Chapter five is here my readers, thank you for waiting so patiently. I must say, following an update order is kinda hard when one idea after another pops up for other fanfics. It doesn't help that I suck at multitasking, which is why I started using the update order that's in my profile. Speaking of which, I have a poll up at the moment for my first attempt at an AU with no OCs whatsoever.
As you all may or may not know, all of the fanfics I have written have OCs in them. After I saw that, I figured it was time to spread my horizons with an AU as well as a cross over fanfic. I decided to do an AU first since I don't have that much experience with crossovers.
Problem is, I have so many ideas, I can pick just one. That's why I would like your help in making the decision my dear treasured readers. When you have finished reading this chapter, I ask that you drop by my profile and leave a vote.
With that being said, one with the chapter! XD
Chapter Five: Fairies vs Reapers
After their encounter with the rogue wizards, the quartet of humans and their feline companions made it back to Magnolia. Once they returned to the guild, they wanted to talk to Makarov about what they learned. Unfortunately, Mirajane informed them that Makarov was away and wouldn't be back for a while. Knowing that there was nothing they could do, the group decided to go home to put their stuff away and come back.
Kren walked down the streets of Magnolia with Han walking beside him. The water dragon slayer looked down at the three smooth blue glistening scales with two white claws between them that was his new necklace. He held it in the palm of his hand as he lightly sniffed the scales. The scent of the ocean brought a sense of nostalgia in Kren the longer he smelled the scales. When he closed his eyes, Kren could see the dragon from the painting and knew right away that it was Aquacia. While not entirely, the dragon slayer was glad that he remembered the dragon who raised him.
Han looked up to see his owner sniffing the necklace and tilted his head curiously. Ever since Kren obtained the necklace, he hasn't once taken it off. The feline can understand why his owner is reluctant to remove the necklace, though. He knew that it was Kren's only connection to Aquacia and thus didn't want to part with it.
Kren suddenly stopped walking and Han noticed that they were in front of a tall building. The building is a two-story apartment house with white walls and a dark-red sloping roof with two chimneys and two dormer windows. The building overlooks one of Magnolia's canals and the roof of Cardia Cathedral was within view. Han knew right away that they arrived at their apartment which was in the northernmost part of Magnolia and close to the guild. Next to the building was a shop owned by a merchant.
"I wonder if Vergus has anything new in stock today." Kren said thoughtfully, looking over to the shop before shrugging. "I'll check it out later, gotta prepare for when Erza comes around."
Vergus Rash, the owner of the merchant's shop Vergus Goods that Kren frequents since arriving in Magnolia. Vergus was the merchant that put up the request to subjugate the Blizzard Fox. Kren met the man when he informed him of successfully defeating the Blizzard Fox and brought its corpse as proof.
To say the man was overjoyed was an understatement, the man was in tears and thanking Kren profusely. The man explained that he couldn't get any merchandise to Magnolia because of the Blizzard Fox. As a bonus, Vergus gave Kren the Blizzard Fox's fur along with the 100,000 Jewel reward. Afterwards, Vergus helped Kren and Han by suggesting they live in the apartment building next to his shop. Since then, Kren stops by Vergus Goods every chance he gets to check what the man had in stock.
"That reminds me, Kren." Han said, hopping up to Kren's shoulder as the dragon slayer stepped into the apartment building and greeted the landlady. "What are you going to do with the fur he gave you?"
The interior of the building had light blue wallpaper and a lot of storage space. The landlady was a middle-aged woman with red hair in a bun and green eyes. Her hair was held in place with a brown hairstick with a cherry blossom ornament hanging off one end. She wore a blue kimono with a floral pattern and traditional sandals.
The landlady's name is Sumi Clutsibah, and she is a close friend of Vergus. She is a well-mannered woman with a calm air about her. When Vergus introduced Kren and Han to her, Sumi was quick to act motherly and showed concern when she saw that Kren was injured. Kren and Han were surprised when Sumi explained that she can use healing magic.
Sumi further explained that it was a form of lost magic that she stumbled upon during her travels. She then offered to heal Kren's injured thigh while Vergus explained why they came to her. After Kren was healed and heard he needed a place to stay, Sumi offered to let them stay in a room for 80,000 Jewel a month.
"Good question." Kren looked up in thought as he climbed up the stairs to the second floor. "It's durable and has impressive ice resistance."
"How about making it into armor?" Han suggested as they reached the second floor and Kren turned right. "Might come in handy later on."
"Armor is a good idea." Kren nodded in agreement as he stopped at the first door on the right of the hall. "But I don't think it would suit me."
"Erza then?" Han titled his head as Kren reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. "It would be a good idea to get on her good side."
"Yeah, especially with how intimidating she is." Kren shivered as he pictured himself on the receiving end of Erza's Circle Sword attack. "Best not to piss her off."
Kren placed the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door before opening it. What greeted the dragon slayer and feline was an entryway leading to a large room. The room included a lot of furniture such as a bed, desk, bookcase, dresser, a table with four chairs, a coffee table and an stepped inside and closed the door behind him while Han hopped off his shoulder. Kren removed his shoes before walking into the rook with Han behind him. He placed a bag he bought in Shirotsume on the coffee table before reaching inside. He pulled out the surveillance lacrima which had the recording of the painting at Everlue's mansion.
"You gonna take that to Reedus?" Han asked, having noticed the lacrima in his owner's hand.
"Yeah." Kren nodded, pocketing the lacrima before walking towards the door again. "I thought we needed to decorate this place somehow."
"That, and you wanted something to remember Aquacia." Han said with a knowing smile on his face as he hopped onto Kren's shoulder. "Remember anything else?"
Kren shook his head as he stepped out of his apartment and locked the door. The dragon slayer couldn't remember anything else since the Daybreak mission. While not much, Kren is happy to at least remember what Aquacia looked like. He could even remember how her scent made him feel safe and comfortable. Back on Earth, Kren liked reading about marine reptiles, sea snakes to be specific. Now he knew why, they reminded him of Aquacia to an extent with their long bodies and they live in the water.
Once they reached the guild, Kren opened the door in time to see Mirajane using transformation magic. In her place was a pudgy woman with brown hair, eyes squinted shut, and wearing Mirajane's red dress. Kren and Han sweatdropped as they watched Wakaba back away from Mirajane. Kren caught sight of Natsu and Lucy in the corner of his eye and walked over to them.
"Hey guys." Kren said, raising a hand in greeting before looking down at Natsu who was resting his chin on the table. "What's with you, Natsu?"
"He's thinking of taking another job." Happy explained, nibbling on a fish for a moment before continuing. "We're running low on food money."
"If we'd taken that 2,000,000 Jewel reward, we'd be sitting pretty." Lucy pointed out when a thought came to her. "And I can't let myself forget that rent's due next week." She then looked over to the request board. "I guess better find work too."
"Rent's due for us too, Kren." Han added, jumping off the dragon slayer's shoulder to sit beside Happy. "We should find work to cover that."
"Good idea." Kren nodded in agreement, waving to Natsu before walking over to the request board where Lucy was already looking over the available jobs. "Anything good, Lucy?"
"Well, let's see." Lucy held her chin in thought as she read out the details of each job. "Finding a magic bracelet, breaking a spell on a cursed cane, reading someone's love horoscope, fighting a volcano demon?"
"Wow, who knew wizarding jobs are so varied?" Kren let out a low whistle as he also read the job details. Since arriving in Earthland, Kren learned how to read and write in secret to avoid questions. "It's hard just picking one."
"Well let me know if you find one you're interested in taking on." Mirajane said as she walked over to Kren and Lucy. "The master's away at conference so I'm covering for him."
"What kind of conference?" Lucy asked curiously, taking her eyes off the request board to give Mirajane her full attention.
"One for guild masters." Mirajane replied, Kren moved to take a seat on a stool by the bar as he listened. "Every once in a while, they all get together to talk about the state of things." She placed her finger against her chin as she looked up in thought. "It's like the magic council but not." She then turned to a tall man with curly, light orange hair and a distinctly large torso. "Excuse me Reedus, can I borrow a light pen?"
"Qui." Reedus replied, holding out a normal-looking, light-colored pen with an arched clip, with its end adorned with a small sphere. Kren's attention was on the glowing nib on the end of the pen.
"The council, ERA, is the most powerful organization in the magical world." Mirajane explained as she wrote in the air creating branches. "It's only one step below the government." The branches connect from the government to ERA to all local guild master leagues. "It has ten members and it's their job to uphold all magical rules and regulations."
"What would happen if a wizard breaks those rules?" Kren asked, already knowing but still paying attention to Mirajane's explanation.
"In that case, they would be trialed by the magic council." Mirajae replied, drawing more branches beneath the guild master leagues and writing guild in them. "Then there's the different guild master leagues, which are local groups that work together."
"What about the individual masters?" Kren rested an arm on the counter as he fought the urge to poke the floating letters.
"It's their job to pass on the decrees of the council." Mirajane explained, using the light pen to point from each guild word to ERA and back. "They also communicate with guild masters on a regular basis." She lowered the light pen while Lucy had a finger on her chin as she pictured the system of the magic council and the guilds. "I guess you could say they're the glue that holds all of us together, which is a pretty stressful job."
"I can see why the master was upset when we got here." Kren said, nodding his head sympathetically for Makarov. "I wouldn't last a week."
"Wow," Lucy said in amazement as she went over everything Mirajane just told them. "I never realized that all the different magical guilds were interconnected like that."
"It's important that we cooperate with one another." Mirajane explained, placing one arm under her breasts while holding the other up as if to make a point. "Otherwise, our system would fall apart."
"And then the guys in black would show up!" Natsu suddenly said, a creepy smile on his face as he used a finger to create a flame. This freaked Lucy out before he burst out laughing with his hands behind his head. "That was almost too easy!"
"You trying to scare me to death?" Lucy asked, holding a clenched first over her heart.
"But seriously, the guys Natsu's talking about exist." Mirajane said with a small frown on her face. "They're the dark guilds." She took the light pen and wrote Dark Guild before drawing a circle around it. "They've chosen not to join any of the leagues, they're the bad apples and most of them are involved in magical crime."
"That's true." Kren nodded in agreement, getting Lucy's attention as he stretched back and got to his feet. "Don't be surprised if you run into them during a job."
"Would you just go and pick us a jog already?" Natsu asked in a laid back manner as if the conversation about dark guilds never happened.
"You have got to be kidding me." Lucy rested her hands on her hips as she gave Natsu an annoyed side look. "What makes you think I wanna do that?"
"Well, we are a team now, aren't we?" Natsu replied while Kren just rolled his eyes as he understood why the celestial wizard was annoyed.
"Yeah, and we picked the job last time." Happy pointed out, getting their attention as he raised a paw. "It's your turn to pick, so get to it."
"Just forget it, cat." Lucy said, crossing her arms and looking away from Natsu and Happy. "As far as I'm concerned, our team has been disbanded." She then remembered the incident with Everlue and gave the fire dragon slayer and feline a wary look. "And besides, you guys didn't actually want me, you just needed me last time because I'm a blonde."
"She's got a point." Kren said, patting Lucy sympathetically on the shoulder as he too remembered that incident. "After a stunt like that, I don't blame her for disbanding the team."
"Makes me wonder why she still hangs out with you guys." Han added, hopping onto the counter to stand beside Kren.
"Don't be ridiculous, that's not the only reason we chose you." Natsu said, directing his words to Lucy before grinning widely. "We picked you cause you're so nice." He then turned his attention to Kren. "And we picked you because we're fellow dragon slayers."
"Hey Lucy!" Gray called out from a table, getting the celestial wizard's attention. Kren sweatdropped when he saw the ice wizard sitting next to Cana in nothing but his underwear. "I wouldn't stay with those losers if I were you, you'll get plenty of offers from other teams."
"Your clothes, Gray?" Cana pointed out, causing the ice wizard to freak out to see his clothes were gone.
'Cue the fire/ice battle.' Kren thought as he heard Natsu call Gray a jerk before the two started butting heads and insulting each other. He ignored Loke hitting on Lucy and turned his attention to Reedus and pulled out the surveillance lacrima. "Excuse me Reedus, I was wondering if you can recreate a painting for me."
"A painting?" Reedus asked, noticing that the water dragon slayer was holding the lacrima. "What kind of painting?"
"A painting of my dragon." Kren replied, getting the attention of the guild members who heard him. "Her name is Aquacia." He held out the lacrima that began to show the painting it recorded. "It got damaged in Everlue's mansion, so I was hoping you could recreate it."
"This is your dragon, Kren?" Mirajane asked, looking closely at the lacrima to clearly see the painting. "My, she's lovely."
"Yeah." Kren nodded, smiling softly as he stared at the recording before turning his attention to Reedus. "So can you recreate it, Reedus?"
"Qui." Reedus nodded, taking the lacrima in his hand and pocketing it. "If it means that much to you, I'll have it done as soon as I can."
"Merci, Reedus." Kren said gratefully, watching Loke running out of the guild in tears.
"What got into him all of a sudden?" Lucy asked as she watched Loke ran away from her.
"Loke has a bad history with celestial wizards." Mirajane explained while Lucy never took her eyes off the direction Loke ran. "Rumor has it he dated one and it didn't end up very well."
"Well, I'm not surprised…" Lucy started before Natsu was suddenly flung at her knocking them both to the ground with the dragon slayer on top of her. "Would the two of you just knock it off already?"
"Natsu started it, I'm just following through." Gray replied.
"Where's your clothes?" Cana asked, causing Gray to freak out again as Natsu got off Lucy.
"You were the one who was provoking me, you dirty slimeball." Natsu growled out and glared at the ice wizard. Kren could practically see red flames burning behind him.
"Oh yeah?" Gray matched Natsu's glare as Kren picture blue flames burning behind him. "And what exactly did I do to provoke you, you fire clown?"
"You pervy flasher!"
"Pink haired punk!"
"Lame insults guys." Lucy commented as she watched the two wizards but heads.
"They start to run out." Happy said, popping up beside the celestial wizard.
"It's entertaining from the sidelines at least." Han pointed out as he pawed at a fish before nibbling it.
"Can't argue with that." Kren nodded in agreement as he watched the other guild members laugh at Natsu and Gray's antics. He even caught Lucy smiling a little and he knew he was smiling too.
"Bad news!" Loke shouted as he slammed the front door open, getting the attention of everyone inside the guild. "It's Erza, she's on her way here."
As soon as the words left Loke's mouth, the guild began to panic. Kren also looked nervous as he was about to meet a character he both respected and feared. While the dragon slayer liked Erza Scarlet, he knew how scary the woman can be if her patience is tested. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of any of her attacks.
"Wow, just mention Erza and the whole place freaks out." Lucy said, looking around at all the panicked faces of her fellow guild members.
"Well, she is the strongest female we've got in Fairy Tail and more than a bit intimidating." Mirajane said, being the only guild member not freaking out at the news of Erza's arrival.
'A bit is an understatement.' Kren thought as he kept his eyes on the front entrance of the guild as he heard the sound of heavy footsteps. 'Here she comes.'
"That's gotta be her." Laki said nervously as the sound of footsteps got closer.
"Those sound like her footsteps." One could hear the quiver in Wakaba's voice as he stayed still as possible.
"Even the air's gone completely still." Macao added, a small bead of sweat trailing down his face.
"Jeez, from these reactions, you'd think she was some kind of demon or something." Lucy said before picturing a large silhouette figure breathing fire and rampaging in a town. "I'm so scared!"
Walking into the guild was a young woman with long, scarlet hair and brown eyes. She has a slender, voluptuous figure wearing armor consisting of a metal breastplate, with a high armored collar and plated shoulderguards with each side being composed of four plates. On the breastplate's left side is a cross with the edge pointing downwards, having the shape of a heart. In addition, the armor's waist guard is composed of three plates, each held up by a simple belt. She also wears a blue skirt, black boots, and diamond shaped silver earrings.
Kren focused his attention to the giant decorated horn the woman had over her shoulder. He noticed that she was carrying it effortlessly with one hand. He could feel a bead of sweat trail down the side of his face and he watched the woman's every move. Once she was in the center of the guild hall, Erza set down the horn with a loud thud.
"I have returned." Erza announced, resting a hand on the horn she carried. "Where is master Makarov?"
'Wow, she's prettier in person.' Kren thought with a slight blush on his cheeks.
"Welcome back Erza." Mirajane greeted the armored wizard. "The master's at a conference right now."
"I see." Erza acknowledged with a slight nod of her head and his hands on her hips.
"Careful Kren," Han warned with a teasing smirk on his face as he looked up at his owner. "You might get hurt if you stare too long."
"I wasn't staring." Kren refuted, quickly looked away as he listened to Erza tear into each guild member within eyesight. His cheeks felt like they were on fire that he was caught staring. "I was just admiring how pretty she was in person."
"That's what we call staring." Han's smirk grew as he watched his owner squirm. 'Teasing him is so fun.'
"Are Natsu and Gray here?" Erza asked, returning Kren and Han's attention to her.
"Aye." Happy replied as he pointed to the two wizards. She saw that the two had an arm over the other's shoulders.
"Oh, hey there Erza." Gray said nervously, both he and Natsu sweating profusely at the sight of Erza. "We're just hanging out like good friends tend to do."
"Aye." Nastu said, imitating Happy which freaked Lucy out.
"That's great." Erza said, crossing her arms and nodding her head in approval. "I'm quite pleased to see the two of you getting along so well." She then gave the two wizards a small smirk. "However, it's only natural for even the best of friends to lock horns every now and again."
"I don't know if we're the best of friends."
"Aye."
"What's gotten into Natsu?" Lucy asked, slightly scared about the fire dragon slayer's sudden change in attitude.
"He's scared." Mirajane replied, using the light pen to draw a picture of Erza wielding a sword and kicking Natsu. "A few years ago, he challenged Erza to a fight and she beat him up pretty bad."
"That was a stupid thing to do." Lucy commented, getting nods of agreement from both Kren and Han.
"After that, she found Gray walking around naked so she decided to beat him up too." Macao added with an amused grin on his face.
"And let's not forget she also beat up Loke for trying to hit on her." Cana pointed out, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "He totally deserved it though."
"Yeah, can't say I blame her." Lucy nodded in agreement as she pictured how the interaction between the two went.
"Natsu, Gray, I need you to do me a favor." Erza said, the seriousness in her voice catching the attention of the two wizards. "While traveling, I overheard something that has me worried." Kren knew what the armored wizard was talking about and shared a look with Han. "Normally, I would consult with the master before acting, but he's not here and this is a matter of utmost urgency." Natsu and Gray had frowns on their faces as they listened to Erza talk. "The two of you are the strongest wizards here, I could really use your help."
Once everyone in the guild processed what Erza had said, the guild hall was filled with murmurs of disbelief. Kren saw the looks Natsu and Gray were giving each other and knew what was going on inside their heads. The water dragon slayer picked up Han and held the feline in his arms as he left the guild hall. Once he was far enough away from the guild hall, Kren ran to his apartment to pack everything he needed.
The next day, Kren sat on a bench beside Lucy and Happy in Magnolia station. Lucy had Plue in her arms and a suitcase to her left while Kren had Han in his arms while his bag was between his legs. The water dragon slayer looked over to see Natsu and Gray were once again glaring at each other. They then started to bicker again, getting looks from people passing by.
"Let's just sit here and pretend we don't know them." Lucy said, not even bothering to look in the direction of the two arguing wizards.
"What made you decide to come with us?" Happy asked, nibbling on a fish as he watched Natsu and Gray be at each other's throats.
"Mira asked me to tag along." Lucy replied, recalling her conversation with Mirajane the day before.
"Same here." Kren said, keeping his eyes on Natsu and Gray in case they decided to use magic in the station. "She knew they would be like this when Erza's not looking."
"So she wanted these two to stop them." Han added, checking the fur on his tail for any tangles.
"You guys aren't doing a very good job." Happy commented when he noticed the two wizards were just sitting on the bench.
"They're hopeless." Lucy said in return to the blue feline's comment.
"I'm just waiting for them to use their magic." Kren shrugged, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "If they do, that's when I'll step in."
"Sorry I'm late, you've been waiting long?" The sound of Erza's voice effectively stopping Natsu and Gray's glaring contest.
"No, not really." Lucy replied, turning to face the armored wizard only to be shocked at seeing her luggage.
'Even I'm shocked by how much she brought with her.' Kren thought, sweatdropping as he stared at the number of suitcases behind Erza.
"All those belong to you?!" Lucy asked, gaping at Erza's luggage.
"It's time to go good buddy!" Gray said as both he and Natsu had an arm over the other's shoulder again.
"Aye."
"Listen, one Happy's enough!" Lucy exclaimed when she heard Natsu imitate Happy again.
"Good, I really love to see the two of you getting along." Erza said with a small smile on her face before facing Kren and Lucy. "And what were your names, I believe I saw you both at the guild yesterday."
"My name's Lucy and I just joined Fairy Tail." Lucy introduced herself, Plue still in her arms as she conversed with Erza. "Mira asked me to come along with you guys so I can learn a thing or two."
"I'm Han." Han raised a paw in greeting from Kren's arms.
"And my name's Kren, like Lucy I just joined Fairy Tail." Kren said, giving the armored wizard a small wave in greeting. He subtly looked over her shoulder to see Natsu and Gray glaring at each other again. "I hope you don't mind us tagging along."
"The more the merrier, I'm Erza, wait I've heard about you two." Erza looked over her shoulder and saw Natsu and Gray acting buddy buddy before looking back to Lucy. "I was told you defeated a mercenary gorilla using only your pinky finger, it'll be great to have a wizard like you on board, thanks for your help." She looked over her shoulder again to once again see Natsu and Gray acting buddy buddy.
"Oh no, it's my pleasure." Lucy said nervously, knowing that what Erza heard was either made up, exaggerated, or a mix of the two.
"As for you." Erza continued, turning her attention to Kren who went stiff as a board. "I heard you defeated a Blizzard Fox, most impressive, having a wizard of your skill will be a great asset on this mission."
"It was all luck actually." Kren said modestly, rubbing the back of his neck at the praise he received.
"Hey Erza." Natsu said, getting the whole team's attention as he approached her. "I'll come with you, but only on one condition."
"Oh?" Erza asked, oblivious of Gray telling Natsu to shut up while Kren was silently praying for the fire dragon slayer to rest in peace. "Well then let's hear it."
"Kay." Natsu held up a fist, a confident smirk on his face. "I want a rematch when we get back to Fairy Tail."
"What's wrong with you?" Gray asked, placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder while Lucy looked surprised by Natsu's condition. "You got some kind of death wish?"
"I'm a lot stronger than I was last time." Natsu replied, not even bothering to shrug off Gray's hand. "This time will be way different, cause I'm gonna beat you."
"Yes, I can tell you've improved," Erza said, resting a hand on her hip and lowering her head slightly with a small smile on her face. "As to whether or not you can beat me, I suppose we'll have to see." She raised her head to look Natsu in the eye. "I accept your challenge."
"Oh yeah!" Kren sweatdropped when Natsu's head burst into flames. "I'm fired up!"
Natsu's enthusiasm lasted ten minutes as soon as the train the team boarded started to move. Natsu, Gray, Happy, Lucy, and Erza took the seats on one side of the train car while Kren and Han took the seats across from them. Natsu was blue with his mouth hanging open while Kren had a hand over his mouth fighting the urge to vomit.
"I swear, you're totally pathetic Natsu." Gray commented, resting his chin against his fist while his right leg was over his left. "One minute you're picking a fight and the next you're like this."
"It's gotta be tough on him getting from place to place." Lucy said, feeling sorry for the dragon before looking over to Kren who was in the same state as Natsu. "Tough on both of them in fact."
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Erza said with her arms crossed. "Come here and sit with me."
"Aye." Natsu weakly said as Lucy helped him take her spot next to Erza while she sat next to Gray.
"Now just relax." Erza said softly before punching Natsu in the stomach, effectively knocking him out before resting his head on her lap. "There, that should make the trip a little easier on him."
"I'm taking a nap." Kren said weakly, lying down on his seat and looking at Han. "Wake me when we get there."
"You got it." Han nodded, watching Kren close his eyes and slowly drifting to sleep.
"Erza, I think it's about time you started filling us in." Gray said, getting to the topic at hand while Han stroked Kren's hair as he listened. "I mean what kind of mission are we going on here?"
"Of course." Erza nodded, looking over the team to make sure everyone, excluding the dragon slayers, were listening. "I have reason to believe the dark guild Eisenwald is planning something big." She placed her hand on Natsu's head and stroked his hair like Han. "I'm not sure what, exactly, but it has to do with a magic item called Lullaby."
Han listened as Gray and Lucy explained their runnin with the rogue wizards and then mentioning Lullaby. Erza then explained overhearing Eisenwald members at a pub in Onibus and that they mentioned a seal on Lullaby. Han noticed that Lucy was sweating profusely and tried not to laugh when Happy said she got slimy. He listened as Erza called herself a fool for not recognizing Erigor the Reaper's name. Han wanted to tell them what Eisenwald was planning, but he had no way of explaining how he knew. They rode in silence until Kren started mumbling in his sleep.
"I wonder what he's dreaming about." Lucy wondered, looking at Kren's peaceful face as a smile graces his lips. "Ah, he smiled, must be a good dream."
"Mmmm, Aquacia." Kren mumbled turned on his side.
"Guess he must be dreaming about his dragon." Gray said, having heard the water dragon slayer mention Aquacia's name in the guild yesterday.
"So I assume he's also a dragon slayer?" Erza inquired, looking at Kren curiously as Han made sure he didn't roll off his seat.
"Yeah, a water dragon slayer." Lucy replied, remembering the day she first met Kren and Natsu on Hargeon.
"Then it would seem motion sickness is a trait all dragon slayers share." Erza surmised, looking from Natsu to Kren and back.
"Looks that way." Gray crossed his arms while his thoughts were on what Erza had told them. "But let's forget about that and get back on topic." Han saw that Lucy looked nervous and scared. "Eisenwald's planning to do something with this Lullaby and you want to stop them." He uncrossed his arms and rested his left elbow on the window. "Because after what you overheard, you're sure it's gonna be something bad."
"That's correct." Erza nodded, keeping a tight grip on Natsu so he wouldn't roll off her lap and onto the floor. "And I'm not foolish enough to believe that I can take on an entire magical guild all by myself."
"Which is why you asked for Natsu and Gray's help." Han said, gently patting Kren's stomach when he noticed his owner's face turning blue.
"Very perceptive." Erza nodded to Han before turning her attention back to Gray and Lucy. "We're storming the Eisenwald guild.
"Sounds like fun to me." Gray said with a small smile on his face.
"Aye!" Happy said, waving a paw in agreement.
"I shouldn't have come along." Lucy whimpered, her body quivering as she sweated profusely again.
"Eww, now you're super slimy!"
"I told you it's sweat!"
The train stopped at a station where Lucy boxed lunches for the group trying to get a discount. While everyone ate, excluding Natsu and Kren who were still unconscious, Lucy asked Erza about her magic. Han snickered when Happy said Erza's magic was pretty as it made her enemies bleed a lot. This effectively scared Lucy who said that she wouldn't call that pretty with Erza commenting that she thought Gray's magic was more beautiful. Han watched as the ice wizard used his magic to create an ice sculpture of the Fairy Tail mark. Their conversation was interrupted by Kren who tossed and turned in his sleep and his face scrunched like he was in pain.
"What's wrong with him?" Lucy asked in concern.
"Aquacia, come back!" Kren called out, raising a hand as if he was reaching for something. "Please, don't go!"
"Kren, wake up!" Han shouted, roughly shaking the water dragon slayer who let out a gasp as his eyes shot open and quickly sat up. The feline watched worriedly as Kren started to breathe hard and drenched in cold sweat. "Are you okay, Kren?"
"Yeah." Kren replied, his breathing evening out as he placed a hand against his forehead. "Just a bad dream, or maybe a memory."
"It sounded pretty bad." Lucy said, sweatdropping as she watched the water dragon slayer's hand move from his forehead to his mouth. "But I think you have an even worse issue to deal with."
"We're almost at Onibus station," Erza said reassuringly as she looked outside the window before facing Kren. "Try to hold it in until then."
"I'm not sure that I can." Kren replied weakly, a wave of nausea hitting him and felt an urge to vomit.
"There, there." Han sat beside Kren and used a paw to rub the dragon slayer's back to
The train eventually stopped at Onibus station, which Kren was thankful for. While Gray, Lucy, Erza, and Happy got up to leave, Kren stayed seated. He looked down at Han and nodded for the feline to go with them. Knowing what Kren had in mind, Han nodded and ran after them.
'Goodbye stomach.' Kren sighed, placing a hand over his stomach as he watched his team, excluding Natsu, get off the train. 'Just bear with it a little while longer.'
Kren tensed when he felt the train was moving again and the wave of nausea came back. His face turned blue as he placed a hand over his mouth. He looked over to Natsu to see he was in the same state as him. Kren wanted nothing more than to jump out of the window and away from the mode of transportation he was on. Even when his stomach felt like it was crawling up his throat, Kren could still hear the sound of footsteps.
When he looked up, Kren saw a young man of average height with black eyes and black hair tied in a short, spiky ponytail. He wore a white shirt with a high collar and an intricate symbol on its back over a plain, dark red undershirt. He also wore a pair of aquamarine pants, black shoes and small black earrings in each ear. Kren knew right away that it was Kageyama from Eisenwald.
"Well looky here, it's a Fairy Tail wizard." Kageyama said, having seen Natsu's guild mark and looked at Kren's arm. "Make that two, how's the guild treating you guys these days?" He rested his arm on the back of the seat in front of Natsu. "Is it worth sticking around?"
"What?" Natsu looked up to face Kageyama only to have a foot slammed into his face.
"Don't act all high and mighty just cause you guys are in a legal guild, fairies." Kageyama said, crossing his arms as he sneered at Natsu. "You guys are just blindly following the magic council, know what you look like to us?" Kren made a move to stand only to sit back down when he got up too fast. "Harmless little flies." He let out a small chuckle and jumped back when Natsu's hands burst into flames and Kren formed an orb of water over his hand. "Guess I hit a couple nerves."
"You-" Natsu paused mid-sentence when the train car rocked, forcing him and Kren to stop using their magic.
"What kind of magic is that?" Kageyama mocked with a small laugh as a purple magic circle formed under his feet. "Let me show you how it's done!" Before either of the dragon slayers could react, Kageyama's shadow stretched and punched them in the chin, knocking them on their backs. "It's all in the followthrough."
"That magic." Natsu muttered as he watched Kageyama's shadows vanish.
"It's Shadow magic." Kren said, forcing his nausea down and got to his feet. "He can attack using his shadow any way he pleases."
"Oh, it seems someone did their homework." Kageyama raised an eyebrow at Kren's explanation about his magic.
The train suddenly came to an abrupt stop, causing the three wizards to stumble. Kren saw a deformed wooden flute-like object fall out of Kageyama's shirt. It was roughly 50 centimeters in length. It has a skull with three eyes on one end, and an oval-like cutout in the skull's brow. On the other end, there are root-like cutouts.
"The train stopped." Natsu said, looking around as he felt his nausea fade away. His eyes then stopped on the flute lying between him and Kageyama. "What is that?"
"You saw it." Kageyama said as he got back to his feet.
"Let's get this guy, Kren." Natsu said, slamming his fists together before bringing his right up and burst into flames.
"Right behind ya." Kren nodded as Natsu jumped towards Kageyama. He swung his leg, releasing blades of water towards Kageyama as Natsu threw a punch.
"Guard Shadow!" Kageyama's shadow rose up to form a dome around him. It wasn't enough as the water blades sliced an opening for Natsu to punch Kageyama. The force of the attack sent Kageyama flying while the seats and roof of the train card were destroyed. Kageyama wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt as he carefully watched Natsu and Kren "Lucky shot."
"Little flies, huh?" Natsu raised a fist as Kren stood beside him.
"You shouldn't underestimate us like that." Kren added, keeping an eye focused on the flute that laid on the ground. 'I better grab that.'
"Attention all passengers." A woman's voice said, getting Natsu and Kren's attention. "Our emergency stop was a false alarm, we'll be departing again shortly."
"Oh crap, we gotta go!" Natsu shouted, not liking what he heard as he reached for his bag in the overhead with Kren doing the same with his bag.
"Hold it right there!" Kageyama said, getting to his feet while Natsu and Kren looped their arms through the straps of their respective bags. "I'm not letting you guys get away that easily, you're messing with Eisenwald now."
"Oh, so you're with Eisenwald, huh?" Looped another arm through a strap before facing Kageyama. "I'll show you what happens to people who knock Fairy Tail, how about we take this outside?"
"Either way, we're kicking your butt." Kren added, cracking his knuckles when the train started to move again.
The sudden movement caused the dragon slayers to place a hand over their mouths and had the urge to vomit. Taking his chance, Kageyama's shadows sped towards the two Fairy Tail wizards. Kren and Natsu jumped out of the way and shared a look before nodding. Kren crouched down and Natsu used his back as a springboard to jump through a window. Seeing the flute, Kren jumped to grab for it only for a fist made of shadow to punch him out the window as well.
Kren saw Erza in a magic mobile screeching to a halt while Gray and Natsu were on the ground. Kren prepared to hit the ground when he felt something grab his back. He looked up to see it was Han using his wings to keep them hovered in the air. Kren gave his feline friend a thumbs up which was returned with a smile.
"That hurt, you idiot!" Gray shouted, rubbing his forehead where Natsu struck as Erza and Lucy got off the magic mobile.
"Shut up, you icy freak!" Natsu shouted back as Han set Kren down on his feet beside the fire dragon slayer. "How come you guys left us on the train?!"
"I'm just thankful you two aren't badly injured, I apologize Natsu, Kren." Erza said, bringing the two dragon slayers' heads to rest on the breastplate of her armor a little too hard.
"It's okay." Natsu quickly removed himself from Erza with Kren doing the same.
"We were shaken up pretty bad." Kren said, sharing a look with Han who floated behind Erza. "We got attacked by some guy on the train."
"Are you serious?" Lucy asked, worried about both the two dragon slayers and the passengers on the train.
"I think it's the dude that dragged away the guys that were gonna eat Happy and Han." Natsu said as he recalled Kageyama's magic and the two felines' kidnappers. "Said he was with Eisenwald."
"You fools!" Erza shouted before slapping both Natsu and Kren with one swing. The dragon slayers held their cheeks as they looked up at Erza. "That is exactly who we're chasing after on this mission, why did you let him get away?!"
"What the?" Natsu looked up at Erza with question marks over his head while Kren nursed his throbbing cheek. "This is the first I heard about it."
"Same here." Kren nodded, wincing at the stinging sensation on his cheek. "When was this?"
"I explained everything on the train." Erza said, a tick mark on her head as she stared down at the two dragon slayers with her hands on her hips. "You both should listen when people talk to you!"
"She already forgot that she knocked him out and Kren was asleep, didn't she?" Lucy asked rhetorically, holding her cheeks and turned away from what she and Gray were witnessing. "This woman is unbelievable."
"Yeah." Gray nodded in agreement with Lucy's statement, secretly glad the woman in question was busy scolding the two dragon slayers.
"That's Erza for ya!" Happy added as Erza got back on the magic mobile.
"So he was on the same train we were on." Erza said as she attached the SE-plug to her left arm. "Let's find him."
"Well, what was this guy like?" Gray asked Natsu and Kren as Erza put the magic mobile in reverse and backed up.
"He uses shadow magic." Kren replied, rubbing his chin when he remembered being hit there. "If you fight him, pay close attention to his shadow."
"He didn't look like somebody from a dark guild." Natsu added, crossing his arms and looking up in thought. He then remembered the flute Kageyama had and faed Gray. "But he did have this strange flute thing, it looked like a skull except it had three eyes."
"A three-eyed skull?" Lucy asked, looking troubled when she heard Natsu describe the flute.
"That's creepy." Gray said, trying to picture what a flute with a three-eyed skull would look like.
"Is there something wrong, Lucy?" Happy asked, being the first to notice the celestial wizard's expression.
"It's just, I've heard about that flute before." Lucy said lowly, lowering her head and bringing a hand up to her chest as she had a bad feeling. "Lullaby, the cursed song." Absolutely sure now, Lucy looked up to look her teammates in the eye. "It's death magic!"
"What?" Erza asked, putting the brakes on the magic mobile when she heard what Lucy said.
"A cursed song, like an incantation?" Gray asked, feeling disturbed about what the celestial wizard was implying.
"I've only ever read about them in books before, but…" Lucy said, lowering her head while Kren silently cursed himself for not getting the flute. "There are some deadly spells out there that are forbidden to be used by wizards."
"That's right." Erza said, now realizing the severity of the situation. "There are cursed black magic spells that will kill the person they're used on."
"Well if I'm right, Lullaby is even worse." Lucy said, not liking the serious atmosphere around them.
"I've read about Lullaby." Kren said, telling a half truth which got everyone's attention as he crossed his arms and lowered his head. "The black wizard Zeref turned a tool for simple death curses into a demon flute." He could feel a drop of cold sweat trail down the side of his face as he raised his head. "Now, whoever hears the melody played on Lullaby will be lulled into eternal sleep."
"Eternal sleep?" Gray raised an eyebrow before his eyes widened in realization. "You mean they die?!"
"This is worse than I thought." Erza tightened her hold on the handle that controls the magic mobile. "Everyone get in, we have to stop them!"
Not needing to be told twice, Natsu, Kren, Lucy, Happy, and Han all got inside while Gray jumped onto the roof. Once everyone was aboard, Erza didn't hesitate to start driving at full speed. The sudden start caused Natsu and Kren's motion sickness to kick in and they felt weak. It didn't help that they were driving in rough terrain, which made their condition worse.
"Hey, slow down Erza!" Gray yelled as he was almost knocked off the magic mobile. "You're using up too much of your power driving this thing!"
"I have no choice but to press onward!" Erza replied, not taking her eyes off the road as she poured more of her magic power. "We're running out of time!" She tightened her grip on the handle as she thought about what Eisenwald could be after. "If Erigor gets his hands on this death magic, trust me, lives will be lost!"
'How could they take life so easily?' Kren thought as he leaned his head by the window to watch the scenery pass by them. 'This is utter madness, I just hope my being here doesn't change anything.'
Hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter, now onto a segment I like to call reviews corner, where I reply to the reviews you took the time to leave behind. I will also answer any and all questions you might have to the best of my abilities.
Karsap: Hope this chapter has satisfied your curiosity. Yes, I will be doing the island for Gray's past.
Raidentensho: Happy to hear that you think this fanfic has potential. There will be other memories Kren will experience, whether or not they'll show his specialty as a dragon slayer depends on the situation he's in.
Guest-Questioner: Yes, exactly. Again, yes I did. Kren's background is that he was a boy from Earthland that got sent to Earth and back again years later. I apologize for your confusion, I put in so many inconsistencies to add a bit of mystery to Kren's character. Please remember, I set this fanfic to the timeline before the tower of heaven arc was released in the manga. I did this as one of my many whims, and I deep apologize if my whims has fried your brain.
That's it for reviews corner, I hope to see you all again!