We're back! I'm sure you all wanted me back as quickly as I could be, and here I am!
Enjoy!
"What the hell is happening?!"
"Don't ask me!"
"Why am I older?!"
"I don't know!"
"Look at my face! My body! Why the hell...?!"
"Nashi I can't answer your questions!" Nashi stared at her self in the mirror, and then whipped her head down to stare at herself in surprise.
As far as she could tell, she had aged overnight.
Her hair was longer, her features were more defined, her voice was a bit lower, her body was definitely developed in a few predictable areas, but she was definitely still herself.
"This is so weird." She hissed, turning to Luke, her long hair whipping around as she did so. "What do I do?"
"Don't look at me." He responded. "I have no idea what's happening either." Nashi slowly looked back at the mirror and regarded herself carefully. Despite the panic Nashi felt underneath the look on her face, she had to admit.
Older her was beautiful.
Nashi wasn't one to pine over her own appearance, but even she could admit she looked good. She couldn't tell how many years she'd aged, but it had done her many favors. She wasn't a late bloomer by any means anyway, but over the course of the few years she'd aged she certainly grew to resemble her mother a bit more.
"We should get to the guild." Luke said. "Figure out what the hell's happening."
"Good point." Nashi agreed. "Let's get the hell out of here." Nashi turned and left the bathroom, walking towards the door to leave. Giving Luke a minute, he soon joined her with a smile.
"Hey, you want your hair like that?" Nashi looked over at him before she looked over at the pink strands that were in the corner of her vision. Her hair had grown quite a bit, so much so that it ended around the small of her back. She'd almost forgotten.
"Uh, not really." She replied, twirling it around her finger. "It's pretty long." Luke nodded.
"I got you." He said, raising his hand, which held a golden key. "Open! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" Nashi watched as golden light came from the key before the zodiac spirit Cancer, in all his...might, appeared before them.
"Ah, Nashi." The spirit said, snipping his scissors. "I heard you'd returned. Do you want a new style?" Nashi smiled weakly.
"Yeah, just put me back to my old style." She said. "It's really long."
"Can do."
"Feel better?" Luke asked, his head partially turned so he could look at Nashi. She nodded as she played with the ends of her hair.
"Definitely." She said. "I've always preferred my hair around this length."
"Cancer was pretty miffed that you wanted a twenty year old style." Luke said with a chuckle. "Jeez, that guy..." Nashi nodded, but stared at her feet as they continued on their way. Miraculously her clothes still fit her pretty well, which was good because she didn't want to waste time by buying anything that fit. She wondered if the others had experienced the same, and she really doubted she was the only one. Nashi looked up as they reached the guild hall, Luke slightly ahead.
"Ready?" He asked.
"As I'll ever be." She replied. Luke opened the door, and they walked inside the guild.
And they were treated to quite the sight.
It didn't take Nashi long to realize that her friends had been subjected to the same treatment of age. All of them were standing around with longer hair and panicked faces when they turned to look at Nashi and Luke.
"So we were right." Luke mumbled as Ultear turned to face Nashi fully.
"Thank God you're finally here!" She said. "Do you know what's happening?!"
"I think it's fairly obvious isn't it?" Nashi asked, still not accustomed to her deeper voice. "We've aged."
"Jeez..." Drake hissed, voice much deeper than before. "Why the hell did this happen? What are we supposed to do?"
"No idea." Damien responded. "But I think we should just go on as planned."
"Firstly." Luke said, once again raising Cancer's key. "You guys want a hair cut?"
After the rest of the group had had their hair cut, they all sat down with the rest of their guild watching them.
"So," Damien said, addressing everyone. "We've decided on what we're doing." The guild remained quiet, watching them carefully. Nashi wasn't sure why Damien had paused, was he trying to create suspense? Because she certainly felt it.
"We're going to try and jump back to our own time." Ultear said, lifting only some of the tension the guild's aura was giving off. "To see if we can change this future for the better." No one spoke at first, probably because no one really had anything to say. Finally, Gray sighed.
"Do you know how to get back in one jump?" He asked.
"Not a clue." Ultear answered. "But we're going to try anyway. We firmly believe that we can change everything if we go back."
"If you make it back." Luke spoke up. When Nashi looked over at him, he seemed to have a certain fire i his eyes. "What if you can't?"
"We will." Simon told him. "We'll find a way. We must end up back their eventually." This answer seemed to piss Luke ff more than it did anything else, and Nashi sighed.
"We're just doing what we think is best." She said. "I'm sorry if some of you are sad, but don't be." She looked right at Luke as she said this. "Because if we do make it back, it's like we were never gone. Isn't that better than trying to fit into the wrong timeline?"
"I guess..." He muttered. Ultear sighed.
"I know it sounds like a fairly unsound plan...Fact is there really is no plan other than keep trying different variables of magnification and hope for the best."
"Makes sense." It was Nashi's father who spoke up now. "Suppose that means you guys have to go back to Crocus?"
"Yep." Drake replied. "And if we really are aging, I'd rather do it sooner." Nashi's father nodded, and looked down with a strange look on his face.
"So we'll be leaving soon." Nashi said. "Anything you want to say, better say it now..."
BOOM!
Everyone visibly jumped and looked towards the door, where Jellal and Crime Sociere were standing, all looking out of breath but excited.
"Where are the kids?" Jellal asked Nashi's father, who pointed to them. Once Jellal looked at them, the excited look on his face turned into a quizzical frown. "What the hell happened to you guys?"
"No idea." Simon answered. "Do you know?" Jellal looked over at Macbeth and had a silent conversation with him, before Macbeth sighed and stepped forward.
"From the looks of it, and I bet your own assumptions, you're all aging." He said. "But from what is the question. I personally think it's because of the time jump you used to get here."
"Please explain." Damien said.
"Put simply, you five jumped here, into this timeline. This timeline is twenty years past the last time you were all seen. Once you reappeared, the timeline noticed something odd: You should all be in your late thirties, but you aren't. So it's decided to rectify that." Nashi's eyes widened.
"So, we're aging because we're here?" Nashi asked Macbeth nodded.
"Hold up." Drake said. "We traveled backwards too but we didn't turn into little kids. Explain that."
"You existed in that timeline." Macbeth answered swiftly. "There was nothing wrong with that other than your mere presence. Because you were also kids in that part of the flow of time, you were not turned into kids. See what I mean?"
"Makes sense, I guess." Damien said. "So what do we do?"This was where Jellal stepped back in.
"You see, Macbeth and I have been busy for the past few days since you last saw us." He looked at Ultear. "When Ultear told me the method in which they were sent backwards, I became curious. Using the airships new Super Archive upgrade, we ran simulations. Millions and millions of simulations. Eventually, we came up with one conclusion. Macbeth?" Macbeth opened his own normal Archive and pressed a few buttons, causing a long decimal to come up on the screen. So long in fact that we widened the screen to see it all. He then swiped the screen, and it flew over to Ultear.
"If you magnify Nashi's power by that exact variable," Macbeth told them. "You should travel back to your own time, with only a few seconds having past from the time in which you disappeared." Nashi stared at the variable, her headache getting more intense the more numbers she tried to make sense of. What amazed her was when she looked at Ultear, the girl seemed to be absorbing the decimal rather well.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "This will be quite the feat. I'm not sure I can even attempt to magnify down to this."
"You can do it." Jellal said. "We also had to calculate in your power parameters and the spells abilities. Given your power has probably increased with the age, you shouldn't have any difficulty." Ultear nodded before Macbeth typed a few keys, and a downloading bar appeared above Ultear's head. Once the bar filled, Ultear's head popped up with a smile.
"Thanks." She said. "Memorized it." Jellal nodded and smiled.
"Using that, as I said, you should reappear back in your timeline, within the arena grounds. Which also gives you the chance to take out Kronos as he attempts to escape."
"Plus," Macbeth added. "Going back to that time should undo the aging process, as your age won't match up with how old you should be. Just as it tried to adjust for now, it'll adjust to then."
"Thanks, Dad." Simon said. "Couldn't have done it without you." Jellal waved his son off.
"Thank me by going back to where you belong." He said. "Then I won't have t help you at all." Nashi smiled at her friends. They could do it after all! If Ultear had the number down and Jellal had taken into account if the spell could do it, than they'd be home before the day was over. Nashi could already feel herself getting hyped up to deliver another few punches to Kronos' ugly mug.
"Well guys," Ultear said, standing. "Say your final goodbyes. We leave when we're all done."
"So you're really leaving?" Kaida asked, looking upset. Drake nodded.
"Yeah." he said. "Sorry sis, we don't belong here." Although Kaida looked crestfallen, she nodded.
"I know... I was hoping you'd stay a bit longer." She then looked up with a weak smile. "But I'd rather you not turn into a middle aged man."
"Uh, thanks?" He asked, unsure as to whether or not his sister was complimenting him. "Don't worry, it's not like we're leaving for real anyway. If we make it back it'll alter this timeline so we exist here. Unless for some reason we disappear again."
"Yeah, true." She said. She reached forward and hugged Drake, a gesture which he returned to comfort her. The second he let go of his sister, his mother came forward.
"I want a hug to." She said, opening her arms. Drake rolled his eyes and hugged his mother as well, making her laugh.
"Be safe, you big dummy." She said in his ear, making him laugh as well.
"As if we've ever done anything but." He said.
"Whatever you say." She replied, releasing him. Drake pocketed his hands with a smile.
"Well, I guess my goodbyes are..."
"Drake." Drake looked over his shoulder, seeing his father standing behind him with a smile on his face. Drake immediately felt unsure as to what he was supposed to say.
"Uh, hey Dad." Drake looked back at mother and sister to find that they had vacated the premises. Great, now he was alone with his father. He turned to look at his father, and made an uncomfortable face.
"So you're going back."
"Yep."
"Going to kick that old mans ass again?"
"Going to try." Silence came over the pair, neither seemed very sure as to what they were supposed to say. After a few seconds of silence, Drake sighed.
"Good talk." He said. He turned to walk towards the door and wait for the others, hoping his father wouldn't stop him.
"Drake, wait." Damn it. Drake stopped and looked over his shoulder, finding his father standing there with a pained expression in his face. "You need to know something."
"What?" His father took a deep breath.
"I know, back in your timeline, we aren't exactly the best of friends. Or really friends at all."
"Yeah, so?"
"I...When Kaida was born, it became painfully obvious to me that I did a horrible job raising you. For the time that I did, anyway." Drake just stared at his father, impressed the usually unemotional man he knew told him this. "So, I just want you to know I'm proud of you."
"..."
"I...I really am. Odds are if you go back we'll be back to our old ways of banter and the usual, so I just want you to know no matter what I say, I am proud of you, and I do love you. You're my son after all. Don't forget that."
Drake stared at the old man as he said this, before he laughed and turned back towards the door.
"Thanks." He said. "I appreciate it."
Drake neglected to mention that his chest was swelling.
"Mom seriously let me go!" Ultear shouted as her mother hugged the life from her as per usual. "Seriously!"
"Juvia." her father advised. "Let the poor girl go." Juvia nodded and slowly released Ultear, who breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you." She said. "I already know you're going to do it again once we make it back, so I better prepare myself now." This made her mother laugh.
"I'm sorry I get so emotional." She said. "I can't help it."
"Oh boy do I know that very well." Ultear said, making her parents laugh. Her father hugged her as well, and she appreciated that one of her parents was normal.
"Good luck against Kronos." he said. "Elise took ten years to find the guy, don't do the same." Ultear nodded, growing serious.
"If the bastard escapes the city, he's lucky."
"Thanks again Dad." Simon said. "You were a great help." Jellal nodded.
"No problem." He said. "Glad to be of service." Simon turned to his mother, who as with them as well.
"You want a goodbye hug or something?" He asked. She shook her head.
"No need." She said. "If any version of me needs a hug it'll be the one you return to. Give her my regards."
"Give you your regards?" Simon asked, a joking smile on his face, making his mother roll her eyes.
"Yes." She said. "i know she'll need the reassurance more than me. I'll forget the hug as soon as you make it back anyway." Simon nodded, and looked over as he saw Drake and Ultear waiting near the door, conversing in a low tone.
"We'd better get a move on." He said. "And go home already. We have a trophy waiting for us to."
"You sure you're going back?" Damien's mother asked, and he nodded firmly.
"Yeah." He said. "Don't worry, you won't have to spend twenty years thinking you lost both kids." His mother smiled painfully.
"Just get going, kid." His father said. "The faster you go, the faster you change the future." Damien nodded.
"Yeah, I know." Damien turned to walk towards the door, and paused as he did so. He reached into hi pocket and took out the piece of paper, staring at it.
His sisters note, left with Devin.
Damien knew full well why he'd campaigned so hard for them to go back. He had a promise to keep god damn it, and he was going to keep it.
I'm going to save her...I don't care what happens after that. I just need to save her.
"Come on Luke, don't look so down." Nashi said. "You shouldn't spend the last few hours of this timeline upset."
"Yeah, yeah." He said. Nashi turned to her parents and shrugged, as did her mother. Her father seemed to be absorbed in thought.
"Just be careful, sweetheart." Her mother said, before she laughed. "Saying that has never helped before, but I suppose it makes me feel a bit better about the whole situation." This made Nashi laugh, before she looked over at her father. Her gaze made him look up.
"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked. Nashi frowned.
"Nothing." She said. She knew twenty years had passed, but it wasn't like her father to get wrapped up in his thoughts. After a few more seconds of silence, her father sighed and looked over to her.
He then wrapped her into a tight hug.
"Dad?" Nashi asked weakly, unsure as to why he was hugging her so tightly.
"Please be careful." He whispered. "There's so much you don't know...That you don't understand, both now and then. Please be careful. What will come to pass...You must be ready."
"W-What...?" He just hugged her tighter.
"Just be ready." He said. "I don't know when, or why...But..."
"Natsu." Her mother warned, making her father release her. Nashi felt incredibly confused, but her father didn't elaborate any more.
"Uh, will do." She said, unsure as to what she was supposed to say. She turned and walked towards the remained of her friends, who were waiting for her.
"Ready?" Drake asked her. She nodded.
"Definitely. Let's go home."
"I just hope Macbeth and Jellal were right." Ultear said. "If they were wrong at any point...We might be in trouble."
"We'll be fine." Simon reassured her. "He did it right."
"Let's go." Damien said, already most of the way out the door. "We're wasting time." The others followed him out the door, and they started on the trek back to Crocus.
What could possibly happen?
"And if you see Nashi Dragneel, you bring her to one of the commanders." Zeus said. "She is to be detained and brought to me, understood? Do what you will with the others. It makes no difference to me."
"Yes sir!" The army shouted.
"On with you all!" Ares shouted. "We have to beat them to Crocus to stand a chance at stopping them!" Zeus watched as Ares ordered the army around, before they all got out and started their own trek to Crocus.
Nashi and the others were trying to go back.
Truthfully Zeus knew if they did manage to go back their old plan would resume, but they now had a chance to have it happen now. And they would take it.
"They're on their way." Ares said. "They'll reach the capital in a few hours."
"Good. Who are you sending to command them?"
"I figured Eris and Nemesis could get the job done." Ares answered. "No need to send one of the twelve after them." Zeus nodded.
"Yes, no need at all." He agreed. He turned and watched the army leaving, Ares doing so as well.
"It'll be chaotic soon enough." He said. "The city of Crocus will once again turn into a battleground."
Damn right it will be. I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!