Chapter 23 – Miguel
AN: Man oh man, THIS was a difficult chapter to get written and get right! I think I was stuck on this for like three or four months! But now it's here, and now, as always, it's time for Reviewer Replies! :D
Raidentensho: Ya know, I actually wasn't even thinking about that, but that is a good movie now that you mention it! Haven't seen those three, but I'm very glad you like the Fate reference, because that means you're gonna absolutely FLIP before this story's over.
DarkDrawerJ: Don't worry, the harem route has an 11 vote lead, and if it wins (which at this point, with less than a month left on the poll, I'd say it's extremely likely to) then I guarantee Miraxus ain't happenin' because Mira is of course Jerry's (SPOILERS) and currently dearest lover who in the case of the harem route (SPOILERS) and is quite open to sharing with Erza, Cana, etc., as well as (SPOILERS) which is going to be much more important overall in the long run should the harem route win. It wouldn't be AS important otherwise, but if it wins then it will be SUPER important. Honestly though, Mira x Laxus ain't one of my favorite ships either, and the odds of me letting it happen even if the harem route doesn't win and Mira's not Jerry's true end pairing (and no I'm not telling early whether she is or not) are growing slimmer with every new issue of 100 Year Quest. Why? Because Kyria's really starting to grow on me.
As always, thanks for the comments, they really do make my day. If anyone has any questions they want to ask, please don't be shy! I'll answer anything that's not TOO spoilery, and it really and truly is fuel on the fire when I know people are enjoying my work.
And now, it's time for...
Chapter 23 – Miguel
In the middle of a sizable crowd near the docks were two men wearing sunglasses. One was blonde and had long dreadlocks pouring out from beneath his rainbow knit beanie. The other had short dark brown hair that stuck out wildly from beneath his black and blue beanie. Both had beards down to their chests. The two were currently dancing and singing as the one with the dark brown hair played a lute. "TONS OF GOLD FOR YOU HA! TONS OF GOLD FOR ME HA! TONS OF GOLD FOR WE HA!"
As their singing would imply, the two were on a hot streak gambling and had stacked up a considerable amount of Violas. Violas were the gold coin currency of Minstrel which were worth almost four to one what the Jewel was due to how vast Minstrel was by comparison. The two had amassed nearly a million jewel in the space of a few hours with their insane luck.
Of course, no such luck could last forever, and as an old woman with stark white hair and glasses stepped forward, the two gamblers' luck was about to run out. "I'll try a roll. Surely you wouldn't begrudge an old grandma a chance to double her money right?" she asked, her voice a wheezy creak.
The two young men immediately accepted her challenge, and in quick order the wager was decided. If the old woman won, the two men would give her double her money, but if she lost, she would give them all the money she had wagered. Just as the young blonde man was about to roll, the old woman raised her hand, "A moment sonny, I'd like to use my dice."
The two young men froze for a brief instant and then, "Yeah, yeah, that's fine," said the blonde man, quickly scooping the dice from her outstretched hand. As he did so though, his own dice fell from his pocket. The old woman immediately snatched them up and rolled them, getting the same 12 the two young men had been rolling the whole afternoon. She lifted the dice, held them upside down so that 12 was facing the bottom and dropped them. Yet still, the dice landed on 12. "I KNEW IT!" she shrieked, "THESE DICE ARE LOADED!"
The two young men immediately froze as the mood of the entire crowd suddenly shifted into something bearing alarming resemblance to a lynch mob. The dark haired man intensified his lute strumming with an expression of exaggerated seriousness on his face until the blonde man's hand snapped out to still him, "Stop that."
Then the blonde man turned an angry expression on his partner, "You gave me loaded dice?!"
"Hell no I didn't give you no loaded dice!" the dark haired man snapped back, "Them yo dice!"
"You callin' me a thief?!" the blonde man barked.
"I call yo ass a thief and a liar too!" the dark haired man snapped, "You best give them peoples they money back afo I'ma hafta whoop yo ass!"
"You wanna go?!" The blonde man roared, "I'll make you give that money back!"
The dark haired man's response was a punch straight to the blonde man's jaw. The blonde man staggered back and bumped into a guard. He snatched the guard's sword from its sheath and brandished it like he knew what he was doing, "En garde!"
"Oh you think you hot shit?!" the dark haired man snapped as he reached behind him to the sword of another guard, "I'll gut yo ass!"
Then he realized he was holding a dinky little four inch dagger, "But not with that," He added as he shoved the dagger back into its sheath at the guard's waist and yanked forth the sword he'd been reaching for.
The two leapt at each other and began a heated duel, their blades flashing out and around them in a whirlwind of steel that ensured nobody came close. They shouted insults back and forth at each other as their blades flew.
"You fight like my sister!"
"Yo sistah's a gorilla! That's a compliment!"
"What did you say about my sister?!"
"You heard me!"
The blonde haired man renewed his assault and forced the dark haired man up a nearby stack of crates. The two climbed the crates, all the while fiercely continuing their duel as the crowd watched with baited breath. In the midst of the show, nobody noticed the old woman scooping the two gamblers' winnings into a sack and sneaking away. They were all too busy watching as the blonde man leapt onto the roof to avoid the dark haired man's slash, sending the tower of crates tumbling as he did. For a moment it looked as though the dark haired man might win, then the blonde succeeded in disarming him with a flourish before holding the sword to his throat, "AHA!"
The crowd cheered, sure that justice had prevailed.
…Only for the two con-men to throw their arms over each other's shoulders and shoot them matching grins as they tossed the swords back. "We hope you enjoyed the show!" the blonde called with a massive grin.
"See ya suckas!" the dark haired man added as they jumped off the other side of the roof and right out of sight.
Unknown to any of the crowd, the two men were engulfed in a whirl of dark purple runes as they landed. The two who gave calm directions to the enraged mob that raced around the corner a second later looked nothing like they had a mere moment before. The blonde man with matted dreadlocks now had silky green hair which fell neatly over the shoulders of his red overcoat and oozed class and intelligence, the furthest possible cry from his disguise. Nobody would ever suspect him of wearing a rainbow knit beanie, unless they knew it was tucked into his coat because he had knitted it himself. The dark-haired man's face was largely concealed behind the visor of his helmet which obscured nearly everything about him from the shoulders up. His whole body was covered in black armor with blue pinstripes and his grin stretched from one side of his face to the other as his tongue wagged free while he watched the angry mob chase down the wild geese he and his best friend had just sent them after.
"Excellent show boys!" the old woman declared as she strode up, her back no longer hunched and her white wig yanked off to reveal the dirty blonde beneath it as the rest of her disguise turned into a lime green fairy dress.
The green haired man smiled, "Thank you Ever. Though it is quite wrong to fleece the gullible, it does ensure our missions always come back profitable."
"How big of a haul did we get?" the helmeted man asked excitedly.
"Over nine hundred fifty thousand jewel if I'm doing the conversion correctly," Evergreen replied with a grin as she hefted the sack.
The green haired man nodded proudly, "Excellent. I'm sure Laxus will be most pleased with our haul."
"I don't know," declared a new voice that caused the three wizards to whip around to look at its source. Levy just grinned at them mischievously from her perch atop a nearby fence, "I think he might be a little disappointed if he knew how you got that money Freed."
"Levy?" Freed asked in shock, "What are you doing here?"
"It's good ta' see ya, but what brings ya all the way out ta' Marraca?" the helmeted man asked with a slightly smaller grin than usual.
"You surely wouldn't be considering reporting this to the Master would you?" Evergreen asked as her hand flew to her glasses, "We're friends right?"
Levy smiled with her eyes near shut as she noticed Evergreen's hand go up, "I don't know about friends since you guys are always keeping to yourselves so much. You don't act very friendly to everyone else, but we are still guildmates and you are still part of the family. So no, I won't report you," The three wizards breathed a sigh of relief which immediately turned to alarm as Levy rose to crouch atop the fence and added with a grimace, "That said though, I am really sorry about this…bye!" She turned and hopped off the other side of the fence.
The three wizards looked at each other. "What was that about?" Evergreen wondered. Then she and Freed realized their helmeted friend was looking straight past them and had gone alarmingly pale. "Bickslow?" Freed asked, "What's wrong?"
Bickslow pointed behind them and they turned in unison, immediately realizing exactly what was wrong, and what Levy had been apologizing for. Erza's eyes slowly opened, glowing with crimson magical power and fury as she stepped out of the shadows, "Let me see if I can put this to you three in terms that I am certain you will understand…REQUIP."
On the other side of the fence Levy and Lucy winced in unison as lightning flashed and thunder roared, nearly drowning out the screams of terror from the other side of the fence. Erza's wrath was not something to be trifled with, as anyone who had ever crossed her would attest. After that day, the wizard team known as the Thunder Legion counted themselves on that list.
…
…
Natsu, Gajeel and Happy were drawn by the tension in the air. The little orientally designed pub was crowded, but a large space had been cleared around a table in the middle of the room, where a blonde man with hair down past his shoulders and a thick beard that looked like it hadn't seen so much as a pair of scissors in years was cautiously eyeing the three very large and imposing men standing across from him. The air absolutely stank of an impending brawl.
"So, what's it gonna be?" the leader of the three men asked gruffly. "You gonna come quietly, or are we gonna have to drag ya back to the boss?"
"Again gentlemen," the blonde man replied, "I am not the man you are looking for."
"You're blonde, you've got a beard, you're not from around here, and you wear a rainbow colored hat," the large man on the left declared as he lifted and waved a colorful sombrero before throwing it back onto the table, "You expect us to believe there's more than one punk runnin' around this town that looks like that?"
"Clearly there is," the man at the table replied.
"You know what?" the man on the right declared, "I've had enough of this." He lunged and suddenly the man at the table slammed his fist onto his plate of dumplings and sent three of them flying into the air as he roared, "DAN!"
He erupted to his feet in the blink of an eye, one of his chopsticks in his hand poised like a needle to stab as he struck a combative stance with a fearsome expression, his voice dropping to an ominous rumbling growl, "GOOOOO…" The three men accosting him froze and braced for the attack they were sure was coming.
Then the dumplings began to fall and the blonde man's hand flashed out in a flurry of movement, CHCHCH! neatly spearing the three dumplings into a stack on the chopstick. He hadn't taken his eyes off the three men and despite the fact that the last dumpling on the improvised kebab had been falling behind him, he had still speared it perfectly through the center.
"Stick," the blonde man declared sharply as he brought his arm around to bite a dumpling. His fearsome gaze was still locked onto the three men, keeping them at bay even as he calmly sat back down. The entire pub stared at him as he calmly finished chewing and swallowed, his terrifying glare still locked on the three men like a hawk daring a mouse to move. After he swallowed, he calmly set his improvised dango on his plate and sat forward, steepling his fingers to ask, "Will there be any further problems gentlemen?" His tone made it clear that a beating would ensue if there were.
A stunned moment later one of the three men regained his wits and started to get angry, "You sneaky little..."
The blonde man's gaze locked onto him with renewed ferocity as he erupted to his feet once more, his hand this time grasping his mug, "CUP."
The man who'd spoken stumbled back in terror at the sudden waves of killing intent radiating off the blonde man. Then the terrifying aura vanished as the blonde man sat back down, "of booze!" and promptly took a long drink.
Once again, the entire room could do nothing but stare in shock at the man's effortless cowing of the three thugs. The leader of the thugs opened his mouth to say something and the blonde man immediately slammed his cup down on the table, "DINE!"
He erupted to his feet, this time lifting his chair in one hand and holding it like a fencing saber ready to thrust, "AAAAAND…" The three men facing him immediately started trying to distance themselves, suddenly certain that this time he really meant to do them harm.
The blonde man let the tension build for almost a full minute, "DASH!" He suddenly grabbed his sombrero, dropped his chair and dove out the open window into the street beyond.
Silence reigned for almost a full two minutes as the onlookers tried to process what just happened. Then the three men regained their wits as their leader leapt to his feet, "AFTER HIM!" They all immediately tried to follow the blonde man out the window, only for the first to trip and faceplant, the second to trip over the first, and the leader to slap a hand over his face in exasperation and embarrassment while the whole pub began to howl with laughter.
Suddenly the blonde man was standing next to Gajeel, Natsu and Happy, striking a pose as he strummed out a quick riff on a mandolin, gathering the pub's attention to him so he could yell, "Arrrriba!" Then he ran away laughing as the three men picked themselves up and raced off after him.
Natsu, Happy and Gajeel watched them go with a grin, only to nearly jump from their skins as the blonde man popped up seemingly out of nowhere next to them, "I say…those marks on your shoulders, might you be Fairy Tail wizards?"
"Yeah that's right," Gajeel replied.
"DUDE! That was hilarious!" Natsu exclaimed.
The blonde man smiled, "Yes I rather thought so as well. Would you care to join me? I do actually intend to pay," he added to the slightly less than amused waitress who was tapping her foot at him, "I just thought you might like me to avert a potential brawl."
The waitress sighed and then put on a smile, "Alrighty then! What can I get you two to drink?"
A few minutes later Natsu, Gajeel and Happy sat around the table with their new friend and he continued his earlier train of thought, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Dr. Miguel Whistler, I have a proposition for you, and I will pay you quite handsomely if you will take me up on it."
The name immediately got their attention, "Did you say Doc Whistler?!"
Before Miguel could answer, a girl with long unruly dark hair and an old, worn, black leather duster popped up next to them, "Hey, sorry to bother you, have any of you seen a ridiculously cute tiny blonde girl? She's about this big, green eyes, smells like burning ozone and she's wearing a red shirt," she declared as she held her hand at about waist height, "She ran off when I took my eyes off her for a second, but it kind of smelled like she came this way."
"Huh?" Gajeel asked eloquently, then the girl's scent hit him and his eyes went wide, "WAIT A MINUTE…"
"No? Okay sorry byebye!" the girl declared with a teasing grin before taking off as fast as she could.
"HEY YOU! GET BACK HERE!" Gajeel bellowed, "I GOT SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU!" The girl's only response was a laugh that prompted Gajeel to take off after her as fast as he could.
Miguel blinked at Gajeel's rapidly retreating form, "What was that all about?"
"Dunno," Natsu replied, "Don't worry about it. Gajeel can take care of himself. So you're Doc Whistler's grandson huh? I thought he said you were dead?"
Miguel flinched like Natsu had punched him, "No, I'm the only survivor of my team, and I came close a few times, but I'm not dead. I got lost in the desert on my way back and I had no money for a fare back to Fiore so I've been having to work to gather funds to go home. Since you said you talked to him, I suppose that means my grandfather is still alive?"
Natsu nodded, "Yeah, he's sad because he thinks you're dead but he's still getting around alright. I didn't know it was possible to be that old and put your foot on your head. I can't put my foot on my head."
Miguel breathed a sigh of relief and then tentatively asked, "That's good, and since you know him I guess you're here on your way to Minstrel already and have agreed to take on the Mattachu quest?"
"Yeah that's right," Natsu replied, "Me and my team. We've got six of us but I'm not sure where the others are right now. We just stopped here because this is where the ship was stopping. We're supposed to be heading for Minstrel tomorrow I think."
Miguel was quiet for a moment and then, "I suppose it's too much to ask for, but, do you by chance know anything of my fiancée Jean Darc?"
"You mean that pretty blonde girl that said she was Doc Whistler's assistant?"
Miguel caught Natsu by the shoulders, "You saw her?! Is she alright?! Does she think I'm dead too? Has she given up on me? Is she seeing someone else? Can I win her back? What does he look like?! Is he good to her?!Is she happy?!"
Natsu looked mildly annoyed, "Dude what are you getting so worked up about? She didn't have anybody else's scent on her and she looked like she was about to cry when you were brought up."
Miguel's grip clenched tight enough that it would've left finger shaped bruises on anyone less durable than Natsu as he whispered, "She's still waiting for me…" He lowered his gaze to try to conceal the tears threatening to overflow, "Thank you…thank you so much…"
"So did you actually find the city?" Natsu asked, "Our job was to find out whether it was real or not, but if you found it first then all we have to do is get you home."
Miguel's head snapped up, "No, we can't go back without proof! I had to abandon what little proof I had in order to make it back alive, but I can guide an expedition back to the city! I wouldn't have gotten lost in that desert if not for the sandstorm, I'm certain I can lead us back there! Prepared this time! I remember the dangers so I won't let another expedition fall prey to them the way mine did."
"Oh! Well that's good," Natsu declared although Miguel did note that he didn't actually seem too enthused about it, "Let's get something to eat and then I'll take you to meet the others."
Miguel nodded, "Yes, that sounds wonderful. Thank you so much…um…" he floundered for a moment, "I just realized I haven't even asked you your name yet."
"Natsu."
"NATSU DRAGNEEL THE SALAMANDER?!"
"Yep, that's me."
…
…
Erza paused as someone called, "Hey, are you Erza Scarlet?!" She turned and found herself confronted with a young woman with snow white hair, piercing green eyes and an extremely pretty face marred by two admittedly very impressive scars over her left eye and right cheek. She had on a black leather jacket over a matching leotard and boots, with what looked like an awful lot of long knives in sheaths at her waist.
"Yes I am," Erza replied cautiously, that grin was way too similar to Natsu looking for a fight, "But you have the advantage of me. What may I call you?"
"No need to be formal Erza," the white-haired girl replied, "You can call me Jack. I want to fight you. Right now, while I've got a chance because I may never get another opportunity to fight you on even footing."
"What makes you say that?" Erza asked cautiously as she summoned a sword. Such a blatant challenger was unpredictable, and might not care about causing a ruckus in the middle of town. I have to lure her out of the city…
Jack just laughed as a long, wicked looking knife appeared seemingly out of nowhere in her hand, "Oh don't worry, you'll get it eventually. For now, let's hop over to that nice cliff overlooking the port, there aren't any civilians over there."
"I still haven't agreed to fight you," Erza pointed out warily.
Jack's sudden horrified and utterly gob smacked expression caught Erza completely off guard, "But you've never…" Jack suddenly clamped her mouth shut like she'd almost let slip a secret and then she shook her head and schooled her features into a determined glare as she pointed at Erza, "Look! I know you're a very busy woman, but I am a huge fan of yours and I've trained for years to be able to fight like you, so can you just humor me and let me go all out against you?! Just this once?!"
Erza blushed lightly and then, "I'm sorry, but I'm on a mission right now, I need to be in peak condition for the trials ahead!"
Jack frowned thoughtfully and then an idea visibly crossed her mind. Erza felt a creeping dread as Jack's frown turned to an utterly devious smirk. "Alright Erza," Jack declared in an extremely dangerous tone, "I'll make you a little bet." Erza tensed, whatever this woman was about to say, it would almost certainly be some sort of threat to goad her into a fight.
"If you win, I will give you a map to the field where the legendary Maximum Sweet Strawberries can be found."
Erza's jaw dropped, "T-the Maximum Sweet Strawberries?! YOU KNOW WHERE THOSE ARE?!" The Maximum Sweet Strawberry was a legend among dessert makers! Erza only knew of it from an old pastry chef who had once had the opportunity to buy and use one from a travelling wizard. They were a myth, a ghost story, a fanciful tale of ultimate bliss in the form of strawberry flavored purity and goodness!
Jack crossed her arms and chuckled, her smirk growing ever wider as she realized she had Erza hooked, "I know exactly where they grow. My daddy used to take me every year when I was a little girl and I know the route by heart. But if you want to know, then you have to fight me, and!" She added with a dare in her eye as she grinned out her challenge at Erza, "If you refuse to fight me, then I'll lay a curse on you so that you won't find them for at least seven years, if you ever do!"
"You're on," Erza declared.
Jack's grin grew, "Ahahah, I haven't told you what I get if I win."
Erza's breath caught and her heart skipped a beat, of course there was a catch! Such a magnificent reward would certainly carry a proportional risk! "Go on," Erza ordered, her whole mind suddenly screaming to proceed with caution.
Jack's grin turned absolutely predatory, "If I defeat you, then I will take something from you as proof of my victory. One day, I will return it to you. When I do, you must remember this day and tell my family that I defeated you."
Erza blinked, that's…actually very reasonable, but… "What will you take?"
Jack wagged her dagger nonchalantly, "Pfft, doesn't matter to me. Just gimme something that'll remind you of your defeat even if I don't return it for like, twenty years or something since it may actually take me that long! Come on, enough dawdling, you in? Maximum strawberries for you or ultimate validation for me?"
Erza brandished her sword, a confident smirk growing, "I accept."
…
…
A few blocks away, Bickslow groaned in the crater Erza's wrath had left his team in, "I don't care if it's Laxus saying it, next person I hear act like Erza's anything less than terrifying when she gets pissed off is getting smacked."
The lightning bolts had packed a lot more telekinetic punch than voltage. She hadn't been trying to kill them, but she hadn't been holding back much either. What little of their skin wasn't bright red and so sensitive that even the brush of fabric felt like sandpaper was rapidly bruising. Erza hadn't used the blade of her spear, but that hadn't made the sledgehammer like blows any less painful.
"Agreed," Freed grunted with his right eye swollen shut and purple from a collision with Erza's heel, "Truly we have been badly underestimating her. It would appear the S-Class is more evenly balanced than we had believed." He tried to push himself up into a sitting position but only managed to raise himself up onto shaky elbows.
"How can anyone mistake her for a fairy?" Evergreen grumbled as she slumped a little deeper into the crater, pulling off her glasses to try and rub the neon spots and starbursts from her eyes. Erza's lightning might not have been very high voltage, but it was definitely bright enough to blind them all and prevent them from using their magic. "You know, she went straight for debilitating our eye magic, do you think if I caught her with my Stone Eyes…"
"Ever, don't." Bickslow groaned as he rolled over, "Just… don't." Evergreen pouted at him through one squinty eye as she put her glasses back on.
"Bickslow is right," Freed groaned as he rolled and finally managed to push himself back to his feet, "Any fight with Erza is sure to get everyone involved badly injured." He winced as he took a breath and tried to straighten up, "That feels like cracked ribs OOF!"
Freed's ribs were not merely cracked, they were outright broken. This made the tiny blonde cannonball slamming into his gut and knocking him back flat while delightedly squealing, "UNCLE FREEEEED!" all the less welcome.
…
…
Lucy and Levy did a surprisingly well choreographed double-take as the two boys ran past them cackling. One had white hair, one had dark blue. A moment later there was a muted pow and suddenly both boys were covered in pink goo. "I have officially had enough of your antics," declared the dark haired woman in the white cowboy hat as she holstered her pistol before striding down the street.
She tipped her hat as she strode down the street, "Miss Lucy, Miss Levy." She made it almost three steps before she froze. Lucy and Levy blinked at her in surprise as it registered that she knew their names and then the dark haired woman shot an utterly terrified glance over her shoulder at them. "Ohhh…" she groaned quietly under her breath before snapping, "SHIT!" She immediately raced to catch the two wriggling boys trapped in pink gum, snatched them up and dragged them into an alley before poking her head back out to yell at Lucy and Levy, "YOU SAW NOTHING!" Then she disappeared down the alleyway with her two new prisoners.
Levy and Lucy stared at the spot where she'd been for a moment. "Did those two look like Natsu and Gray to you?"
Then a girl about the same age as the two boys with dark hair and a leather duster popped up out of nowhere, hugged Levy tight, and ran off after the three laughing. "SHRIMP STOP THAT GIRL!" Gajeel bellowed as he erupted out of an alley.
"SOLID SCRIPT MAGIC HOLE!" Levy snapped off reflexively, her fingers suddenly pointing at the quickly retreating girl. A gaping pit in the shape of the word 'HOLE' opened not two steps in front of the girl. The girl jumped, twisted sideways midair and snagged the top of the Solid Script Wall that erupted on the other side of the hole. Then she effortlessly flung herself over it, just narrowly ahead of Gajeel as he vaulted both in a running leap.
Levy and Lucy looked after them, "Do you think we should go after them?"
…
…
Jack paused as she and Erza reached the clifftop and pulled a buzzing card from her pocket, "Hey Snipes, what's up? Yeah. Uh-huh, didn't you? Well did you catch them? I'm over here on the cliff with Erza. What?" A highly unamused expression settled over her face, "Excuse me?" A very frustrated sigh escaped her, "She knows better than that. Can you handle it?" There was a very indignant reply and Jack answered flatly, "Did you hear who I'm standing next to? …Do you really have to ask me that?!"
Jack was quiet for a moment as the person on the other end said something, "She's where?!"
…
…
Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow felt as though they were in a bit of a daze. Freed idly wondered if he had a concussion as the tiny adorable blonde happily ate her ice cream on the stool next to him. There was absolutely no doubt who she was, although how someone as huge, intimidating and powerful as Laxus had managed to produce such a tiny and adorable child was utterly beyond him. Granted nothing was beyond Laxus and surely if he wanted a tiny, adorable child that's what he would've had, but aside from the hair and eyes there was absolutely no resemblance. She was honestly far too cute to be related to Laxus, but at the same time, there was absolutely no doubt who she was. It had to have been from her mother's side, Freed mused. Then an idea occurred to him.
"Mavis sweety," Freed asked with a small smile, "Can you tell me your mother's name?"
"Mommy!" Mavis replied happily.
Evergreen and Bickslow quietly facepalmed as Freed grimaced, Yes, she is DEFINITELY Laxus's child.
…
…
Jack sighed irritably, "Of course she is. Fine, let her enjoy her ice cream. If there's anyone we can trust with her it's those three. Did they figure out who she is? Of course they did. How about the others? Did you find them yet?" The answer turned Jack's expression from irritable to cold fury, "What do you mean you haven't found them?"
Erza was about to ask if there was anything she could do to help and then another card started buzzing in Jack's other pocket. "Hang on," Jack grumbled, "That's them." She fished out the other card as she flipped the other one down to her waist to utterly snarl into the card with an expression of fury that even Erza found impressive, "WHERE. ARE. YOU?"
She listened to the reply and then snapped, "Don't you snark me you little shit! I don't care if it's apparently stable, we don't know for sure!"
Jack heaved a furious breath as the person on the other end replied, "You are VERY lucky I have something more important to do right now or I'd come over there explicitly to KICK. YOUR. ASS." Another reply earned a growl, "Rendezvous with the others as soon as possible, do not make me come and find you." She narrowed her eyes, at the reply, "Of course I know she's with them." She listened for a moment more, "You what?"
She was quiet for a moment and she exhaled a furious breath, "Fine. Just, do whatever you want! I'll see you when I'm done here, and you had better be back by then!" She took the card away from her ear and switched back to the other one, "Still there? Okay, Gil and the rest are going to go stretch their legs a bit. Yeah. Uh-huh. If I had kept talking to him I would've given into the urge to chase him down and beat him. Yeah, that would be great. Thanks babe, I'll be there soon."
She nodded and put the cards back into her pocket before turning a clearly forced smile on Erza, "Sorry about that, we're a little far from home and my little brother and sisters and their friends are an absolute nightmare to keep track of at the best of times." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and when she opened her eyes, her smile was genuine, "So, shall we get started?"
Erza nodded and summoned a sword, "Let's."
Before Erza could even realize Jack had moved, Jack was directly in front of her. Jack's knife slammed into Erza's sword like a freight train. If Erza weren't so prone to subconsciously strengthening her grip with telekinesis, her sword would've been pushed right out of her grip and back into her face. As was, Jack's strike hit hard enough to push her back instead since Erza's sword was immovable while reinforced by her magic. Jack sprang back before Erza could recover from the sudden drain on her magic that blocking the strike had incurred.
Erza's eyes went wide and she decided that offense would be the best defense. She rocketed forward, her sword primed for a thrust while her raised shoulder guard protected her neck. An instant before she connected, Jack jumped and a boot slammed into Erza's temple hard enough to send her flying. If Erza were less experienced, she wouldn't have landed on her feet, and she definitely wouldn't have managed to bring her sword around in an arc to stave off a follow up attack. Erza immediately summoned a second sword and was greeted with the feel of a hand lightly pressing down on her shoulder. Erza looked up in shock and found Jack directly above her, a fist coming down like a meteor to plant itself between her eyes.
Erza instinctively closed her eyes and then opened them back in surprise when she felt the hilt of Jack's knife gently press to her forehead right between her eyes. Jack grinned down at her and it was one of the brightest happiest smiles Erza had ever seen, "I win!"
She flipped down off of Erza and promptly hugged her, the knife back in its sheath as she lifted Erza up off the ground and spun with her cheering, "I won! I won! I won!"
She set Erza down and bounced in place gleefully clapping her hands, "Thank you thank you thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!" She squealed with delight and hugged Erza again.
Erza tentatively hugged back and Jack just giggled delightedly. Jack pulled back and just beamed at Erza like a child expecting praise. Erza swallowed the lump of discomfort at her apparently effortless defeat, "That was…extremely impressive. If I may ask, how did you close the distance between us so quickly after your kick?"
Jack smiled, "My teacher is one of the greatest warriors in the world. She's mastered dozens of weapons and she's lightning fast with all of them. Between her training and my Daddy's, I'm one of the fastest fighters in the world even without my magic. With my magic? Only Sensei or someone of equal strength has even the slightest hope of fighting evenly with me."
Erza nodded, her speed had certainly backed up that claim, "I see. If I may ask, who is your sensei? I think I might like to train with her myself someday."
Jack just giggled as she turned to go, shedding her coat as she turned, "Isn't it obvious?" Erza tilted her head in confusion.
Then Jack raised a single finger to the sky as she shot a wink and grin over her shoulder, "I learned from the BEST." Erza's breath caught as she spotted the black guild mark on Jack's shoulder right before the white haired girl disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Erza stared in shock at the space where Jack had been, wondering incredulously if the white-haired girl had been who she now vaguely suspected she somehow impossibly was. Then the breeze picked up slightly and Erza was suddenly reminded of Jack's promise to take something as a proof of her victory. The immediate realization of what Jack took turned Erza's face as red as her hair in shocked embarrassment.
…
…
Gajeel furiously chased after the girl's scent. The impossible scent that he had definitely not been mistaken about. He rounded a corner and found her sitting on a steel folding chair cleaning her fingernails with a small steel knife. She glanced up to meet his gaze with a smirk, "Sorry about that."
Gajeel exhaled and steadied his racing heart before drawing himself up to his full height, "You oughta be! Now I've got questions, and I want answers!"
"You can ask," the girl replied nonchalantly, "But I can't guarantee any answers."
Gajeel growled, "First question!"
"Yes," the girl declared without waiting for him to ask, "You are correct."
Gajeel's breath left him in an instant. He'd known, but hearing it confirmed was still a shock, "So, do you know Metallicana?"
"I've never had a chance to meet him," she declared quietly, "Although I know quite a lot about him."
"Do you know where he is?!" Gajeel asked desperately, if she knew about him then just maybe…
"I do," the girl replied quietly, her head down so that her bangs shadowed her eyes, "but perhaps you should be asking why you don't."
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" Gajeel demanded angrily. Then her words registered with him and his eyes went wide, "Wait, you're saying he's hiding from me?!"
"Not you," the girl replied quietly, "Don't worry, he'll reveal himself when the time is right. Before I go, I want to ask you something."
"What?! You can't just up and leave! We ain't done!" Gajeel snapped.
The girl's eyes snapped up to meet his and Gajeel's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the glare he saw so often in the mirror, "I can, and in about two hundred seconds, I will. Before I do though…" She got to her feet and strode over to him, her eyes still locked on his as she glared up at him.
Gajeel refused to let the girl before him intimidate him, but he had to admit privately to himself that she did have that glare down pat. Then she extended her arms and asked in a very flat but insistent and demanding tone, "Can I have a hug? I don't get enough hugs."
Gajeel blinked and then her request registered. He immediately wrapped her in a hug, "You'll never have that problem again. I promise. Just be safe okay?" She nodded and hugged him back.
Sixty seconds later, she disappeared from Gajeel's grasp in a flash of golden light. Gajeel felt like he'd been hit with a mallet the size of a barrel when he realized she was gone and he would never admit that tears welled in his eyes as he muttered, "Be safe princess."
...
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NEXT TIME on Mad Little Slice of Heaven...
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I'm not going to transcribe the extensive, and I do mean EXTENSIVE amount of swearing I was doing two weeks later. It would become very repetitive in short order as there are only so many times one can say the same thing in rapid succession.
Why was I furiously swearing you ask? Because some punk with hair like a palm tree, sand magic that would make Gaara of the Freakin' Desert raise an eyebrow, and a best buddy whose tech was like something out of Star Wars (F***IN' HEAT SEEKERS! OUT OF THIN AIR!), plus the freaking army backing them up, had decided they didn't want competition, and as such he had punted our entire group in separate directions. Several dozen miles each in separate directions, all out into the gigantic, horrible, disgustingly bright desert.