Chapter 13: Devil's in the Details

With each passing day I spend in Fiore, I learn new things about myself and the world around me. The differences between what I've read in a book, and what is now real. There are times where I'll reflect on everything and how I got to this point. Hell, to this day I still don't remember how I died in my old world and ended up in this one. As my memories begin to blend together... knowledge becomes muddled. It's almost like the Taruko that died here, who's body I now inhabit - the memories of his experiences and short life override my previous one. It's kind of scary.

But then... I have to also remind myself that I am Taruko, for all intents and purposes. Just different. The merging of our souls created this new version of me. Hopefully for the better. Guess you could say this is some form of a... Take Over.

Ahaah... I'm starting to realize what Cana meant by me not being funny. That just makes me sad.

In any case, I'd discovered something interesting recently. I've been training extra hard over the past couple of days after my talk with Eliana. Hearing stories about my Mom, the things she's done, Eliana's struggles, and my promise to reach S-Class, made me far more determined than ever to push myself even further. This culminated into me realizing my magic had... changed. Or rather - my affinity for it has.

Wizards all have a Magic Origin - or Container, alongside their Second Origin, which normally remains dormant. Their Container is capable of storing Ethernano, which can take on different forms, hence different branches of magic. Or at least, that's my theory of it anyway. As we grow stronger and learn new spells, or learn new types of magic, our Container grows stronger alongside us. Like a muscle.

So basically, if someone learned Fire and Earth Magic and trained it hard enough, they'd develop a new affinity for Magma Magic or something.

My Container has transformed my primary affinity into something else. Initially it was Wind, with sword and weapon based magics as a supplementary. But now it was... chaotic, unstable, and powerful. Raging winds, fierce thunderstorms, and dangerous tides - as I looked within myself, I knew exactly what my magic had become.

Through learning Wind, Lightning, and Water Magic, I'd inadvertently developed an affinity for Storm Magic. The only character I knew of that had Storm Magic was Erigor, apparently, but even then, I only ever saw him use wind based spells.

Standing on a rock in the center of a lake, the crashing waves of the waterfall provided a soothing ambience for my training. I'd ran off to my personal favorite training spot alongside Pip. She was currently in the process of meditating, absorbing Ethernano into herself and expelling it. It was a basic exercise that Wizards practiced to strengthen their control over manipulating Ethernano and expanding their magic reserves.

Despite how excitable and naive Pip can be, she was really dilligent when it came to this kind of stuff. I guess that's why me and her clicked so much. And I'm glad. We make a really great team.

Pulling on my magic, I grit my teeth. I could feel the water around my bending to my will. I felt the sensation of lightning buzz across my skin, and the wind swirl around me pleasantly. I took in a deep breath and exhaled, flexing my Ethernano and exerting more of my magic. I watched as the water in the lake began to fly towards me, followed by the crackling of thunder and intense gales.

Holding out my hand, I forced the three elements to spiral around me like a chaotic shroud. My hand trembled as I tried to contain the brewing storm, my hair blowing back by the ferocity of the winds generated from my potent magic. This was... harder than it looked!

I grinned. But still... this felt good. I couldn't help but find the swirling vortex beautiful. My magic was beautiful. But it would be much harder to control now... but I wasn't gonna back down. This just motivated to train even harder to master it.

I deactivated my magic and allowed the vortex to dissipate. The water splashed back into the lake and the wind and lightning dispersed into the air. I stretched my arms over my head and sighed.

'Think I'll polish up on my sword techniques and work on my cardio, and then...'

"KYAAAH!!"

A girlish scream snapped me out of my thoughts. My eyes widened in alarm and I held out a hand, prepared to Requip a weapon in case someone was under attack. Instead, I ended up locking eyes with a red-faced Mirajane. I lowered hand and raised a brow.

What was she doing here?

"Hey, Mira. What are you doing here?"

"N-N-Naked!" Mira stammered, pointing a shaky finger at me.

I blinked owlishly and squinted my eyes at her. "I'm not naked, I've got shorts on-"

"PUT A SHIRT ON YOU IDIOT!!!"

"ALRIGHT! Geez, you don't have to yell at me." I grumbled. What the hell was her problem?

I hopped out of the lake and grabbed my shirt and threw it on. Mira visibly calmed down, but her cheeks were still pink. I placed my hands on my hips and glowered at her. "What's up?"

Mira huffed and crossed her arms anxiously, glancing off to the side. "I could be asking you the same thing. What were you doing out here all alone?"

"Training. And I'm not alone," I snorted, affronted. I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder. "Pip's here training too!"

Mira gave me an unimpressed look and glanced past me. "Doesn't look like it."

I stared at her in confusion and turned around.

!!!

Sitting there was Pip, her body hunched over as she snored quietly. Blissfully unaware of the events transpiring around her.

'WHAT THE HELL?!' my jaw dropped. I thought Pip had been doing meditation training, but she was asleep the entire time?! How did I not notice?!

"Ugh..." I palmed my face with a groan.

Mira giggled softly and smirked in amusement. "Guess she isn't as diligent as you thought, hm~?"

I grumbled, gently picking Pip up in my arms. "Yeah, well, she's still getting used to all this, so I can't blame her too much." I glanced over at Mira. "So... again, what's up? Did you need something?"

Mira paused and frowned, gripping her right arm and biting her lip. The Take Over Wizard looked away from me and mumbled. "... we're friends, right?"

"Of course!" I answered immediately, cocking my head to the side. "What brought this on?"

Mira sighed harshly and closed her eyes, as if debating something internally. She opened her eyes and mumbled. "...need your help...*

I blinked. "Huh?"

Mira became flustered, scowling. "I need your help!"

"Oh." I scratched my chin and blinked. "Sure! With what, though?"

"Geez..." Mira huffed, crossing her arms. "It's... about Elfman."

"What about Elfman?"

"I don't know! That's the problem!" Mira snapped, clenching her fists anxiously as she bit her lip. "He's been so... so dejected the past couple of days. I don't know why. When I try to confront him about it, he just shuts me out...! He won't tell me anything. And he thinks I don't notice, but I've been seeing him sneaking out in the middle of the night."

I hummed. Then grinned goofily at Mira. "Maybe he's entering his rebellious phase!"

Mira scoffed. "I wish it were that simple." sighing, she looked at me with desperation. "I just - if I can't get through to him, I was hoping maybe you could? Y'know, boy on boy talk...?"

I nodded in understanding. "Right. I don't mind helping you out, but why me?"

Mira blankly stared at me. "Because out of all the boys in the guild, you're probably the most sensible despite being a dumbass."

"... Ouch." I didn't feel bad for the others in the slightest. I shrugged my shoulders and grinned. "Well, like I said, I'll help. But..."

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Why is SHE here?!"

Mira jabbed a hysteric finger at Erza, who squinted at her indignantly before folding her arms and shooting me an offending glare, furrowing her brows.

"I'd like to know the same thing." Erza groused.

Undeterred, I walked behind the two rivals and threw my arms around their shoulders, yanking them into a side-hug. "Well, you see needed my help, Mira, but I also promised Erza we'd go on a job together earlier today! So~ I decided to knock two birds out with one stone and hook us all up!"

"Plus. This job requires teamwork and coordination, so think of it as a bonding experience~!"

"I'd rather die." Erza and Mira grunted in unison.

I gripped their shoulders tightly and grinned sharply. "Too bad! We're doing this anyway!"

They groaned in dismay.

I looked over at Lisanna and Elfman, grinning cheerfully. "You guys ready to roll?"

"Uh... yeah..." the two siblings muttered in confusion.

"Great~!" I pushed Erza and Mira into the train, with Lisanna and Elfman following closely behind. Atop my head, Pip finally began to stir from her slumber, mumbling.

"Bwuuuuh...?" she rubbed at her eyes sleepily as we took our seats. "Where are we...?"

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." I huffed in amusement, pulling her off my head and placing her on my lap. "We're going on a job."

"A job...?" Pip blinked up at me tiredly, looking around. She spotted Erza, Lisanna, Mira, and Elfman in the train car. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Woah! When did they get here!?"

'We were here since the start...' they sweat-dropped.

"So~ how has everyone's day been?" I inquired, looking at my group with a smile.

"You already know how my day is going." Mira grumbled.

"Fine, I guess..." Elfman mumbled quietly.

"It's been adequate so far." Erza responded cooly.

My brow twitched at the tones in their voices, my smile becoming strained. "Ahah..."

"My day has been going good so far! I didn't expect to be going on a job with you and Erza, but it's definitely an interesting change of pace!" Lisanna, ever the ball of sunshine, clasped her hands together with a beaming smile. "I've been getting better with my magic, too!"

"Really?" Erza blinked, leaning forward. "Can you give a demonstration?"

"Sure!" Lisanna closed her eyes and called upon her magic, a pink magic circle flashing across her body. "Take Over, Animal Soul: Vorpal Bunny!"

Pip blinked. "Eh?"

In a flash of pink light, Lisanna was replaced by a Vorpal Bunny with a light pink fur coat in contrast to Pip's pure white, with darker shades of pink that faded into red tipping her ears. Her bright blue eyes snapped open and she did a cute little twirl, giggling. "Tada~!"

"WAAAAAAAAAH!?!?" Pip yelped in shock, zipping in front of Lisanna's face, much to the girl's surprise as she stumbled onto her backside. "You look just like ME!"

Erza rubbed her chin, approval flashing in her eyes. "Your control has definitely improved. Excellent job, Lisanna."

"Nice going, little sis," Mira smiled warmly, reaching out to ruffle her sister's fur.

As the girls began to chatter and talk over Lisanna's improvement, while Pip continued to fret over the young Take Over Wizard's current form. I shifted my attention over to Elfman, who eyed Lisanna from the corner of her eye with a despondent look before letting out a soft, disappointed sigh. An action nobody seemed to catch. Except for me.

I narrowed my eyes... and I knew instantly what the problem was.

X-X-X-X-X-X

The mayor of Oshibana was a short, pudgy man with a warm demeanor and excitable disposition, as he greeted our group with enthusiasm, shaking my hand graciously.

"Thank you for coming, truly! You're just what we need in our hour of crisis." the mayor said. "This blasted thieves has been causing us trouble for weeks! No item has been spared. No matter what we do, we can never seem to catch them!"

"What have they been stealing?" Erza interjected, falling into the professional mode she'd developed over the course of the year when taking jobs.

"More like what HAVEN'T they been stealing?" the mayor sighed harshly, shaking his head. "They've stolen everything from paintings and sculptures, books, clothes, hell, even a basket of fruits." the man sagged, and it looked like he aged a couple of years. "If this keeps up... they'll run Oshibana clean!"

"And you think this is the work of magic?" Lisanna inquired, tilting her head.

"What else can it be?" the mayor huffed, running a hand through his greying hair. "At first we'd thought it was simply one man, but when the local Rune Knight force moved to apprehend them, they simply vanished from thin air! And on the other side of town, a robbery was going on at the same time! It has to be the work of a band of thieves with some type of magic ability!"

Erza cupped her chin with a frown. "Most peculiar..."

"We'll handle this in no time, Gramps." Erza shot me a look, but I have no idea why she did. "If it's an issue with magic, then you got the right people for the job!"

"Oh, thank you!" the mayor sighed in relief, his shoulders sagging. It was as if a weight had been relieved from his shoulders. The man nodded and began walking away. "I'll leave you all to it, then!"

Mira pulled me to the side and whispered harshly. "How exactly is all of this supposed to help Elfman...?!"

"Just trust me on this, alright? I know what I'm doing." I smiled.

Mira stared at me in silence before huffing and stepping away from me, crossing her arms and looking towards the others. "Alright, what's the plan?"

"We need to look for clues," Erza answered swiftly. "Ask around, look for anything out of place, investigate the crime scene."

"Where would we even start?" Lisanna tilted her head with a frown.

"Pip has a strong magic sense. She'll be able to detect anything out of the ordinary with her nose." I informed, gesturing to the bunny.

"Yup yup!" Pip chirped, raising a paw.

Palming my fist, I grinned. "So here's what we're gonna do! We'll split up. Lisanna, use your Take Over Magic to become a Vorpal Bunny like Pip - you'll go with Mira and use your magic sense to sniff things out. Pip will do the same with Erza."

I clapped a hand on Elfman's shoulder. The boy, who was typically silent, yelped in surprise. "Me and Elfman will start asking around town."

Sounds of affirmation rang through the group. Pip hopped off my shoulder and landed on Erza's while Lisanna transformed and found a spot atop Mira's head. All four girls soon began to depart in different directions, which left me and Elfman alone. I sighed and pulled my hand away, turning around and walking off.

"C'mon."

We walked in silence for a while before coming across an empty park. It was then that Elfman finally began to speak up. "T-Taruko? What are we doing? Shouldn't we be asking around for clues?"

"I wanna talk to you first." I replied, looking around before turning and locking eyes with Elfman. "You've been avoiding Mira."

"W-What?" Elfman stuttered. I stared at him in silence and crossed my arms. At my blank stare, he squirmed awkwardly before speaking up vehemently. "B-But I haven't-"

"You have. She told me." his eyes widened, and mine narrowed. "She's worried about you. You've been brushing her off. I've been told you've even been sneaking out. I wanna know why."

I had a feeling about what it was. But I wanted to hear it from his own lips.

Elfman's gaze fellow to the floor with a look of shame. He mumbled something unintelligible. I arched a brow. "What was that?"

"I'm WEAK!" he shouted, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly. "Everyday, everyone's growing stronger and stronger, and it feels like I can't catch up! You, Natsu, Gray, Cana, Laxus, Erza, Mira-nee... even Lisanna-nee with her magic...!"

He gripped his right arm and started to tremble. "A-And after that story about Ms. Eliana and your Mom, I just... I've been trying to train and get stronger, but I still feel so... so...!"

Tears dripped down Elfman's face. He confirmed my suspicions for me, and I felt sympathy for him. I could only watch on in silence before letting out a sigh. I only knew of one way to fix this...

"Punch me."

That threw Elfman for a loop. He stood his crying, sniffling and looked at me in confusion. "W-What?"

"You heard me." I calmly said. "Punch me."

"W-Why would I-"

"Elfman, if you don't punch me, I'm going to punch you."

Jolting with fear, Elfman audibly swallowed the lump in his throat and adopted a shaky boxing stance. With a weak battle cry, he rushed towards me and threw a sloppy punch my way. I easily sidestepped it, stomping my foot forward and harshly digging my fist into his stomach. Elfman coughed up spit and crumbled to his knees, cradling his stomach in pain.

"B-But you said you wouldn't...!"

"I never said I wouldn't strike back." I answered smoothly. "You were slow and sloppy. Your attack was far too easy to read. Try again and use your magic."

Elfman stumbled to his feet with a slight groan, manifesting his magic in the form of his Beast Arm spell. He sent a disappointment glance towards his gorilla-like fist before charging towards me with another wild punch. I blocked it this time, feeling a bit more power behind it. Still isn't enough. It was clear he was nowhere near my level, but that wasn't the point of this.

I shoved Elfman back and purposefully sent a telegraphed jab his way. Elfman yelped and raised his transformed arm to block it. I rushed forward and threw two more jabs towards his chest and stomach, sending him crashing onto his back with a pained cry.

"Why are we doing this...?" Elfman whined.

I lowered my fists and stared him down. "Take-Over Wizards are naturally stronger than norma Wizards, no matter what type it is. But it's also a physical art, so when you use your magic, it increases your physical strength dramatically. You can take a hit or two, man."

I narrowed my eyes. "Now get up and defend yourself!"

Growling, Elfman slowly pushed himself up and rushed at me to throw a wild-haymaker. I knocked him back down with a roundhouse kick.

"Again."

He tried kicking me. I blocked it and shoved him to the ground.

"Again."

A barrage of desperate punches flew my way. I deflecting them all effortlessly and slammed my knee against his jaw, sending him sprawling.

"AGAIN!"

This process continued to repeat itself for several more minutes. Elfman was lying on his back, covered in bruises from the one-sided beat down, trying to catch his breath. I crossed my arms as he continued to gasp for air.

"I-It's no use... y-you're just too s-strong..." Elfman panted. "I'll never...!"

"If you keep getting knocked down, you get back up." I told Elfman. "You don't give up. You keep trying. You keep pushing."

He stared at me tiredly, so I kept speaking. "Elfman, you're Mira and Lisanna's brother. It's your job to protect them."

"B-But Mira-nee is already so strong! She doesn't need protection! And Lisanna's pretty much already mastered her Take-Over Magic..." his lip wobbled as his face scrunched up into a grimace. "I can't even do a simple full body Take Over..."

"So what?"

He blinked as I walked over to him. "If you're weak now, just become so strong that Mira won't have to fight. If she goes down... it's up to you as a man to hold things up with your own two shoulders. You don't need a full body Take Over to do that. You can't give up when you see little results. I didn't get this strong by just whining about how weak I was!"

"I got up... grit my teeth... and pushed myself beyond my limits."

I grinned, offering my hand to him. "Elfman... a real man turns his weakness into strength."

His eyes widened in awe and he stared at my hand, reaching out. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually grasped it and pulled himself up to his feet. I stepped back and put my dukes back up, smirking. "Now come at me!"

Elfman frowned in determination. There was a certain fire in his eyes... carrying himself far different than before. He no longer slouched. He stood straighter. He had more grit and conviction. A proud smile tugged at my lips as he charged towards me with a valiant battle cry.

His punches were straightened out and far less sloppy. Faster, with actual direction and purpose. I weaved through them easily, blocking a right hook with my forearm. Using his Beast Arm's strength, Elfman shoved me back and quickly rushed forward as I stumbled over my feet, throwing another wild punch.

*BAM!

My feet slid back as I took a punch to the gut. Elfman blinked in surprise as I let out a small cough, rubbing the slight bruise. Then I grinned at him. "See?! You don't need a full-body Take Over to be strong, Elfman!"

His eyes sparkled as he looked down at his right arm. "... Y-Yeah!"

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Erza blinked, glancing to Pip who was sitting on her left shoulder. The Vorpal Bunny stared at her curiously with her round, expressive eyes. The armor-wearing Wizard looked around the street they were walking down with a hum, her eyes narrowed deeply in focus. "I'm thinking about these thieves and what we've gathered so far."

They'd asked around town on anything that could be useful about the band of thieves, and every answer led to the same conclusion...

"They all happen at the same time, around the afternoon and evening. The two thieves appear to be both male, and they make a show of running away from the authorities; as if they relish in the chase. When they are cornered they seemingly vanish out of thin air."

Turning a corner, the two ended up in a bleak looking alleyway. Erza looked around with calculative eyes, "The vendor we asked a minute ago said they were last seen ducking into this alley."

"My theory is they used some form of magic to evade capture swiftly. Possibly invisibility?"

Pip took initiative, hopping off of Erza's shoulder and sniffing at the air. The first thing she caught a whiff of was the foul odor from the nearby dumpster, making her muzzle scrunch up in distaste. Deciding not to linger on it, she focused harder, her ears perking up as her keen senses picked up faint traces of ethernano in the air.

She turned to Erza. "They were definitely here, but it stops here. If they used something like invisibility, I'd be able to find some sort of trail..."

Erza clicked her tongue in frustration, cupping her chin. "Curses... we'll scratch that off the list, then."

"What do we do now? It's a dead end here! Should we go get Mirajane and Lisanna for help?"

Erza paused.

X-X-X-X-X-X

On the other side of town, Mirajane was seen bulldozing through the streets like a rampaging bull, her eyes darting around every book and cranney of the district. Up above, Lisanna had taken an avian form to keep up with her sister.

"Mira-nee, can't you slow down?! You're gonna end up tiring yourself out before we find the burglars!" Lisanna stressed.

"No way! I'm not gonna let that tin-can Erza find those bastards before me!" Mira barked, and proceeded to do the opposite of slow down... and sped up.

...

Lisanna sighed. 'Since when was this a competition? We're supposed to be working as a team.'

X-X-X-X-X-X

"I doubt she'd be of any help." Erza dryly muttered, walking out of the alley and peering up at the orange tinted sky. "It's well past the afternoon at this point... if those two thieves haven't shown up now, then we'd probably have a better chance at midnight."

Pip quickly hopped onto her shoulder. The armor-wearing Wizard closed her eyes as they began to make their way back to the hotel. "In the meantime, we should get some rest. It'd do us no good to be tired while hunting them down."

Pip beamed. "Okay! Good enough for me!"

Erza smiled softly at the bunny's enthusiasm. Her energy could be rather infectious.

Their walk to the motel was relatively calm and peaceful, with Pip regaling how she and Taruko first met. Erza was impressed - she almost wished she'd gone with him that day to see the Prismatic Grotto for herself... though, there's nothing stopping her from visiting one of these days. Perhaps Pip would want to tag along and see her home again?

Erza blinked. '... now that I think about it, I haven't been on a job with Taruko in... months?'

And that threw her for a loop. They'd practically went on every job together when they'd first joined the guild. But now it seemed as though they'd drifted a part of bit? No, that's not right. It was more like they'd just gotten more preoccupied with things, so they couldn't spend as much time together... it was the main reason she wanted to go on a job with him today.

And he just had to get Mirajane involved...

She was a little miffed about it, but Erza knew the boy only meant well. But she also had a feeling they'd been grouped up for this job beyond a 'bonding experience'. Taruko could be a bit of a dimwit, but he was very elaborate when it came to these kinds of things.

As Erza and Pip reached the hotel, the redhead looked around momentarily to see if the others were around. Her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw.

Taruko stood near the fountain in the center of the plaza, the water from the fountain flowing around his sword as he sliced at the air with precision and grace. There wasn't any unnecessary movement - a simple slash, followed by a jab, overhead swing, and downward strike. He moved like the very water that flowed around him; the picture of beauty and elegance.

She was mesmerized by the display, attributing it to professional dancers if nothing else. Taruko performed one last swing, the water coiling around his blade and cutting through the air. The young swordsman exhaled softly and redirected the water back into the fountain.

Sheathing his sword, he blinked and finally noticed Erza's presence. A smile instantly replaced his stoic visage. "Erza! Pip! What's up?"

"Taruko~!" Pip cheered, leaping into the boy's arms with a giggle. "That dance you did was really pretty!"

He paused, grinning sheepishly. "It wasn't a dance, Pip, but thanks."

Erza smiled softly. "She is right, though. It was beautiful. Another one of your... 'Sword Saint Battle Arts'?"

"Yep," Taruko placed his bunny companion on his shoulder. "I decided to practice my magic and sword techniques in one fell swoop."

"Interesting... we should have a spar one of these days." Erza suggested, smirking. "I think I could use some polish on my fighting style."

Taruko grinned. "If kicking your ass helps you get better, I've got no trouble dishing it out!" he tilted his head. "How're things on your end?"

Erza sighed in frustration. "No. We thought we'd gotten a lead, but we ran into a dead end. We're hoping that we'll have better luck by midnight."

Pip pat Taruko on the side of the head. "Every trail led to a dead end!"

Erza nodded, then paused, looking around in confusion. "Where's Elfman?"

"Resting in the hotel."

"... Why?"

"School of hard knocks."

Erza stared at Taruko blankly. "I see... and how did he do?"

"Everyone has potential. Elfman just needed the drive to better apply himself," Taruko shrugged with a small smile.

"What are we talking about?" Pip asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it~" Taruko hummed cheerfully.

The trio heard cursed grumblings and turned around to see Mirajane stomping towards the hotel with a tired Lisanna following behind her. Taruko smirked at the ivory-haired girl, snickering.

"Heeeeeey, Mira~! Perfect afternoon, ain't it?"

"Fuck off." Mira snarled under her breath.

"Zilch," Lisanna answered with a tired mumble, trailing behind Mira into the building.

Erza watched the two sisters leave, and looked at Taruko with a nod. "I'm going to get some rest, will you be joining?"

"Nah, I'll keep watch. Still got a lot of energy to burn," Taruko stretched with a grunt.

"Very well. Stay vigilant." with a nod, Erza walked into the hotel.

Taruko glanced at Pip. "You could've gone with her, y'know?"

"Yeah," Pip agreed, then beamed. "But I wanna stay with you!"

"Such a clingy bunny I have," Taruko joked with a small smile, then used Reinforcement to leap onto the rooftops.

He took in a deep breath as the crisp afternoon breeze brushed against his skin. Then he took a seat and stared at the city below, marveling at the view of Oshibana. He felt Pip hop off his shoulder and snuggle into his lap. He chuckled and pet her head gently.

"Stay vigilant, Pip. We're gonna be up here a while."

X-X-X-X-X-X

It was midnight. I was still up... no surprise. I just had the feeling I couldn't sleep. Had to stay awake to catch this bastard. I wasn't too worried, though. It was a simple pair of thieves, there's no way they could be as bad as fighting a mind-controlled Guardian Beast, or a giant venomous spider. The inconvenience would be minor, surely.

I looked down and eyed Pip. She'd fallen asleep again... I didn't have the heart to wake her up, though. She tried her best to stay away, but she simply wasn't as energized as the rest of us. She'd get used to it in time. In any case, sleeping was a good way to conserve magic energy as our bodies naturally absorb the ethernano in atmosphere...

I gently lifted her up in my arms and hopped off the roof of the hotel, making my way inside. Activity was quiet now, as pretty much everyone had gone to sleep around this hour. On the second floor was the rooms we'd rented out. Mine was 147. I pulled out the key and unlocked the door, stepping inside and placing Pip on the bed. She continued to snore peacefully... so I stepped away.

"Sleep well, Pip..." I muttered softly, and turned around, only to restrain a startled yelped when I bumped into someone.

"Shit...! Uh, sorry, I just-" I blinked, staring at Mirajane. The girl had forgone her usually ponytail and let her hair loose, allowing it to cascade down her back like a river of silver.

She also wore a simple black tank top and shorts, instead of the usual tube top she was always wearing. She stared at me in surprise, stuttering. "Taruko..."

"Mira," I nodded at her, arching a brow. "What are you doing up?"

"I should be asking you that." she muttered, crossing her arms. "I just wanted to get some water."

I blinked. "Ah."

We fell into awkward silence for a moment before Mira spoke up, "Can we... talk?"

"Sure," I shrugged and walked past her. Her padding footsteps let me know that she was following me.

On the way to the rooftop, we got Mira a glass of water. Now we sat in silence, watching the city of Oshibana below. The local Rune Knights were currently patrolling the streets... and so far, there was nothing. I turned to Mira after a while and cocked my head to the side.

"What did you wanna talk about-"

"I came to our room to find Elfman lying on the floor covered in bruises." Mira stated bluntly, slowly regarding me with a glare. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that... would you?"

Sweat rolled down my cheek and I nervously laughed, averting my gaze. "Haha... maybe...?"

I sighed, leaning back against my palms and staring up at the stars. "it's boy stuff. I had to rough Elfman up to snap him out of his little funk. Sorry not sorry." I glanced at her. "You asked my help, so legally you can't get mad at me!"

"That's not how that works..." Mira sighed tiredly, but a smirk tugged at her lips. "Although I guess I should've expected such a bullheaded method coming from you of all people."

"The heck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're an idiot." I groaned at Mira's statement. She giggled, shooting me a gentle smile. "... but you're a well meaning idiot. I'm not exactly fond of the idea of you beating up my brother, but I know you had no ill intentions when doing so."

I stared at Mira blankly, and for a moment, I saw the future version of herself. The kind, gentle soul that hid her pain behind a smile - riddled with the guilt of losing someone she loved dearly. I was reminded of that woman when staring at Mirajane and her smile...

I clenched a fist and turned the other cheek, staring at nothing. "Yeah, well, I'd rather toughen him up than let anything happen to him, Lisanna, or you. It's up to a man to protect their women, I'm just preparing him for that in the only way I know how."

Mira blinked languidly and huffed, shooting me a teasing smirk. "Huuuuuh~? What's this talk about men and stuff? You insinuating I'm your woman or something?"

I blanched, looking at her in mortification. "Wh - no! I... you know what I mean, damn it!"

Mira laughed, clutching her stomach with a grin. "PFHAHAHA! I know! I know~! But the look on your face was priceless!"

My brow twitched. This damn girl...

Giggling softly, Mira brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "... still though, me needing protection? I'm the oldest sibling, it should be my job to protect them. Not the other way around..."

"Yeah, but you can't coddle them all the time." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "If you fall... someone's gotta pick up the pieces. But I can't tell you how to do things. I'm a shitty older sibling in comparison to you, anyways..."

Mira blinked owlishly in surprise, her expression morphing into concern. "...Taruko, you..."

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"GET OUT! GET OUT YOU DAMN THIEF!"

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA~! SEE 'YA, SUCKERS!"

"YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!"

Our eyes widened in alarm at several shouts breaking through the calm silence of the night. I used Reinforcement on my eyes and looked down at the town below to see two men dressed in black on either side of the city running away from the stationed Rune Knights. They were both running at a leisurely pace, and didn't seem to be putting any effort in at all, so it was a marvel to see them evade capture so effortlessly.

Cutting my spell off, I jumped off the roof. "Get the others up! It's go time!"

"Wh-! Taruko?!"

Mira's confused scream and curses faded out into the distance as I landed on the ground and rushed forward, magic fueling my every step as I slowly began to gain on the thief in front of me. I was hoping that Mira and the others would be able to handle the other guy.

"Hey, jackass!" I called out, causing him to look over his shoulder. He looked rather plain and average, with messy dirty-blonde hair and a long jaw, possessing a shit-eating grin. "Return those things you stole!"

"Ohoho~! Shouldn't you be in bed right now, kid?" the thief jeered, laughing boisterously. "Ah, well, no matter! I'd love to stay and chat, but I've gotta dash! See ya~!"

His body was shrouded in magical energy, a magic circle appearing beneath his feet. Then he shot off like the wind. My eyes widened in surprise and I nearly faltered in my steps. I regained my footing and pushed onwards with renewed purpose and vigor.

'So that's how he's been able to avoid capture! Not only is he nimble and agile, but he has Speed Magic!' I smirked. 'Too bad for him, though. He's dealing with ME!'

"Requip! Sonic Sword: Silfarion!" I felt my body grow lighter as Silfarion appeared in my hands. Coupled with using Reinforcement on my legs, I blasted off after the laughing thief. The world around me began to blur as I continued to accelerate; forcing me to use Reinforcement on my eyes so I could actually ascertain where I was going.

The thief shot me a look of surprise. "Hoooh! So you're a Wizard! Must be here for my bounty, then! Ah, no matter!" he chuckled. "I'll just make my grand retreat-"

"Not HAPPENING!" I snapped, tendrils of magical energy crackling around my body. A crater formed in the ground and used a gust of wind to rocket myself towards him. With a roar, I lashed out with a barrage of imperceivable slashes, cutting into the thief.

Silfarion was a sword that granted great speed and maneuverability, it's passive magic ability making me very light. The drawback to this is that in return for great speed, my attacks and defenses are far weaker thanks to the sense of weightlessness given to me. However this made it easy to dish out several attacks without fear of gravely injuring anybody.

I slid across the ground and came to a halt, swiping Silfarion through the air and dismissing it into my Requip space. "It's over now, I suggest you-" I turned around, my eyes widening in surprise as the thief exploded into ethernano, dropping the sack he'd been carrying over his shoulder in the process.

This was...!

"Clone Magic, too?!" I palmed my face, groaning. "That's why Pip couldn't find a trail! When a clone is dismantled, the expended magic returns to the user, and any residual ethernano lingers in the air..."

I clicked my tongue. Yeah. Now I definitely saw why this guy always evaded capture. Speed Magic and Clone Magic? Talk about an annoying combination. If this guy wasn't focused on petty crimes and joined an actual guild, he could've made an actual name for himself...

Still though...

"What did he take this time?" I muttered, walking up to the sack and opening it.

My expression dropped.

"Seriously...?"

"Taruko!"

I closed the sack and looked up to see Lisanna, Elfman, and Pip running up to me. I stood up and nodded to them. "Good, you guys are just in time."

"Did you... get the thief?" Elfman panted, hunching over his knees.

"Not quite." I frowned. "This guy can use Clone Magic along with Speed Magic. He totally duped me."

"Really?" Lisanna's eyes widened in surprise. "That makes so much sense!"

"He's giving us Clone Magic users a bad rep!" Pip crowed, leaping onto my shoulder. "We gotta get 'em!"

"But how? There's no way we can catch up to him at this rate..." Elfman muttered with furrowed brows.

"Never say never." I said firmly. "Where's Mira?"

"The moment she caught wind of the thief, she ran off. We couldn't keep up after that, so we came to find you."

"And Erza?"

"...well..."

X-X-X-X-X-X

"COME BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!!"

"Hahaha~! You've gotta try harder than that, little missy!"

Mira snarled in frustration as she turned another corner, chasing the plain looking thief through the streets of Oshibana. Everytime he got closer to him, he'd always speed up and nimbly avoid her. And all the while, he continued to joke and taunt her! Treating this like some kind of game! The damn bastard!

"I'm DEFINITELY gonna get you this time...!" Mira growled, channeling her magic. A malicious dark aura surrounded her as she bounded towards the man like a raging demon from the pits of hell.

The thief smirked at her from over his shoulder and turned around corner. Mira was right on his trail. As she closed in on him and prepared to clobber the bastard, a second copy appeared out of thin air and he leapt out of the way, bouncing off the walls and flipping onto the rooftops in an astounding display of skillful parkour and gymnastics.

"What the-?!" Mira's fist plowed through the clone and it exploded in a flash of blinding light, temporarily stunning the goth girl. "SHIT!"

*WHAM!

"GAGAHH!!"

To make things worse for her, she crashed into something - or rather, someone. As her vision returned, Mira found herself in a tangle of limbs with none other than Erza. Both girls groaned briefly in pain before locking eyes. Then they scowled and barked at each other.

"YOU!"

"Get out of the way, damn it!" Mira snapped.

"Get OFF of me!" Erza snarled.

"BWAHAHAHA! That was HILARIOUS!" they sharply craned their heads in the thief's direction, glaring at he man. "Guess this is where we part ways, ladies! See ya!"

Growling, the girls shoved each other away and was quick to give chase. The thief's laughter echoed across Oshibana, followed by Erza and Mira's enraged outcries. In the distance, Taruko, Elfman, and Lisanna jogged at a leisurely pace, watching the chaos unfold as the two girls caused destruction and havoc across town in an attempt to catch the thief.

"He's... really fast!" Lisanna mumbled in reluctant awe. "Not even Erza and Mira-nee can catch him!"

"They actually can." Taruko sighed. "I mean, I could. And Erza and Mira are near my level - if they actually calmed down and worked together, they could catch him easy."

"We've got to help them somehow..." Elfman muttered.

Taruko smiled. "I might have an idea."

Mira roared and charged in with another punch ready. The thief spun around and slid to a stop. A grin stretched across the goth girl's face as her fist was wreathed in malevolent magical energy. "Finally decided to give up?! I'VE GOT YOU NOW!"

Laughing, the thief waited until Mira got close before smoothly sliding out of the way and flapping his arms elegantly. "Olé~!"

Mira yelped as she stumbled over her feet and crashed into a food card. Covered in pieces of fruits and various different foods, she growled in frustration as the thief skipped away with a giggle. A red blue shot through the air and Erza swooped down with a battle cry, swinging her sword down and firing off a Mana Burst.

The thief flipped out of the way of the projected blast, and, seemingly, tossed a stink bomb back at the redhead, judging by her horrified expression. The thief sped away, flipping onto the rooftops once more to make his grand escape.

'Ah~! Too easy!' he chuckled under his breath. 'Tonight was fun, but now it's time I take my leave~!'

"HRAAAAAAH!!" the thief blinked in surprise and turned around to see Elfman grab a nearby empty cart with his Beast Arm. With a powerful thrust, he hurled the object at the thief with frightening speed. He was quick to react, jumping high in the air to avoid getting trampled.

"Where the heck are these kids coming from?!" the thief stammered.

"TAAAAAKE THIS!!" he spun around mid-air, only to have the wind knocked out of him as Pip and Lisanna in her Vorpal Bunny form dropkick him in the chest. The thief wheezed in pain as he spiraled towards the ground, dropping his stolen goods in the process.

Taruko appeared in the middle of the thief's trajectory, grinning ferally as he cocked a fist back. "Hope you had a nice flight! Let me help you LAND!!!" he slammed his fist against the man's long jaw, sending him crashing into the ground. The thief let out a girlish scream as his body bounced off the floor cartoonishly and collided with a nearby wall.

"Whoo!" Taruko huffed, shaking his steaming fist with a smirk. "That was a doozy!"

Lisanna returned to her human form as she landed on her feet. "That was kind of fun!"

Elfman's arm reverted back to normal and he nodded slowly. "Yeah... and a lot easier when we managed to get close."

"He was fast and quick on his feet, but he may as well have been as frail as wet cardboard." Taruko shrugged his shoulders, pulling some rope from his Requip space so he could tie up the unconscious thief.

"Did you get him?!" they turned to see Erza and Mira rush over with scowls on their faces. Elfman and Lisanna cringed slightly at the stench radiating from Erza.

Pip fainted outright, her strong sense of smell simply couldn't handle such an atrocious scent.

Taruko turned to the two girls and tossed the unconscious thief in front him. The impact from hitting floor was enough to jerk the man awake. He was met with Erza and Mira cracking their knuckles and glaring down at him venomously.

"Not so talkative now, are you?" Erza growled, slowly unsheathing her sword.

Mira grinned viciously. "I think it's about time we get some payback...!"

Lisanna sighed. "Come on, guys. We already apprehended him, there's no need to beat him while he's down. We completed our job, let's hand him to the authorities and let them deal with him."

The thief paled, sweating bullets and laughing nervously. "Y-Yeah! Let's be reasonable, here! I was just having a little fun, you know?! Just getting a thrill of the chase!"

"And the stuff you stole?" Erza narrowed her eyes.

"I was gonna give them all back! Promise!" the thief shivered. They all knew he was lying through his teeth.

Taruko clapped his hands on Erza and Mira's shoulders. "Whatever the case is, we've got him. Like Lisanna said, our job here is done. So we should hand him over to the Rune Knights and get our paycheck."

Both girls shared an irate glance and began grumbling under their breath, backing off.

"What did he even steal this time, anyways?" Elfman muttered, picking up the sack and opening it.

Taruko's eyes widened and he went to stop him. "Wait, Elfman, don't-!"

Elfman's eyes widened as he pulled out a pair of lacy black panties. His face turned a vibrant red and he squealed in mortification, dropping the bag and contents inside before wiping his hands on his clothes in a vain attempt to wash the very feeling off.

Taruko sighed. 'Whelp. This poor bastard is done for.'

Erza and Mira stared at the panties dully in mute silence. Slowly, in unison, they turned towards the thief, a malicious red aura enveloping the two as angry veins sprouted against their foreheads.

"You...!"

The thief proceeded to piss himself in fear.

"M-Mercy-"

"DAMN PERVERT!"

*BLAM! *WHAM!

"GAHAGHHHHHH!!!!!!"

X-X-X-X-X-X

The next day came, and the group made their way back to Magnolia by train. Although they'd gotten hassled by causing quite a bit of damage to the town in the effort of apprehending the thief, the mayor still thanked them for their efforts and they got payed in the end. So all in all, all's well that ends well. Erza was worried they'd receive a complaint from the master for the trouble caused, though.

"That was a pain." Mira sighed, slumping against her seat.

"Perhaps," Erza agreed, her eyes shut. She was far more calm now after a nice shower to get rid of the stench caused by the stink bomb. "But we apprehended the criminal in the end, so we completed the job successfully."

"I guess. I'm just glad we got to beat that bastard to a pulp."

"It was satisfying, wasn't it? I don't think I've ever been so incensed before... I still dread thinking about where he got all that garbage..."

"Right?! Absoluely disgusting! I almost felt bad for you..."

As girls reminisced on the experience, Lisanna and Elfman couldn't help but watch on with a smile. The smaller girl chuckled, kicking her legs back and forth. "It's actually kind of surreal, seeing them talk to each other normally."

"Yeah." Elfman nodded, grinning slightly. "Maybe they'll really stop fighting? A little?"

"What do you think, Taruko?" they turned to the swordsman curiously.

He was staring out the window. Glancing their way, he smirked silently and held up five fingers, and started counting down. As soon as he was finished, he jabbed his thumb in their direction.

"Of course, we wouldn't have had to deal with that if you hadn't gotten in my way."

"Gotten in YOUR way?! You're blaming me?! You're the one that crashed into ME!"

"Only because you were too slow to catch him before that!"

"HAH! Like you did ANY better you red headed floozy!"

"FLAT CHESTED HAG!"

"ARMOURED BIMBO!"

The two siblings sighed as the girls began to argue once more. Then they started laughing. Taruko smiled softly and resumed peering out the window as Pip slept soundly in his lap. After a long day of dealing with an annoying thief, it was nice to finally have some down time. And in any case, he'd did what he set out to do.

X-X-X-X-X-X

I closed the door to my apartment and strerched. After what happened yesterday, I feel like lazing about today. Maybe spruce up on some cooking recipes... or maybe those potion recipes that Roy gave me. I haven't had the opportunity to actually try them out. It'd be pretty useful to come up with some healing elixirs. Don't know when I'll get into something dangerous, and it's not like we have Wendy hanging around right now. She won't be joining the guild until years later.

I mean - I could always... track her down. But that's weird, and I wouldn't know where to look. She's probably still traveling with Mystogan right now, anyways. Nah. I've got other stuff to worry about right.

"How do you feel about carrot cake, Pip?" I asked my rabbit companion, who hopped onto the couch in the living room.

"Carrot cake?" Pip blinked in confusion. "Is it a carrot shaped like a cake?"

I sweat-dropped, chuckling. "Not... quite. I guess I'll make one to show you-"

*Knockknockknock.

We perked up at the sound of someone knocking on our door. Pip tilted her head. "Who's that?"

"Dunno." I shrugged my shoulders and walked up to the door, opening it. "Maybe it's someone from the guild-?"

"You're... Taruko?"

I blinked in surprise to see that this was not someone from the gulld. It was a girl around my age with short, messy maroon hair. I was a head taller than her, so she had to look up slightly to meet my gaze. There was a distinct intensity in her eyes as she stared at me...

She... she felt familiar. I feel like I know her... what...? Memories were... slowly coming back. This is...

Her expression softened and relief flashed in her eyes, a smile crossing her face. "... it really is you. You're really standing in front of me?"

I tried to formulate a response, but nothing came to mind. "I..."

I grunted as she pulled me into a tight hug. I stood there awkwardly, staring off into space. Before I could even think of reciprocating the gesture, she pulled back and looked at me with a serious expression.

"It's me, Maiya..." she said, clenching her fists. "... and I need your help, Taruko."

. . .

What?

A/N.

Another chapter means more shenaningans for Taruko and the gang. Although that will have to be put on hold... because things are about to start heating up with the arrival of someone supposedly tied to Taruko's past!

I want to thank everyone for the support abd your condolences. Really. Thank you. It means more than you can ever possibly know. I've been doing better, clearly, delving into other stories in the meantime, exploring new ideas.

In the time between writing this chapter and some new stuff, I've also been rereading Rave Master. As of writing this note, I've just finished reading the final volume. And the story is a lot better than I remember it being! I highly recommend checking it out for those who haven't. Some of Mashima's best work in my honest opinion. Although I guess that's to be expected, since it was his first manga.

Unfortunately I'm now starved of Rave content and desperately yearn for a Rave anime reboot.

Anyways... let's wrap this up. Question(s) of the day! What do you guys think of the Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest anime so far? Episode 6 left a big impression, and I've enjoyed the adaptation so far. And lastly, if you were to fancast someone to voice Taruko, both his current self and his future, older self, who would you cast? In both English and Japanese. I'm interested to see your answers!

As always, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Have a good day, and God bless you!