A little homage to the Godfather...
- K. Chandler
"Where are we going?" Erza asked.
"Shortcut. Just trust me," Natsu said. He looked up at the buildings around him, towering structures of steel covered with terracotta, soaring into the overcast skies.
For decades, Magnolia City bragged some of the tallest buildings in the world, and in the financial district, on the other side of the city, the towers were only getting taller. But that wasn't his Magnolia City, with the skyscrapers and the stuffed suits.
"We don't have time for this, Natsu. We need to get to the meeting."
"It's on the way," Natsu said. "It'll be quick."
"You mean, you'll lose quick," Erza said. "Fine, but just one round."
Natsu picked his way across one-way streets flooded by checker cabs and busses, taking them to a neighborhood that he knew quite well. Here, the dingy brick structures were dwarfed by newer buildings, and the sunlight no longer reached street level – a testament to what the entire city would have looked like without the latest zoning regulations.
Though he didn't know any of the people here anymore, he still knew the sights and sounds.
The clip of a skipping rope as it beat against the pavement. The clang of an upstairs neighbor smoking on a fire-escape. A pack of rowdy boys rushing past as they chased each other around, pretending to shoot one another with imaginary guns.
This was his Magnolia City.
Natsu smiled to himself. He didn't grow up on this exact street, but he could remember playing cops and robbers just like that. Things weren't much different than he remembered.
"This'll do," he said, jerking his head toward a building with boarded up windows. He led the way to a side door, his best chance of getting inside.
"What is this place?"
"An old pizzeria, I think," Natsu said. "Or maybe it was a florist's? Either way, it's condemned now." He glanced around to make sure he wasn't being watched before trying the handle. Locked.
"But how did you know to come here?" Erza asked.
"I grew up about four blocks thata-way," Natsu said, waving vaguely.
He scowled at the rusty knob.
"You planning to pick it?" she asked, amused.
"Nah, we're just gonna… give it a little… there!" Natsu lurched forward as the door gave way, stumbling across the threshold of the building. He dusted off his hands as he straightened. "With these older places, when they're run down like this, it doesn't take much force to get them to give. Well, what are you waiting for? Ladies first."
Erza picked her way through the splintered doorway, her footsteps echoing in the empty concrete structure. Despite all the notices about being condemned for hazards, this place seemed solid enough.
"So, what do you think?" Natsu asked.
A blur of scarlet launched toward Natsu's shins. He toppled, hitting the ground with a grunt. She pinned him down.
This dame was wicked fast!
"I'd say the location is sufficient," she decided, her sheathed knife pressed against the side of his throat. "Yes, this will do nicely."
Natsu tapped the ground in surrender. "Jiminy Cricket, Erza! Warn a fella, would ya?"
"Your enemies aren't going to warn you," she said as she as she got off him. "That's one for me," she added, already keeping score.
"That doesn't count," Natsu protested. He pulled out his own knife, gripping it tightly. He rolled his shoulders and bounced on his toes like a boxer. "Again."
"Are you ready this time?" Erza asked.
"Yeah. Do your wors—"
His fingers stung as the knife flew from his grip, clattering to the floor. Had she actually kicked that out of his hand? This girl was nutters, flying straight at a blade like that.
Natsu dove for his weapon. He dodged a vicious knee to the face as Erza beat him to it. She stomped on the blade to claim it, nearly crushing his fingers. She gave a triumphant ha! as she kicked the blade out of reach, watching it spin across the concrete floor.
This was supposed to be friendly bought of sparring, but the dame was playing for keeps.
Natsu shuddered.
Erza was no dame. She was an absolute bearcat!
Her serious expression didn't waver as she inspected the blade of her own knife, twirling it in her hand. It didn't look like she was trying to show off or intimidate him. Natsu suspected that she was doing it out of habit.
"Had enough?" she asked.
Natsu shook his head, tightening his jaw. "Are you kidding? We're just getting started," he said.
Erza snorted.
Before he could blink, Natsu found himself on his back again, staring dazedly up at the ceiling.
What? But how…?
"Give it up," Erza said. "That's two for me."
Natsu deflated with a sigh. "Fine. You win. This time."
She had beat him during his promotion ceremony too. The final rite of passage to becoming a Made Man and becoming a full-fledged member of Fairy Tail was a one-on-one match against one of the family executives. The fight was mostly symbolic one, since Don Makarov didn't promote anyone that he didn't think was ready to wear their mark.
It was rotten luck that he had ended up matched up against Erza. She had defeated Natsu soundly, which was to be expected, but being schooled in front of the entire family like that—by a girl, even! It was… humbling, to say the least. Oh, who was he kidding? It was mortifying.
But he swore he'd beat her someday.
…It just hadn't happened. Yet.
"Fight me, Erza! One more time!"
"Enough, Natsu. We need to get going," Erza said as she wiped down her blade before slipping it back into its cover.
"Five more minutes?" Natsu said.
"We're already late."
"It's just some lame meeting."
"It's a meeting of family executives," Erza said. "And you're one of them now."
"You're right. I'm sorry."
"You should take your work more seriously."
"I get it already, Erza. I said I was sorry, didn't I?" Natsu said. "Come on. We can still make it on time. I know another shortcut."
Natsu had always thought that being a Capo would be more fun than this. He never realized it could be so… boring. There was a lot more to being a leader than met the eye.
"Drugs?" Mirajane asked.
"That's what they're asking, yes."
Laxus tilted back in his chair. He already knew why Makarov had called this meeting. He'd been listening in when the Raven Tail's Don had called. (Just one other reason why radio was more secure than telephone.)
He and Mirajane were the only ones who had come to the meeting. With Gildarts' special assignment, he no longer participated in the day-to-day running of Fairy Tail. Laxus wasn't sure where Natsu and Erza were. Probably too busy trying to set East Park on fire or something. Idiots.
The door burst open.
Natsu came stumbling into the room, hat askew. Behind him, Erza looked equally windswept.
"We made it!" Natsu said. "I told ya we wouldn't be late."
"Sit down," Makarov said. "We've already started."
"Oops! Sorry, my bad," Natsu laughed.
Laxus rolled his eyes, waiting for the late arrivals to pull a stool up so Makarov could explain the situation again.
Raven Tail wanted to get into the substance trade. Apparently, they had found the perfect location for their manufacturing operation. Smack in the middle of Fairy Tail territory. Normally, Laxus wouldn't tolerate such a blatant act of aggression, but Raven Tail was proposing a joint venture. They'd offer Fairy Tail a hefty cut of their profits along with protection money to operate on Fairy Tail turf.
"Raven Tail?" Erza asked, narrowing her eyes.
"What's the big deal?" Natsu asked.
"Raven Tail has been at odds with Fairy Tail since their founding," Erza said.
"That's ancient history," Laxus said.
"Laxus makes a good point," Mirajane said. "Going that far back isn't necessarily relevant to the discussion at hand."
"Fair enough," Erza said.
"If Raven Tail wants to extend the olive branch, I say we let them," Laxus said.
"It certainly would be profitable," Mirajane said. "If we have the stomach for it, that is."
Mirajane was being surprisingly reasonable today. Laxus just needed to keep her reasonable. If she sided with him, it would split the group's opinion in half. And because she was the Consigliere, Makarov was more likely to go along with it.
Erza's mouth quirked in displeasure. "I don't like it. Drugs are a nasty business. Nothing good comes from being involved."
She would say that.
And Makarov would nod as if she said something incredibly profound.
"I don't think it'll be good for the community," Natsu said. "We'll see more lowlifes and street trash. I vote no."
Of course, he would say that.
Laxus gave an impatient tsk, wishing Natsu was off wreaking havoc elsewhere. "They'll do it whether we want them to or not. At least if we're involved, it'll be on our terms, and we'll get a cut of the action."
"If they want to cook up new product, they can do it on their own territory. Why come all the way out to Fairy Tail?" Erza said. "It doesn't make sense."
"That's an interesting notion." Mirajane twisted one of her corkscrew curls. "You think they're trying to gain a foothold here?"
"I wouldn't put it past them," Erza said. "It wouldn't be the first time somebody tried it."
"You're overthinking this. Our dealings with local law enforcement make this the perfect place for Raven Tail to set up shop," Laxus said. He would know. He greased the coppers' palms himself. "The fact is, Raven Tail needs us. That puts us in a position of leverage."
"Leverage?" Natsu echoed.
"They'd be indebted to us," Laxus said. "We'd have them right where we want them."
"Assuming they make good on their promises. I don't trust them as far as I can throw them," Mirajane said.
"Maybe we can offer them some other kind of support," Laxus said. "We should take advantage of the fact that we have something that they want."
"I still don't think this is the sort of thing we want to be involved with," Erza said. "The drug trade is a filthy one. We should stay out of this."
"I'll second that," Natsu said.
Laxus could feel the muscles at the back of his neck clench.
Was Natsu capable of independent thought? This scrawny, so-called Capo seemed to be good for nothing but parroting Erza. How did someone like him become a family executive?
Makarov nodded as he considered Erza's opinion. "What say you, Mirajane?" he asked.
Mirajane tapped the side of her chin with a slender finger, humming pensively. After a long while, she spoke. "…No. The benefits don't justify the risks."
Laxus slammed his fists on the table.
That dumb broad! How could she be so stupid?
"Look, if we don't get involved, some other family will. Is that what you want?" Laxus leaned towards her. Mirajane didn't even glance in his direction.
"You can't know that Raven Tail hasn't already approached every other family who might say yes," Mirajane said.
"All the more reason for us to make a deal with them," Laxus said. "Because when every other family in Magnolia City bands up against us—"
"Then it would be best for us to remain neutral," Mirajane said. "That's a war that we'd want no part of."
"—we'll be the ones in last place," Laxus finished.
Don Makarov nodded. "That is a good point, Mirajane. We don't need to risk fighting on multiple fronts at once. One wrong move with Raven Tail could destroy us."
"Especially considering the Phantomlord problem," Erza said.
"I agree with Erza," Natsu said.
"You're a bunch of spineless idiots!" Laxus leapt to his feet, pacing the room. "We don't need Raven Tail to destroy us. You're doing it yourselves!"
"Laxus! That's enough! Sit down!" Makarov barked.
Laxus stopped in front of Makarov, wagging his finger in the little man's face. "You're running this family into the ground. This would destroy us. Is that what you want?! Don't you know anything?!"
Makarov drew himself to his full height. "Don't you take that tone with me, young man!"
Stunned, Laxus could only retreat back to his chair, his jaw clenched so tight he could have cracked stone. His face burned with humiliation. Makarov had never scolded him in front of others this way. Never in his life had he felt so… small.
"This decision is mine. And after considering the different opinions, I've made up my mind," Makarov said, the purple fading from his face. "I'll let Raven Tail know that we will not be joining them at this time, but we wish them a profitable and successful venture. That'll leave us open to focus our attention on Phantomlord. You're all dismissed."
Laxus thundered out of the room like a stormfront.
So Phantomlord was the problem, huh?
The fighting had dragged on for months. Clearly, Erza and her crew weren't equal to that challenge.
Like a game of cat and mouse, they'd stage a raid and the Phantomlord gangsters would scatter. Things would quiet down for a while, but it never lasted. That was clearly the wrong approach.
To kill a snake, you cut off its head.
Well, that's not ominous or anything...
Next time, in The Godfather's Heir: "Laxus, you've gone too far this time." The lines in the Don's face deepened as he frowned. "I've looked the other way when you and your crew are less than careful with your operations. I've paid damages and reparations when the circumstances called for it. But this is something else entirely."
Stop back for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.