Well, it's great to see the story gathering this much interest. Thanks for everyone who's read up to this point. Now, as they say, on with the show!
After the turnout of the rescue mission, the guild masters were more than happy to offer the Fairy Tail group a ride back to Magnolia, reasoning that it was the least they could do.
Makarov was as happy as he could be about the whole deal, having feared the worst only for his concerns to be averted. This was met by a mixture of exasperation and annoyance (Natsu and Gray) and shock-mostly from Lucy- who was reminded again of how destructive most of the group could be.
Things settled down to a more sedate pace. The group undertook a couple of more jobs together successfully, though unfortunately they couldn't always avoid the damage problems.
''I guess that one time was a fluke, huh?'' Nab teased Natsu. The story of their last job had gotten around the guild by now.
The teen bristled ''Hey, at least we actually do some work!''
''Don't say it like that! I'm waiting for the job that's perfect for me!''
''Yeah, yeah, like we haven't heard that one before...''
''He does have a point, you know.'' A teen with orange hair tied in a spiky pony tail remarked, this was Jet, a mage specializing in speed magic.
''Shut up!'' Nab retorted.
Lucy rolled her eyes as they began to argue, she wouldn't be surprised if it evolved into another brawl soon. She quickly learned that Happy and Belle had been absolutely correct and brawls were rather common in the guild.
Belle spotted a familiar wooden puppet nearby, making her perk up and fly closer, soon finding its owner. A mage dressed up in a knight outfit, with a helmet mostly covering his eyes. ''Hi, Bickslow!''
He looked over at her and grinned ''If it isn't Belle! Been a while, huh?''
''Yup, so you're all back now?''
''As it so happens, yes.'' A new voice answered, making her look over as they were joined by a teen with long green hair.
''Hey, Freed!''
The exuberant greeting drew a smile ''Good to see you again, Belle.''
''Then he actually had the gall to act all mad when the mess could've been averted if he hadn't played that stupid prank and gotten us kicked out of the shop. What was I supposed to do? I needed to find those shoes.'' A girl with long brown hair and a green dress told Mira with a huff. Her name was Evergreen.
Mira laughed a bit ''Typical Bickslow. At least you found some very good replacements and made sure he'd help you.''
A smirk ''Actually, that was satisfying...''
Gray noticed Riku making his way across a few members ''Yo, Elfman's looking chipper. I'm guessing you two had another sparring session?''
The brunet nodded 'He wanted to try something out.'
''Oh yeah? What happened?''
Riku's exasperation told him this could be funny 'His first idea didn't work so he wanted to try using the different properties of his take-overs. Which actually sounded good, till I realized he didn't exactly think how that was supposed to work...His newest attack wound up with me having to pull him out of a tree before it even really started.'
''Sounds like Elfman all right...''
''Laxus!''
The two started at the cry and looked at Natsu, seeing him staring down a young man with spiky blond hair who was on the second floor.
Riku raised an eye upon noticing the teen's expression 'He wouldn't...?'
''Who're you kidding, man? He would and we both know it.'' Gray deadpanned.
Natsu quickly wound up proving their rising suspicion true. ''Fight me!''
The blond rolled his eyes ''I told you already, give it a rest, Natsu.''
''No way, I want to fight!'' He jumped up and raised a fist. Laxus spared him an annoyed look before aiming his hand. A second later, Natsu was struck down by a bolt of lightning.
''Somethings really never change.'' Evergreen shook her head, likewise, none of the others even blinked. This was quite ridiculously common by name and none of them blamed the blond for being completely fed up.
''A little much, don't you think?'' Makarov asked Laxus.
''It's not my fault he won't take a hint, Gramps.''
''Fair point.'' The guild master conceded the point. After all, this was far from the first time such an event took place. Laxus wasn't the only one who had to be on the receiving end of Natsu's attempts to drag a fight out. Even found he found the boy's persistent attitude annoying.
''He really should just lay off...'' Jet shook his head.
''I can't see that happening at all.'' Droy, one of his partners and a user of plant magic, said.
Laxus happened to notice Riku then, the latter smiled and waved to which he smirked and nodded back. Since only S-class mages were allowed on the second floor and he really didn't have much to do there at the moment, he decided to come down.
''Damn it...he just got lucky...''
''You know, you should just be glad he left it at that. The old Laxus would've really done a number on you, remember?'' Happy pointed out as Natsu groused about his sudden defeat.
''Seriously, you had that one coming anyway.'' Gray stated.
Lucy blinked ''What does that mean? Laxus seems nice enough to me.''
She hadn't actually met their guild master's grandson yet but she was introduced to the Raijinshuu, his closest friends. They were certainly friendly and going by what they told her, Laxus seemed like an all right kind of guy. He was currently talking to Riku, the two clearly got along well. He seemed to be fairly close to Belle too, judging by the greeting they exchanged once she joined them.
''Well he is now, generally. He used to be a pretty big jerk before, Riku made friends with him and he's a lot better off.'' Happy informed.
Gray nodded ''He was a real pain before-a lot happened around then but Riku really helped him out, they've been close friends ever since.''
''Yup, thanks to that-we've really gotten to know him and the Raijinshuu. That's why those six get along so well.'' Happy added.
''I see...''
She was distracted when a girl with blue hair called her, this was Levy McGarden, whom she had met earlier today. The two had bonded quickly over their love of books and Levy had been very interested to hear that Lucy was writing a novel, leading the other girl to promise to let her be the first to read it. The two girls happily fell into another talk about books, delighted to discover that they had read a lot of the same novels.
The next day...
Levy had been on her way to the guild when she noticed Cubelios slithering near Riku and Belle's place, circling towards the garden. Curiosity prompted her to follow the snake, leading her to find Riku standing near some of the fruit planted nearby with Erza, Erik and Belle as Cubelios stopped near them.
''Good morning, what's going on?'' Levy saw the answer to her own question when she spotted the two baskets hanging nearby which held a lot of fruit. ''Oh, so you're harvesting now? Looks like a good haul.''
''Oh, it certainly is.'' Erza stated as she placed some strawberries in a bag she was holding before taking a bite out of one. ''Mm, amazing!''
Riku looked amused 'That's what you say every time.'
''That's because it's true.'' She returned without missing a beat. It was something they were used to, after all, everyone at the guild knew how much she loved strawberries.
Riku had taken it upon himself to learn how to grow fruit ever since Belle came to like it. Thus he made the fields once they were settled in their home. An unexpected boon happened after Makarov made a suggestion to sell some of their harvest, the idea worked out well and now it was a regular arrangement for them to divide their fruits to keep it up. The duo also made sure to divide the strawberries so Erza could have some, much to her delight.
''You know, if you're going to start looking into getting cake like last time, maybe Riku can make it for you.'' Levy suggested. Years ago, Erza had been sad and nothing they did could cheer her up. Riku wound up fixing that when he decided to try making her favorite cake. It was his first time even making any dessert so the result was somewhat messy but Erza had been thrilled. Levy thought the whole thing was very sweet.
''Oh, don't be silly. While I would undoubtedly enjoy that, I can't trouble him for it now.'' Erza stated.
''I'm sure you would, but he wouldn't mind.'' Erik countered.
Riku was about to agree but he was distracted when Belle flew over with a basket in hand, reminding him that they should finish putting their haul away. Their friends offered to help and so they all headed back to Riku and Belle's house.
Levy began to smile as she watched Erza talking to Riku ahead of them ''...I know Erza's going to be mad when she finds out but the bet really is understandable when you see them together.''
Erik snorted ''Tell me about it. I know for a fact that there are even people in town betting on if and how they'd get together.''
The bet had been something started by Cana a while back but it was soon catching on through the guild. She had been careful to make sure neither Riku or Erza found out but quite a bunch of people had decided to get in on this, betting on the circumstances on when and how they get together.
''Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.'' Levy remarked. Left unsaid was the fact that both would be leaving quite a few people disappointed if the bet came to pass. ''It's amazing how things come together. You know, I wouldn't have thought we'd all get along so well when we first met.''
Erik cracked a smirk ''Same here. Guess it's true, you never know what life would bring.''
Levy used to be shy when they were little and Erik and Erza both used to be fairly closed off. Erik had arrived at the guild sometime after them so the problem was just that he needed a little to get used to things. Erza was rather socially awkward, she hardly spoke to anyone. For quite sometime, Riku was the only one she was really even a little comfortable with and even then, she could be curt with him too.
Riku was similarly guarded around people, he rarely even spoke unless spoken to and he hardly ever smiled. But he took somewhat differently to Fairy Tail in that it had him intrigued, he seemed more open to learning about the guild and all its members. Slowly but surely, he began to open up to everyone. When one looked at it like that, they had truly come a long way since.
Laxus and Makarov were on the second floor, watching yet another brawl in the morning.
''How do they not get tired of this?''
The guild master sighed ''I don't think we'll ever find an answer to that.''
Detecting a new presence, Laxus' gaze traveled to the door ''Well, look who it is.''
Makarov blinked and followed his line of sight only to find a man clad in a dark blue cloak, with a green mask that covered his face, only leaving his eyes visible. This was Mystogan, one of the guild's class mages along with Laxus, Erza and Mira. ''Oh, good to see you again.''
''Likewise Master, Laxus.'' He returned, to which the latter offered a lazy wave. ''I see things are about as lively as ever.''
''That's one way to put it.'' Evergreen said with a scoff as she joined them, shortly followed by Lucy, both wanting to avoid the brawl.
''How about you take it easy? You know, I never did get a chance to see how you'd do in a drinking contest.'' Cana stated.
''I wouldn't be opposed a break...but that would just serve as a reason to leave.''
She gave him a flat look at the response ''You're still a stuck in the mud, Mystogan.''
''I'm pretty sure it's just that he has more sense to actually get in on those. As would anyone with common sense.'' Evergreen said dryly.
''Got that right.'' Laxus grunted.
Mira spoke up when the new arrival noticed Lucy ''Ah, this is our new member, Lucy.'' She smiled as the two exchanged greetings, though what Mystogan said left her curious.
''Ah, so you're the one from the stories?''
Lucy blinked ''Stories?''
''Something I heard recently-a couple of incidents involving our guild.''
Laxus looked amused and Evergreen smiled ''Oh yeah, I remember those...'' The first looked at Lucy. ''...apparently, people are under the impression that you knocked the vulcan out with a single kick.''
''Wait, what?!'' The girl gaped. ''That's crazy!''
''Maybe not so much. Given that people remember the tidal wave back in Hargeon and you being there, they assumed you were the cause.'' Mystogan added.
Lucy cringed, remembering what Aquarius did that day. She had to admit, Mystogan had a point. Well, at least that powerful attack would explain this ridiculous impression of her. ''...Okay, that's technically true...but still...''
''Rumors do tend to spin things out of hand.'' Mira mused.
''I'll say,'' Makarov agreed. ''In fact, those are positively tame to some of the stories I heard...''
Lucy glanced back at Mystogan's figure curiously ''So does he always go around with that mask?''
''For as long as we've known him.'' Mira replied. ''Only Master, Riku and Belle know what he really looks like...I'm not sure but Laxus might too, he never said much about it though.''
''I actually asked him about that,'' Cana piped up. ''Laxus just said he found out by chance but he's keeping quiet because Mystogan is convinced it's best that way.''
''Oh, I see...''
The subject of their conversation was currently talking to Riku and Belle, the latter of whom had just finished telling him about the recent success with their training. ''I'm glad to hear it. Your hard work has certainly paid off.''
'Props to the teacher.' Riku half-smiled.
''Yeah, it all worked because of you!'' Belle added and their friend inclined his head in thanks.
Erza smiled, enjoying the strawberry cake Mira made for her. It was good to see how close those three had become. No one could be quite sure why Mystogan had kept so much to himself at first and it had taken quite some time to get him to talk to everyone, but they knew he cared about them and the guild as a whole. Erza knew many of their friends didn't like that he was still so guarded but she thought this was a big improvement from before. She couldn't help but wonder why he seemed awkward around her even after becoming friends with Riku and Belle. While she doubted she would get an answer, she hoped she hadn't offended him in some way.
''Say, Erza...'' She looked over to see Elfman walking over. ''...did you see Natsu anywhere?''
She blinked ''Now that you mention it, no...at least not since this morning.''
''Yeah, same here...he was saying something about getting stronger so I thought I'd ask him if he wanted to join me and Riku in training.''
The redhead smiled ''That's nice of you. Well, I'm sure he'll turn up eventually.''
Freed nodded in approval when Riku finished creating a rune barrier ''Well done. And in such good time too, you really have gotten much better about this.''
'Well, it seemed like an interesting ability so I wanted to learn. Besides, it helps when there's a really good teacher.'
''Natsu?'' Both looked back at Makarov, seeing him cock his head. ''Oh yeah, I think he and Happy high-tailed it out of here before. He said something about plans for getting stronger.''
''I see...I wonder what that's about.'' Erza mused.
''Natsu and making plans?'' Gray snorted. ''Yeah, that'll work.''
''You don't have to say it like that.'' Erza scolded. ''It's good that he wants to work and improve.''
''No, Gray's right. Since when does he plan anything?'' Freed reminded.
''Yeah, with him it's typically some hare-brained idea. That usually equates to charging in, guns blazing.''
'You're just glad that he isn't here to bug you guys about a fight again.' Riku stated.
The blond didn't bother denying that ''Doesn't mean I'm wrong anyway.''
''It's that bad?'' Lucy had to ask. She did see proof that Laxus was right, she couldn't but wonder though.
''Afraid so. The problem with what Erza's saying is that he's been way too impatient to really work at training.'' Erik informed.
Gray nodded ''The end result should be something to see, anyway. That moron always causes a mess.''
Lucy would soon come to find out what those words were exactly on point...
Everything seemed to be all right at first, they noticed Natsu and Happy come back to the guild but nothing out of the ordinary happened. The duo traded some expectant looks, the former pausing upon seeing Mystogan talking to Riku and Belle.
''I'm sorry about this.'' He heard the S-class mage say.
But Riku shook his head 'Don't worry, we're the ones who offered to help, remember? Just leave it to us.'
''Yup, we'll be fine!'' Belle added.
''Thank you...''
''Oi, what're you guys up to?'' Natsu cut in.
''We're going on a job.'' The female cat replied, holding up the request in question.
Happy began to read it ''...An investigation?''
''The client wants someone to deal with this problem he's been having so he can finally start his own company. It says he'll explain more when we meet up.'' Belle picked up her bag. ''See you all later!''.
''Good luck!'' Mira smiled as the two waved before heading off.
''How come it's just the two of them going?'' Happy wondered.
''Well, the client asked for Riku specifically so they agreed it would be fine.'' Lucy stated. In her opinion, Riku and Belle were as much of a package deal as Natsu and Happy. She couldn't imagine either duo working without their respective partner on requests.
''Che, I thought we could find another job now...'' Natsu grunted. ''...well, things will work out!''
It wasn't until night time that everyone found out what Natsu's new plan entailed...
Lucy arrived at her apartment to find Natsu and Happy there, clearly having been broken again. Though she scolded them, of course it didn't seem to do much of anything.
''...What're you both doing anyway?''
''Training!'' Happy replied as he hefted a dumbbell about his size while Natsu was doing push-ups on the rug.
''We've gotta get stronger if we want to beat Erza and Laxus!'' He added.
She frowned ''That's fine and all but why can't you do it in your home?!''
''Well, we wanted to include you too. You're a part of the team after all.'' She gave him a puzzled look, only for him to hold up a pink dumbbell in response. ''How about it?''
''Not interested.'' This made her think back on Erik's words though, did this mean Natsu had changed his opinion on training?
''It's not just that. Look!'' Happy produced a job request.
''They want someone to break a curse on an island?'' A thought occured to her. ''Wait a minute, I checked the board before-this wasn't anywhere on it...''
''That might be because I took it from the second floor's board.''
''What?! But then that's an S-class request, right?'' Lucy blanched.
''Aye Sir!'' Happy chirped.
''Why are you so pleased?!''
''Aw, come on, Lucy. It's the best way to prove ourselves, if we do this job, I bet Master will see we're good enough for S-class!'' Natsu smirked.
''No, he wouldn't!'' Their friends had been right. Natsu really was too impatient. ''I don't want any part of this!''
''But...''
''No way, Natsu! This is crazy, you guys shouldn't have done this in the first place. You'll get in a whole lot of trouble!'' She turned her back to them. ''You're definitely on your own here.''
Both slumped at this and left the apartment, their expressions made her feel a little bad but not nearly enough to back down on this. Really, what were they thinking? This was idiotic, just thinking he could become S-class like that?
Shaking her head, the girl froze when she saw that they left the request paper here. ''Oh no! Why?! If people find out, they're going to think I'm involved too...!''
The blonde stopped upon seeing a familiar object drawn on the paper, something that freeze in her tracks. It couldn't be...!
But it was, part of the reward was a golden zodiac key!
Now she knew this was still a bad idea...but what were the odds of her finding another golden key so soon? Happy had given her Virgo's key a few days ago, having gotten it from Duke Everlue's place. But even that was very lucky...there were only twelve golden zodiac keys in existence. Lucy really doubted she could come across a chance like this again...she couldn't pass this up.
The thought cemented her decision and before she really knew it, she quickly packed a bag and hurried to catch up with Natsu and Happy.
''Guys, wait up!''
Some time later...
Belle exhaled as she put the staves they had just finished using in her personal dimension ''That takes care of that.''
'You good to keep going?' Riku wanted to ask.
''Sure am! Don't worry, I don't want to just watch while you take care of this.'' The female cat frowned as she glanced around at the barren area before their eyes. ''But man, this stuff sounds like a pain. Isn't there something else we can do beside close them up?''
'Mystogan said he's going to do something about the source-for now, I guess we'll keep it to damage control.'
''Yeah, probably for the best with this kind of damage...'' Belle grimaced. After all, the area around them had actually been part of a bountiful forest before...and yet look at it now, the difference was like night and day.
The two continued walking and Belle went on ''...so what do you think about the job anyway? This whole curse thing sounds weird.''
'Well, no wonder-I don't think we've ever come across something like that before. I can understand him being skeptic but if people have been afraid of the island where it's taken place for so long, there must be more to it.'
''True, I guess we'll find out when we get there.'' Belle decided.
Well, let's stop here.
I hope it was good. Hah, I wanted to try involving Mystogan more in general but I didn't think it would be this hard. It seemed a bit much to have him be relaxed around everyone but he's let up quite a bit here. But he's still guarded even around Riku and Belle. I hope I can do his character justice.
Correct me if I'm wrong but from my understanding, Edolas has been sucking up magic through a whole bunch of Anima over time and Mystogan has been closing them up. Riku and Belle are helping him with that, but they still don't know the whole story. They decided to help so he doesn't overwork himself again (like what happened when they began getting to know him) and they trust him to handle things on his end. I'm going to explain more about their new job and how it turned out like this next chapter, but yeah, it basically leads to them going to Galuna Island too.
The reason Laxus is different here has to do with an incident a few years back, which lead to Riku losing his voice and eventually, the two of them becoming friends. This, in turn, helped the Raijinshuu connect to the guild. So far as the four of them are concerned, Riku and Belle are honorary members of their team. The fourth arc is going to be an original one of mine, which is where I'll explain just what went down back then and the consequences of the incident will be revealed.
Well, that's all I have to say. Reviews will be much appreciated, I'd like to hear your opinions on the story so far, if you don't mind. Till next time!