Magnolia, to my surprise, hadn't changed much. The same cobblestone streets, the same market stalls selling trinkets and fish of dubious origin, and the same overly friendly residents waving as our group passed by. It was almost... comforting, in a strange sort of way. After all the mayhem at the Tower of Heaven, which had involved kidnapping, sacrifices, a giant bolt of lightning from the sky, and me nearly dying of exhaustion, a little predictable normality was, in fact, very welcome indeed.
What was decidedly not normal, and what made my brain, already weary of bizarre events, give a small and bewildered lurch, was the structure that appeared on the horizon when we turned the last corner.
I stopped walking. Completely.
"...Eos."
[Yes, Azra'il?]
"Please tell me I'm still in a coma and experiencing some sort of feverish architectural hallucination."
[Analysing your vital signs... They indicate full consciousness, normal body temperature, and a slight increase in levels of disbelief. I am sorry to inform you that you are perfectly awake.]
"Then what in the name of all the laws of physics and common sense is that?"
Where once stood the humble, noisy, and cosy Fairy Tail guild hall, that gloriously dishevelled place with the undeniable charm of a "neighbourhood pub that has seen too much and lived to tell the tale", there was now... a castle.
An actual castle.
With imposing towers that pierced the clouds. Flags bearing the Fairy Tail emblem billowing proudly in the wind. And gargoyles. Gargoyles with expressions that appeared to be silently passing judgement on the aesthetic sensibilities of everyone in the street.
"THIS IS BRILLIANT!" Natsu screamed, with the enthusiasm of a five-year-old on Christmas morning, and went charging ahead, completely oblivious to my existential crisis.
"It's... large," Gray said, looking just as baffled as I felt. His shirt was, curiously, still on his person. A miracle.
"It's... it's beautiful," Erza murmured beside me, a gleam of pure pride in her brown eyes.
I looked at her. Then at the fairytale castle. Then back at her, incredulous.
"Erza. Stubborn little redhead and love of my life."
She flushed at the term, but bravely attempted to maintain her composure.
"Yes, Azra'il?"
"Is this a mages' guild, or is Master Makarov somehow trying to compensate for something?"
The smack she gave me on the back of the head was entirely deserved.
[Preliminary structural analysis complete, Azra'il. The new building is approximately 4.7 times the volume and usable area of the previous one. My scans indicate it includes: three main towers, a performance stage, a swimming pool at the rear, a games room, a café annexed to the ground floor called "8-Island", and... ah, this is interesting... a gift shop.]
(A gift shop. A. Gift. Shop.)
[Yes. Apparently, they now sell official guild merchandise.]
(Makarov didn't merely rebuild the guild. He turned Fairy Tail into a tourist attraction.)
[The probability of this extravagant new structure being damaged or completely destroyed within less than six months is approximately 73%, taking into account Natsu Dragneel's history of collateral damage and the fact that the new swimming pool appears to be an ideal venue for his altercations with Gray Fullbuster.]
(Only 73%? You're being optimistic today, Eos.)
[I was being generous. My more realistic projection is 89%.]
(Now that sounds considerably more accurate.)
The interior of the new guild was even more absurd. Enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the lofty ceiling. Polished mahogany tables had replaced the old scratched wooden ones. And the bar... the bar looked less like a bar and more like the reception desk of a five-star hotel than the sacred place where Cana used to drink herself unconscious on the countertop.
"I have seen temples dedicated to forgotten gods of war that were considerably less extravagant than this bar," I murmured, genuinely impressed.
"What did you say, Azra'il?" Erza asked, with a happy smile on her face.
"Nothing, darling. Simply admiring the... new and sophisticated décor. Very chic."
"WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE!"
Mirajane's melodic voice cut through the air, and I saw her approaching from behind the counter with that characteristic smile of hers that always seemed to know more than it should, a smile that was ten percent sweetness and ninety percent "I know all of your secrets." She was wearing a short black dress with lace details that contrasted beautifully with her long white hair, pinned up in a high ponytail. Gothic, elegant, and, as I knew from experience, absolutely deadly.
"Mira!" Lucy waved, her eyes bright. "The place... the place is simply incredible! It's so beautiful!"
"Isn't it wonderful? The Master and I oversaw every last detail," Mira said, with a wink. She then leaned over the polished counter, her pale eyes moving from me to Erza, and back again. "So... how was the long and relaxing journey home?" There was something in her tone, a suggestion, that put my instincts on high alert.
"It was... productive," Erza replied carefully, her face a mask of neutrality.
"Hmm." And Mira smiled that dangerous smile. "Do tell, was the air at Akane Beach especially... romantic this year?"
And I watched Erza choke on thin air.
I, on the other hand, kept my expression perfectly neutral. The best defence against Mirajane was total and absolute lack of reaction.
"The air was perfectly normal, Mira. Salty. With a faint but persistent aroma of destruction, emotional trauma, and the promise of future conflict. The usual, really."
"I see." Mira, of course, did not appear convinced for a single moment. And her eyes, sharp as razors, drifted subtly to the small space between me and Erza, to our hands that were nearly, almost touching. "You two seem to be walking rather close together today. Closer than usual."
"It's a mere coincidence of spatial proximity."
"Hmm."
"Mira, I swear we—" Erza began to protest, her face already starting to colour.
"THEY'RE DATING!"
Happy's shrill voice rang out from across the guild, where he was floating near one of the chandeliers. And the silence that followed that small and explosive announcement was deep. Deafening. Almost cosmic in its totality.
And then, of course, the chaos began.
"DATING?!"
"ERZA?!"
"OUR TITANIA?!"
"WITH AZRA'IL?!"
"I KNEW IT! I ALWAYS KNEW IT! PAY UP, MACAO!"
"WAKABA, YOU TRAITOR, YOU OWE ME 1000 JEWELS!"
"SINCE WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!"
"BUT HOW?! I WANT ALL THE DETAILS!"
In under ten seconds, we were completely surrounded by, quite literally, the entire guild. Curious, shocked, some baffled and, in a few cases, strangely and alarmingly emotional faces stared at us from every direction, like vultures circling fresh gossip.
Beside me, Erza looked as though she was on the verge of an aneurysm. Her face cycled through approximately five different shades of red in ten seconds.
I, on the other hand, simply sighed. Peace, as always, had been brief.
"Happy," I said calmly, my voice dangerously soft. "Do you have even the faintest idea what you've just done, you small and treacherous winged informant?"
The blue cat floated lazily up to eye level, wearing an expression of complete and total innocence, and absolutely no remorse whatsoever.
"Aye, sir! Lucy said it was a big secret, so I told everyone so it wouldn't be a secret anymore! Much easier that way!"
(That is... that is not how secrets work. It really isn't.)
"HAPPY! I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A BLUE FUR RUG!" Lucy finally appeared amid the crowd, her face aflame, uselessly attempting to grab the cat, who dodged her hands with mid-air pirouettes.
Mira, for her part, was absolutely radiant.
"Ah, finally," she said, placing two cups of juice on the counter with a smile of pure and absolute satisfaction. "I was becoming quite dreadfully impatient with you two dithering about for so long."
"You... you knew about this too?!" Erza groaned, looking thoroughly betrayed.
"Darling, with all due respect, everyone in this guild knew. There was even an official betting pool running for months about precisely when the two of you would finally admit the obvious."
"A BETTING POOL?!"
"AND I WON!" Cana, barrel slung over her shoulder, shouted from the far end of the bar, raising a cup in celebration. "I bet it would happen during or shortly after a life-or-death adventure! Thank you for the money, everyone!"
And Erza, finally, turned to me, her face now the exact shade of her hair.
"Did you know about the bet?"
"I suspected the guild was excessively nosy and suffered from a chronic shortage of boundaries," I replied. "But, honestly, I had no idea they were also professional bookmakers. I'm impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit."
It took approximately twenty long and noisy minutes for the chaos to settle even slightly. Twenty minutes of invasive questions ("but who asked whom?"), enthusiastic congratulations, and, to my surprise, at least three people crying out of sheer emotion. Elfman, in particular, insisted that "a romance between strong women is the MANLIEST thing there is!", which, logically, made not the slightest sense, but he seemed entirely sincere in his confusion.
When we finally managed to escape the curious crowd, I steered Erza towards the gift shop, in need of some fresh air... and a new source of entertainment.
"Where are we going now?" she asked, still a little dazed from all the attention.
"A reconnaissance mission," I replied. "I need to see with my own eyes what level of shameless commercialisation Master Makarov has managed to inflict upon this guild."
"You just want to make fun of it, don't you?"
"Perhaps just a little."
The shop was... well. It was something.
Shelves upon shelves of Fairy Tail merchandise. T-shirts bearing the guild logo in every conceivable colour. Keyrings of every member, including the Master's, which was somehow deeply unsettling. Mugs. Posters. And, in the most disturbing and fascinating corner of the shop...
Plushies.
Stuffed plush toys. Of every one of the guild's most popular members.
"This is... deeply disturbing," I said, picking up a small Natsu plushie that had a manic and probably flammable grin embroidered on its face. "And, at the same time, brilliant. We could use these as dart targets."
"I do agree it's a little... strange," Erza said, looking at a miniature and adorably grumpy version of Master Makarov.
And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her.
At the back of one of the shelves, almost hidden behind a pile of Gray keyrings (shirtless, naturally), there she was.
An Erza plushie.
Small, with a fabric suit of armour and scarlet hair made of soft felt. Her brown eyes were embroidered on, and there was a small, almost shy smile on her little cloth face. It was, to my absolute horror, ridiculously and unbearably cute.
And, before my ancient brain could stop me, my hand was already reaching for it.
"What are you doing?"
I froze, hand halfway there.
Erza was watching me with one perfectly arched eyebrow.
"Me? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"You're holding a plushie of me, Azra'il."
"...No, I'm not. It's a trick of the light."
"Azra'il. I am, with my own two eyes, literally watching you hold a small and rather adorable stuffed version of me."
I looked at my hand. And, indeed, somehow without my noticing, the plushie was already there. Blast.
"This is... this is simply... research," I stammered.
"Research," she repeated, in a dangerously amused tone.
"Yes. In-depth research into... the textile manufacturing quality of guild merchandise. Very important."
The smile that spread across Erza's face was slow, smug, and absolutely insufferable.
"You were going to buy a plushie of me, weren't you."
"I was going to analyse a plushie of you, for scientific purposes. There is a significant difference."
"What is the difference, exactly?"
"..."
(Blast, blast, blast.) I could feel my face growing warm. This was ridiculous. I had thousands of years behind me. I had faced gods and demons alike. I should most certainly NOT be going red over a stupid and adorable felt doll.
"Alright, alright. You win," I admitted, defeated, with a sigh. "I was going to buy the wretched plushie. Satisfied?"
Erza's smile softened, losing all its smugness.
"Why were you going to do that?"
And I looked at the little plushie in my hands. And then at her. The real Erza.
"Because..." and the words, all of a sudden, caught in my throat. "It's just... well... when I miss you. I don't know. When you're away on a mission. Or when you're cross with me. I could... look at it. In my room. And... remember you."
The silence that followed my awkward and entirely unplanned confession was weighted.
And when I finally found the courage to look at Erza's face, she was flushed. But not the red of embarrassment or anger from before. It was something softer. Something... warmer.
"That... that is..." she began, her voice faltering slightly. "That is very..."
"Naff? Ridiculous? Completely pathetic for someone of my age?"
"Sweet." She smiled at last. A small, genuine, absolutely beautiful smile that made my stupid heart do several strange and uncomfortable things inside my chest. "It's very sweet, Azra'il."
And I, of course, bought the plushie.
And Erza, stubborn as she was, refused to let me pay alone. She insisted on splitting the cost. Because, in her own words, "we are partners, and partners share expenses, even those involving cute plushies."
"You two are UNBEARABLY and insufferably SWEET!"
Lucy's high-pitched voice reached us as we were leaving the shop. She was standing there with her arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face.
"What is it now, blondie?" I asked.
"I SAW EVERYTHING," she said, with great dramatic flair. "The plushie. The looks. The soppy little smiles." She pulled a face of pure feigned agony. "I honestly feel as though I'm being force-fed sugar. It's too sweet! I'm going to overdose on adorableness!"
"Lucy, I think you're exaggerating a bit—" Erza attempted.
"No, no, it's fine. I've accepted my fate," she raised her hands dramatically, like an opera heroine on her deathbed. "I shall die alone, surrounded by my Celestial Spirit keys and my unpublished manuscripts, while you two live happily ever after in a world of plushies, smiles, and eternal love."
"You're being ridiculous and theatrical," I said.
"I DESERVE TO BE THEATRICAL! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I HAVE SUFFERED WATCHING YOUR RELATIONSHIP!"
Erza and I, in a synchronicity that was almost unsettling, exchanged a look of pure and weary resignation.
"You know, Lucy," I said casually, with a wicked smile forming on my lips, "since we're on the subject of taking initiative... I, as you can see, have fulfilled my end of our little agreement."
And Lucy, all of a sudden, froze.
"W-what agreement? I don't know what agreement you're talking about."
"The train agreement, my dear," I said, with poisonous sweetness. "You remember, don't you? On the way to Onibus Town. You said that if I, with all my courage, gave a 'clear signal' to Erza, then you, in turn, would summon your own courage and finally ask our dear Mira out."
Her face, which had already been slightly pink, began changing colour at an alarming rate. First rose. Then red. Then a shade of scarlet that rivalled Erza's hair.
"T-that was, that was only a, the circumstances of that conversation were completely different!"
"Different how, exactly? The agreement was clear. And I, as you can see, gave the signal." With a dramatic gesture, I raised my hand, still laced through Erza's, as irrefutable evidence. "I am, literally, dating her now. Your turn."
"But what agreement is this?" Erza asked, with a dangerous curiosity in her eyes.
"NOTHING! THERE IS NO AGREEMENT!" Lucy said, just a touch too quickly.
"On the train to Onibus Town," I explained calmly to Erza, ignoring Lucy's desperate protests, "our dear friend Lucy here was giving me a long and very detailed lecture about how I ought to take the initiative with you and stop being so 'emotionally constipated'. And so, in a moment of pure genius, I simply asked her when, exactly, she was planning to ask Mira out."
"YOU DID NOT NEED TO TELL HER ANY OF THAT!"
"And, to my great amusement, she turned the colour of a beetroot, knocked her head on the overhead luggage compartment, and spent the next several minutes insisting she only went red around Mira because of the 'heat and steam coming from the kitchen'."
"THAT WAS A PERFECTLY VALID EXPLANATION AT THE TIME!"
"Lucy," I said, with the patience of an entity who has watched entire civilisations make the same mistakes over and over again. "Mirajane consistently gives you extra portions of food. She has, quite literally, already asked Levy what your favourite books are so she can talk to you about them. And she smiles at you in a way she smiles at no one else in this guild."
"You... you notice all those things?" her voice was barely a thread.
"I have an excellent memory for detail, my dear. Nearly perfect, in fact," I said, with a smile. "I remember every word you said to me on that train. Including, if I'm not mistaken, the part where you admitted that sometimes you'd stand there looking at her for a full half-minute whenever she smiled at you."
"I DID NOT ADMIT THAT OUT LOUD! You just said it and I... didn't deny it with sufficient force..." Lucy stopped, realising the trap she'd walked into. "...blast."
Beside me, Erza was clearly enjoying herself, attempting in vain to hide a smile behind her hand.
"So," I continued, mercilessly, "I've done my part. I am officially dating Erza. The question now is: when, exactly, are you going to hold up your end and ask Mira out?"
"That's not fair! You had far more time to mentally prepare than I have!"
"Mira is right over there, at the guild counter," I gestured casually towards the interior of the hall. "A mere few metres away. Smiling. And, in all likelihood, already preparing your extra portion of lunch."
And Lucy, with the look of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming lorry, glanced towards the counter. And even from here, I could see Mira waving at her with that gentle, and perhaps slightly mischievous, smile of hers.
And Lucy, if such a thing were possible, went even redder.
"I... I need a little more time... to... to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for this possibility..."
"You've had time since our conversation on that train, Lucy."
"BUT THAT WAS ONLY A FEW WEEKS AGO!"
"More than enough time for a normal person. But, all right, I'll give you a discount."
"Azra'il, I swear on every one of my precious Celestial Spirit keys that I—" With one final look of pure and absolute betrayal in my direction, Lucy turned on her heel and marched off towards the guild, muttering something about "impossible people", "unfair agreements", and "an urgent need for a cold shower."
And I, victorious, watched her go.
"You are absolutely dreadful, you know that?" Erza said beside me, but she was clearly smiling.
"I am a motivational force. There is a very significant difference."
"With you, it's almost always the same thing."
"Perhaps," I said, with a satisfied smile, watching Lucy stride into the guild and, to my surprise, walk directly up to the counter where Mira was standing. "But look. It seems that, in the end, it worked."
Eyes wide, Erza followed my gaze. And, indeed, Lucy was now standing there, taut as a violin string, in front of Mira, gesturing nervously with her face still aflame.
"Do you think... do you think she'll actually manage it?" Erza asked, with a note of hope in her voice.
"Ask Mira out? Today? Right now?" I considered the possibility for a moment. "Probably not. The probability of her simply asking for a glass of water and fleeing is about 87%. But... I have planted the seed of courage. Or of panic. Now it's just a matter of time before it takes root."
"You're a true architect of chaos, aren't you."
"I prefer the title of 'genuinely caring friend, deeply concerned with the romantic wellbeing and development of her companions.' It sounds much better."
"With you, it's still the same thing."
"Perhaps just a little."
It was just as we were heading back into the main hall that, suddenly, something shifted.
The air, so full of laughter and music a moment before, grew heavier. Conversations that had been so loud dimmed to an uneasy murmur. And I, with my sharpened senses, felt it before I saw it. A familiar presence. And a profoundly hostile one.
And then, with my own eyes, I saw him.
Sitting alone, at a table in the darkest corner of our new and gleaming guild, as though he had always belonged there, calmly chewing on a long iron bar as though it were a casual afternoon snack.
(Gajeel Redfox.)
The reaction from several guild members was instantaneous.
Natsu, mid-joke, froze on the spot, his entire body tensing like a hunting dog that has just caught a scent. Gray went rigid, his expression turning cold as ice. And Erza...
Erza, with the speed of lightning, had already summoned a sword before I could so much as blink, her expression becoming a mask of cold fury.
"What is he," she growled, her voice low and dangerous, "doing here?"
And the murmur in the guild died out entirely. Every eye, from every member, turned, in a heavy and hostile silence, towards the dark corner where Gajeel sat.
He, to his credit, didn't move. Didn't react. Simply continued to chew his iron, slowly and deliberately, his red eyes fixed on some point in the empty air before him.
But I saw. I saw the subtle tension in his shoulders. The way he deliberately avoided meeting the gaze of any of the people now staring at him. He looked, despite all his posturing, like a cornered wild animal desperately pretending not to care about the dozens of hostile, threatening looks being directed his way.
That didn't mean I felt any sympathy for him. Not in the least. That walking heap of scrap metal had, personally, destroyed our guild. Had, personally, hurt people I had, very reluctantly, begun to consider as part of my... family. But I, having lived many long lives of solitude, recognised isolation and loneliness when I saw them.
"Natsu, don't—" Lucy began, her voice full of apprehension. But it was too late.
With a guttural snarl, Natsu was already marching heavily towards Gajeel's table, his fists already wreathed in furious flames.
"YOU MISERABLE PIECE OF—WHAT IN THE NAME OF EVERYTHING ARE YOU DOING IN OUR GUILD?!"
Gajeel, finally, raised his red eyes to meet Natsu's with deliberate slowness.
"Eating," he said simply, mouth still full of iron.
"YOU... YOU DESTROYED THIS PLACE! YOU HURT LEVY! JET! DROY! YOU NEARLY KILLED THEM!"
"I know." The response was brief. Calm. And, somehow, even more infuriating for it.
"AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO COME IN HERE AND SIT THERE AS IF ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENED?!"
"More or less. I'm sitting. That's a fact."
Natsu was going to lunge. I could see it in every tensed muscle of his body, in his attack stance, in the fire intensifying dangerously in his fists. He was going to explode.
And then,
"PLEASE STOP! NATSU-SAN, PLEASE!"
A new voice, a woman's voice, full of a desperation I recognised, cut through the air. And, to everyone's surprise, Juvia appeared from nowhere, placing herself physically between a furious Natsu and a thoroughly indifferent Gajeel, arms spread wide in a gesture of protection.
"Please! Juvia begs you! Please don't hurt Gajeel-kun!"
She looked... different.
The heavy, sombre dress from her days in Phantom Lord had been replaced by something lighter, a soft pale blue dress with white details. Her hair, still blue, seemed softer, less tempestuous. And her eyes, now full of tears, no longer carried that constant undercurrent of melancholy.
"Juvia?" Lucy murmured, as surprised as I was.
"Juvia... Juvia brought Gajeel-kun to Fairy Tail," she said quickly, her words tumbling over each other in her rush and panic. "Juvia knows what he did. Juvia knows it was a terrible thing. But Phantom Lord is finished, and he had nowhere to go, and Juvia, she couldn't simply leave Gajeel-kun alone in the world, and—"
"He DESTROYED our guild, Juvia," Erza said, her voice still cold, her sword still steady in her hand.
"JUVIA KNOWS!" The tears that had only glimmered in her eyes before now fell freely. "But he... he is also a guild orphan now! Just like Juvia was! Please... please, all of you... just... just give him one small chance!"
The silence that followed that desperate and surprising plea was heavy, dense, and full of conflicting emotions.
Gajeel, for his part, said not a single word. He didn't defend himself. Didn't attempt to explain. Didn't ask for forgiveness. He simply sat there, chewing slowly on his piece of iron, as though he had already accepted, with a bitter resignation, whatever verdict was to follow.
"Right, right. That's quite enough drama."
And the voice, the small but unmistakeable voice of Master Makarov, cut through the tension like a hot knife through butter.
With surprising agility, he appeared atop the bar counter, small and old but with a presence that instantly made everyone fall silent and pay attention.
"I see, with a certain satisfaction, that you have all already found and welcomed our newest member," he said calmly, with a small smile on his lips.
"NEWEST MEMBER?!" Natsu exploded, incredulous. "OLD MAN, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"
"I, my dear Natsu, am completely and entirely serious." With a small hop, Makarov descended from the counter, walking slowly until he stood in the centre of the guild, beneath the watchful gaze of everyone present. "Yes, it is true. Gajeel Redfox has done terrible things. Unforgivable things, for some. He, with his own hands, destroyed our old building. He, with his magic, gravely injured our members. That, my children, is an undeniable fact."
"THEN WHY IN THE BLAZES—"
"Because Fairy Tail, Natsu, is not, and never shall be, a guild of saints," the Master's gaze was now heavy, but firm. "It is a guild of family. And families, however dysfunctional, however much they fight and hurt one another, they always, in the end, give second chances."
The entire guild, even Natsu, fell silent before those words.
And the Master continued: "Every single person in this room, without exception, has at some point in their lives done something they deeply regret. Every one of you has hurt someone, made a mistake. The true difference, children, between a monster and a person, lies not in the mistakes we make, but in our capacity, our willingness, to change. To be better." With deliberate slowness, he looked directly at Gajeel. "And I, as master of this guild, choose to believe that he can. That he deserves this chance."
It was then that I, finally, stepped forward.
"Master."
Makarov turned to look at me, with a curious expression.
"I understand your philosophy of family and second chances perfectly well. And, sincerely, it is touching. Truly." My voice, now, was calm, but with an undercurrent of steel that made the entire guild go even quieter. "But, with all due respect, if it were solely up to me, I would not, under any circumstances, be offering a seat at our table to him. I would, in all likelihood, have already put this simple and inoffensive wooden Jian of mine somewhere the sun doesn't shine on that walking heap of scrap metal, for having had the audacity to destroy our home."
The guild, if such a thing were possible, fell into absolute silence.
Erza, beside me, simply sighed. One long, weary sigh from someone more than accustomed to my particular way of saying things.
With deliberate slowness, I released the hilt of my sword and looked directly at Gajeel, who was now, for the first time, staring straight back at me.
"The old man, Redfox, has far too soft a heart. Too large a one. He forgives easily, because he is, at heart, a saint in disguise." And my eyes met his, in a silent challenge. "I, on the other hand, am not even remotely saintly. And I do not forgive easily. So if you, for even one single solitary second, even think about putting one scratch on these new walls of ours... I will personally ensure that your iron tail becomes the tightest new scabbard for my sword."
The guild, in its entirety, held its breath.
Erza, beside me, covered her face with her hand in a gesture of pure resignation.
And Gajeel... Gajeel, to my surprise, smiled. A small, bitter, almost imperceptible smile, but, without the slightest doubt, genuine.
"Understood, Wolf Girl," he said simply, in a hoarse voice.
Makarov, sensing the unbearable tension, coughed, attempting to break the ice. "Well... now that our dear Azra'il has expressed her... ah... welcoming sentiments in such an eloquent and... vivid manner..." With a warning look in my direction, he continued. "Does anyone else have anything constructive to add?"
Silence. Total and absolute silence.
"Wonderful. Marvellous. Then it is officially decided. Gajeel Redfox is a member of our family, Fairy Tail. And I trust you will all treat him as such." He paused for a moment, his gaze passing over each of us in turn. "And let it be perfectly clear: this does not mean, in any way, that you are required to like him. But it does mean that you are required, at the very least, to respect him as a companion, as part of this strange and noisy family of ours."
And the guild, slowly, began to disperse. The tension was still there, hanging in the air like a storm cloud, but the critical moment, the imminent explosion, had passed.
Juvia, in a wave of relief, was now sobbing and embracing a deeply uncomfortable Gajeel, who appeared not to know what to do with his arms. Natsu still looked as though he wanted to punch someone, but Gray, surprisingly, was holding him back by the collar, the two of them now arguing in hushed tones.
And I...
All of a sudden, I felt a warm, familiar hand find mine.
"You didn't need to be quite so... vivid, Azra'il," Erza said quietly beside me.
"I know."
"But I'll admit, it was rather effective."
"I know that too."
And she, with a small smile, squeezed my hand.
Second chances were, in truth, complicated. And trust, as I knew very well, took a very long time to build, and only a second to destroy. And Gajeel Redfox, the new and problematic member of our guild, had, without question, a long way to go before he would be, in my eyes, anything other than "the metal bloke who destroyed our home and nearly killed our friends." But perhaps... just perhaps... old Makarov knew what he was doing.
(Or perhaps he was simply an incurable old sentimentalist and a thoroughly terrible HR manager.)
(Probably both, in all honesty.)
The tension was still hovering in the air when, suddenly, the guild's lights flickered. Once. Twice. Three times. And then, to everyone's surprise, they went out completely.
"What the—" Natsu began to say.
"Shh! Look at the stage!" someone hissed in the darkness.
And a single, powerful spotlight came on, illuminating the gleaming new stage that I had, in fairness, noticed before but paid no attention to whatsoever. And there, emerging gracefully from the darkness like a vision from another world...
Mirajane.
Her short black dress shimmered under the strong light, her long white hair now loose, cascading in a silky waterfall over her shoulders. One hand held a silver microphone. The other held a dark wooden guitar with purple details. And she exuded a confidence, a rock-star aura, that made you entirely forget she was the same girl who, moments ago, had been serving drinks at the bar with a friendly smile.
"Good evening, my dear and chaotic Fairy Tail," her voice, now amplified by magic, echoed through the silent hall, soft as velvet and sharp as a blade. "I hear that, despite all the recent mayhem, we have rather a lot to celebrate tonight."
And the guild, as though breaking from a spell, erupted into applause and whistles.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced sideways and found Lucy. She was completely frozen, her large brown eyes wide, mouth slightly open, her face already beginning to take on a rather lovely shade of rose.
(Ah, this... this was going to be very entertaining indeed.)
"We've had a triumphant return from our most famous team," Mira continued, with a smile that seemed directed at everyone, but whose eyes, I swear on every god that exists, paused for a fraction of a second too long on Lucy, across the hall. "We've had new and unexpected beginnings. And, from what I, with my very attentive ears, have been hearing..." And a slow, knowing, deeply suggestive smile formed on her red lips. "...it seems we have also seen the beginning of some very long-awaited new romances."
And beside me, I felt Erza go completely rigid.
I, on the other hand, simply smiled into the darkness.
With one last glance at Lucy, who looked as though she were on the verge of fainting, Mira raised the microphone. "This next song, then, goes out to everyone who, finally, after a great deal of dithering, found the courage to take that first and most difficult step."
And the music began.
The first note, warm and vibrant, rang out through the hall. The sort of melody that makes your heart quicken instantly and a silly smile appear on your face before you've even noticed.
🎵" From the very first glance, I knew with certainty you were different from the rest..."🎵
Mirajane's voice burst through the hall with a contagious energy, and the entire guild, as though under a spell, seemed to come alive all at once. People began clapping in time to the music, and some of the more... enthusiastic members were already swaying awkwardly on their benches.
🎵 "There was a stubborn light behind your eyes that marked me and would not let me rest.. "🎵
With a small squeeze, I felt Erza draw a little closer to my side, her shoulder pressing deliberately against mine. And when I looked at her, she was smiling. That small, genuine, almost secret smile of hers that she only ever showed when she truly let her guard down.
🎵"Life was grey before, but then you painted it with colour, taught my heart what love could really be..."🎵
"Mira sings so beautifully, doesn't she?" Erza said, her voice slightly low, her eyes bright with the reflected glow of the stage lights.
"Hmm." With an audacity that rather surprised me, my hand found hers beneath the table, our fingers lacing together with a naturalness that felt... right. "But, honestly, I still prefer the view from where I'm sitting."
And Erza, to my satisfaction, flushed. But she didn't let go of my hand.
🎵" In your arms I find a harbour, in your smile I find my home..." 🎵
The beat of the music rose, growing louder, faster, and half the guild was now on its feet, dancing. Or at least attempting to.
With a cry of pure joy, Natsu leapt onto the nearest table, nearly sending three tankards flying in the process. "COME ON, EVERYONE! THIS IS HOW FAIRY TAIL THROWS A PARTY!"
"NATSU, YOU IDIOT, GET DOWN BEFORE YOU BREAK SOMETHING!" Gray shouted, but he himself was already smiling and clapping along with the crowd.
"DANCING ON TABLES AND MAKING A RACKET IS THE MANLIEST THING THERE IS!" Elfman, naturally, bellowed, throwing his enormous fists into the air as he swayed to the beat. Or at least to something he believed was the beat. It looked more like an ogre having a particularly happy seizure.
🎵" I found in you the reason, the answer and the meaning of it all..." 🎵
Across the hall, I spotted poor, paralysed Lucy. She was not dancing. Not clapping. She was standing completely, utterly still, her large brown eyes fixed on the stage with an expression I recognised all too well. It was the very same expression I had, in all probability, been wearing every time I looked at Erza.
🎵 "Nothing in this universe could ever matter if I'm standing by your side.
If this is a dream, then please don't wake me. Let me stay here, love, and never leave. Let me stay here all my life..." 🎵
And Mira, with a grace and confidence that were magnetic, moved across the stage as though she had been born there, her black dress shimmering and swirling with every step. And, in one quick turn, her pale eyes, for one single and calculated second, found Lucy's. And she, that demon in an angel's skin, smiled.
And I watched Lucy, from across the guild, raise her hand to her chest, as though her heart had just performed a full somersault. Oh, she was so, so done for. And it was wonderful to behold.
"GRAY-SAMA! MY LOVE!"
Juvia's voice, as always, cut through the music and my moment of sadistic amusement. With impressive speed, she had appeared from nowhere beside a poor and now thoroughly terrified Gray, her eyes shining with small, visible hearts. "Would Gray-sama like to dance this romantic song with his Juvia?"
And Gray, the poor wretch, choked on thin air. "D-dance?! But... but... now?! I don't—"
"GRAY-SAMA IS SHY!" Juvia, in a burst of pure happiness, practically melted on the spot. "THAT IS SO, SO SWEET!"
"I AM NOT SHY! I JUST DON'T—" But it was too late. She had already seized his arm and, with surprising strength, was dragging him towards the middle of the hall.
"LET GO OF ME, YOU ABSOLUTE MENACE!"
"Juvia will never let go of her beloved Gray-sama! Never! This is a perfect romantic opportunity that cannot be wasted!"
🎵"I've made so many mistakes, but with you I want to make things right.
Destiny gave you to me, and I won't let you slip from my sight... "🎵
"Come on." And, to my surprise, Erza stood up suddenly, pulling my hand with a firmness that brooked no refusal.
"What? Where are you taking me?"
"Dancing."
And I blinked, genuinely taken aback. "You... you want us to dance? You? Erza Scarlet? The great and terrifying Titania? In public?"
"Any objection to that, Azra'il?" she raised one eyebrow, and there was a challenging, amused gleam in her brown eyes.
"None whatsoever. Absolutely none. I'm simply checking to make sure you haven't been replaced by a more fun impostor."
"Idiot." But she was laughing as she pulled me into the middle of the noisy crowd.
On our way to the centre of the chaos, we passed Cana, who, as always, was seated at the bar counter with one of her barrels. But, to my surprise, rather than drinking, she was simply watching the stage, watching Mira, with a small and strangely nostalgic smile on her face.
"Hey, Cana," I called, as we were swept along by the crowd. "Aren't you going to dance?"
With a smile, she raised the barrel in a silent toast. "I'm already dancing on the inside, Wolf Girl. On the inside." A long sip. "Besides, someone's got to protect our precious alcohol supply while the rest of you are distracted and sentimental."
"Priorities," I said.
"Always."
🎵"With every kiss I feel such peace, with every touch I feel like home.
And in the rhythm of your laughter, I've learned to love myself, to not feel alone... "🎵
And, well, we were not, by any measure, the finest dancers in the world. Far from it.
Erza, poor thing, was far too rigid, her body accustomed to the precise and lethal movements of combat rather than the loose, improvised fluidity of a dance in a packed guild hall. And I... well, I had, technically, danced across hundreds of different lives, each with its own unique style, which meant that my confused body would sometimes attempt to blend Viennese waltz with some alien courtship ritual that had definitely not yet been invented in this world.
But, honestly? It didn't matter in the least.
🎵"You are my place, my beginning, my end..."🎵
With a touch more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary, Erza spun awkwardly under my arm, nearly sending poor Elfman flying in the process. "I'm so sorry!" she said, completely mortified.
"BEING KNOCKED SIDEWAYS BY LOVE IS THE MANLIEST THING THERE IS!" Elfman, apparently, took no offence whatsoever.
🎵" You are my peace, my healing, my dearest and most faithful friend..."🎵
"You're terrible at this, you know," I said to Erza, laughing.
"You're hardly a professional dancer yourself."
"True." I smiled. "But at least we're being terrible at it together."
And the smile she gave me in return was worth every painful stomp she landed on my foot.
🎵"I know that life is hurried, full of struggle, full of scars and full of pain.
But with you beside me, the weight grows light, and even thorns become flowers in the rain..." 🎵
Master Makarov was now sitting on the bar counter, a large tankard in hand and a wide, proud smile on his face. His eyes, bright and slightly glistening, swept the guild with that paternal pride he always tried to conceal beneath a layer of sternness, and always failed to.
"Look at them," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "My children. My noisy, ridiculous children."
Beside him, Lisanna had appeared at some point, her short white hair and ever-gentle smile directed at her older sister on the stage with a pure and genuine admiration that only younger siblings can manage. "Mira-nee is absolutely wonderful tonight, isn't she, Master?"
"Your sister, Lisanna, has always been immensely talented," Makarov agreed, with a nod. "Both of you are. And so are you."
And Lisanna, with a small and bashful "Master...", went slightly pink.
"What? It's the plain truth. Now go and dance with your friends before I make you sweep the entire hall once the party's over."
And she, laughing, went running off towards Natsu, who, having finally descended from the table, was now attempting, without success, to persuade Happy to perform some "very cool synchronised dance moves."
🎵" I've cried alone, I've thought of giving in and letting go.
But when you came along, you taught my heart to smile, you helped me know..." 🎵
In the middle of the hall, the chaos was absolute. And absolutely perfect.
Gray was still being mercilessly spun about by Juvia, who had, in her mind, decided that "dancing" meant "rotating indefinitely in circles while gripping your beloved's arm with sufficient force to cut off his circulation." "JUVIA! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, I'M GOING TO FALL!"
"Juvia will not, under any circumstances, let her beloved Gray-sama fall! Juvia is the anchor of Gray-sama's heart!"
"THAT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO LOGICAL SENSE!"
Natsu and Lisanna were doing something that resembled a dangerous blend of ballroom dancing and sumo wrestling, which was, honestly, entirely appropriate for the two of them. "Natsu, you idiot, you stepped on my foot again!"
"Sorry! But it's your fault for being in my way!"
"I AM NOT IN YOUR WAY, YOU JUST CAN'T DANCE!"
And Happy, of course, was flying in circles above them, attempting to conduct the entire debacle as though he were a grand and important maestro. "A little to the left! No, Natsu, your other left! Aye!"
🎵" Together we are strength, we are faith, we are song.
A story written by two hands, where we belong..." 🎵
And, in the middle of all the commotion, Erza, with a smile I had never seen on her before, pulled me a little closer, until our foreheads were almost touching.
"Hey," she said softly, her voice nearly lost in the loud music and shouting.
"Hey, you."
"Thank you, Azra'il."
"For what, exactly?"
🎵"I want to grow old beside you, to laugh at every memory we've made.
I want to be your future, your present, the story that we've already played..." 🎵
"For coming back to me," she said simply, her brown eyes brighter than any star. "For always, always coming back."
And something inside my chest tightened. In the very best way.
"Well, I did promise I would, didn't I?"
"You did." She smiled. "And you, Azra'il, always keep your promises."
"Always."
🎵"No treasure in the world could ever match what I felt inside,
The very first time you looked at me and said, 'stay here, stay by my side'..." 🎵
The music was slowly beginning to build towards its climax, and Mira's voice rose with the contagious energy of the hall.
In the corner of the guild, I noticed a movement. Or rather, the lack of one.
Gajeel was still sitting at the same table as before. Alone. Isolated. But... I saw it. He was tapping his foot.
Discreetly. Almost imperceptibly. But he was, undeniably, tapping his foot to the beat of the music.
And when Juvia, in one of her wild spins with Gray (who had now simply given up fighting and accepted his fate with an expression of pure and absolute defeat), released one of his hands just long enough to wave at Gajeel. "GAJEEL-KUN! COME AND DANCE WITH JUVIA AND GRAY-SAMA!"
"NOT A CHANCE, RAIN WOMAN!"
"GAJEEL-KUN IS SHY, JUST LIKE MY BELOVED GRAY-SAMA!"
"I AM NOT SHY, YOU ABSOLUTE MENACE!"
"Gray-sama said the same thing!" And Gajeel, with a derisive snort, went back to chewing his iron. But the foot... the foot kept tapping to the beat.
🎵"I promise to look after you, to never let go of your hand.
Because life only makes sense with you, you're what I finally understand..."🎵
With a smile, I squeezed Erza's hand. And she, in response, squeezed back. All around us, our guild, our family, was a whirlwind of chaos, joy, friendship, and unconditional love.
Cana had finally abandoned her post at the bar and was now attempting, with success, to get Master Makarov to dance. The old man was complaining, of course, but was clearly having the time of his life. And Elfman... Elfman had found a new dance partner: one of the mahogany tables. Apparently, because he was dancing with it as though it were a real person.
"YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT DANCER, TABLE! THIS IS THE MANLIEST THING THERE IS!" And, naturally, not a single person in the guild questioned the scene. After all, it was Fairy Tail. Far stranger things than that had happened before.
🎵"You are my place, my beginning, my end.
My peace, my healing, my dearest and most faithful friend..."🎵
The final chorus echoed through the hall, and the entire guild, like one great and thoroughly out-of-tune choir, sang along.
🎵"You are my place, my beginning, my end.
My smile, my refuge, my love without end..." 🎵
And when Mira opened her eyes to sing the final verse, I swear on every life I have ever lived, that she was looking directly at Lucy. And Lucy, for the first time, did not look away. She held the gaze, face red as a beetroot, hand still pressed to her chest, feeling every accelerated beat of her heart.
🎵"And if, one day, the world should try to bring us down,
I'll hold your hand still tighter, I won't let go.
With you, my dearest, I will stand my ground..."🎵
And Erza, with a sigh of deep contentment, rested her head on my shoulder as we continued to move slowly to the fading music.
"This is all... good," she murmured.
"What exactly, is good?"
"This. Here. Now. With you. And with all of them." With a small tilt of her head, she looked around. At Natsu, having the time of his life with Lisanna. At Gray, being romantically tortured by Juvia. At Cana, laughing at Master Makarov. And at Lucy, who was now staring at the stage as though the entire world had stopped turning. "Our family. Our mad family."
🎵"Because a love like ours was never found by chance.
It's destiny, it's promise, it's a sacred, lasting dance..." 🎵
With a smile, I pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Yeah," I agreed. "It's very, very good."
🎵" I don't need riches, and I don't need fame.
I only want, forever, to wake and hear you call my name..."🎵
The last and softest passage of the music began, with Mira holding the microphone in both hands, her voice now a whisper that filled the entire hall. And the guild, in one of its rare moments of quiet, joined in, voices weaving together in an imperfect but utterly sincere harmony.
🎵" In your eyes I find, at last, my future and my certainty.
You are poetry in motion. You are beauty, pure and free..."🎵
I saw Lisanna lean in to whisper something in Natsu's ear, and he laughed, that carefree and boisterous laugh so characteristic of him. I saw Gray, finally, smile at Juvia, who, in response, very nearly fainted on the spot from happiness. I saw Cana raise her barrel in a silent toast. And I saw Master Makarov discreetly dab at the corner of his eye, pretending it was merely a spot of perspiration.
🎵"Life can be hard and full of pain, I know.
But with you beside me, it becomes the most beautiful song there's ever been.
You are the gentle beat that finally soothes this heart of mine..." 🎵
And the last note of the music finally began to form, with Mira gripping the microphone tightly, eyes closed, her voice climbing in one final, emotion-filled crescendo.
🎵" And when night finally falls upon us, let me lose myself, forever, in your kiss, in your arms.
I only want you. Because you are my place, my beginning, my end,
my smile, my refuge, my truest love, my most beloved friend." 🎵
The music ended.
The silence that followed lasted exactly one second.
And then the guild, as one living, breathing entity, EXPLODED into applause.
With an elegant bow, Mira smiled, a smile that seemed to illuminate the entire stage. "Thank you, my dear Fairy Tail," she said into the microphone, her voice once again sweet and gentle. "It is very good to be home."
And more applause. More whistling. And Natsu, naturally, already shouting "ANOTHER ONE! ANOTHER ONE!" while Happy flew in circles, enthusiastically agreeing.
I, for my part, looked at Erza, who was still leaning against me, a lazy and happy smile on her face. Then I looked at Lucy, who, to my surprise, was walking, nervous but determined, towards the stage, where Mira was descending.
And then, finally, I looked at the rest of our guild. Chaos. Noise. Unconditional love in every corner.
(Home.)
-----------------
💬 Author's Note
-----------------
And finally...
Welcome to the new Fairy Tail!
After the Tower of Heaven arc, I felt like both the characters (and the readers) deserved a chapter where everyone could simply... breathe.
The last few chapters were filled with kidnappings, near-death experiences, giant explosions, emotional trauma, magical lasers falling from the sky, and Azra'il literally frying her own energy channels. So I thought it was only fair to give everyone a little peace.
Or at least... the kind of peace that exists in Fairy Tail.
Which, apparently, means a guild that has turned into a castle, a gift shop, an underground betting pool about everyone's love life, Mirajane putting on a concert, Elfman dancing with a table, and an ancient immortal being completely defeated by a plushie of her girlfriend.
Yeah... that sounds like Fairy Tail.
I also really enjoyed writing Gajeel's arrival. I never wanted forgiveness to be something that happened overnight. Makarov believes in second chances because that's simply who he is. Azra'il, on the other hand... well... she believes in second chances, but she also believes that keeping a Jian within arm's reach is an excellent preventive measure.
Those two philosophies can coexist.
And finally...
I think it's safe to say that Azra'il can face dragons, gods, and cosmic entities without even blinking.
But a cute little Erza plushie?
That completely shuts her brain down.
See you in the next chapter!