went on, "I'm afraid I can't tell you where your dragon is. I simply don't know. The fact of the matter is, we have no direct connection whatsoever."
"Then how do you explain your similarities?" Lucy asked.
"You're familiar with the alternate world of Edolas, are you not?" Porlyusica asked. "Rumor has it that you've been there. I heard that you even met your counterparts. Saw how our worlds correlate."
"How do you know about Edolas?" Gray asked.
"I think I get it." Lucy said.
"Wait, hold on." Natsu uttered, catching on.
"Oh my!" Carla uttered softly.
"Every living being in Earth-Land has a counterpart there, including dragons, so one could argue that I'm the Edolas version of your friend, Grandina. I am not from this world, but I found myself here several decades ago."
"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped at once.
"You're the Edolas Grandina?" Carla asked, fully perplexed.
"Like a human version of a dragon?" Happy asked.
Wendy looked up at Porlyusica with a mixture of confusion and wonder.
"I was confused when I arrived, but Makarov came to my aid. The peacefulness and beauty that I discovered here quickly endeared me to Earth-Land, so even though I had several opportunities to return to Edolas, I made the decision to call your world my home."
"Does this mean that Igneel and Metalicana have human versions back in Edolas too?!" Natsu blurted out. "Maybe they crossed over just like you did!"
"I have no idea. I've never encountered them. However, I did have a chance to speak with the Sky Dragon."
Wendy gasped and leaned closer, her attention unable to be pulled away from Porlyusica.
"Although, we didn't meet in a traditional sense; it was more mysterious. She spoke directly into my mind by way of telepathy. You originally came here seeking out a means to gain power. I may be able to help Wendy in that regard, but only her."
Porlyusica then pulled a thick and tightly bound stack of papers out from the red cloak tied around her shoulders.
"The Sky Dragon dictated this book of spells to me. It contains, among other things, the Sky Dragon spells 'Milky Way,' and 'Shattering Light Sky Drill.' Two Dragon Slayer secret arts she never got a chance to teach you."
Wendy reached out and gingerly accepted the book. In her hands, it felt a tiny bit heavy, but that weight gave it a sort of mental solidity and comfort as well, to know that her mother had left her so much knowledge.
"I don't know what to say. Grandina really did this?" Wendy asked.
"She asked me to give it to you, should you ever come to visit. Those are powerful spells. Extremely dangerous, so be sure to exercise great caution." Porlyusica said as she turned and began to depart.
Wendy dashed forward a few steps and bowed halfway down in deep appreciation.
"Thank you so much Miss Porlyusica!... Miss Grandina!"
The Fairy Tail wizards couldn't see it, but Porlyusica held a rare smile on her face as she walked away.
OOO
Back at the guild hall a little while later, everyone there was still on the subject of what Gildarts had said in his letter.
Warren said, "Gildarts is out of his mind. He thinks we can beat Fiore's number one guild?"
"It's gonna take some kind of miracle to pull that off." Max agreed.
"I don't think it's impossible. Besides, we should rise to the challenge." Erza said, entering the conversation.
"That's a pretty tall order."
"Yeah. Things are different these days."
"Sabertooth would be tough to beat." Alzack said.
"Not to mention that even the Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus guilds have gotten a lot more powerful over the last seven years." Bisca said.
Held in her mother's arm, little Asuka said, "All of them are super awesome."
"We are a lot better off now that we some of our major players back in action." Vijeeter said, thinking it out.
Continuing the train of thought, Laki said, "But the fact of the matter is you guys are still seven years behind everybody else."
Behind her, Levy grunted and sagged her shoulders. She knew how right Laki really was.
"Don't worry, Levy. You'll always be number one in our book." Her teammates, Jet and Droy said in unison.
"You have to admit, that's a substantial training gap." Macao said from his spot sitting at the bar.
"Whether you're talking about individual strength or the guild's overall power, we still have a long way to go." Wakaba said beside him.
"I see your point. Even though we do have Logan as a new member, it seems it'll take a good amount of time and training to reclaim our standing." Erza said.
Macao's son, Romeo Conbolt, suddenly jumped up onto a nearby table. There was a resoluteness in his eyes as he spoke.
"I waited for you guys for seven whole years! I'm sick and tired of waiting for something to happen!"
His father called his name, trying to get Romeo to settle down, but the young wizard pressed right on with his statement.
"There's totally a way for us to be number one again! You all know what it is!"
"What?"
"No way kid!"
"Ugh. Come on!"
"No!" Macao declared sternly, getting up from his stool. "Didn't I tell you we'd never take part in that again?!"
"And what might this thing be Fourth Master?" Makarov asked.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that, Sixth Master."
OOO
Out in front of the guild hall, Logan brought his magic-cycle to a complete stop a few feet away from the main doors. Two and a half hours of riding just to take a note to Clover Town, deliver it to the Blue Pegasus guild and come back. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, and greatly needed to sit down on something besides a motorcycle seat. This one hadn't been so bad though, really. He'd had longer rides.
"Hey man, you're back!" He heard Natsu shout
Logan turned around to see Wendy, Natsu, Happy, Carla, Gray and Lucy all walking up the path behind him. He decided they must have been coming from somewhere to the north, because he otherwise would have passed them on the road from town.
"Hey." Logan said. "Where are you all coming from? I thought you had to work around here."
"Yeah, we did, but we got enough done that we were able to take a little trip of our own. We were tryin' to see if we could maybe score some kind of power boost from this witchy lady we know who lives in the woods." Gray explained.
That sounded a bit odd to Logan, so the question just came out, "And how did that go?"
"Total wash for most of us, but Wendy here came away with something." Lucy answered.
"Oh yeah? What is it you got, Wendy?"
He looked down to make eye contact with Wendy and saw that she was clutching a book of some kind tightly to her chest.
"Something really nice from my mother."
He then stood there patiently for a few minutes as Wendy gave him a short, abridged version of what had happened and what she'd come back with. Logan wasn't really sure why, but something about Wendy's story was striking some kind of chord in him. He could tell there was something deep about what he was feeling, but he couldn't seem to place what the emotion was or why he was feeling it. But whatever it was, he could see how much this development was doing for Wendy, and even though he kept a straight face, he figured this must be what it was to feel good for someone else.
When she was done with her story, Logan leaned down to be level with her and said, "That's really great, Wendy. If... uh... if you ever want, you know, help with any of those or just someone to train with we could... see how it goes."
"Oh, really, Logan?! That's so great! Thank you!"
Without thinking, Wendy flung her arms around him in an ardent hug, and while Logan had felt unsettled with the action the first time she hugged him, that sensation seemed more fleeting this time. This time, it just felt even nicer than it had before. They each let go after a few seconds and Logan straightened to his full height.
"By the way, how'd it go taking that note to Blue Pegasus?" Gray asked him.
"Yeah, no worries. Just took it there and came back."
"Come on! Let's go in! After that fight and everything else, I'm starving!" Natsu declared.
"It sure has been a day." Gray said.
They all started the few final feet to the door, but before she was out of reach, Logan took Lucy by the arm and pulled her in for a private conference.
"Uh, there was this little guy at Blue Pegasus who kept trying to smell me. What exactly does 'parfume' mean, and is there anything I need to be worried about?"
Between the serious look on Logan's face and recognizing instantly who he was referring to, Lucy couldn't help but let out a laugh that was a touch too loud.
"Don't worry about it, Logan! His name's Ichiya and he's totally harmless. Trust me, he seems weird, but he's fine."
Logan thought that Lucy seemed certain enough about that, and that laugh sure said a lot, so he decided he'd take her word for it.
"Yo, guys! We're home! And Logan's with us." Natsu declared after pushing the double doors open.
"Hey. How'd it go? You guys pick up anything worthwhile?" Max asked.
"Well, Wendy sure did." Lucy said.
"You don't make the rules anymore, so just get over it! It's up to Makarov!" Romeo shouted at his father.
"I'm expressing myself as a member of the guild!" Macao yelled back.
"What's the fuss about this time?" Gray asked.
"Seems like typical teenage rebellion to me." Carla said.
Logan was watching the scene, than happened to notice Gray, than did a double-take back to the front doors.
"Wait a minute. Didn't you have a shirt on before we came in?" He asked anyone.
"Those of you with me, say 'aye!'" Macao bid the assembly and put his hand up.
Six of those present all joined in with him.
"I don't ever want to go through that crap again." Alzack said, holding his hand up.
"That has got to be the most embarrassing thing in the world." Bisca said, joining her husband.
Romeo, however, wasn't backing down from trying to convince everyone.
"But we've got the Tenro team this time! Natsu and Erza and all those guys! We've even got Logan now and he smoked Natsu! There's no way we're gonna lose with them on our side!"
Warren asked, "Haven't you been paying attention? They all missed out on seven years of training! And Logan refuses to show anyone his magic, so we don't even know what he can do besides throw a punch."
Once again, Levy had a moment of doubt in her abilities that showed upon her face.
"You're awesome, Levy! Don't listen to those jerks!" Droy told her.
"So, what exactly are we talking about doing or not doing here, anyway?" Natsu asked.
Romeo told him, "While you guys were all stuck on Tenro Island, a tournament was started to determine Fiore's number one guild."
"Sounds like a whole lot of fun to me!" Natsu said, growing excited.
"Guilds from all over the country face off against each other in magic events. They call it the Grand Magic Games!"
"Oh, yeah!"
"That sounds totally amazing!" Lucy said.
"Yeah, I'd love to play some games." Wendy enthused.
"So, it's more like a kind of magic festival?" Gray asked.
"I understand." Erza said. "Sabertooth is known as the top guild in Fiore these days because they won the last go-round."
"That's right. But if we can beat them and win the games this time, we'll be number one instead!" Romeo hammered his point home.
"That would be nice, but I'm not entirely sure we can win given our current state of disarray." Makarov pondered the issue.
"That's my point exactly!" Macao wasn't going to give up his position lightly.
"Yeah, but if we do win, the guild will get like thirty-million jewel in prize money." Romeo said.
"We're in!" The Master proclaimed.
"Seriously?!"
"But Master, it's gonna be really hard!"
"There's gonna be tons of powerful guilds that compete each year!"
"And don't forget that we've come in dead freakin' last every time we've entered." Jet said.
"That is just pitiful!" Elfman chided.
"Well, this year we'll just have to beat all those other guilds to a pulp!" Makarov asserted confidently.
Natsu hopped up on a table, letting a ring of fire blaze from a clenched fist.
"Sabertooth thinks they're hot stuff?! We'll just see about that!"
"Put a cork in it, Natsu!"
Natsu jumped down and asked, "So, when do this thing go down, anyway?"
"It kicks off in three months!" Romeo answered.
"That's plenty of time! But we have to start training ASAP! We're gonna put Fairy Tail back on top and no one's gonna get in our way!"
"Let's go!" Gray exclaimed.
Lucy said, "And if all of us start working together as a guild-"
"There will be no stopping us!" Erza finished her thought.
"I better start studying these new spells Grandina wanted me to learn, huh?!" Wendy said excitedly.
"It's about time we got a chance to cut loose!" Happy shouted while doing a little dance.
"It seems this guild is always looking to party." Carla observed.
"This is gonna be so freakin' manly!" Elfman hollered.
Cana spoke up, "Gildarts may get his wish. We could be the top dogs in Fiore again very soon."
"This is gonna suck!" Droy whined.
"Please tell me you're joking." Echoed Jet.
"Come on, guys. Where's your team spirit?" Levy asked them.
"Um, this is really not a good idea." Alzack tried for anyone listening.
"I don't think you guys understand. The games are not your typical kind of fighting tournament." Bisca said.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Natsu asked.
"It's absolute hell." Warren moaned.
"Now that the final decision's been made, there's no need for all this moaning and groaning. So let's get to work! Let's win that thirty-million jewel and the title of Fiore's number one guild! Fairy Tail is entering the Grand Magic Games and aiming for the top!" Makarov announced with finality to the decision.
While everyone else cheered, Logan had a pensive look on his face. He wasn't so sure about this. He'd overheard about the Grand Magic Games from a few people in passing before then, but from everything that had just been said, it did not sound like something he would willingly join. It sounded like a lot of people, a lot of cameras, and many multitudes of eyes all staring right at him. The amount of scrutiny he and the rest of them would be under was boggling to his mind. Logan felt that it was a foregone conclusion that if he were a part of this, there was no way he'd be able to keep his secrets to himself for much longer. At the same time, his mind was reaching back to his apartment, and the paint.
Erza then turned his way and took easy note of the look on his face, which was a peculiar combination of fear, introspection, and apathy.
"Logan, what do you think about this? About the games and all of it?" She asked.
Logan raised his eyes to look into her face, and saw nothing but openness and a willingness to listen. His gaze then started to travel around the room. Wendy was already starting to study her new spells at the bar. Lucy was consulting a map with Levy on the far wall, and he guessed she was picking out a place for them to train. Gray and Natsu were glaring at each other like they'd start sparring right then if there weren't so many people in the way.
Erza, Wendy, Lucy, Gray, and Natsu. Each of them showing him friendship despite his not sharing of himself. Each of them who'd already either helped him or at least helped him feel a little at ease, and each of them with a print of their hands on his wall in paint. He kept going to back to that paint and how Wendy's little accident had caused him to start something within their own team that he didn't stop. He knew he could have, that the others would have shown him compassion and understanding if he'd asked them not to, but that didn't change the facts. He'd still chosen to come with them, chosen to join them, chosen to live in the town, and accepted an enduring symbol of them being placed on his walls.
"My walls." He thought with an almost mental laugh. "You never had that thought before. No matter what reservations you have, it's a little late to back out of it now."
"I... I'm, uh, still not ready to... to tell you guys about me... or my magic-" Logan told himself to stop pausing so much. "But, I'm a part of Fairy Tail now too, so... so I'll do my best for you guys if you... need me."
Having said that, Logan almost felt like he'd accepted a second guild mark, and he couldn't tell whether that made him feel relieved, or terrified to his core.
Erza placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting look. "I'm sure you'll make all of us proud when the time comes. I have faith in you."
OOO
A/N: That's it for another chapter. Getting close to the games and that time to meet their competition from all the other guilds in Fiore. It's honestly a lot of fun to write these characters, so I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and if you have any constructive criticism at all, I'd be happy to hear it.
