Here's the next chapter for you guys! Enjoy and happy reading!
Chapter 27
Magnolia
For the next hour or so, we walked along the road onward towards who knows where. We walked past a small desert and were now hiking up a mountain. We just so happened to see Osia. From where we were standing, it was a great view. It was a shame that we would never see it again. We gazed at it one last time burning the image in our eyes.
"It looks so small from up here," said Elfman. "It's a nice view, if only we weren't leaving under our circumstances."
"It's OK Elfman," said Lisanna. "Forget all about that place now. We'll find somewhere better to live."
"She's right," I said. "Things will be better Elfman. Don't worry."
Mira said nothing staring at the town. She gazed at it and then she started walking again.
"Let's go," she said quietly.
The three of us then followed suit close behind her. As we followed, I looked back one last time at the place of where I once called home. I remembered all the times I had. The good memories I made. I couldn't help but think how much I was gonna miss living there. Most of all, I was gonna miss the friends I made. Tu Chi, Finn, and Sieri mostly. However, I turned away and started walking again.
"Goodbye Finn. Goodbye Tu Chi. Goodbye Master Tu Chi," I thought to myself. "I don't know if I'll see you guys again, but someday... I hope to see you all again. Take care."
And then I followed the Strauss siblings leaving Osia behind us for good.
We walked, and we walked, and we walked some more. We walked past valleys, forests, and even the shores of various beaches. Once every now and again, we passed by a couple travelers who happened to be walking by either going about their own business or needing help. At first, they were friendly, but when they saw Mira and her transformed hand, they looked at us like we were a band of monsters with fear or disgust and walk away. It was to be expected, so we just kept on walking.
Eventually, we came into a forest with the sun setting over the horizon signaling that another day was coming close to an end. We decided to rest and sleep for the night. I managed to make a fire for us to keep us warm and I caught a couple fish, so we could have something to eat. After we ate, we all went to bed. Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman went to sleep while I stayed up a little keeping watch, so we wouldn't be attacked by some strange animal.
As I kept watch over them, I stared up into the sky. It was dark with the stars twinkling and a crescent moon to go with it. I let my mind wander thinking about what our next move should be. We didn't exactly have a location as to where we should go. We were pretty much wandering around trying to find another place to live. It really didn't occur to me where we were going or what we were going to. I touched my necklace touching the stone.
"Mama... what would you do in a situation like this?" I wondered to myself.
Then I looked back at the fire, I noticed that someone was awake sitting by the fire. That someone was Mira. She was sitting by the fire staring sadly into it. She uncovered her cloak revealing her demon hand. As she stared at it, her sad look slowly changed into one of anger and sadness as if she was cursing herself for having her hand the way it was. Her eyes them started to well up with tears and she began to cry sobbing quietly. Hearing her made me come back to the fire.
"Mira... are you OK?" I asked.
Mira hurriedly wiped her tears trying to make it look like she wasn't crying.
"I'm fine... I just couldn't sleep that's all," she said.
"Mira you don't have to lie you know," I said gently sitting next to her. "You have the right to cry."
"I wasn't crying," said Mira looking away.
"Yes, you were. I heard you from where I was standing," I said. "Besides you don't have to be strong for me and your siblings' sake. My Mama once told me that those who cry are not weak. It's because that they've been strong for too long and clearly you've been strong for a long time now."
Mira said nothing. Then I wrapped my arms around her and embraced her in a tender and tight hug.
"It's OK. You can cry," I said quietly.
Mira was frozen for a moment then she wrapped her arms around me and buried into my shoulder and began to cry again. This time she let the floodgates open and began to cry without any restraint, but quietly enough so that Lisanna and Elfman wouldn't her hear. I kept embracing her and petted her head soothing her like a father with his child or in this case a brother with her sister.
After we got some sleep, we were off on the road again. We continued to walk aimlessly without having any idea of where we should go. Sometimes we got caught up in the weather, so we took shelter under trees or abandoned house. The rain was a good way to replenish my magic power since I was the only one so far that knew magic although it was a little bland for rainwater.
I didn't know how long or how many days we walked, but eventually we came into a large town. It was certainly bigger than any other town I've seen before or been to. The town had a bit of a western look mostly like the medieval times I read in my storybooks when I was little. There were also lots of people walking around going about their daily lives. One thing was for sure, this town definitely looked better than Osia. Way better.
"Wow... I wonder where we are?" I wondered out loud.
"I don't know," said Elfman. "But this place looks nice."
"I know. It is. Not to mention that the people look so happy here," said Lisanna. "Right Mira?"
Mira didn't say anything, but she answered with a small smile. At least it meant that she liked this place too. I came up to a man who was walking by.
"Excuse me sir, but can you tell me the name of this town?" I asked. "Me and my friends a new here."
The man smiled kindly. "Of course. This town is called Magnolia. One of the most prosperous towns in Fiore well known for its magic."
"Magic huh?"
"Yes. This town is loaded with people and wizards and we even have a guild here."
Upon hearing that, I suddenly had an idea. If there was a guild here, then maybe there was a wizard that can figure out something about Mira's arm and cure her.
"Well, in any case, thank you very much, sir. I appreciate it."
"Anytime son."
We walked around in town for a little while taking in everything that Magnolia had to offer. Then we happened to look inside one of the buildings. Inside we saw four kids that were probably around Elfman's age. Two boys and two girls. One of the girls was a brunette having her hair in a ponytail with long bangs at the side wearing an orange dress. The other had blue hair that was as long as her shoulders with a yellow shirt and brown skirt. For the boys, one had black spiky hair and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and had a strange blue symbol on his right pec. The other boy had spiky pink hair with a red long-sleeved shirt with yellow shorts and a long white scarf around his neck. From the looks of things, they were all talking about something having a good time.
"Well hello there. Is there something that you kids need?"
The four turned to the voice that suddenly spoke to us and there standing next to us was an old man. He was short, had a long white mustache with hair coming out from the rims of his head to match, wore an amber-green shirt with a black coat, and was holding a wooden staff with a pink stone with a black smiley face on it.
"Oh sorry about that sir," said Elfman. "We were just passing through."
"Why don't you kids go in?" said the old man. "You all seem like you have been through a long journey. You can stay here for a while and rest up."
The four of us looked at each other. Then we decided to take up on the old man's offer and went inside. When we came in, the inside seemed to be bustling with people inside. Everyone seemed so happy and cheerful merrily going about their way either chatting, drinking beer, and showing off their magic. There was also a request board just like the one we had back in Osia. Only this one was a lot bigger and had a lot more request papers. Me and the Strauss siblings looked around in surprise and awe.
Then the four kids who we saw before came up and greeted the old man warmly.
"Hey, there master. How's it going?" asked the brunette girl.
"I'm just fine Cana," said the old man. "Thank you for asking."
"Who are those four?" asked the kid with black hair. "Are they new members or something?"
"Who knows?" said the old man. "Maybe they are. I just brought them in because they came from a long journey is all. Figured they could take this time to rest up."
"They certainly don't look like any people I've seen in town before," said the blue haired girl.
Then suddenly the pink haired boy came up to me. He looked at me up and down looking at me suspiciously.
"Um... is something wrong?" I asked.
The pink haired boy looked at me and sniffed at me like he was checking my scent. "You smell like fish."
That made everyone look at the boy like he just said something offensive.
"Natsu! What the heck are you doing?!" said the spikey black kid. "What are you a bloodhound?!"
"Well he does," said the pink haired kid. "He smells like a ton of fish."
"Well that doesn't mean that you have to be rude and say it to his face like that," said the blue haired girl. "You're being rude."
"Please excuse him," said the spiky black-haired kid. "He's always been a bit of a brainless moron. Don't worry. The rest of us are normal unlike him."
"It's no big deal," I said. "I do eat a lot of fish, so it's only natural that I smell like one."
"But... Gray? You're just as abnormal as Natsu is you know," said the brunette.
"Oh? And how is that Cana?"
"Your clothes?"
As the brunette pointed to the boy with spiky hair's shorts which turned out to be boxers, the boy looked down and his eyes went wide.
"What the heck?! When did that happen?!" the boy yelped.
"Ha! Now, who's the brainless moron you pervy flasher!" sneered the pink haired kid.
"What was that!? If you got a problem pinky, then say it to my face!" snarled the spiky back haired kid getting in the pink haired kids face.
"I think we both know you heard me you big mouthed streaker!" the pink haired kid shot back grinding his face right into the spiky hair kid's.
The two of them then started to fight like a pair of dogs. The four of us just stared at the two of them as they went at it looking completely shocked.
"Please don't mind them," said the brunette. "Natsu and Gray have always butted heads ever since they first met."
"No kidding," said the blue haired girl.
Me, Lisanna, and Elfman continued to watch the boys named Natsu and Gray kept going at it with each other. Mira, on the other hand, stayed silent pretending not to notice. Just then another girl came up. She looked to be about Mira's age, wore armor on her upper body with wore a white skirt and a sword, and had brilliant scarlet hair in a braid.
"Natsu! Gray! Are you two fighting again?!" she barked.
She stepped in the middle of their fight and then gave them both a hard push right on top of their heads resulting them both separating making both of the necks give sharp crack as their necks popped their heads turning to the side.
"Yowch... that looked like it hurt," mumbled Elfman.
"I think it did," said Lisanna.
"How many times do I have to tell you two?" said the redhead. "No fighting in the guild hall. Got it?"
"Hey, Erza! Butt out! Why do you always have to butt in?!" snapped Gray.
"Yeah! You wanna fight too?!" demanded Natsu.
Then Erza gave them a sharp glare that made the two of them pale in fear.
"What was that?" she spoke in a low voice.
"N-n-nothing," the two boys said nervously looking away.
"Good," said the redhead.
"Wow... she stopped them from fighting in a glare," I thought to myself. "That's pretty impressive."
"These people seem a little bit crazy," said Elfman in a low voice.
"Oh come on Elfman. They seem like nice people," said Lisanna. "Especially that Natsu guy. He seems really funny and cute. Right, Mira?"
Once again, Mira didn't say anything. Then I suddenly remembered. Since this Makarov guy was the master of this guild, he was bound to know a lot of magic. Therefore, he could help Mira with her situation.
"Hey guys," I said getting the Strauss siblings attention. "Let's talk to that Makarov guy about Mira's arm."
"What?!" said Mira in a hushed yell. "Why?! Have you forgotten how people reacted when they saw my arm?!"
"I know, but this is different. This is a guild, right? And that Makarov guy is the master of this guild. That means that he knows a lot of magic and spells and stuff," I explained. "If we can have him look at your arm, then maybe he can help get your arm back to normal Mira."
"Oh yeah!" said Elfman his face brightening up a little.
"That's a good idea," said Lisanna.
"You think so?" asked Mira.
"Why not? It's worth a try," I said. "Let's go ask him."
We then went up to Makarov who was now drinking a cup of beer at the bar.
"Excuse me Makarov sir," I said. "There's something we need to ask you regarding a problem we have. If you have time of course."
"What is it?" asked Makarov.
I signaled Mira to go ahead and show her arm. At first, she was a bit reluctant, but Mira uncovered her cloak and showed her demon arm to Makarov and then we explained what happened. When we finished Makarov inspected Mira's arm.
"Well? Is she possessed?" asked Lisanna worriedly.
"Don't worry," said Makarov. "Your sister is not really possessed by a demon. It's just a Take Over spell. That's all."
"Take Over spell? What's that?" asked Elfman.
"It's hard to explain exactly, but it's a spell that allows the user to basically take over an entity of their choosing as long as they know that entity well. I'm sure that having that arm must have given you quite a fright, but your body just has the power of a demon. So, there's nothing to worry about."
"You mean... Mira can use magic now? That's great!" I said.
"So having that arm is a good thing!" said Lisanna. "That's wonderful news! Isn't it great Mira?"
"I... guess so," said Mira hesitantly looking at her demon hand.
Elfman, Lisanna, and I were overjoyed that Mira wasn't possessed by a demon and now had just awakened her magic power, but Mira didn't seem all too happy about it.
"Say you kids planning on staying here?" asked Makarov. "If you like you're more than welcome to stay here if you like."
"Really?" I asked. "You don't mind having us stay here?"
"Of course not," said Makarov kindly. "Fairy Tail is open to anyone who is lost or astray. If you want to stay then by all means."
"Well OK then," I said smiling. "I guess we're staying here a while guys."
"Yay!" cheered Elfman and Lisanna.
The three of us were happy that we now had a place to call home, but Mira, however, stayed silent.
Then suddenly the boy with pink hair came sailing in heading right for me letting out a scream came right at me with a fist aimed for my face. I immediately ducked out of the way dodging the punch.
"What the heck?! What are you doing kid?!" I yelled.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" said the pink haired boy. "I'm gonna fight you fish boy!"
"But why?! I don't wanna fight you! Besides, why do you wanna fight me in the first place?!"
"To see how strong you are! Someone's gotta show you who's the top dog around here and that top dog is me! So, come on and fight me!"
"What kind of reason is that to fight me?!"
"Just shut up and fight!"
The pink haired kid leaped at me with another punch, but I tilted my head and dodged it. The kid went flying past me skidding on the floor and then came at me with a kick. I crossed my arms and blocked the attack and forced the kid back.
"Hey! Natsu! Knock it off already!" said the brunette.
"He doesn't wanna fight so calm down!" said the blue haired girl.
The pink haired boy named Natsu didn't listen. He kept coming at me trying to land a hit on me, but I parried, blocked, or dodged all of his attacks with ease making Natsu start getting frustrated.
"Come on you fish smelling jerk! Stop running and dodging and fight me!"
"I won't! And give it a rest with the fish smell!"
He leaped towards me again and I prepared to defend myself. Then I suddenly began to get a feverish feeling in my head.
"Oh no," I thought. "Not my fever again."
At that moment Natsu lunged at me with another kick aiming right for my face although I didn't see him coming at the time.
"Ha! Now I got you fish boy! You're going down!" he cried as he came sailing at me with his foot raised.
It seemed that Natsu would connect, but then I bent down holding my head trying to get myself in order. When I bent down, Natsu went sailing right past me completely missing me. He kept flying until he crashed right into the last person he wanted to hit. Gray. The two of them collided crashing into a table and some chairs.
"Owie... that hurt..." groaned Natsu rubbing his head.
"What the heck Natsu!?" yelled Gray. "You trying to cheap shot me, you flame brained moron!?"
"What you say?! Besides I don't need to because cause I would've taken your sorry face head on!" Natsu yelled back.
The two got into each other's faces ready to get into another brawl.
"You looking for a fight you loud mouth lizard?!"
"Bring it on you lousy stupid pervert!"
The two of them once more began to fight more ferociously than before. Whenever one would attack, they would send him flying and the other retaliated with an attack that was just as forceful. It was like a fight you would see or imagine from a story. But I didn't notice all of this. After a moment, the feverish feeling subsided and I felt my senses returning to normal.
"What... what just happened?" I mumbled to myself. "My fever spiked again?"
Lisanna and Elfman rushed to my side.
"Willy? Are you OK?" asked Elfman worriedly.
"You were lucky you dodged that one," said Lisanna. "That was amazing."
"That was just a fluke," I said straightening up. "And don't worry. I'm fine. That kid over there just caught me by surprise is all."
I then turned towards Natsu and Gray who were still slugging it out with each other.
"What the heck? Those two are fighting each other again?"
"Yup," said Makarov. "But don't worry. This always happens. You'll get used to it after a while."
Then Erza stepped back into the fray.
"That's enough you two! Knock it off already!" she said.
The two boys glared at her.
"Mind your own business Erza!" snapped Gray.
"Yeah! Unless you wanna fight you jerk!" growled Natsu.
"Very well then," said Erza calmly. "Come at me."
"No way! She's really gonna take on the two of them at once?!" gasped Lisanna.
"This is getting a little out of hand," said Elfman. "Shouldn't someone stop them?"
I was about to step forward to try and stop the fighting, but Makarov stopped me.
"Now hold on there boy," he said. "Let Erza handle this."
"But it's two against one," I said. "That's not a fair fight."
"Those odds mean nothing to Erza," said Makarov. "Especially if it's a fight between those you. Trust me. It'll be over in an instant."
The two boys leaped towards Erza each of them with a fist aimed right for her, but like Makarov told me it was over in an instant. In the blink of an eye Erza each gave the two boys and strong and powerful punch on both of their heads with a mighty clunk. Natsu and Gray lied on the floor bruised and bemused each one having a lump the size of a baseball on their heads.
"Holy...moly..." I breathed.
"She...did end it in an instant," said Elfman.
"I don't know if I should be amazed or scared at this," said Lisanna.
"Now don't let me catch you two fighting again. Understand?" said Erza as she walked away leaving the two.
"You...got lucky..." groaned Gray.
"I'll...beat you next time...Erza," croaked Natsu.
"You see? There's one person you should not underestimate in this guild and that person's Erza," said Makarov. "She may be young, but she's quite the strong girl."
"So...it would appear," I said.
"You what? Why don't we stay here for a while?" asked Lisanna. "This place seems like a lot of fun."
"I don't know Lisanna," said Elfman. "They seem a little weird."
"Now, Now Elfman," I said. "Sure, they seem a little weird, but they're good people. I can tell by looking at them. Besides, we could use a place to stay and it happens to be at a guild hall and I've always wanted to join a guild. It'll also be a place where you guys can learn magic."
"I didn't think of that..." said Elfman his face brightening up.
"That sounds like a lot of fun!" said Lisanna. "I'd love to learn magic."
"What do you think Mira?" I asked turning to her. "You wanna stay here? That way you can learn how to use your magic."
"I... suppose so," said Mira. "If Elfman and Lisanna wanna stay then it's fine."
"Then it's settled then," said Makarov. "Stay however long as you like. You may even join the guild if you wish to do so."
"All right!" Me, Lisanna, and Elfman cheered.
NO POV
Willy, Elfman, and Lisanna were excited to stay here in the guild, but Mira, however, didn't look very happy. She looked at her demon arm and thought about what Makarov said. She was relieved that she wasn't possessed, but at the same time, she hated having it due to the trouble it caused for her, her siblings, and for Willy.
"This arm... it may be a good thing, but... I still don't want it..."
Now Willy and the Strauss siblings are now in Fairy Tail, but they're not in the guild itself yet!
Anyhoo if you have any ideas or tips, you know what to do!
Dragoman out!