Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Akane Beach.
January, x781.
In the canon of the anime where the Seto Group appeared, My Bride is a Mermaid, the only ones in the Seto Group who accepted the marriage between the protagonist and Sun were Ren and Masa. The rest distained him because he was weak and had little in the way of backbone.
In the current situation, however, no one seemed to disagree with Sun marrying Alfonzo. All of the men in the room had seen his strength on the ship. And after hearing what Erza had to say about him, they believed in his character. Even Gozaburo, who was now mumbling in comprehensible words to himself in a daze, would find him worthy to befriend, if Sun were not involved.
"*Sigh*" Alfonzo exhaled in exasperation. "This is the only way, isn't it?"
"Yes." Ren replied, not losing her smile. "It's just how merfolk laws are."
Sun, on the other hand, started getting nervous. No, that would be inaccurate. She had been nervous from the moment she saved Alfonzo. She already knew what the consequences would be for doing so. So, she expected to be in a situation like this. The fact that Alfonzo did not agree immediately, however, is what brought out her nervousness.
'Maybe he doesn't like me.' Sun thought to herself. 'Well, he doesn't really know me. So I can see why he would hesitate.'
"Fine, I'll accept." Alfonzo said in an exasperated tone.
With that Sun raised her head and looked into Alfonzo's eyes.
"Don't look at me like that, Sun." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. "Although I'm not really into jumping into a relationship with someone I barely know, I don't want you to die, either."
"You make it sound like you would not die." Masa said while trying to snap Gozaburo out of his stupor.
"That's because I wouldn't." Alfonzo said. "Neither would Lici or Erza. But a lot of you would have while we escaped. And that would have led to the merfolk going to war with Fairy Tail. Something I'm sure that none of us want."
"I see." Ren replied. "I applaud your ability to think through the whole situation in such a short time."
"Oh, and could you tell the little one in the ceiling to stop aiming her weapon at me? It's not made of metal, so I can't do it myself."
"Oh, I'll take care of her!" Elicia said excitedly.
A moment later, one of the panels on the ceiling moved slightly. Then, Maki, who had her conch shell aimed at Alfonzo from the moment the Setos entered the room, was bound in threads. Separated from her conch shell, she was hanging upside down with only her head exposed as she was slowly lowered from the ceiling.
"Maki?" Sun asked after seeing Maki being lowered from the ceiling. "What were you doing up there?"
"Hehe…" Maki let out a hollow chuckle. "Hi Miss Sun."
"Maki… a conch shell…" Erza muttered after hearing Sun and seeing the hidden attacker. "She must be Maki the Conch. I've seen bounty posters for her arrest over the last few years. But there was no picture. Apparently, she's quite the assassin.
"Assassin? Maki is that true?" Sun asked, not believing what she just heard.
"Miss Sun, I---" Maki said, beginning to make an excuse.
"There's no need to hide it anymore, Maki." Ren said before looking at Sun. "It's true. Maki is the Seto Group's liquidator. I'm only telling you this because you're getting old enough to know more about the Group's secrets. You'll be an adult next year, after all."
'So, she's fourteen in this world, huh?' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'And since she said next year, that means she just had her birthday in the last week or so.'
"Now, Maki." Ren said, shifting her attention back to Maki, her eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint in them. "Why were you in this room? I don't remember anyone calling for your presence."
Maki immediately began to shudder In terror.
"Th-The B-B-Boss told me to keep an eye on him." Maki said, pointing her head in Alfonzo's direction. "He told me not to let him do anything inappropriate or get too close to Miss Sun."
Hearing that expected answer, Ren exhaled an exasperated sigh. Then, with the same expression on her face, she turned toward Gozaburo and approached with slow, measured steps.
"Oh, shit…" Alfonzo muttered with a small smile on his face. "he's not gonna have a good time."
Masa, on the other hand, quickly took his distance from Gozaburo when he saw Ren approaching. A moment later, Ren grabbed her husband by the front of his kimono. Then, she dragged him out the door of the medical room. After a few more moments…
*Smack!*
… A loud smack echoed through the halls of the Seto Group HQ. Following the slap was an exclamation of pain. Then, there was a scolding for the ages. Though the people in the medical room could not hear it clearly, they could make out a few phrases. Like, "… first, that little bitch from the pub." Or, "… will the next time be with Sun?" And finally, "… act together, I'm leaving!"
"Damn, shit just got real." Alfonzo said while shaking his head.
"Well, his unhealthy obsession with his daughter is really creepy." Elicia added.
"Indeed." Erza continued with a nod. "It was quite disgusting."
Though Masa, Maki, and the ten elites were not happy to hear these people talking bad about their boss, they could not retort. Even the twelve of them thought his affection for Sun was a bit overboard.
Meanwhile, Sun, as innocent and sheltered as she is, could only look on in confusion.
"Anyway, you said you should have told us you were awake earlier." Elicia said, shifting her full attention to Alfonzo now that the conversation with the Setos was on hold. "When exactly did you wake up?"
"Oh, it was when Erza slapped you." Alfonzo replied. "That slap was loud enough to wake the dead, after all."
Immediately, Erza lowered her head in shame. Elicia, on the other hand, rubbed the still red handprint on her face with a pout.
"And it really hurt, too." Elicia said.
"Well, I'm not gonna lie…" Alfonzo replied. "You needed that. And I could never do it."
At that moment, Sun, Masa, Maki, and the ten elites had the same thought.
'Did they forget we were here?' the thirteen members of the Seto group thought to themselves. 'I can't believe they're having this conversation with us in the room.'
"No, I didn't forget you were here." Alfonzo said, responding to their unasked questions. "And it's not like you all weren't eavesdropping on the conversation before. So, I'm too lazy to keep this a secret from you."
'Can he read minds?' The thirteen thought in unison once again. 'Wait, he knew we were there? How?'
"No, I can't read minds." Alfonzo said with a small smile on his face. "But I can read your expressions. Your questions are written clear as day on your faces. And I knew you were there because I spread out my senses as soon as I woke up. I didn't know where I was, after all."
The thirteen members of the Seto Group could only stare at Alfonzo in awe. Even Maki gained a healthy amount of respect for him.
"Anyway, where was I?" Alfonzo asked, turning his attention back to Elicia. "Oh yea, I couldn't give you the wake up call you needed. I had no right to. I mean, I had to make up for the way I treated you before."
Alfonzo then released Elicia's hand, causing her to pout, and reached toward Erza.
"Thank you for helping Lici see that things have changed, Erza." Alfonzo said, extending his hand for a handshake. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Think nothing of it." Erza replied, gripping Alfonzo's hand as she spoke. "both of you are…"
At that moment, Ren, with a bruised up Gozaburo following behind her, opened the door and entered the room again.
"Did I miss something?" Ren asked as she dragged a barely conscious Gozaburo back into the room.
"Nothing you need to worry about." Alfonzo replied, still grasping Erza's hand.
"If you say so." Ren replied with a shrug. "We do have a problem, though."
With that, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Erza all looked at Ren questioningly.
"It may be fine for you and Elicia to know Sun's and the merfolk's' secret because you are in a relationship." Ren said in a solemn tone. "I'm right to assume the two of you plan to marry, right?"
In response, Alfonzo and Elicia both nodded. However, they both frowned slightly.
"That's what I thought." Ren said. "The issue is Erza. She is only a member of the guild the two of you belong to. Even though Fairy Tail has a reputation for seeing all their guild mates as family, it's not the same."
Immediately, Erza's expression turned into one of concern. At first, she thought that the matter had been solved when Alfonzo agreed to Sun's proposal. Alfonzo and Elicia on the other hand, smiled as if it were not a problem in the first place.
Before Erza could react, Alfonzo, still holding Erza's hand, pulled her on top of him. Although she could not react to the sudden pull, Erza did manage to [Requip] out of her armor, once again, before she landed on top of Alfonzo.
"Alfonzo, what are you---" Erza began to asked before she was interrupted.
"Erza, will you be my girlfriend, too?" Alfonzo asked while looking into Erza's eyes. "I mean with the intent to marry, of course."
Hearing Alfonzo asking another girl to be with him even after accepting Sun's proposal, Gozaburo was ready to cause a problem. However, just as he started to move, he was slapped in the back of the head. When he looked at Ren's expression, he calmed down immensely. However, he still glared at Alfonzo with the desire for murder in his eyes.
"Alfonzo, are you sure?" Erza asked with shock in her tone. Then, she looked to Elicia. "And Elicia, are you okay with this? What about Cana? Then, there's Sun…"
"Stop making excuses, Erza." Elicia said, grasping Erza's free hand with both of her own. "We've all known how you feel about Fonzie for a long time now. And now that he's asking you to be his, you should just accept.
"I don't mind either." Sun said. "I mean, I'm in the same boat. Besides, if ya don't accept, you'll have to die. And no one wants that, right?"
With the encouragement from Elicia and Sun, Erza fell silent. After struggling with her feelings for a while, Erza climbed off of Alfonzo and finally looked into his eyes.
"If you're willing to have me, I'm happy to be yours." Erza said.
After she finished her sentence, Erza's face blossomed into one of the most beautiful smiles anyone in the room had ever seen, causing Alfonzo to smile back in return.
"Although I can't say that I've fallen in love with you yet, Erza." Alfonzo said, speaking from the heart. "You've become someone important to me over the years. I know I'll fall in love eventually, but for now all I can do is promise that I will never hurt you and do my best to make you happy. Naturally, I will make the same promise to you too, Sun."
"I'll try my best, too, Alfonzo." Sun said with a smile.
As the happy atmosphere settled over the room, Gozaburo, who was still salty about Sun finding a man, said something to break it.
"It's really too bad that you'll have to retire as a wizard, with your arm gone and all." Gozaburo said, an unrestrained gleeful smile on his face.
"Oh, that?" Alfonzo said, glancing down at his missing arm. "I'll have a new one in a week or so."
"A new one?" Sun asked curiously. "Can you regrow limbs like a reptile?"
"Hahaha!" Alfonzo could not help but laugh at the innocent question. "No, I'll just build a new one."
"Build?" Ren asked. "As in a prosthetic?"
"Yeah, He already made one for Aunt Ur when she lost her leg." Elicia said with a smile and a nod. "We call it Automail."
"Wait! Automail? Those new, super advanced prosthetics?" Ren asked in shock. "You hold the patent for that, too?"
"Wait, really?" Elicia asked, looking at Alfonzo in shock.
"Yeah, I do." Alfonzo replied nonchalantly.
"When did that happen?" Elicia asked.
"Not sure." Alfonzo replied while scratching the side of his head. "One day, when I was working on the cars, Master Goldstein threw the patent at me and said she got it taken care of for me."
Instead of asking any more question, Elicia simply nodded in understanding. A moment later, however, her expression turned gloomy.
"Elicia, what's wrong?" Erza asked after seeing Elicia's expression.
"*Sigh* We're gonna have to rush back to the guild with Fonzie's arm like this." Elicia said with a pout. "That means no trip to the resort."
Everyone could only look at Elicia with a bit of disbelief in their expressions.
"*Sigh* If nothing else, Lici has her priorities in order." Alfonzo said sarcastically while shaking his head.
I was feeling pretty good after work. So, I wrote another chapter. O, and there will still be 2 chapters tomorrow and the next day.
Shout out to my new Patr3on!
They don' thave a nickname, though...
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Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Akane Beach.
January, x 781.
Ten days after Alfonzo woke up, he was finally stable enough to make the trip back to Magnolia. Naturally, he was not the one behind the wheel of the Escalade. Instead, Elicia was the driver. While Sun sat in the front seat with excitement in her eyes, Alfonzo shared the back seat with Erza.
"Alfonzo, should you ever feel tired…" Erza said while the Escalade flew down the roads of Fiore. She patted her thighs as she continued, "you can use my lap as a pillow."
"Next time I'm definitely teaching her how to drive." Elicia muttered after hearing Erza's statement.
Alfonzo on the other hand could only smile wryly.
"It wouldn't be bad to have someone else who knows how to drive." Alfonzo said, maintaining his wry smile. "But you'll have to teach her in your Z3."
To that, Elicia started to seriously reconsider. As destructive as Erza can be, there was a good chance that her Z3 would end up little more than a crushed piece of metal by the time Erza's driving lessons were complete.
Instead of paying attention to the subtle jabs at her, Erza reached over and pulled Alfonzo to lay down on her lap. Then, she started running her fingers through his hair with a smile on her face.
"See, isn't that more comfortable?" Erza asked.
"Yeah, I gotta admit that this feels pretty nice." Alfonzo replied with a content smile.
'Even though she's really quite muscular, it's amazing how soft her body is.' Alfonzo thought to himself as she hifted a little and made himself more comfortable.
Rolling her eyes at the display of affection she could see from the rear-view mirror, Elicia focused bon the road again. Although there were clear hints of jealousy in her eyes, she was not jealous of Erza in the way one would think. Instead, she was jealous that Erza got the chance to pamper Alfonzo while she was stuck driving. A few moments later, she spoke to the last person in the vehicle, Sun, who was more than content just watching the scenery pass by though the window.
"So, Sun, your mom didn't seem all that bothered that you were leaving." Elicia said. "But your dad wasn't there when we left, how is he handling things?"
"Well…" Sun said, turning her head toward Elicia while she thought about the last time she saw her father, which was last night. "I think he'll be okay?"
"Why is that phrased like a question?" Alfonzo asked from his spot on Erza's lap.
"Because he cried last night… A lot." Sun said in a slightly confused tone. "But in the end, he wished me the best and told me that I wouldn't be lonely."
"Why do I get the feeling we're gonna have new neighbors soon?" Elicia asked from the driver's seat.
"I had the same bad premonition." Alfonzo replied.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
Later that day, shortly after sunset, the wizards of Fairy Tail, who were not out on quests, were gathered in the guild hall eating, drinking, and telling stories of their most recent successful quest completions. At one table, most of Alfonzo and Elicia's friends were gathed as usual. Although Laki, Alzack, and Bisca were out on quests, the rest were present and having, with Cana worrying about the safety of her best friend and boyfriend.
"This is the longest Fonzie has ever taken on an S-Class quest." Cana said with a mug of ale in her hand. "Do you think everything is okay? Maybe we should ask Ur to go and check on him."
"He's not the only one on the quest, you know." Ultear replied. "But still, it's almost been two weeks."
"Hmph!" Mirajane snorted. "I bet it's because they took Red with them. She probably made a mess of things and now they have to clean up after her. I can't believe she got to S-Class before me."
"Mira~." Lisanna said in a chiding tone. "Why do you always have to fight with Erza?"
"Because I'm better than her." Mirajane replied as if it were the most obvious thing. "And I'll prove it."
"But we're all on the same side." Lisanna said, exasperated by her older sister's behavior.
"Lisanna, there's no point in arguing." Elfman said in his usual timid tone. "Nothing we say will get through to her."
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Gray said, interrupting the girls' conversation. "Alfonzo, Elicia, and Erza are strong. There probably is nothing they can't handle if they work together."
"The streaker is right!" Natsu shouted. "Oh man, I cant wait 'til they get back. I'm gonna challenge them all to a fight. Then, I'll show them that I'm the strongest."
"What did you call me, Flame Brain?" Gray asked with a snarl.
"I called you what you are, Streaker." Natsu replied. "Why, you wanna fight about it?"
"Damn right I do!" Gray replied, standing up from his seat.
"Oh, it looks like Gray switched from briefs to boxers." Cana said with a drunken chuckle. "It looks like the little boy has grown up, huh?"
"Huh?" Gray exclaimed as he froze in place. Then, he looked down at himself. "Ah! What happened to my clothes."
"Hurry up and put your clothes on." Natsu said, already in his fighting stance. "Then, I'll kick your but."
"Just you wait…" Gray muttered as he gathered all his scattered clothing.
While most of the people in the group could only look on with a sigh at the common sight, Cana looked at Ultear with a smirk.
"You know if you picked up that habit too, maybe Fonzie would pay more attention to you." Cana said with a drunken slur.
"Cana, what are you talking about?" Ultear asked with a slight blush on her face.
"Seriously, Cana, what are you saying?" Levy said while shaking her head. "Ultear's crush would end before it even had a chance to start if she did that."
"Levy! That was supposed to be a secret!" Ultear shouted with her face getting even redder. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"
"Oh, please." Mirajane said with a scoff. "If that was a secret, it was the least guarded secret ever. I'm pretty sure even Alfonzo knows."
"Just like he knows how much you love~~~~ him, too?" Happy added with a happy smile.
"What was that, Cat?" Mirajane growled.
"Lisanna, save me!" Happy immediately spread his wings and flew into Lisanna's embrace.
Mirajane also stood up from her seat and dashed over toward Lisanna with her arms outstretched, trying to grab happy while Lisanna shielded him from her grasp.
"Mira, don't bully happy." Lisanna said, reprimanding Mirajane once again.
"Besides, I bet you like him too, Levy." Ultear said, trying to shift everyone's attention away from her secret that was just exposed.
"There's no way!" Jet interjected.
"Yeah, tell them, Levy!" Droy added in a pleading tone.
"I'll admit, I do like Alfonzo." Levy said calmly without a hint of blush on her face. "But not like the rest of you. He's a magic item crafter. Which means he uses sigils, a kind of [Word Magic]. So, I like to bounce ideas off him."
When Levy first started talking, Jet and Droy almost cried when she admitted that she liked Alfonzo. But their nerves calmed quickly when she explained the way she liked him. They still would do everything they could to keep Alfonzo from getting to close to Levy, though.
'Tch!' Cana clicked her tongue after chugging the remainder of the ale in her mug. 'I gotta do something to keep the number of girls around him as low as possible. I bet Elicia somehow managed to get Erza to join us while they were away on the quest together. I've been feeling like something I don't want to see has happened for more than a week now, after all.'
Just as Cana had that thought, the doors to the guild opened. At this time of day, the only ones who would show up at the guild hall were those who had just returned from a quest and had to report on its outcome.
Naturally, everyone who noticed the doors opening looked in that direction to see who had returned. And when they saw three familiar youngsters, they raised a cheer. Alfonzo, Elicia, and Erza had returned.
"Come on, you two." Alfonzo complained. "My legs are fine; I can walk on my own."
With their arms wrapped around his waist as they entered the guild hall, Elicia and Erza were doing their best to help him walk.
"We have to make sure you don't put anymore strain on your injury." Erza said in a tone that would not take no for an answer.
"Erza's right. Hehe." Elicia agreed with a mischievous chuckle. "Just let us take care of you."
"They're only trying to help, Alfonzo." Sun said from behind the trio. "What's wrong with that?"
Seeing the spectacle as Alfonzo, Elicia, Erza, and Sun entered the guild hall, the more observant members of the guild, including Alfonzo and Elicia's friends narrowed their eyes. Almost immediately after laying their eyes on the group, they noticed that Alfonzo's left arm was missing.
"Alfonzo, what happened to your arm?" Ur asked from the bar.
"Don't worry about it, Aunt Ur." Alfonzo said with a smile. "I'll have an even better one in a few days. Besides, you should see the other guy."
"Don't call me aunt, Brat!" Ur shouted in frustration. She then began leaking her magic power subconsciously, putting pressure on the group who just returned as she continued. "And now's not the time for jokes. Tell me what happened, right now?"
While Alfonzo, Elicia, and Erza were unbothered by the pressure, Sun quickly hid behind Alfonzo and grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Calm down, Ur." Gildarts said, patting Ur on the shoulder. "You're scaring our guest."
"Indeed." Makarov said with a nod. "Besides, I'm sure they'll tell us what happened during their report. For now, why don't you introduce us to the young lady you brought back with you."
"Sure Gramps." Alfonzo said while he and the others made their way over to the bar. Then, when they were next to the bar, he continued. "This is Sun Seto, the daughter of the chief of the Seto Group. Sun, this is Makarov Drear, Fairy Tail's guild master."
"It's nice to meet you, Sun." Makarov replied with a grandfatherly smile.
"The pleasure is all mine." Sun replied with a polite bow and tone.
"MY, aren't you polite." Makarov said with a chuckle.
"It's only natural, I cannot bring dishonor to my future husband." Sun said in a serious tone.
At that moment, Makarov's smile froze on his face. But Makarov was not the only one to freeze. Everyone in the guild, as if Sun had been speaking to them directly, heard her response and froze just like Makarov.
"What the hell, Kid?" Gildarts asked, the first to recover. "My Cana wasn't enough for you? And what does she mean future husband? Did you knock her up and now you're taking responsibility?"
For the next few minutes, Gildarts continued to scold Alfonzo while heaping copious amounts of praise on Cana. Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Erza looked on with board expressions while Sun wore a contemplative one.
"So, is this what my dad looks like when he gets all riled up?" Sun muttered to herself. "From the outside, this is really embarrassing."
*Smack!*
*Bang!*
Before Gildarts could go on for too long, he was smacked upside the head and slammed face first into the floor. Looking behind Gildarts, everyone could see Makarov with his hand having grown massively.
"Shut up for a minute, would you?" Makarov asked as his hand returned to its normal size. "Give him a chance to explain, why don't you?"
"Man, that never gets old." Ur said with a chuckle as she looked down at the twitching Gildarts. "But she's from the Seto Group, huh? I bet they talked the Kid into a marriage alliance."
"Well… It's something like that." Alfonzo replied, scratching the back of his head as he spoke.
Naturally, Alfonzo could not tell most of the guild about the real reason why he ended up engaged to Sun. He would have to make sure to tell Cana, though. Especially because he could feel her glare from all the way across the guild hall. And she wasn't the only one.
'Oh, it looks like Ultear's mask is slipping.' Alfonzo thought as he glanced at Cana, Mirajane, and Ultear. '*Sigh* Being this awesome can be a curse at times.'
"Well, how 'bout you let us give our report." Alfonzo said. "Then, you'll know how I lost my arm."
"Very well, come with me to my office." Makarov replied. Then, he let his gaze wander over Gildarts and Ur. "You two should come as well. And Sun, I assume you intend to join Fairy Tail with Alfonzo, right?"
"Yes." Sun replied with a smile.
"Then, you should come, too." Makarov said. "We'll get you the guild mark to make it official."
Just like that, the group of seven made their way up to the third floor of the guild hall, where Makarov's office is located. However, while they were climbing the stairs that led to the second floor, Alfonzo could only smile wryly and nod after coincidentally making eye contact with Cana, who mouthed a few words to him.
"You. Will. Tell. Me. Everything. When. We. Get. Home."
1/2
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