Chapitre 241: Youth!

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Karakura.

November, x784.

A few minutes earlier, before Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Marin arrived outside the private room booked by the ladies of Mermaid Heel, Yoruichi and a beautiful, fair-skinned, young woman with waist length, purple-tinted, black hair styled in the typical hime-cut and hazel eyes, were sitting in the private room. Having just received their food from the wait staff, they engaged in a little conversation before the others arrived.

With a nearly emotionless expression, the young woman, Kagura Mikazuchi, wore a white blazer with an open, high collar that showed off a white collared dress shirt and a red tie. On top of that, her blazer's sleeves were tucked into a pair of white, elbow-high gloves.

On her lower body, Kagura wore a pair of black tights tucked into a pair of knee-high white boots under a short white skirt. And leaning against the side of her chair was a single, sheathed katana by the name of Archenemy.

"Have we received any more information about the targets?" Kagura asked as she picked up some of her food with a pair of chopsticks.

"No, not really." Yoruichi replied with a shrug. "Other than the names of a few of their underlings, We haven't gotten anything new."

"Less than ideal." Kagura said after chewing and swallowing her food.

"What can we do?" Yoruichi replied. "We'll just have to play it by ear."

"And what of the other guild wizards?" Kagura aske, her expression not changing in the slightest. "I assume you met with one of the groups when you went out earlier, right?"

"That's right." Yoruichi replied with a smile. "The Fairy Tail team has arrived."

"And who did they send?" Kagura asked.

"An A-Class wizard named Marin Kitagawa." Yoruichi replied with a smile. "And their S-Classes were the Demon Girl, Mirajane Strauss, and the Master of Metal, Alfonzo Marcus."

Though Kagura did not react to hearing either Mirajane or Marin's names, her eyebrow twitched when she heard Alfonzo's. And the reason for that was simple. Because of what she had heard about him from her brother, Simon.

A little over a month ago, while travelling with Wally, Shô, and Millianna, Simon happened to come across Kagura while she was on her way back from completing a quest. At first, Kagura did not believe Simon's claim to be her brother, as she had seen him being abducted years ago.

However, after proving his identity with a few facts that only the two of them would know, Kagura eventually accepted the fact that he was her brother.

And after finally convincing her of his identity, Simon asked her if they could be in the same guild. Unfortunately for him, he was mercilessly rejected when Kagura stated that she was a member of the all-female guild, Mermaid Heel.

Still, both Simon and Kagura were elated to see each other again. And for the first time in years, Kagura showed strong emotions in her expression. Though, she went back to her usual emotionless expression as soon as they separated.

Before they separated, however, Simon made sure to drive home the point that she should keep her distance from a certain wizard from the Fairy Tail guild. And that wizard's name was Alfonzo Marcus.

Over and over, Simon depicted Alfonzo as an irredeemable playboy who collected women as if they were trophies. Unbeknownst to Simon, however, all his slander did nothing more than make Kagura curious about the wizard named Alfonzo Marcus.

"But I bet your brother would be pissed if he knew Alfonzo would be on this quest with you, huh?" Yoruichi asked with a giggle. "He'd be terrified that his precious, little sister would fall into the hands of the big, bad playboy."

Hearing Yoruichi's mocking words directed at her brother, Kagura's brows furrowed slightly before returning to normal. Other than that, however, her expression really did not change much.

"I've only heard about this Alfonzo Marcus from Simon's tales." Kagura said, picking up a morsel of food as she spoke. "So, I have yet to form an opinion of this man."

"Well, I guess you can start forming your opinion now, then." Yoruichi said with a smile.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Hey, Yoruichi, it's me." Alfonzo said as he knocked on the private room's door.

"Oh my, it's almost as if I predicted that they would arrive just at that moment." Yoruichi said playfully."

At the same time, Yoruichi stood from her seat. Then, she walked over to the door, glancing back at Kagura with a smile. IN response, Kagura only rolled her eyes before focusing back on her food. Unable to get a reaction out of Kagura, Yoruichi turned back to the door with a slight pout.

"It took you long enough." Yoruichi said as she opened the door to the private room. Then, she continued while ushering the trio into the room. "Anyway, come in, let me introduce you to the most talented up-and-coming wizard in Mermaid Heel, Kagura Mikazuchi."

As the trio of Fairy Tail wizards entered the room, they all quickly noticed the beautiful raven-hared beauty sitting at the table. At the same time, Kagura let her eyes scan over the new arrivals, as well. With her gaze lingering on Alfonzo for a beat longer than the other two.

"And Kagura, I already mentioned them by name, but let me introduce you to…" Yoruichi said, gesturing to the three wizards in turn. "… Marin Kitagawa, Mirajane Strauss, and Alfonzo Marcus."

"A pleasure." Kagura said without much change in her expression.

"Likewise." Alfonzo said, answering for the rest of his team.

With the introductions out of the way, Alfonzo, Mirajane, and Marin took seats around the table. Then, they each picked up the menu placed in front of their seats. While looking through the selection the hotel restaurant had to offer, the five engaged in small talk, deciding they could wait to discuss the details of the quest until the duo from Quatro Cerberus arrived.

During their conversation, Kagura observed her allies for this quest, especially Alfonzo. And although he talked about his harem, or rather the girls in his harem, whenever they came up in conversation, he did not seem to be the playboy that her brother made him out to be. He even rejected Yoruichi's advances casually.

Naturally, that surprised Kagura quite a bit, though she did not let it show on her face. Objectively, Yoruichi was one of the most beautiful women on Ishgar. Yet, Alfonzo, because she would not join his polygamous relationship, would not even consider her offer.

'It would seem that big brother was wrong.' Kagura thought to herself. 'Though it may only be an act, he does not seem to pick up just any pretty girl. In fact, he hasn't even shown any interest in having me join his harem.'

With that thought, Kagura's interest in Alfonzo rose slightly.

Just like that, another half an hour went by. And eventually, the atmosphere in the private room became rather harmonious. While Alfonzo, Mirajane, Marin, and Yoruichi engaged in lively conversation, Kagura would respond politely if a question was directed towards her.

Eventually, however, the harmonious mood was broken by two rather loud voices that echoed throughout the entire dining room.

"Wild!" A man shouted in a somewhat familiar, drunken slur. "Oh, I can't wait to see you, my darling Elicia. At least you'll be able to free yourself from that man of yours' control for the briefest of instants while we make eye contact."

"Now that's what I call youth, Bacchus!" A second, completely unfamiliar voice replied. "Romance is one of the staples of youth!"

"Well, it looks like the guys from Quatro Puppy are here." Yoruichi said as she stood up from her seat. "I doubt they know which room we're in, so I'll go get them."

'God damn it.' Alfonzo exclaimed internally. 'Why the hell hasn't Goldmine raised another S-Class wizard yet? I really don't wanna end up getting hunted down by the law if I lose it and accidentally kill that idiot. Wait… Is the guy with Bacchus shouting about youth? Why the fuck does that sound so familiar? Oh God, don't tell me… I'm still not sure what's up with this world, but this is fucking awesome.'

While Alfonzo was lost in thought, the other ladies noticed that his facial expression went through some brief changes in a rather short time. From annoyed, to angry, to confused, to excited. Yet, they had no idea what was going through his head. Though, after hearing someone, who was referred to as Bacchus, talking about Elicia, they could at least understand why he was annoyed and angry.

"It looks like we were the last to arrive, Bacchus." One of the new arrivals, a tall, standing at about 6', (1.84 m) young, fair-skinned man wearing a green, long-sleeved, tight-fitting jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and a lighter green flak jacket with a shiny bowl-cut, bushy eyebrows, a strong jawline, a somewhat large nose, and a confident smile that seemed to sparkle for a moment, said as he scanned the room. "I told you we should have left a little earlier."

However, the young man's companion, Bacchus Groh, ace of Quatro cerberus, ignored his words as he also scanned the room. However, when he did not see the person he was looking for, he frowned. And when his eyes landed on Alfonzo, his frown deepened.

"Did you really force her to stay at home? To think, you would go this far to keep Elicia from meeting me, the man she truly loves." Bacchus said after making eye contact with Alfonzo. "I have even less respect for you, now."

At the same time, Alfonzo's excitement from seeing one of the most beloved characters from the Naruto franchise was completely obliterated by Bacchus' drunken idiocy. As a result, his face deadpanned before he replied.

"Bacchus, I beg you, don't make me kill you." Alfonzo said in a dry tone.

With that, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Before anything could come of it, however, it was broken… no shattered.

"Now, we're all on the same side here." The bowl-cut young man said with a wink, a thumbs up, and a winning smile. "We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves. By the way, I'm Might Guy. You can just call me Guy, though. It's nice to meet you all."

With just that, al the tension in the air vanished. Though, Alfonzo and Bacchus still continued to glare for a few more moments. However, they eventually both looked away, snorting simultaneously.

"Why did you stop them?" Yoruichi asked with a pout. "Watching them fight would have been fun."

"Indeed, seeing a fight on that level would be quite enjoyable as well as insightful." Guy said with a smile. "But we have a job to do. Perhaps we can have a round of youthful sparring after the quest is complete."

"Uh… sure." Yoruichi replied, shrugging her shoulders at Guy's enthusiasm. "Anyway, why don't you two have a seat and order something. We can start discussing the quest after the food arrives."

Taking Yoruichi's suggestion, both Bacchus and Guy sat down at the table. While Guy eagerly looked through the menu, Bacchus only pulled his wine gourd from his hip and took a few swigs while occasionally glaring at Alfonzo.

Eventually, Bacchus eyes landed on Kagura. Then, with his eyes lighting up slightly, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I've heard about you before, Bacchus Groh." Kagura said, cutting off Bacchus before he could even speak. "I'm not interested in you. And if you try hitting on me, I'll castrate you."

As she spoke the last part, Kagura tapped the katana leaning against the side of her chair. At the same time, Bacchus quickly shut his mouth. On topof that, the three men in the room subconsciously closed their legs after hearing Kagura's threat and feeling the bloodlust she was leaking.

"*Sniff* Kagura, you make me so proud." Yoruichi said, wiping away a nonexistent tear. "It seems like just yesterday that you were being bullied by a handsy pervert. Now, you're threatening them with punishments so harsh that no one would dare to take you lightly."

"That's because I was being harassed by a handsy pervert just yesterday, Yoruichi." Kagura said, turning her emotionless expression towards Yoruichi. "Or did you forget how you barged in on my bath claiming that you were there to check on my growth?"

Immediately, all the other gazes in the room, other than Guy's turned to Yoruichi. While Mirajane and Marin looked on warily, Alfonzo looked at Yoruichi with exasperation. Meanwhile, Bacchus looked at her with an approving smile while a bit of blood leaked out his left nostril. Meanwhile, Guy continued to look through the menu in his hands with gusto.

"Hmm…" Yoruichi hummed in thought as she raised her right hand to her chin. "Now that you mention it, that sounds kind of familiar. Eh, whatever, let's just finish our meals and talk about this raid we'll be doing on that lab."

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Chapitre 242: Planning an Infiltration

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Karakura.

November, x784.

A few minutes later, Guy's meal arrived. Then, as he ate, the room's atmosphere changed to something much more solemn.

"So, why don't we go over everything we know about these rogue scientists." Alfonzo said in a serious tone.

"What gives you the idea that you should be the one in charge here? *Hiccup*" Bachus asked antagonistically. "Is it because you think you're the strongest one here? Maybe we should put that to the test."

Deciding not to dignify Bacchus' idiocy with a response, Alfonzo rolled his eyes without even looking in the Quatro Cerberus ace's direction.

"Hmph! Pussy." Bacchus said before tipping his wine gourd to him mouth and taking a few swigs. "And you have the nerve to keep Elicia from being with---"

*Boom!*

Before Bacchus could finish what he head to say, Alfonzo vanished from his seat in a burst of speed. Then, before anyone could react, Bacchus was slammed back first into the wall behind him with enough force to shake the entire hotel. yet, with enough control that the wall was not damaged in the slightest due to the impact.

At the same time, the other wizards in the room were shocked into silence by the display of speed. With Yoruichi wearing an appreciative smile.

With his feet suspended a few inches (2.54 cm) from the floor, Bacchus was struggling to breathe with Alfonzo's right hand wrapped around his neck. Meanwhile Guy looked on with an excited glint in his eyes that illustrated his eagerness to test his skills against Alfonzo.

"Bruh... I been hearin' you talk out the side of your neck 'bout Lici for a long mother fuckin' time." Alfonzo said in a clearly livid tone. "You got any idea why I been putting' up with' your shit for so fuckin' long?"

"*Gasp* Because Elicia... would hate you... for hurting me..." Bacchus wheezed out.

Hearing Bacchus' reply, not only Alfonzo, but everyone else in the room could hear the conviction behind it. In his drunken state, Bacchus truly believed every word he just said.

And while Alfonzo had the desire to simply squeeze and twist the hand wrapped around Bacchus' neck to put an end to this years-long conflict, the rational part of his brain told him that he could not do that.

Instead, after tightening his grip for an instant, Alfonzo pulled Bacchus from the wall before tossing him in Guy's direction with a deadpa expression on his face.

"Keep this bitch on a leash." Alfonzo said in a solemn tone while making his way back to his seat. "If he says anything else about my fiancée, the fact that our guild masters are old friends won't save him anymore."

"You plan to kill him?" Guy asked with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Alfonzo said in a sinister tone. "But he'll never be a wizard again when I'm done with him. It would be hard for a user of [Palm Magic] to continue his career without his hands, after all."

Hearing Alfonzo's tone, Guy had no doubt that he would follow through with is threat. And although he was not happy that one of his guild mates had been threatened, he could understand Alfonzo's point of view, as well.

Meanwhile, Bacchus had been gasping for breath ever since Alfonzo released the pressure on his neck. However, after hearing Alfonzo's threat, he was ready to start a fight. But after recalling the look in Alfonzo's eyes just a moment ago, he could not bring himself to do so. Then, he noticed that his hands were shaking.

'Am I… scared?' Bacchus asked himself internally. 'Me, Bacchus Groh, scared of a man who would force a woman to be with him.'

With that thought, Bacchus furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists, recalling the looks of disgust Elicia would throw his way whenever he approached her. On top of that, the genuinely offended glares he would receive whenever he mentioned Elicia to Alfonzo. Things he never recognized at any other time.

'Why would I recognized things like this, now?' Bacchus asked himself. 'Am I really afraid of his threat?'

In actuality, when Alfonzo applied that last bit of force to Bacchus' neck, he sent a quick jolt of electricity into Bacchus' head, completely evaporating the alcohol affecting his thought processes and kickstarting his momentarily sober mind. At the same time, he left the rest of the alcohol in Bacchus system completely untouched. Meaning, his intoxicated state would return shortly.

'I doubt that would be enough to shut him up about it forever.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he took his seat again. 'But hopefully it will be enough to keep him quiet while we discuss the plan of attack.'

"Anyway, where were we?" Alfonzo asked, forcing a smile onto his face. "How are we gonna do this?"

"Yeah…" Yoruichi said, happy to change the atmosphere in the room by changing of subject. "We don't know enough about Kurotsuchi and Orochimaru's forces. So, I would suggest sending one or two people to infiltrate their hideout."

"Do we even know exactly where their hideout is?" Mirajane asked, voicing her concern.

"We do." Yoruichi replied with a nod. "Kagura and I got here before sun rise. So, I took a little trip to Hidden Leaf Ravine after we checked in. In fact, I was just coming back when I ran into you outside the hotel."

"Does that mean you know their numbers?" Bacchus asked, finally deciding to join the conversation again. "That would make it much easier to plan out our attack."

"Nope." Yoruichi replied with a shrug. "I didn't have enough time to infiltrate. And even if I did, I wouldn't have. That place gave me a bad feeling."

"Of course it did, those two are crazy as they come." Alfonzo said with a scoff. "I wouldn't be surprised if all the traps guarding their base were non-lethal, either."

"Why would they use non-lethal traps?" Marin asked in a confused tone.

"To get more test subjects." Alfonzo replied solemnly.

In response, Marin shivered involuntarily.

"I'm sure you've all read the reports about their human experimentation." Alfonzo continued in the same solemn tone. "Those fuckers are out of their fucking minds. Getting caught would be a fate worse than death. So, I'm glad you didn't go in there alone, Yoruichi."

"Aww… So you really do care." Yoruichi said in a teasing tone. "Then, after this quest is over, why don't you and---"

"Not a chance." Alfonzo replied dryly.

"Tch!" You're no fun." Yoruichi said with a pout.

"Ignoring the cat in heat." Mirajane said with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Hey!" Yoruichi shouted in protest.

"Does that mean we'll be going into their hideout completely blind?" Mirajane continued, ignoring Yoruichi's protest.

"No, that would be stupid." Yoruichi said, returning to her serious attitude. "I just didn't want to go in alone. But I know that Alfonzo has a few skills that would allow him to infiltrate as well."

"Although you're not wrong." Alfonzo replied. "Can you disable traps?"

In response, Yoruichi shook her head in frustration.

"I, on the other hand, can disable some traps." Alfonzo continued. "But only magical ones. In fact, I doubt I would even notice any purely physical traps."

With Alfonzo's statemen, the private room fell into a brief silence. However, it was broken rather quickly by an unexpected source.

"Actually, I should be able to assist in that regard." Guy said, taking a nice-guy pose. "I actually grew up in the same village as Orochimaru. And… well… Let's just say that they prepare us for many things that we might encounter on our journey's outside the village."

'Seriously, does that mean the hidden villages are a thing in this world, too?' Alfonzo wondered. ' And are they really hidden? I mean, I would never claim to know every village, town, and city on Ishgar, but I think a bunch of too flashily dressed ninjas would gain some attention.'

"And what kind of village makes trap dismantling a part of its training plan?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"It's a small village only referred to as the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Guy replied with a smile. "Unfortunately, I cannot disclose the location of my village, as its location must remain a secret."

"Anyway, let's move on from the village that's definitely not close to the Ravine we're going to infiltrate." Alfonzo said, rolling his eyes.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Guy asked in genuine confusion.

Rolling his eyes, Alfonzo continued.

"Since Guy can dismantle physical traps, that means he, Yoruichi, and I will take care of the infiltration." Alfonzo said, picking up as if Guy's interruption never happened. "It'll be up to Guy and I to take care of the traps. And if anything goes wrong, it will be up to Yoruichi to notify the rest of you. Since, I'm almost certain that she's the fastest person here."

"Seriously, she's even faster than you?" Marin asked with shock in her tone. "But I saw… or I couldn't even see you when you beat Laxus in the tournament."

In response, Alfonzo could only shake his head.

"Firing myself off like a railgun in tight places sounds like a really messy way to kill myself." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "I was just talking about regular movement speed."

"Even so, I'm not much slower than Alfonzo's speed when he fires himself off." Yoruichi added. "And I do it a lot quieter, too."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Bacchus said, impatience clear in his tone. "When do you plan on leaving? And when should the rest of us expect the operation to start?"

"If this was a normal hideout, I would say we should start at night." Alfonzo said. "but I doubt time of day even registers the same as it does for normal people to people like Kurotsuchi and Orochimaru. So, I think it would be better if we went in well-rested. How does tomorrow at dawn sound?"

"I'm fine with that." Yoruichi replied with a shrug. "Taking a little cat nap would be wonderful."

Kagura nodded in agreement, as well.

"Fine." Bacchus said, standing from his seat while taking a swig from his wine gourd. "I'll be there on time. Until then, leave me the hell alone."

"I agree with the plan as well." Guy said enthusiastically. "Tomorrow morning, my youth will explode."

"Sure…" Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "Do you, man."

In response, Guy once again made a nice guy pose, lifting his thumb in Alfonzo's direction before he followed Bacchus out of the private room.

"You two don't have a problem with the plan either, do you?" Alfonzo asked, turning his attention towards Mirajane and Marin.

"No, I'm fine with it." Mirajane replied with a smile.

"Me, too." Marin said with a determined nod.

"Good, then you two should get some rest. Alfonzo said with a smile. Then, he turned his attention towards Yoruichi. "And Yoruichi, could you show me to the location of their hideout? A little preliminary scouting wouldn't hurt."

"Oh, are you asking me out on a date?" Yoruichi asked in a tone mixed with playfulness and seduction.

"If that's your idea of a date, I'm not sure I could handle a relationship with you even if you ever wanted to join my harem." Alfonzo replied with a wry smile.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Hidden Leaf Ravine.

Carved into one of the walls of the Hidden Leaf Ravine, Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Orochimaru, the former researchers from the Bureau of Magical Development, settled their new research laboratories in an intricately designed labyrinth of chambers, hallways, and traps.

In one of the chambers that served as Mayuri Kurotsuchi's lab, the man himself, a slender man wearing a black kimono with a white hoari over top with his face painted to loosely resemble a skull with golden cones most-likely replacing his ears and his teeth constantly bared, was dissecting a teenage girl's body. The astonishing thing about it, however, was the fact that, if the fear and tears in her eyes were any indication, she was still alive.

"Kurotsuchi, we have an issue." Orochimaru, a tall man with snake-like facial features, long, wavy, waist-length, black hair, golden eyes with slitted pupils, and purple markings around his eyes wearing a grey tunic with a black undershirt and black pants, a thick, purple rope belt tied into a large bow behind his back, bandages wrapped around his calves, and black sandals, said as he hastily entered Mayuri's lab.

"What is it, Orochimaru?" Mayuri asked, unbothered as he continued his dissection. "I'm in the middle of something important."

"One of the snakes I left tin the town of Karakura was killed." Orochimaru said. "Cucucu… We might have some good test subjects showing up at our door, soon. But we'll have to subdue them first."

At that moment, Mayuri's test subject breathed her last breath. As a result, Mayuri plunged his scalpel into the corpse in frustration.

"I just hope they'll be sturdy enough to last through an entire experiment." Mayuri said, looking up from his latest cadaver with an excited, slightly insane smile. "Until then, we should make preparations for our guests."