No More Running Away

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

March, x785.

Seated at the top of the Fairy Tail guild hall, Alfonzo was deep in meditation. Unbeknownst to him, however, was that at the moment he spoke the names of his two [Weapon Spirits], the tonfa resting on his lap changed in appearance.

Now, instead of a simple pair of black, metallic tonfa, one was black with a violet lightning pattern while the other was silver with a red sun flare pattern.

Unfortunately, Alfonzo was too engrossed in his conversation with Riot and bedlam to take notice at the moment.

"I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that you instinctively knew our names." The tall, violet-haired man, Bedlam, said after he regained his senses. "I mean, after you lost your sight in your past life, you spent a lot of time pondering about yourself and why everyone you called a friend abandoned you."

"Hmph!" The teenage boy, Riot, snorted disdainfully. "Even if you are amazingly self-aware, you're still acting like a little bitch."

"Yeah, I know already." Alfonzo replied in an irritated tone. "So, you can stop bringing it up every five fucking seconds."

"Oh, why don't you make me, then?" Riot asked with a sneer.

Then, before Alfonzo could reply, a silver tonfa with a red sun flare pattern appeared in Riot's right hand as he dashed at Alfonzo.

"The fuck?" Alfonzo exclaimed as a similar tonfa appeared in his own right hand.

*Clang!*

Flipping the tonfa around, Alfonzo let the long end run along his forearm as he raised it to block Riot's strike. Then, he was forced to raise his left arm to swat away a jab aimed at his throat.

Deciding that he would not be on the passive side, Alfonzo threw a low kick at Riot's left calf with his right foot, forcing Riot to step back. At the same time, Alfonzo moved his right arm in a circular motion to shift Riot's tonfa to the outside of his body while throwing off Riot's balance in the process.

Then, after pulling his right leg back, Alfonzo threw a roundhouse kick at the back of Riot's head.

In response, Riot followed the momentum of Alfonzo's deflection and lowered his head to avoid the kick. Then, he flipped his tonfa around and threw a kidney punch with the short end of the tonfa at Alfonzo's unprotected back.

*Bang!*

"Gah!" Alfonzo grunted as he was knocked to the ground.

"Weak!" Riot shouted angrily. "How can you be this weak?"

"Take it easy, Riot." Bedlam said as he approached Riot and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Give the poor guy a break. I mean, look at the state of his inner world. He's a wreck right now."

"Hmph! That's no excuse." Riot replied while slapping Bedlam's hand away. "Do you think an enemy will care if he's having a bad fucking day? Let me answer that for you... Fuck no, they won't give a shit."

With that, Riot stomped over to Alfonzo. Then, he lifted him off the ground so they could look into each other's eyes.

"Listen here, you little dipshit." Riot said aggressively. "The next time you come in here and act this fucking pathetic, I'm gonna kill you. Got it? I'd rather cease to exist than be wielded by someone this fucking weak."

Having said his peace, Riot casually threw Alfonzo to the side before walking back in the direction he and Bedlam came from. Then, once Riot could no longer be seen, Bedlam approached and squatted next to Alfonzo, who was still trying to catch his breath after that shot to the kidney.

"You really do look pretty pathetic right now." Bedlam said with a smirk on his face.

"Fuck off." Alfonzo muttered between gasps.

"Haha! Just answer a question for me." Bedlam said with a chuckle. "What happened to all that pride you used to have? That pride that wouldn't let you run away from a problem? That pride that made you smash your head into a problem until you solved it?"

Hearing that, Alfonzo fell silent. And when Bedlam did not receive an answer, he just shook his head before he stood up and walked away. But before he was out of earshot, he spoke once more, without turning back.

"Seriously, Cuzz... Seeing you run away from your problems really isn't a good look." Bedlam said as he continued to walk away.

*Bang!*

"I know that, damn it..." Alfonzo muttered after smashing his fist into the metal platform, causing it to crater under the force.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Elicia was running around Magnolia trying her best to find Alfonzo so she could talk to him about what happened the night before. Meanwhile, Yoruichi, who was just now able to walk without an issue, made her way to Fairy Tail's guild hall. And as soon as she entered through the sliding doors, all eyes fell on her.

"Hey, everyone." Yoruichi greeted everyone without giving away that anything had happened. "Have you guys seen Alfonzo or Lici?"

"Lady Yoruichi, are you okay?" Sui-feng asked after appearing in front of Yoruichi with a [Flash Step].

"Calm down, Bumble Bee, I'm fine." Yoruichi replied with a smile while waving off Sui-Feng's concerns.

"What a relief." Sui-Feng said while patting her chest with a relieved expression on her face. Then, her expression turned solemn an instant later. "But I was right about that man, Alfonzo Marcus. He really isn't worthy of you, Lady Yoruichi. In fact, he's nothing short of a brute."

Hearing that, Yoruichi's expression dropped. However, she did not believe her little protege. Instead, she was wondering what she did to provoke Alfonzo while his mood was down in the dumps.

"*Sigh* And what makes you say that?" Yoruichi asked in a skeptical tone.

In response, Sui-Feng repeated her conversation with Alfonzo, verbatim. Though, she did change the tone they each spoke in. ON top of that, she left out the part where she tried to grab Alfonzo by the collar.

'Damn... He really must be pissed if he didn't even call Lici, Lici.' Yoruichi thought to herself while listening to Sui-Feng's recount.

"I see..." Yoruichi replied while maintaining the skepticism in her tone. "Well, it's not that I don't trust you, Bumble Bee. But you wouldn't mind if I asked a few more people to get another perspective on the situation, right?"

In response, Sui-Feng shook her head. However, Yoruichi only stared at her skeptically.

After a few seconds of this silence, a bead of sweat finally dripped from Sui-Feng's forehead. Then, when the pressure got to be too much for her, she finally decided to tell the whole story.

"*Sigh* What am I gonna do with you?" Yoruichi asked in an exasperated tone. "Seriously, stop provoking those two. They haven't done anything to deserve it."

"Yes, Ma'am." Sui-feng said while hanging her head in shame.

"Anyway, that means Alfonzo isn't here." Yoruichi said, getting back to the original reason why she came to the guild hall. "Have you seen Elicia?"

"No, she hasn't come by." Sui-Feng replied.

"*Sigh* Alright." Yoruichi replied, sounding a bit dejected as she turned around. "Well, I need to talk to them. So, I'll go and look for them for a while. See ya later."

With that, Yoruichi exited the guild hall once again. Meanwhile, Sui-Feng could only look on with bitterness in her gaze.

'Because of them, Lady Yoruichi scolded me again.' Sui-feng thought to herself with clenched fists.

Still, as she could tell that something was on Yoruichi's mind, she decided not to try and follow her in secret... for now.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi, having just left the guild hall, had stopped to think.

'If I were Alfonzo, where would I go to be alone?' Yoruichi thought to herself while holding her chin with her right hand and supporting her elbow with her left.

While she thought, Yoruichi glanced around at her surroundings. A moment later, her gaze landed on the guild hall. However, instead of focusing on the entrance, her line of sight rose until she was looking at the top of the tower.

"Well, I guess that's as good a place as any to start." Yoruichi said with a shrug. "And even if I don't find him up there, I can still get a bird's eye view of the town."

With that, Yoruichi vanished in a burst of speed with the use of the [Flash Step]. Then, in the next instant, Yoruichi appeared about a quarter of the way up the Fairy Tail tower. And after repeating her [Flash Step] a few more times, she was standing on the tower's roof.

"Found you..." Yoruichi whispered after she noticed that Alfonzo seemed to be in deep meditation.

A moment later, she noticed the two tonfas lying across Alfonzo's lap.

"He really is talented." Yoruichi whispered as she approached Alfonzo as closely as she could. "It's only been, what? Five months and he's already learned his [Weapon's] name?"

If Yoruichi knew that Alfonzo's [Soul Weapons] had to first be converted from an [Embryo] to the form that suits the wielder, first, she would have been even more astonished.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo, who was still within his inner world, had been contemplating how he would deal with the situation between himself, Elicia, and Yoruichi. However, at the moment Yoruichi drew near, Alfonzo was jolted out of his contemplation.

"*Sigh* I thought I would have more time to think." Alfonzo muttered. "Well, I guess I should just dive in and let the chips fall how they may."

"That's what you should have done from the beginning, Jackass!" Riot's voice echoed throughout the inner world.

In response, Alfonzo only smiled wryly as he willed himself back to the real world.

"I honestly didn't expect you to find me so quickly, Yoruichi." Alfonzo said once his consciousness had returned.

"What can I say?" Yoruichi asked with an awkward smile. "I'm pretty good at tracking when I put my mind to it."

"I see." Alfonzo replied.

With that, the conversation stopped abruptly, leaving Yoruichi standing awkwardly in front of the seated Alfonzo.

"Um... do you mind if I sit down?" Yoruichi asked, sounding apprehensive.

"Sure." Alfonzo replied curtly.

Then, Yoruichi sat down next to Alfonzo and the two stared out towards Magnolia in a tense silence.

"*Sigh* Why did the two of you do it?" Alfonzo asked after nearly two minutes of silence. "Especially after you knew how I felt about casual sex and one night stands?"

"Before I explain, please don't be mad at Lici." Yoruichi said while continuing to stare at the town below. "This was my idea, and I dragged her along with it. But I never meant to do anything that might put a wedge in your relationship."

"*Sigh* As much as I'd like to... I don't think I can grant that request. Not this time, at least." Alfonzo replied, sounding quite disappointed. "Just tell me why you did it. And why would Elicia help you with something like that?"

With that, another silence fell over the rooftop. However, this one was broken much quicker than before.

"It's because of what I told her." Yoruichi said while drawing her knees up to her chest. "I told her that this might be enough to get me to join your harem. An after hearing that, she jumped at the opportunity."

"And neither of you considered what I would think after your plan succeeded." Alfonzo said.

"Right." Yoruichi said, burying her head between her raised knees. "But if it's any consolation, I wasn't lying when I told her that. I just wanted to... sample the goods... before I decided."

"What am I? A fucking magic vehicle?" Alfonzo muttered. Then, after hearing a hollow chuckle from Yoruichi, Alfonzo continued after shaking his head. "But seriously, why do you think I'd accept someone who would take advantage of me like that? I mean, that certainly wouldn't start our relationship on a foundation of trust."

"Yeah, I can see that, now." Yoruichi said, burying her head even further between her knees. "In hindsight, I know it was a horrible idea. But I couldn't think of any other way.'

"Yeah, because going out on a few dates and getting to know me and the girls better wasn't an option." Alfonzo replied sarcastically.

"*Sigh* I'm really sorry..." Yoruichi murmured. "I'm just not used to... being told no or having to wait. Besides, the way you kept denying my advances kinda hurt my pride."

With that, Yoruichi stood up and struck a pose.

"I mean, look at me... I'm gorgeous." Yoruichi said. "What man would keep denying a threesome with me and his totally willing girlfriend like you did?"

In response, Alfonzo did look at Yoruichi. However, his gaze was completely blank.

"Sorry..." Yoruichi said as she sat back down and buried her head between her knees again. "I was just trying to lighten the mood."

"*Sigh* I really don't know what I should do with you." Alfonzo said in a tired tone. "On the one hand, I feel like I should cut you off from my life for doing what you did."

Hearing that, Yoruichi tensed. She could even feel her eyes welling up with tears.

"But on the other hand... *Sigh*" Alfonzo stopped and just shook his head.

"What about the other hand?" Yoruichi asked while raising her head.

"I wouldn't know what to do if you said you actually wanted to join us." Alfonza replied. "I know I wouldn't be able to answer you right away."

Hearing that, Yoruichi's started to light up. Especially since through this whole ordeal, she was able to see exactly how principled Alfonzo was. In fact, all the uncertainty about her decision had vanished the moment she realized how hurt he was by hers and Elicia's actions.

"But even if you did tell me you wanted to join us, I'd have to see what the other girls had to say after knowing the whole story." Alfonzo continued. "And of course, Elicia wouldn't be part of the decision makers in this case."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Yoruichi replied. Then, she turned to look at Alfonzo as she continued. "You know, to be honest, if you had just let this blow over because you were drunk, I probably would have decided that you weren't the one for me."

Hearing that, Alfonzo also turned to look at Yoruichi.

"But the fact that you stuck to your principles impressed me more than I thought it would." Yoruichi continued. "I mean, I know it sounds vain, but what I said earlier was true. Do you know how many men would jump at the chance to sleep with a girl like me with no strings attached?"

"And I can definitely understand why." Alfonz replied calmly. Then, he continued while shaking his head. "But that's unfair to the girls who give me their trust and love."

"And that mindset is what I'm finding most attractive about you right now." Yoruichi said with a wry smile. "Unfortunately, I messed things up before I had the chance to really see what kind of guy you are."

Then, she turned around in a failed attempt to hide the tears that were starting to spill from her eyes.

"Well, at least last night was something I'll never forget." Yoruichi said as she started walking towards the edge of the roof. "*Sniff* I'm really sorry for causing so much trouble."

After that, Alfonzo just watched as Yoruichi drew nearer to the edge. Then, just before she could leap towards the ground, Alfonzo exhaled a sigh.

'Damn it... I really hate to see a woman's tears.' Alfonzo thought to himself.

"Yoruichi... Wait." Alfonzo said quietly. Though, Yoruichi was able to hear him as if he were speaking into her ear.

Immediately, Yoruichi came to a stop. Though, her toes were hanging over the edge of the roof.

"*Sigh* I'm not going to make any promises." Alfonzo said. "But I'll at least run the idea past the rest of the girls. But how they'll react is anybody's guess. At the very least, with this there will be a chance. But even if they agree, you'll have some real work to do to fully regain my trust. And that will be even harder considering that this will be a long distance relationship."

Once again, the rooftop fell into silence. Then, after about a minute, Yoruichi lifted her right foot to take a step forward.

"Thank you... for giving me a chance..." Yoruichi said in a shaky tone. "I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I'll make sure to apologize to Lici, too.'

With that, Yoruichi vanished from the roof with a [flash Step]. A moment later, Alfonzo flopped backwards with his arms and legs spread.

"I have no idea if I did the right thing, but at least I did something." Alfonzo muttered.

["Yeah, and if you ever run away from a problem like that again, I'm gonna kick your fucking ass!"] Riot shouted in Alfonzo's head.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Alfonzo said after wincing due to the loud voice.

["But you shouldn't get too comfortable, yet."] Bedlam said. ["You've still got an even bigger problem to deal with."]

"*Sigh* Yeah, I gotta figure out what to do with Elicia." Alfonzo muttered.

["You know, you'll break her heart if you start calling her that again.'] Bedlam said in a tone that made it obvious that even he was a little apprehensive about the upcoming conversation with Elicia.

Meanwhile, Riot remained silent.

"I know..." Alfonzo muttered as he closed his eyes.