Chapitre 666: Welcoming the Mizukage

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

December 20, x789.

A week has passed since Ur received the message from the Village Hidden in the Mist. In that time, the preparations for the x789 S-Class Promotion Exam were completed, as well as the exam itself. And for the first time since x778, when Laxus was promoted to S-Class, no one was promoted during the exam this year.

So, with everyone feeling disappointed, the guild members returned from Tenrou Island with nothing to show for it. Even so, there were still things to look forward to when they got back.

For example, Mei Terumi, the Mizukage of the Village Hidden in the Mist would be showing up at some point before the year ended. Then, there was Laxus wedding. And finally, though a bit further way, there wass Team Steel Threads participation in the x790 Grand Magic Games.

And if you were to tell anyone, even Chico, one of his brides to be, that Laxus would be getting married ten years ago, they would all laugh. Laxus was just as unlikely to get married as Natsu was before he started dating Lisanna. But somehow, both of them would be among the ranks of those with wives in the near future.

However, Laxus' wedding, that would have to wait for a couple more weeks. Instead, they would be welcoming a visitor before that. And many of the guild's members were waiting for that visitor on the guild hall's first floor.

"So, when do you think she'll show up?" Laxus asked from his spot at the bar.

"Who knows." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But Ur said it would happen before the ball dropped."

"The ball?" Laxus asked in a confused tone.

"Is someone going through puberty?" Gajeel asked with a grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo looked at not only Laxus and Gajeel, but Alzack, Gray, and Elfman, who also seemed to have no idea what he was talking about, as well, with confusion. A moment later, however, he understood what the issue was.

'Oh, that's right, there's no concept of the ball dropping at the end of the year in this world.' Alfonzo thought to himself with realization sparkling in his eyes. A moment later, he had a great idea as he continued his thoughts. 'But maybe I should do something about that. But do I have enough time? There are only eleven days left.'

"Hey, Alfonzo, I know that look." Gray said, leaning over the bar to look at Alfonzo intensely. "Over the years, every time you've had that look on your face, you've made quite a bit of money in the near future."

Hearin Gray's words, Laxus, Alzack, Elfman, and Gajeel turned to look at Alfonzo with inquiring gazes. And they all waited on tenterhooks.

"Oh, I just had an idea for an annual event." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "And I think it will be something people will come to love over the years. But if I want to have it happen this year, I'll have to make a few phone calls. And that may not even be enough to get things rolling this year."

With that, Alfonzo stood up and stepped away from the bar. He then pulled his lPhone out of his pocket and started walking towards a corner of the guild hall that was comparatively quieter than the guild hall's usual din. And just as he held his lPhone to his ear, they could only hear a few words before he was out of earshot.

"Hey, Masumi, I just had a great idea." Alfonzo said while walking away from prying ears. "I'll tell you what I'm thinking. Then, I need you to give me an estimate of how quickly you can get everything together. So, this is what I'm thinking…"

Laxus, Alzack, Gray, and Gajeel could only look on in curiosity. However, they were unable to hear anything Alfonzo said after a certain point.

"Seriously, he's always so secretive when it comes to things like this." Laxus muttered.

"Well, can you blame him?" Alzack asked with a shrug. "Even though we're all friends, he tries his best to keep business and his personal life separate."

"I know." Laxus grumbled before picking up his drink and draining it in one go.

*Bang!*

"That won't stop me from being curious, though." Laxus continued while slamming his empty mug on the top of the bar.

"What's got you so annoyed, Laxus?" Ur asked, walking up behind the group of four after leaving the elevators.

Ur's voice caused Laxus, Alzack, Gray, and Gajeel to look back. When they did, they saw Ur as expected. They also saw Marin and Shizuka flanking her on either side. And Shizuka was holding the sleeping Calvin in her arms, as well.

"Don't worry about it." Laxus replied while waving Ur's question off dismissively. "Anyway, do you need us for something? Actually scratch that. Since those two are with you, I can already guess what you're here for."

"that's right." Ur replied with a nod. "Come with me. We're going to the train station to greet our guests from abroad."

"*Sigh* So they're finally here, huh?" Laxus asked as he placed his hands on the top of the bar to support himself as he stood up. "Well, it took long enough."

"Don't say things like that, Laxus." Ur said. "It takes time to stabilize a situation when the leadership role is forcefully taken. In fact, I'm impressed that it only took her this long."

"If you say so?" Laxus replied with a shrug.

"Anyway, where's Fonzie?" Marin asked curiously.

"Over there." Alzack said while pointing at the corner where Alfonzo was having his phone call.

"Ooh! I'll go get him!" Shizuka cheered happily, speed walking over to Alfonzo before anyone could object. "I'm sure Cal will love to see his daddy."

Just like that, the group watched Shizuka approach Alfonzo happily. She then handed Calvin to him and Alfonzo put his lPhone away before they returned with Alfonzo cradling Calvin in his arms while Shizuka held onto Alfonzo's elbow.

"So, she's finally here, huh?" Alfonzo asked when he and Shizuka returned to the others. "Well then, I guess we should get going, shouldn't we? But I assume we're not gonna be walking, right? Then, who's driving?"

That question brought everyone up short. The only two cars that were present were Shizuka's, since she drove to the guild hall with Calvin and Ur's. However, neither vehicle was big enough to carry so many people. And even if they took both, there would not be enough space for everyone.

"*Sigh* I'll take care of it." Alfonzo said in an exasperated tone. "You should have told me we would be driving to pick them up earlier, Ur. If you had, I would have brought the limo here."

With that, Alfonzo handed Calvin back to Shizuka. Then, he walked towards the guild's sliding doors.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Alfonzo said while walking away. "Shizuka, you should take the car seat out of your car. Unless you plan on leaving Calvin here with Ren."

"Nope!" Shizuka said in her usual, slightly airheaded tone. "I wanna show off Calvin to Mei. She'll be surprised by how cute he is."

'Yeah, and even more determined to get married, too.' Alfonzo thought to himself while shrugging his shoulders.

A moment later, Alfonzo was standing outside of the guild hall. The, his body was engulfed by arcs of violet electricity before he simply vanished from where he stood.

Not long after that, Alfonzo appeared outside of the Mansion on the Lake. He then opened the door and walked inside.

"Grayfia, are you here!?" Alfonzo shouted, his voice carrying to every corner of the mansion.

*Swish!*

Not even a second later, Grayfia appeared in front of Alfonzo with her hands folded over her lower abdomen and her head bowed in respect.

"Master Alfonzo, how may I be of assistance?" Grayfia asked.

"The guild is going to be picking up some important guests from the train station." Alfonzo explained. "And I'll need someone to drive the limo. I could do it myself, but I'm sure I'll be expected to entertain our guests on the way back to the guild hall."

"I understand." Grayfia replied.

"Good, then please get the limo out of the garage." Alfonzo said as he turned around. "I'll levitate it over to the guild hall to save time. Then, we'll drive to the train station."

"As you command." Grayfia replied, bowing her head once again before she vanished in a burst of speed to retrieve the limo's key and drive it out of the underground garage.

A few minutes later, a trio who was dressed differently than the townsfolk of Magnolia stepped out of the train station. When they did, the two men and one woman looked around, the wariness in their gazes evident to nearly no one.

"This is quite the peaceful town." The woman, Mei Terumi, said while watching the people of Magnolia go about their business. "It's rare to see such carefree people in Caelum outside of the capital city."

"Indeed." One of the men, Ao, replied with a nod. "There are so many rogue shinobi and dark wizards running around Caelum's countryside that it is impossible to have this many carefree people anywhere other than the capital."

"It's nice." The second male, a young man with short, spiky sky blue hair, standing at about 5'4" tall looking to be in his late teens and wearing a pin-striped shirt that matched his hair color and a pair of camouflage-patterned pants with standard ninja sandals with a large sword in the shape of a large flounder fish wrapped in bandages strapped to his back , said in a shy tone while looking around cautiously. "But what if it's just a façade to get us to lower our guard? How will we protect Lady Mizukage in that case?"

"Chōjurō, you're one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist." Mei said in an exasperated tone. "How can you be so unconfident? You need to take pride in the fact that you've reached such a height."

"Y-yes, Lady Mizukage." The sky blue-haired young man, Chōjurō, replied while lowering his head. "I'll do my best."

Mei could only sigh in response. Even Ao looked at Chōjurō with a bit of exasperation. However, it was not long after that before the trio's attention was drawn to something in the distance. At the same time, Chōjurō flashed in front of Mei with his hand gripping the hilt of his sword and the shy expression on his face having been replaced with a resolute one.

"*Sigh* Why can't you show this kind of expression all the time, Chōjurō?" Mei asked as she stepped forward and placed a hand on Chōjurō's shoulder. "It suits an Elite Jōnin like you much better. Even so, there's no need to be on guard. That should be our hosts."

As Mei calmed Chōjurō, the thing that caught the trio's attention, a long magic vehicle that resembled a stretch Lincoln Continental Limousine approached before pulling up in front of them. Then, once the magic vehicle came to a stop, the driver's door opened, and a tall, well-endowed, silver-haired woman wearing a blue and white apron dress, clearly denoting her status as a maid, stepped out of the vehicle before moving to the back door and opening it for the passengers.

With the back door open, a group of people started exiting the magic vehicle. Most of whom, the trio of Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō were familiar with, as they had met them during the Mist's Civil War. First was Marin shortly followed by Laxus. After him, Alfonzo stepped out of the door. Then, he held his hand out to help the next person, Shizuka, who was holding an infant in her arms.

'Oh! My! God!' Mei exclaimed internally when she saw Calvin. 'He's adorable! Now, I really want one of my own. I just need to get married first, though.'

As that last thought ran through her head, Mei's mood visibly worsened.

"Lady Mizukage." Ao, having noticed the change in Mei's expression, whispered. "Please, hold yourself together. I don't' know what's bothering you, but you're too experienced to be showing your thoughts on your face like that."

'Too experienced?' Mei thought to herself. 'Is Ao calling me old? Too old to get married?'

"Ao…" Mei said in a low, threatening tone.

With that tone, Ao noticed yet another change in Mei's mood. However, he did not know what caused such a dangerous, for him, at least, change. Yet, before he could figure it out, Mei continued.

"Do you want to die? If you do, I can help you by melting you down to your bones." Mei asked quietly with a promise of pain and perhaps even death in her tone should he answer incorrectly.

"I apologize, Lady Mizukage." Ao replied, quickly lowering his head.

"*sigh* those two are at it again." Laxus muttered while watching Mei and Ao's two-man show. "I wonder what Ao said this time?"

"Who knows." Alfonzo replied with a shrug while watching the Mist Village trio. "Probably something she misinterpreted… again."

At that moment, Ur finally stepped out of the limo, as well. When she did, she wanted to welcome Mei grandly. However, when she saw the atmosphere surrounding the trio and how Mei was glaring at Ao, who had his head lowered in apology, while Chōjurō looked on with an expression that made it clear he had no idea what to do, she could only scratch the side of her head in confusion.

"Uh... hello?" Ur said in an uncertain tone. "Welcome to… Uh… Magnolia and the Kingdom of Fiore… Um… Friends from afar."

"Hold off for a few minutes, Ur." Alfonzo said while patting Ur on the shoulder. "This will probably take a little while. You can do another take once they're back with us again."

With that, the Fairy Tail wizards watched the Mist Village trio go through their usual song and dance. But the most impressive thing about the whole scene was the fact that once the civilians noticed the Fairy Tail wizards near the spectacle, they shrugged their shoulders and stop paying attention, as they had come to expect strange things that they could not comprehend to happen whenever members of Fairy Tail were present.

L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
SixthSense1029

Thanks for reading. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you are, drop some comments, throw some stones, and leave a review.

If you wanna give me a little support as a writer, join my Patr3on at:

https://patr3onl.com/SixthSense1029

If you join, you can read 1 chapter ahead.

commentaire Commentaire 3

Voter

Chapitre 667: Hurricane Elicia

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

December 20, x789.

*Cough* Please excuse me for showing such an unsightly display." Mei said after she realized that her hosts were just watching her berate Ao. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ur Milkovich, master of the Fairy Tail wizarding guild. I am Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage of the Village Hidden in the Mist. And these are my personal guards, Ao and Chōjurō."

As she finished speaking, Mei stepped forward with her right hand extended for a handshake with as much dignity as she could muster after such an embarrassing moment. IN response, Ur took her hand while smiling in amusement.

"Likewise." Ur said, her smile making Mei feel more and more awkward as time went by. "Anyway, why don't we relocate to somewhere more private. There, we can get to know each other and discuss the terms of our alliance."

Mei nodded in response as she released Ur's hand. Then, Ur gestured towards the limousine, signaling Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō to enter.

And the three shinobi from the Mist did exactly that before they were followed by Ur, Laxus, Marin, Shizuka, and finally Alfonzo. Then, once everyone was seated inside, Grayfia closed the door before heading to the driver's seat, starting the engine, and returning to the guild hall.

Along the way, the two groups of wizards engaged in small talk with Alfonzo, Laxus, Marin, Shizuka, Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō discussing the time they worked together in Caelum while Ur, despite having heard the reports from her wizards, asked questions about the situation from Mei and the others' perspectives.

Eventually, the limousine pulled into the guild hall's underground parking lot and Grayfia, after parking the car, stepped out of the driver's seat to open the door for the passengers.

"I've seen tall buildings like this before." Mei said as she stepped out of the limousine and looked around the parking lot. "But never have I sensed a building packed with so much magic."

"Well, you can thank our resident magic item crafter for that." Ur said with a smile as she followed Mei out of the vehicle. "He basically built this building single-handedly after our war with Phantom Lord five years ago."

"You're exaggerating, Ur." Alfonzo said while shaking his head as he helped Marin and Shizuka out of the limo. "This was a guild wide effort."

Alfonzo then glanced at Laxus.

"Well, almost guild wide." Alfonzo said while smiling playfully.

"Hey!" Laxus exclaimed while bristling with embarrassment. "Look, we don't' talk about that anymore. I've changed a lot since then.'

"Oh, sounds like there's a story there." Mei said, interest flickering in her eyes.

"Indeed." Ao added. "One that sounds as if it needs to be told."

"Ugh… You did this on purpose, didn't you, Alfonzo?" Laxus asked in a tired tone.

"Oh, whatever could you be referring to, Laxus, my good friend?" Alfonzo asked in the most innocent tone he could muster.

"You know I love you to death, Alfonzo." Marin said before planting a kiss on Alfonzo's cheek. "But I kinda wanna hit you every time I hear you talk like that. And I'm sure it's not just me. But all the girls feel the same way, too."

"Gasp!" Alfonzo said, actually saying the word in faux shock. "'Tis it true? Oh, my aching heart."

"I don't wanna hit Fonzie." Shizuka said. "I think it's cute."

Shizuka then proceeded to plant a kiss on Alfonzo's other cheek with a smile on her face and the sleeping Calvin in her arms.

Meanwhile, Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō watched the interaction with differing reactions.

While Ao did not show much in the way of a reaction, Chōjurō fidgeted back and forth, embarrassed to see such public displays of affection. Mei, on the other hand, was watching with sparkling eyes.

'Oh my, he's so affectionate with his wives.' Mei thought to herself. 'And he doesn't look shy about it at all. There aren't any men on Ishgar who are so open with their feelings. He really is a prime candidate to be a husband. Perhaps… If things go well, this alliance will be even more solid once we've had more time to get to know each other.'

"Alright, Alfonzo." Ur said, interrupting the three's world while shaking her head. "You can flirt with your wives later, when we don't have guests. Look at poor Chōjurō over there. If you keep going, he might start leaking blood from his face from how hard he's blushing."

As she spoke, Ur pointed at Chōjurō, who just as she said was blushing with great intensity. However, that did get Alfonzo, Marin, and Shizuka to stop flirting in public. After that, the group, including Grayfia, headed into the elevator. And while Alfonzo, Laxus, Ur, Marin, Shizuka, Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō would be heading up to Ur's office, Grayfia intended to get off on the first floor to head into the kitchen to make refreshments for the group while they discussed the alliance.

A few hours later, the alliance was finalized. And the terms of the alliance were as such. Because they were located in different countries, the assistance they could give each other was limited. However, if either the wizards from Fairy Tail or the shinobi from the Mist found themselves in the other's territory, they could request assistance from the other to help complete their quests or missions. Provided they were not in conflict with the standing alliances the assisting group already had.

However, even if they had to face their ally's other allies because of a quest or mission, they would not lend aid to either side. And because that was a common rule when it came to making alliances between guilds and other similar organizations, it did not cause any disputes.

"So, how long are you all planning to stay here in Magnolia?" Ur asked curiously once negotiations were over.

"We're not sure exactly." Mei replied while shaking her head. "But we do plan to be back in the village by the end of the year. So, maybe a week at the most."

"Well, that's a shame." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "I've got something in the works for New Year's Eve. But you'll probably miss it. Well, you have lPhones, right? Then, you'll be able to see it using those."

Hearing that Alfonzo was planning something, not only Mei was interested. But all the others in Ur's office were interested, as well. Meanwhile, Laxus snorted in annoyance when Alfonzo brought it up, connecting the dots between this thing he was working on and the topic he refused to share while they were sitting at the bar with the other guys from the guild.

"Oh, really?" Mei asked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. "And what might that be? You wouldn't mind sharing, would you?"

"Now, now, Mei." Alfonzo replied with a smile than made Mei's heart race. "If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Although her heart continued to race, Mei's flirtatious expression turned into a pout immediately. And when Ao and Chōjurō saw that, they were both wondering who she was and where the real Mei had been taken.

"*Cough* Anyway, why don't you three let Alfonzo, Laxus, and Marin give you a tour of the guild hall?" Ur said, breaking up the awkward atmosphere that followed Mei's pout. "I'm sure Shizuka would like to join you, but she's actually still got work to do in the infirmary. Plus, I can see that little Calvin is starting to get restless."

"Yeah, Cal looks like he's getting hungry." Shizuka said while smiling down at Calvin with an infinite amount of affection in her gaze.

"Sure." Mei replied, getting her expression under control quickly. "That sounds lovely."

And with that, Alfonzo, Laxus, Marin, Shizuka, Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō headed into the elevator while Ur got back to doing a few reports for the Magic Council. However, just before the elevator doors could close, she remembered something and looked up.

"Oh, and Alfonzo." Ur said, her eyes lighting up at the thought she just had.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll cook." Alfonzo replied, not even letting Ur make her request. "I was already prepared to do so when you asked me to help show our guests around. *sigh* But seriously, Ur, you're getting predictable."

With that, the elevator doors closed, leaving Ur sitting behind her desk wither pleading smile frozen on her face.

About a minute later, the elevator's doors opened on the guild hall's first floor.

"Alright, this is the guild's main hall." Alfonzo said as he stepped out of the elevator. "And this is where most things happen in our guild."

Unfortunately, hearing Alfonzo's introduction to the guild hall was a little difficult at the moment, as the main hall was embroiled in a guild wide brawl. And the two who seemed to be responsible for this brawl, Naruto and Sasuke, were zipping around the hall, exchanging blows, while getting anyone unlucky enough to be in their paths involved, as well.

Seeing the state of the guild hall, Alfonzo, Laxus, Marin, and Shizuka did not even flinch, having gotten used to such scenes over the years. But Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō were shellshocked, to say the least.

In fact, Chōjurō was so taken aback that he first stepped back in apprehension before his expression firmed up and he flashed in front of Mei to protect her. Meanwhile, Ao showed, perhaps, the most expression he had shown since he arrived in Magnolia, other than when he was apologizing to Mei at the train station.

Mei, on the other hand, was looking around in surprise with her lips slightly parted and her eyes wide open as she took in the uncontrolled chaos on display. However, before she could comment on what she was seeing, she caught sight of a brown-skinned woman with short black hair and brown eyes staring at her, Ao, and Chōjurō.

"Oh, it looks like Lici's locked her sights on someone." Alfonzo said with a smile.

"Lici?" Mei asked, snapping out of her surprised state. "Who is that?"

"Oh, that's my first wife, Elicia Marcus Taylor. The owner of the Taylor Shop, as well as the continent's most popular fashionista."

Hearing that, Mei's eyes lit up. At the same time, Elicia stood up from her seat and made a b-line towards the elevator. Along the way, as Naruto and Sasuke got too close with their fight, she wrapped them up with her threads before flipping into a handstand and kicking them both away before she returned to walking towards the elevator with determined steps.

"Uh oh!" Marin said with a smile on her face. "Someone's in trouble."

"Yeah, I haven't seen that look on her face since Warren wore that orange and maroon suit when he hosted the first Miss Fairy Tail Pageant." Laxus said with an amused smirk on his face.

"Huh?" Shizuka intoned while rocking Calvin in her arms. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, that's right, you weren't here back then, were you?" Marin asked. "I think that happened the year before you joined the guild. Well, you see---"

Before Marin could explain, however, Elicia arrived in front of the group of new arrivals. And when she did, she stopped in front of Mei and Chōjurō. While looking up and down with displeasure written all over her face.

At first, Mei was a bit scared, thinking that the premier fashionista on Ishgar was dissatisfied with her outfit. However, when Elicia opened her mouth, all her fears were laid to rest.

"Um... Excuse me." Elicia asked after inspecting Chōjurō's attire. "But what on Earth Land are you wearing? I have no issue with sky blue and pin-stripes. Nor do I see anything wrong with camo. But what in the world gave you the idea that they looked good together? Especially when the camo is made of such bright greens? Have you ever heard of the term, 'clashing colors?' For goodness sake, who dresses you? And sandals with an outfit like that? I know you're a ninja, but have some self-awareness…"

And Elicia's verbal onslaught just kept going. And because of her trip across the guild hall, the brawl came to an end, as well. And although the fact that she incapacitated the two who caused the brawl in the first place was a contributing factor in that, the aura she exuded while lecturing/scolding Chōjurō on his fashion choices played an even bigger roll.

Warren was even shuddering, looking like he was going through an episode caused by PTSD. Meanwhile, everyone else watched as the shinobi with the large, bandaged swords on his back fidgeted nervously while trying his best to not make eye contact with the taller, extremely passionate woman berating him about his clothing choices.

At the same time, three of the women and two of the men I the guild hall, namely Fried, Erza, Sun, Saeko, and Sasuke, the most skilled swordsman, had their eyes light up. Because despite Chōjurō's timid nature, they could all tell that he was a master swordsman. And they all wanted to test themselves against him in swordsmanship.

Even so, they all knew better than to get in the way when Elicia was acting like that. So, they all decided they would challenge him to sparring matches once Hurricane Elicia had passed.