It's time for the second chapter of Advent of the Stray my readers! First of all, I'd like to apologize and reprimand myself for forgetting to add this fic to my update cycle on my profile and would like to thank Karsap for pointing that error out. Secondly, I'd also like to give a shout out to Karsap for helping me with the making of this chapter. Lastly, I wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being patient with me and continued to show your support despite my going awol for a while. Now I think I kept you all waiting long enough, on with the chapter!
Speech- "Water Dragon Roar!"
Thought- 'Water Dragon Roar!'
Attack- "Water Dragon Roar!"
Chapter Two: Welcome to the Fairy Tail Family
Two days have passed since the incident in Hargeon and reporting Bora while turning in the charm ring to the proper authorities. Inside a large building atop a rocky mount in the heart of a large city surrounded by forests and snow-peaked mountains, nine individuals standing on a magic circle were discussing the incident and those involved.
"Those idiots from Fairy Tail have gone and done it again." One of the male individuals grumbled in annoyance as they watched an image of Hargeon submerged in water and a few collapsed buildings. "This time they went and destroyed an entire port!"
"What is the matter with them?" Another male individual questioned in equal annoyance.
"I'm actually quite fond of those dimwits and their lazy affair attitude." A man with short blue hair and a red tattoo over and under his right eye wearing an elegant yet simple robes; consisting of a long white frock-coat with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated standing collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles closing the inducement on the front over a dark shirt, and matching pants and shoes said with his eyes closed and his arms crossed before an amused smirk etched itself on his face.
A short, old man with thick light-brown eyebrows and a small toothbrush mustache that reaches halfway to his mouth wearing a brown long sleeve shirt with black vertical stripes and a black three-spiked hat made a sound of agreement to the younger man's statement. "They may behave like fools, but we mustn't forget they're also an extremely capable lot."
"Yes, that's true." Another man said in thoughtful agreement. "They present quite the quandary."
"I think we should leave them be." The blue haired man suggested, his amused smirk never leaving his features. "After all, if it wasn't for those fools, think how boring this world would be."
"On another note." A pale-skinned woman with dark purple hair and brown eyes wearing a white kimono that reaches to her thighs and only had a single long left sleeve said as she waved her hand and the image in the magic circles in front of them changed to that of a lean, muscular young man of average height with fair skin, emerald green eyes, short ocean blue hair with several strands hanging between his eyes wearing a white short sleeved shirt under a green sweater vest with a blue trim, blue jeans, and a pair of brown shoes. "We cannot seem to find any information on this boy who was involved in the incident."
"None whatsoever?" The short old man asked in surprise. When the woman nodded in confirmation, he turned his attention back to the image of the teenage boy. "Then I suggest we keep a close eye on this boy, in case he's a threat to Fiore."
"Agreed." The other eight individuals nodded in agreement as they memorized the blue haired teens features.
Kren and Han along with Lucy now stood in awe in front of a large, two-story building with a sign over the double doors that had two fairies with tails to the side and the sign reads "Fairy Tail". Natsu grinned at their awe as he and Happy stood next to them.
"This is it." Happy said, raising a paw to the building in front of them. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"
'I'm actually standing in front of the Fairy Tail guild.' Kren thought in amazement, fighting the urge to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.
Kren was forced out of his amazement when Natsu suddenly kicked the door open. "We made it back alive!"
The salamander's sudden entrance was welcomed by many greetings from the people inside the guild building that looked like a large lunch hall, and mainly consisted of wood, possessing a parquet floor and a mezzanine held up by wood beams overlooking it. Several long benches and the related tables stretched across its length with a bar in the back. Kren and Lucy stepped inside looking around the interior with excited smiles on their faces.
"So, I heard it was pretty crazy in Hargeon, Natsu." A man with buck teeth said from one of the benches. "Bet it was you starting trou-" He was cut off mid-sentence when Natsu suddenly kicked him in the face.
"Why did you do that?!" Lucy asked in surprise that Natsu would suddenly kick a guild member.
"That was probably the guy he got the information about a salamander in Hargeon." Han commented, placing his paws behind his head and leaned to the side in a laid back manner. "Poor fellow, should've dug deeper for the full details."
"No kidding." Kren muttered, giving Lucy a side glance who was still in shock at what Natsu did soon after walking in the guild hall. 'Although, if he did, then Natsu never would have met Lucy or us for that matter.'
"You lied about that Salamander!" Natsu shouted angrily at the man buried in a pile of broken tables and benches with a raised fist. "I'm gonna kick your butt!"
The bucktooth man climbed out of the pile of wood and shouted at Natsu. " Don't get mad at me, I'm not the one to blame here! I was just passing along a rumor I heard!"
"It was just a rumor?!"
"You wanna fight?! Let's go!"
Kren just stood next to Lucy as the fight between Natsu and the buck toothed man soon escalated and all the members in the building were brawling with each other. The teen leaned his head to the side to dodge a barrel-shaped mug that flew towards his direction as he continued to watch the all-out guild brawl happening in front of him.
"Oh wow." Lucy whispered with a big smile on her face as she looked around the guild hall. "I'm actually standing inside the Fairy Tail guild hall!"
"Tell me about it." Kren said in agreement with a smile that rivaled Lucy's as he dodged another mug and lightly fingering the sleep ring on his right index finger. He had turned the ring over along with the charm ring, however, the authorities decided to let him keep it as a reward for dealing with Bora. "It's amazing."
"So Natsu finally made it back, huh?!" A teen with spiky black-colored hair wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers, a necklace that resembles a sword with a stone in it, and a dark blue fairy-shaped guild mark below his collarbone on his right pectoral muscle asked, surprising Lucy when she saw they all he was wearing were a pair of boxers.
'Yup, there's no denying that face and state of undress.' Kren thought with a sweatdrop as he covered Lucy's eyes with his hands. 'That's Gray alright.'
"It's time we settled things once and for all." Gray growled as he slowly marched towards where Natsu was fighting in the dust cloud that formed.
"Gray, your clothes?" A woman sitting by the bar pointed out with an amused smirk holding a glass of wine when Gray turned back to say he didn't have time to find his clothes.
The woman is a tall and slim tanned-skinned young woman with large brown eyes and an ample bust. She has mid-back length brown hair with two shoulder-length strands of hair frame her face, with the left one starting from a prominent, high fringe. Her outfit consists of a light blue bikini top, a pair of capri pants, with two bands hanging from each leg and a pink belt loosely tied around the waist. Her guild mark is located on the lower left part of her abdomen, right above her hips.
'Cana Alberona, Fairy Tail's heaviest drinker.' Han thought as he jumped onto Kren's shoulder who was looking anywhere but the scantily dressed woman with a light blush on his face. Han looked to his owner and smirked at seeing the blush on the blue haired teens face. 'Oh Kren, quite the gentleman, aren't you?'
Cana sighed at hearing Gray disregarding her mentioning his lack of clothes. "You see? I don't date the men here because they have no class."
'Says the woman who's currently drinking through a barrel.' Kren and Han absently thought as they watched Cana begin to chug down the contents of said barrel while Lucy just watched on in shock.
"You going to join the fight, Kren?" Han asked his owner who went back to watching the chaos that was happening around them. "Might be good practice for your magic."
"I think I'll pass." Kren replied with a sweatdrop at the thought of him joining in on the chaos that could rival a regular bar fight. "I don't even know how I did that breath attack two days ago."
"Breath attack, so I assume you're the same as Natsu, young man?" Kren turned to face who asked him the question only to have question marks dance around his head when he saw no one standing there. "Down here." Kren looked down and his eyes widened in surprise to see an extremely short, elderly man with a thick white mustache and white hair on the outer rims of his head with his hands behind his back. He was wearing a white shirt with a black guild mark in the middle under an orange hoodie with a orange and blue jester hat on his head. The old man raised a hand in greeting when he got Kren's attention. "Hey there."
"Oh, hello." Kren greeted politely, bowing to the elder man in front of him while on the inside he was trying to reign in his excitement as to not look weird in front of everyone. 'I can't believe I'm meeting Master Makarov right now!'
"I don't believe I've seen you around here before." Makarov commented, completely ignoring the chaos that was happening around them as his full attention was on Kren. "Are you new in Magnolia, young man?"
"Uh, yes." Kren replied, finally able to calm his excitement and Han hopped onto his shoulder as not to get stepped on by anyone. "Han and I actually came to join the Fairy Tail guild after meeting Natsu."
"I see." Makarov nodded with a cheerful smile. "Well, let me be the first to welcome you both to the Fairy Tail family." His cheerful demeanor quickly turned into irritation as his eyebrow started twitching when the fighting around them got worse to the point they started to use their magic. "Excuse me for a moment." Makarov turned away and took a few steps away from Kren and Han before suddenly growing into a giant that towered over everyone and slammed his foot to catch the attention of the entire guild. "Would you fools stop bickering like children?!"
"He's huge!" Kren heard Lucy exclaimed in shock as the fighting in the guild hall came to a complete halt
"I'm sorry." A slim young woman of below average height with large blue eyes apologized with a cheerful smile. She has long, white hair which curls slightly at the ends, with two bangs framing her face and reaching down to her chest and a short, upward ponytail obtained by gathering and tying the hair covering her forehead. Her attire was a sleeveless maroon dress with a large, pink bow, and similarly colored trimmings frame the rather ample neckline, acting as straps, and circle around the waist. She also wore a pair of high-heeled shoes that match her dress, and accessorizes with a small chain necklace with a blue oval gem attached to it, and a bracelet made of white flowers circling her right wrist. "I didn't know you were still here, master."
"Did you say "master"?!" Lucy asked in shock before Natsu started to laugh in triumph with his hands in his hips.
'Mirajane is too cheerful sometimes.' Han thought with a sweatdrop from his position on Kren's shoulder. 'But, that's just the way she is.'
"Man, talk about a bunch of babies!" Natsu yelled, not noticing Makarov looking towards him. "Looks like I won this-"
Natsu's words were cut off when Makarov stomped on him causing Lucy to squeak in fear and Kren sweat nervously at the fact he knew that Makarov could do worse if he felt like it and if they were enemies. Just the thought of being on the receiving end of Makarov's spells were enough to give him nightmares and Kren made a mental note to never piss off the giant old man nor make himself an enemy of Fairy Tail under any circumstance.
Makarov seems to have finally noticed Lucy as he turned his attention from Natsu to her. "Well, seems we've another new recruit."
"Yes, sir!" Lucy immediately replied and gaped in fear as she watched Makarov shrink back to his normal size and stood in front of her.
Once he has reverted to his normal size, Makarov raises a hand in greeting like he did with Kren. "Nice to meet ya."
"He's tiny!" Lucy couldn't help but point out the obvious when she saw Makarov's size. "This little guy's really in charge here?"
"Of course he is." Mirajane replied, smile still in place. "Allow me to introduce the Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov!"
"And one of the Ten Wizard Saints." Kren muttered under his breath as Makarov turned away from Lucy and Mirajane before jumping and doing front flips to the second floor. The old man, however, hit his head on the wooden railing causing Kren to wince as Makarov climbed up to stand on said railing clearing his throat. 'Ouch, hope the old guy's okay.'
"You've gone and done it again, you bunch of clods!" Makarov shouted in a nagging tone of voice as he held up a stack of papers he was holding. "Just take a look at how much paperwork the magic council sent me this time! This is the biggest pile of complaints yet!"
'I kinda feel sorry for Makarov.' Kren thought as he looked around the guild hall to see many of the guild members had guilty looks on their faces before turning his attention back to Makarov with a smile on his face. 'But, I honestly can't wait to hear what he's about to say next!'
"Have you lost your minds?!" Makarov shouted as his entire body shook with irritation. "All you kids are good for is getting the higher ups mad at me!"
Many of the guild members began to reflect on their actions as Makarov continued to tremble with barely contained anger. Lucy looked on nervously, worried as to what the old guild master was going to do while Han hopped off Kren's shoulder and went to stand next to Happy. Kren just continued to smile as he noticed that Makarov's shaking slowly started to lessen and knew what was going to happen next.
"However." The papers in Makarov's hand suddenly burst into flames while the old man had a grin on his face. "I say to heck with the magic council!" He tossed the burning papers into the air which Natsu caught with his mouth and began to eat it. "Now listen up, any power that surpasses reason still comes from reason, right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power, it is a talent that only works when the flow of energy inside of us and the flow of energy in the natural world are in perfect synchronization." Makarov looked around to his "children" to see that he had their full attention as he continued on with his speech. "To perform magic, one must have a strong mind and the ability to focus, it should take over your being and pouring out of your soul! If all we do is worry about following rules, then our magic will progress! Don't let those blowhards in the council scare you, follow the path you believe in, cause that's what makes the Fairy Tail guild number one!"
Makarov finished his speech by raising his hand over his head with the back of his palm facing forward and his index finger and thumb extended. Cheers filled the guild hall as the members of Fairy Tail followed their master by making the same gesture with their hands and Kren couldn't help but join in as he thought of all the exciting adventures that are yet to come by joining this amazing guild. His gaze landed on the sleep ring on his finger before remembering the first time he used magic and how it felt to have magic energy flowing through his body. It felt incredible and comforting, especially when he sucked in all the water that Aquarius launched in her attempt to drown him and Han. Problem is that if it weren't for the voice he heard in his head, he probably never knew he could do that or the breath attack he did with Natsu. At the thought of the mysterious voice, Kren couldn't shake the feeling that it was familiar for some reason. Kren decided to file that thought away for later contemplation before approaching Natsu.
"Hey, Natsu?" Natsu turned to face Kren who had a determined look on his face. "Do you think you can teach me how to use my magic?"
"You want me to teach you?" Natsu asked in surprise, which caught the attention of nearby guild members who decided to listen in interest. "But you were using it just fine two days ago."
"That was a coincidence." Kren admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I actually don't know how I did that to be honest."
"Someone had to have taught you." Natsu pointed out, lifting up his scarf as if to prove his words right. "I wouldn't have been able to use my magic if it wasn't for Igneel."
"Aye." Happy said in agreement as his wings sprouted from his back and floated beside Natsu. "And you can't learn Dragon Slayer magic unless taught by a dragon."
"He's a dragon slayer?!" Exclaimed the guild members who were eavesdropping that quickly got the attention of the other guild members who were now looking at Kren with shocked expressions.
"Well, that answers my previous question." Makarov commented as he jumped down from the railing he was standing on before approaching Kren with a inquisitive look on his face. "But why ask Natsu to teach you if you already know how to use your magic?"
"That's just it." Kren said with a shake of his head. "I DON'T know how to use my magic."
"You don't?" Makarov raised an eyebrow at the teen's response but saw no deceit in his emerald green eyes. The old guild master hummed in thought before turning to Mirajane. "Mirajane, could you be a dear and give them their guild marks now?"
"Of course, master!" Mirajane replied, holding a stamp as she approached Kren. "Where would you like it and what color?"
"Um, blue on my forearm I guess?" His response sounded more like a question while holding out his left forearm for Mirajane to place the Fairy Tail mark. As she went on to give him his guild mark, Kren looked down to Makarov in nervous confusion. "Did I say something wrong earlier?"
"No, you didn't." Makarov replied reassuringly before turning his back to Kren who finished having his guild mark placed which was the same shade of blue as his hair before walking. "I would just like to speak with you for a moment while your friends get their marks."
'Why do I have a feeling I'm so screwed right now?' Kren thought as he followed Makarov through the guild hall and up the stairs into what he assumed was the guild master's office which had a desk and couch with a large window that overlooked the coast not far.
Makarov walked towards the desk with his hands behind his back before turning to face Kren. "First of all, I don't believe you told me your name, my boy."
"Huh?" Kren blinked in surprise before realizing that he really didn't introduce himself at all. "It's Kren, Kren Eshes."
Makarov nodded in acknowledgment before gesturing to the couch for Kren to sit comfortably before they continued. Kren accepted the invitation and took a seat while Makarov sat behind his desk before clasping his hands together on his desk. "Kren, could you please explain what you meant earlier about not knowing how to use your magic?"
Kren stiffened at the question before relaxing as he tried to remember everything that happened that led to him using his magic. "I don't really understand it myself, master, but there was this voice telling me to do what I did in Hargeon."
"A voice?" Makarov raised an eyebrow at the blue haired teens' response. When Kren nodded, the old guild master straightened his posture. "Can you describe this voice to me, lad?"
"I'll try." Kren closed his eyes in concentration as he tried to remember all he could about the voice he heard. "It was really soft and gentle, almost like someone was singing a lullaby with a slight echo."
When he thought back to the image of the serpent-like dragon from before, Kren felt the start of a horrible headache which didn't go unnoticed when Makarov's eyes narrowed slightly at seeing Kren's hand quickly raised to clutch his head and his contorted in pain. Kren pushed on, however, trying to ignore the throbbing pain as he recalled everything that happened in Hargeon.
"Don't push yourself, child." Makarov said softly, hopping out of his seat and approached Kren to place a reassuring hand on the teen's knee. "It's alright if you don't remember, that just means you'll have to relearn everything."
"Don't remember?" Kren opened an eye through the pain he was feeling to look at Makarov in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Tell me, Kren my boy, do you remember anything before the age of ten?" Makarov inquired, which both confused and surprised as he just shook his head as he really didn't remember anything before he was ten. "I see, then it's as I thought."
"What?" Kren asked in worry as Makarov removed his hand from the teen's knee and placed it behind his back. "Please tell me."
"You have amnesia, as I'm sure you're already aware of." Makarov explained getting a nod from the blue haired teen.
Kren already knew he had amnesia the day his parents found him and brought him to a hospital to be treated. From what he could remember, his parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary when they found him lying on the beach badly injured. When he regained consciousness, he was scared because he didn't know where he was until a doctor walked in and explained where he was and who brought him. They ran a few tests and soon discovered that Kren had retrograde amnesia which was a loss of memory of events or information learned in the past. The doctors did everything they could to find the cause of his amnesia only to find he had no head injury and he was perfectly healthy. The only remaining conclusion is that Kren experienced something traumatic that made him want to forget what happened. The reason he remembers his name was because it was embroidered on the clothes he was wearing that day. He was later adopted by the couple who found him but kept his last name and he has been living a happy life ever since.
"But what you aren't aware of is that your amnesia wasn't caused by normal means." Makarov's voice snapped Kren out of his thoughts as the old guild master frowned. "I didn't notice it before, but when you started showing signs of a headache, I sensed small traces of another wizard's magic coming off of you."
"What?" Kren whispered, eyes widened in shock and fear when he processed Makarov's words as he brought his hands in front of his face and stared at them. "You mean that someone…"
Makarov just nodded grimly as Kren slowly put the pieces together to the difficult puzzle that was his life. It all made sense now that he thought about it, it explains why he had no previous medical records, why his hair was naturally ocean blue, why his senses were much sharper than a normal person's, everything. It was so much for the teen to process that his headache got worse he had to suppress a shout of pain as his hands tightly gripped his head in an attempt to ease it. As if a flip was switched, images began to flash one after another in rapid succession that he could barely make out what they were. Slowly but surely, Kren's headache lessened to a dull throb as the images became clearer as they flash before his eyes and right away the teen knew what these images were.
"I-I remember." Kren whispered so softly that Makarov had to strain his ears to hear what the blue haired teen had said.
"You remember?" Makarov asked, slowly easing Kren's hands away from his head and set them down on the teen's lap as he looked the newest child in his Fairy Tail family in the eyes. "Remember what, my boy?"
"My magic." Was Kren's only response as he looked down to his hands and brought one up with the palm facing upwards before a magic circle formed followed by a floating orb of water. Makarov noticed that Kren looked exhausted, but that didn't stop a small, happy smile etching itself on his face. "I remember how to use my magic."
Makarov sighed in relief at hearing that Kren remembered how to use his magic, a smile gracing his old features and gave the teen a pat on the knee. "That's a relief to hear, child. Do you remember anything else?" His frown returned when Kren shook his head sadly before willing the water orb to disperse into a mist that soon vanished. "So it would seem that only your memories about your magic returned." It was then that the old guild master remembered something before smiling reassuringly to Kren. "Don't worry, I think I know someone who could help."
"You do?" Kren asked, hope evident in his voice as the thought of remembering everything about himself might be possible.
"Yes." Makarov nodded in confirmation before walking towards the door with Kren quickly following. "We can go see her tomorrow. For now, how about spending the day getting acquainted with your fellow guild members?"
"Sounds good." Kren nodded, giving the old guild master a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Master Makarov."
Makarov laughed at Kren's gratitude as they began to descend down the stairs to the first floor. "We're a family here in Fairy Tail, what kind of parent would I be if I didn't try to help one of my children?"
Kren joined Makarov in his laughter as they reached the first floor and the teen noticed that there was a dent in the request board. When Kren looked around the guild hall, he noticed that Natsu and Happy were missing. Han, who was sitting next to Lucy at the bar, noticed him and waved him over. The teen approached them and took a seat beside Han and looked towards the request board again before it clicked in his head what happened.
"Excuse me, Mira?" Kren said getting the attention of the girl behind the counter. "Can I have some water?" The teen noted he was still exhausted from remembering how to use his magic and quickly rephrased his request. "Actually, can that be a barrel instead?"
"Of course, coming right up." Mirajane replied, acting as if the teen didn't just ask for something surprising and went to get a barrel of water. Lucy and Han gaped at Kren and continued to do so when Mirajane brought a barrel of water. "Here you go."
"Thank you." Kren used both hands to lift up the barrel and began to chug down the contents inside, relishing the feeling of his energy returning with each passing second. Once the barrel was empty, Kren let out a sigh of content and set the barrel on the counter. "I needed that."
"Yo-you just drank an entire barrel of water in under five seconds." Lucy pointed out, pointing a shaky finger at the blue haired teen. "How is that even possible?"
"It shouldn't be that surprising." Kren replied, casting a grin Lucy's way that showed his abnormally sharp canines. "I'm a dragon slayer after all." He then looked around the guild hall again. "Speaking of which, where's Natsu and Happy?"
Lucy's shock turned melancholy before looking to the entrance of the guild hall. "They went to Mount Hakobe to save someone named Macao for his son Romeo." She looked to Mirajane for help in explaining the situation.
"It's probably because Natsu and Romeo have a lot in common." Mirajane explained when Kren turned his attention to her. "I think he sees himself in romeo. Just because we're members of Fairy Tail, it doesn't mean we don't have our own personal issues, we've all had our fair share of suffering and loss."
"Do you mean Igneel?" Han asked, nibbling on a piece of fish. "Natsu mentioned him before."
"Yes." Mirajane nodded before turning around to sort the bottles of alcohol on the shelf. "Many years ago, Natsu's father left and never came back. Well, technically it wasn't his real father but the one who raised him, he was actually a dragon."
Lucy had a look of shock as she pictured a fire breathing dragon. "He was a what?! Natsu was really raised by a dragon?!"
'Guess she didn't hear this story yet." Kren thought in amusement as Mirajane nodded her head. As he heard Mirajane tell the story of Natsu and Dragneel, Kren couldn't help but think of the dragon that raised him and longed to remember them. The only thing he remembered about the dragon was what they looked like and their name. 'Aquacia, I hope I remember you soon.'
"So, that dragon must have been Igneel." Lucy as she pieced together Mirajane's story.
"That's right." Mirajane nodded, turning to face them with a sad smile. "And Natsu lives for the day when he'll finally see Igneel again. It's kinda cute, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it kinda is." Lucy said softly before getting to her feet clenching her fists in determination. "Alright, I'm going with him to save Macao!"
"Count me in." Kren also got to his feet clenching a fist that was soon covered in an orb of water and grinned at the surprised looks on Lucy and Han's faces. "After all, us members in Fairy Tail have each other's back."
Currently in a horse drawn carriage, Natsu and Kren were leaning against each other each with a hand over their mouths to fight off the wave of nausea that made the two dragon slayers too weak to move a muscle. Sitting across from them was Lucy who looked at the two with pity while Han and Happy were sitting on the floor discussing which fish tasted better.
"Why did you guys come with us?" Natsu asked weakly, holding his stomach as it felt like it was in knots.
"I thought maybe I could help." Lucy replied, fiddling with her gate keys to make sure they were tightly secured before looking at Natsu and Kren. "Wow, you really do have a serious case of motion sickness, don't you?" Lucy sighed before placing her hands on her cheeks and shook her head in pity. "It's just another reason to feel sorry for you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing, forget I said anything."
'Well, isn't this ironic?' Kren weakly thought, fighting the urge to jump out of the carriage and walk the rest of the way. 'A water dragon slayer who gets motion sick, just think what'll happen when I'm on a boat.' Just the thought was enough to make Kren fight to keep down the bile that wants to come out. Suddenly, the carriage came to a complete stop which immediately made him and Natsu feel better. 'Are we there?'
"I guess we're there." Lucy commented when the carriage stopped.
"Alright, we've stopped moving!" Natsu yelled, doing a little dance as he spewed out fire.
"Thank god." Kren sighed as he felt the waves of nausea leave his system. "I was about ready to lose my breakfast."
"Okay, I really didn't need to know that." Lucy sweatdropped at Kren's comment, a hand hovering over her whip. "If you lost it on me, then you wouldn't be able to sit down for months."
"I'm sorry, but this is as far as I can get you." The carriage driver apologized as the three wizards and their feline companions exited the carriage to see that they were near a large mountain covered in snow and a huge blizzard.
"Where the heck are we, Natsu?!" Lucy asked loudly over the gusty winds so she could be heard. "It's a frozen wasteland!"
"It's Mount Hakobe!" Kren explained as he hopped off the carriage with Han in his arms. "Because of the climate here, it snows all year-round no matter what the season it is right now!"
"That's crazy!" Lucy shouted as She and Kren followed Natsu down the snowy path up the mountain. "How can it snow all year-round when it's summer?! There shouldn't be a blizzard like this anywhere!"
"That's what you get for wearing light clothing." Natsu commented while Kren gave his fellow dragon slayer a flat look while holding a blanket he wrapped himself in tightly to keep warm.
"Says the human furnace!" Lucy shouted as she tried to take the blanket out of Natsu's backpack.
"Maybe I should have pointed out that it was going to be cold out here." Kren said under his breath when he saw that Lucy finally got the blanket from Natsu and pulled out one of her silver gate keys.
"Open, Gate of the clock constellation, Horologium!" With a swing of Lucy's key, a magic circle formed in front of followed by the ringing of a doorbell before a tall brown grandfather clock with long, black arms, a glass case, a Roman-numerical clock at the center and a small face at the top with slit eyes and a thin, twirly, mustache-like mouth appeared.
"A clock, whoa." Natsu said in awe at seeing a grandfather clock appear out of thin air.
"That is so cool!" Happy said as Lucy climbed inside the clock spirit and wrapped the blanket around herself before starting talking which couldn't be heard through the glass.
"Lucy, we can't hear you!" Han shouted, tapping on the glass case of the clock spirit.
"She says 'I'm staying in here and I'm not coming out.'" Horologium relayed Lucy's words while Kren looked on curiously.
"Then why'd you tag along?" Natsu asked in confusion.
"'What kind of crazy job would force Macao to come to a place like this?' She inquires." Horologium said, relaying Lucy exact words for the others to hear.
"You should have asked that before you came with us." Natsu said, crossing his arms while Kren and Han lightly poked Horologium. "He went to slay a Volcan, it's a big monster."
Kren noticed that Lucy looked a bit scared as Natsu and Happy continued down the path. "'I want to go back to the guild!' She proclaims." Horologium said in Lucy's stead.
"Go ahead and be my guest, I say back." Natsu replied.
"Aye."
"Natsu." Kren sighed as he knelt down slightly, pulling his blanket closer to himself. "He needs to remember that Lucy's a girl."
"Don't forget about the girls Natsu knows." Han pointed out, his tail sweeping off the snow that piled on his head. "They all know how to defend themselves."
"That's true." Kren nodded, getting to his feet again and walked a bit towards the edge of the path to see how far up they were.
"'Careful, you'll fall!' She exclaims frantically." Horologium said from his position on the path as Lucy slammed her hand on the glass a few times.
"Relax." Kren looked back to give the blond a reassuring grin. "I'm not gonna fall like some idiot." Suddenly, the ground he was standing on started to crumble, causing the blue haired dragon slayer to let out a startled yell as he flailed his arms frantically.
"Kren!" Han shouted in worry as he grabbed onto Kren's pant leg to attempt to prevent the water dragon slayer from falling only for the both of them to fall off the edge of the path and began to tumble down the cliff, becoming a large snowball as they continued to roll down the cliff. They eventually reached the bottom of the cliff as the snowball became a pile of snow with two pairs of legs sprouting out on top of it. "Kren, are you alright?"
"No." Kren's muffled voice could barely be heard under the snow as the water dragon slayer tried to get himself free from the snow pile but couldn't as his legs flailed helplessly. Kren eventually got himself and Han free and held his feline companion close in his arms. The water dragon slayer shuddered with chattering teeth as he got to his feet. "W-w-w-we are never d-d-d-doing that a-a-a-again."
"Agreed." Han said in agreement, snuggling closer in Kren's arms who stopped shivering at the warmth Han's fur was providing. "How about we go meet up with Natsu and Lucy now?"
"Good idea." Kren nodded and took a step only to jump back when what appeared to be needles made of ice pierced the ground he once stood. Kren's eyes narrowed as he carefully surveyed his surroundings for what might have unleashed the attack on him. "Something's out there."
"But what?" Han asked, his gaze still on the ice needles that nearly turned them into pin cushions before he too looked around for their attacker. "I don't see anything."
"It's probably camouflaged right now." Kren muttered, sniffing the air for a moment before jumping to the side to avoid another flurry of ice needles. "No good, all this snow's masking its scent."
"Not to mention this blizzard makes it hard enough to see as it is." Han commented as Kren quickly rolled away from what appeared to be a beam that instantly froze a rabbit-like creature in a block of ice. Han's eyes widened at the sight before looking up to Kren in panic "How can you fight something you can't see?!"
"I got an idea." Kren said suddenly, placing Han down before crossing his arms as water began to cover them. "Water Dragon Wing Attack!" Waving his arms like a dragon flapping its wings, Kren released whips of water that slammed into the snowy ground. Kren continued to do this before something caught his eyes and grinned when his ears heard what sounded like a yelp of pain. "Got ya!"
Kren willed the water whips away and looked over to his attack to see it was a fox with pure white fur, red eyes, and three long swiping tails growling at him with the front half of its body crouched slightly.
"What is that thing?" Han wondered as he focused magic energy to his back like how Happy mentioned during the carriage ride to Mount Hakobe. A magic circle formed over him as white feathered wings sprouted from the feline's back before flying over Kren and the mysterious fox to get a good view of the fight and stay out of Kren's way.
"I'm guessing not an ordinary fox." Kren replied as he raised his fists and spread out his legs never taking his eyes off the fox in front of him. "One thing's for sure, we won't be able to help Natsu unless I beat this thing first."
"Good luck Kren." Han said as he flew higher into the air. "I know you can beat this thing."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Kren grinned up to Han before focusing back on the fox whose fur began to bristle before needles made of ice were released towards Kren. "Water Dragon Talon!" Kren swung a leg that released a blade of water deflecting the needles. Thinking fast, Kren took a deep breath positioning his hands like a trumpeter. "Water Dragon Roar!" A magic circle formed when the vortex of water was released traveling fast towards the fox who leaped out of the way.
"It's fast." Han muttered at seeing how the fox swiftly ran around before the winged feline lost track of it when it's fur blended in with the snow. "I lost it!"
"It's fine, Han." Kren said reassuringly as he crossed his arms. "I'll just force it out of hiding again. Water Dragon-" Kren quickly jumped to the side to dodged another beam. "So it won't let me do that again, at least it's smart."
"Now's not the time to compliment how smart it is!" Han shouted, flying to the side to dodge the ice needles the fox fired his way.
Kren's ears twitched when he heard what sounded like a twig snapping and started to run where he heard the sound. "Water Dragon Crushing Fang!" Kren covered his right hand in a thin layer of water before swiping down at the ground that was followed by five blades of water that resembled fangs that made a cloud of snow. Knowing that he missed, Kren looked around in the snow cloud he created in his attack to find any trace of the fox. "Damn, where is it? This would be a lot easier if I could smell it."
"Come on, Kren!" Han cheered as he hovered over Kren as the snow cloud slowly dispersed from the strong winds of the blizzard. "Don't you know any spells to track it?!"
"If I did then I wouldn't be having this problem." Kren muttered under his breath before a tingly feeling forced him to jump back as more ice needles pierced the ground he was standing on. Kren felt a stabbing pain and looked down to his leg to see that one of the ice needles managed to cut him on his thigh. "That's not good."
"Kren's been hurt." Han said, worry evident in his voice when movement behind Kren caught his attention and his eyes widened in horror. "Kren, behind you!"
Kren turned in time to see the fox had lunged at him and prepared to jump out of the way. However, the wound on his thigh protested, causing the dragon slayer to cringe in pain before the fox pushed him to the ground and pinned down his arms with its clawed paws. Kren grunted in discomfort as the claws dug into his skin but kept his focus on the fox as its mouth glowed with magic energy as it prepared to fire another beam at point blank to instantly freeze the human under it.
'Damn, that's what it was aiming for!' Kren thought as he fought to free himself from the fox's hold on him only for it to push down on him to keep the dragon slayer still. 'It can't end like this, I just remembered I'm from here and I haven't remembered Aquacia yet!' Kren looked around for anything nearby to use as a distraction when realization dawned on him before smirking confidently up to the confused fox.
'Kren's smirking!' Han thought with a hopeful smile that turned into a smirk matching the dragon slayer's. 'That means that this battle's over."
"You know what, I take back what I said about you being smart." Kren suddenly said as his smirk grew before his cheeks began to bulge. The fox's eyes widened in realization but it was too late to jump away from the dragon slayer. "Water Dragon Roar!" Kren released his breath attack directly at the fox's chest pushing it off him and into the cliff face he and Han just fell from. Once the attack was finished, the fox slumped down in defeat, twitching a few times before lying motionless.
"Way to go, Kren!" Han shouted excitedly before flying down to Kren who got to his feet and patted off the snow that clung onto his clothes. "That'll teach that nasty fox, don't mess with the Leviathan of Fairy Tail!"
"It wasn't a walk in the park, Han." Kren chuckled as he continued to pat off snow but paused when he processed what his feline companion just said. "Wait, Leviathan?"
"I figured since Natsu had a nickname, I'd come up with one for you." Han explained, his paws on his hips and chest puffed out. "What do you think, fits you quite nicely if I do say so myself."
Kren opened his mouth to respond when his words were halted by the sound of an explosion that seemed to get louder. Kren and Han looked up at the source of the sound and their eyes widened in panic when they learned what was making the sound.
"AVALANCHE!" The dragon slayer and winged felined yelled as they saw a large mass of snow tumbling down the mountain that Kren's breath attack slammed the fox into. The ground began to shake as the mass of snow got closer. WIthout thinking, Kren grabbed both Han and the fox and turned to run as fast as he could before a stinging pain from his thigh caused him to fall.
"I forgot about my leg." Kren gritted his teeth as he turned to his side and looked down to his thigh where the wound was to see that his leg was covered with frozen blood. "What I wouldn't give to know a healing spell right about now."
"We need to get out of here, Kren!" Han shouted frantically, climbing out of Kren's arms as the avalanche got closer with each passing second. Han grabbed the dragon slayer by the collar of his shirt before taking to the sky with a strong flap of his wings just as the avalanche reached the bottom of the mountain they just were. Han let out a sigh of relief as he tightened his grip on Kren. "Phew, now that was a close one."
"Yeah." Kren nodded in agreement as he watched the avalanche begin to settle before smiling up to Han. "Good thing you had wings to get us out of there."
Han rolled his eyes at how his owner was trying to play off almost being buried alive as an everyday thing when the dragon slayer was obviously shaking from the near-death experience. Han didn't voice this, though, as he was also scared but thrilled at the same time at the events that occurred. "Let's just try and find Natsu and Lucy."
"Aye aye captain." Kren replied with a salute getting a laugh from his feline companion.
They continued to fly through Mount Hakobe in search for the rest of their group when Han caught sight of Natsu, Lucy, and Happy with a slim, mildly muscular man with short, straight, slicked back dark blue hair and the lower part of his face is covered in quite a large amount of stubble, which includes a thin mustache. He wore an open knee-length white jacket, with a wide, dark purple collar and matching edges, with the sleeves rolled up under a dark shirt. A pair of brown, pinstriped pants held up by a lighter-colored belt bearing a snake-like pattern, with a simple, square-shaped buckle and around his neck was a large, serpentine necklace, which was held up by a chain.
"There they are, and it looks like they have Macao." Han said, pointing in their direction of Natsu and Lucy who each had one of Macao's arms over their shoulders to support him.
"That's good to hear." Kren said, sighing in relief at the sight of the middle-aged man. "Though, we already knew he would be fine."
"Yup." Han nodded in agreement before smirking down to the dragon slayer he was carrying. "But admit it, you wanted to fight that Volcan too."
"Maybe a little." Kren admitted, pinching his thumb and index finger together, leaving a small gap between them. He then looked down to the fox corpse he was still holding in his arms. "But this little guy was a good challenge too."
"Tell me again why you took that with you?" Han asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as to why the dragon slayer would want to hold on to a fox corpse.
"I thought we could sell its fur or something." Kren replied, looking up to Han to see that his feline friend still looked confused and elaborated. "We still don't have currency from this world to buy anything let alone rent a place, so I thought we could sell the fur for a little money to stay at an inn for a while."
"I forgot about that." Han admitted with a slight blush that was hidden by his fur. The winged feline chuckled as he slowly descended when Natsu and Lucy started waving at them. "Thinking ahead as usual, huh, Kren."
"It's what I do best." Kren grinned, waving back to Natsu and Lucy as his thoughts wandered to a certain image of a serpent-like dragon in the middle of a lake. 'Aquacia, I'll do my best to remember you as I live in this world, our world.'
I hope you enjoyed the chapter everyone, now onto your reviews!
Zephyr47: Yup, sorry for the wait. I'm happy to hear you thought it was great. Thank you, I wanted to do something a bit different from canon and I'm glad to hear you liked it. Rest assured that I have a lot planned for Kren in the other arcs and I'm afraid I'm keeping Kren's pairing a secret until the grand reveal. I'm a sucker for romance too. Thanks, I'm going to need all the luck I can get.
Haro654: Good guess, but no. The dragon's name is spelled Aquacia (Pronounced as A-qua-she-a) and they are somewhat involved, but not in the way you're probably thinking.
Karsap: Sorry about that, I fixed that problem so it should be there now.
With that said, farewell until the next chapter, my lovely readers!