death the kid is such a… weird character. i cant think of another character like him because he’s so weird. like, he’s the son of the grim reaper with horrible ocd and perfectionism issues and also he dresses like a preppy goth in full tuxedo but he also rides a skateboard named beelzebub and does cool tricks on it whenever presented the opportunity also he has guns. none of those character traits sound like they belong to the same person. hes somehow both the coolest and lamest character in the show.
I know I’ve been Bleach sadposting on and off for a while now, but like, I’m just finishing up my manga reread
and it doesn’t seem like anyone is talking about what the Yachiru reveal(s) mean for Kenpachi as a character, which is a shame, because holy fuck, Kenpachi is maybe one of the most tragic characters in the entire manga
as far as most everyone else is concerned, and as far the man himself is concerned, Kenpachi is just an amoral sociopath itching for a battle that can seriously challenge him, but – knowing what we do about his childhood and his backstory – this is already a super shallow interpretation of his character
the guy grew up as a boy in a hobbesian state of nature, where life was nasty, brutish, and short, and where violence would have been not only normalized, but outright required, as a matter of life and death, to survive in the long term; he never had parents, let alone a guardian, so he was never given a name to call his own, and all he could do was raise himself; most of all, having learned no real language other than the language of violence, he was so overwhelmingly powerful and strong that no-one could ever really communicate with him, let alone interact with him.
like, Bleach isn’t exactly big on psychological realism, but Kenpachi is fucked up. Kenpachi’s mountains of victims, murderous bloodlust, and lack of respect for human life in general are all unforgivable and inexcusable, but they were inevitable, and they are understandable, because this boy never had a chance. the boy we see in Unohana’s flashbacks is a profoundly and persistently traumatized feral child.
enter Yachiru Kusajishi.
Yachiru is the one constant in Kenpachi’s life, and she is the only person in the world who actually connects to Kenpachi on his own level; she is the one person who is as fluent in the language of violence as he is and yet is utterly unafraid of him and the violence etched across his life. she is the only person who can teach him how to interact with other people in ways that aren’t violence, because she is the only person who will ever interact with him in a way that isn’t violent.
it’s easy for me to love Unohana, for so seamlessly being a secret badass – for being perhaps the single strongest woman in the series, in a series that already has enough of a dearth of powerful women
unfortunately, like, Unohana is also a total fucking monster
and I don’t just say that because she has a rap sheet.
to Unohana, Kenpachi is nothing more than a subject to groom into her successor, the inheritor to her legacy of violence. if ever she had a responsibility as a human being to meet him as his equal and socialize him, as the only person in all of Soul Society who could, then she betrayed that responsibility utterly.
so instead it falls to Yachiru to treat Kenpachi like a human being, and to teach him how to treat other people like a human being.
and this is poignant enough, knowing who Yachiru really is – knowing that Yachiru is Nozarashi, that Yachiru is Kenpachi’s Zanpakuto spirit, that Yachiru is Kenpachi. for Yachiru to socialize Kenpachi and for Kenpachi to raise Yachiru is for Kenpachi to literally socialize and raise himself. for Kenpachi to name Yachiru is for Kenpachi to name himself.
but it’s legitimately heartbreaking to see the way Kenpachi and Yachiru relate to each other, and to see the person Yachiru is, and to really think about the two of them as one and the same.
Kenpachi comes running to save Yachiru at the drop of a hat, and Kenpachi is always there to protect her, whether she physically needs that protection or not. Yachiru is just as fluent in the language of violence as Kenpachi, and she is just as deadly and violent a character as he is, but she has never been shown to need to fight for her own survival in the way he has, and she has always been… emotionally innocent, in a way that he was never allowed to be, because he has taken up so much of that burden for her.
Yachiru is many things, because Kenpachi is many things, but she is, in some very real measure, the child that he never had the chance to be, and she is the inner child that he has sheltered and protected and tended to all his life, without even thinking about it or understanding what he was doing
and in return, Yachiru is his emotional center: she is an unshakeable pillar of care and support and confidence in his life, for all the times in his life when he has been alone, without anyone else to give him anything at all.
The Adventures of Team Lune - Chapter Four: The Battle with Team Lune Part One
Summary: A dragon slayer, a demon slayer, and a god slayer walk into a Guild Hall… and all goes to hell
Pairings: Natsu x Fem OC, Gajeel x Fem OC, Gray x Fem OC, Sting x Fem OC, Laxus x Fem OC, Loke x Fem OC
Word Count: 3,009
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As May finished up the job, she found herself outside the client’s shack, sitting patiently and waiting for her reward. It would be enough to cover any payments for the month, considering the extra money they would need for any bills. She let out a small sigh as time seemed to tick by slowly. “Maybe I’ll be able to at least see the judging half.” Muttering, she stood up, as the door behind her creaked open. The smaller man held out a small satchel, the reward of which was for what he claimed was her hard work. In reality, it really only took her about thirty minutes, barely enough to let her break a sweat.
The bandit was nothing to write home about, a simple scrawny man with magic levels even less than the celestial wizard she had met a few days ago. She accepted the reward with a small smile and bow, tucking the satchel onto her belt and covering herself with her still tattered cloak. She waved a small goodbye, before turning on her heel and walking toward the wood’s entrance. When she finally was out of view of the small village, she let out another sigh, “They so owe me.” She continued along a short bit, before letting her curse power flow within her once more. That should do it. In mere seconds, wide white feather shaped wings sprouted from her back, allowing her to take flight as she ran swiftly up a tree’s trunk. While flying, she couldn’t help but notice the nagging feeling that only seemed to grow within her. She wasn’t hungry, nor was she sick, so what was the issue? She couldn’t shake it, no matter how hard she tried. She let out a short huff, speeding herself up in order to make it home in a timely manner.
After about fifteen minutes of quickly flying, Magnolia finally came into sight. A small smile erupted on the girl’s face as nothing seemed to be out of place. She swiftly made her way to the guild, spotting the familiar mark on its large sign. As she landed nearby, she retracted her wings before continuing on to the doors; making sure no one had spotted her yet. She opened the heavy door, slipping inside and noticing the emptiness and silence of the usually boisterous guild hall. Empty besides a few stone statues of her fellow female guild mates. Her brow quirked in interest, as she stepped forward and neared the presumed statues.
“Wow, they made statues of all the contestants?” Her voice practically echoed across the hall, as her fingers pinched the bridge of Astria’s nose. “They’re so... life-like.” She soon found herself behind Calypso’s statue, her hands grabbing her chest. “Jeez, this is so weird, they feel so real.” May continue circling around the guild’s females, squinting to find any imperfections, anything to set the stone apart from their human counterparts.
“Oh, you like my handiwork?” A woman’s voice boasted from the guild’s doors, causing May’s attention to snap over as it echoed. Her head cocked to the side in confusion, before realizing it was Evergreen. Evergreen had special eyes, courtesy of the Thunder Legion. What the hell is going on? She couldn’t quite pinpoint it yet, but she knew Evergreen had an unresolved issue with Erza, maybe even the rest of the girls. A superiority complex of some sort. “It was really quite easy, they were so unsuspecting, it’s kind of sad.” That’s when realization set in. They weren’t statues. They were her guild mates and friends.
“So, you,” anger began to settle into May, “did this?” The anger began to bubble, course through her veins as she stared blankly at the woman in front of her. Her curse power began to unknowingly battle with her magic power, neither overpowering the other just yet, instead they’d be working in unison once more. The brunette simply nodded. “And just why... would you turn half of our guild to stone?” May’s voice began to drip in venom, her eyes thinning as they focused on the woman.
“Aren’t they marvelous? I suppose this was the easiest way to claim my spot as queen of the fairies,” before Evergreen could finish her sentence, May was behind her the back of the woman’s neck in her tight grip.
“Turn them back, or I’ll rip your eyes out.” Evergreen shivered under her guildmate’s touch as it tightened.
“Not a chance doll, you’re next.” By now, May’s curse power was pulsing through her; her anger forcing it over her in an attempt to free itself for use. May sneered at her words, her grip tightening even more as her fingernails began to form into sharpened claws.
“Hmph.” May grumbled while still maintaining to be expressionless as she sent the brunette flying into the brick wall, causing her glasses to shatter and an indent to appear.
“You bitch!” Evergreen shouted, preparing herself for her own attack, her fan at the ready as she regained footing, “Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!” But May was too fast now, her body emanating in curse power as she pulled multiple bright kunai from her arms. They seemed to almost glow white; made solely from her power. She shifted around and between each beam sent her way with ease, she had no time to be tired. She needed to protect the guild. Her friends. Team Lune would be no more without Astria and Calypso. Between the beams being shot, and both women maneuvering swiftly around each other, May was stuck with being on defense rather than offense, and the two found themselves outside of the guild, fighting on uneven ground. This works, this is perfect. The brunette continued her reign of attacks, in which May successfully evaded most, seeming to have been grazed once or twice. “I am the true queen of the fairies! Fairy tail has become weak!” She shouted, continuing to aim her shots toward each spot May was in, however now, May was moving too fast to see.
The two kept going at it, May appearing to be on the defense whilst allowing Evergreen to seem she was on the offense. Answers, I need answers. She decided to keep up the ruse, ideally, she would get her answers and turn the fight around swiftly, just like she’d always been able to do. “Why are you doing this?” She all but growled at the woman, finally sending a kunai her way.
“The thunder legion will fix Fairy tail from the ground up!” The brunette shouted in response, unbeknownst to the two, Erza Scarlet had shaken off Evergreen’s stone eyes, and had begun watching from below. “Beat me and I’ll turn them all back! But if you can’t, they’ll all be turned to dust!” Evergreen giggled maniacally, staring down at the shorter blonde. Control yourself. It was too late. May had once again appeared behind Evergreen, now gripping her by her hair and threw her into a thick pillar. The blonde’s jade eyes flared gold, as she neared the woman’s limp body. It wasn’t long before Evergreen began to push herself up, only to be face to face with what she could only call Satan herself.
“Fix... Fairy tail?” The blonde’s head was cocked to the side as she staggered angrily and neared the brunette who was once a well-known guildmate. Her irises had shrunk, her eyes wide and with her heavy steps she stopped abruptly with a short, dry laugh. Her hands moved at the speed of light as the curse kunai struck the woman straight against the pillar; pinning her multiple times by her clothing. “Maybe... I’ll fix you.”
“You are so naïve, May.”
“Change my friends back.”
“You’ve not won yet!” The pinned woman shouted back, preparing to shoot more of her fairy magic from her fingertips, unfortunately, May had already thought of that and pulled a large glistening scythe from her chest; continuing to stare down at the woman.
“I dare you.” The blonde grinned as pure power radiated from said scythe, glimmering beneath the sun’s beams. Golden horns protruded from her blonde locks, angel-like wings sprouting from her back once more, but her aura seemed to drip in pure venom as she remained floating to Evergreen’s height. The woman began to cower in fear, shriveling up against the pillar as best as she could. “Change them back, now.”
“I’ll die before I lose to you!” The woman’s voice shook, her fingers trembling into fists.
“Then I’ll kill you and take vengeance for my family.” As the words spurred from the blonde’s lips, light chains began to summon from her hips and began to wrap around the other’s body, glimmering with golden light and tightening her against the pillar.
May took a step forward, slamming her scythe’s handle into the ground beneath it, tearing the ground in front and around apart in its wake, stopping right below Evergreen’s feet. “I surrender!” Evergreen shouted, “I’m sorry Laxus!” She cried out, fear over taking her resolution as she cowered toward May who continued stepping closer and closer to her.
“Change them back, now.”
“Fine! But it’s still not over! The rest of the Thunder Legion is still out there!” The blonde shrugged in response, before evaporating her scythe, leaving her pinned by the kunai and the chains that had now completely wrapped around the woman’s body and pillar.
“May! Let me take care of her.” A voice broke the short silence, allowing May’s head to whip around to face Erza.
“Erza?” The blonde’s brow quivered in suspicion, surely, she couldn’t be working with the Thunder Legion, May was sure she loved Fairy tail and wouldn’t harm it. You don’t know her as well as you think. No, even an outsider would know that Erza loves Fairy tail. They’re her family. Right? No. Yes. No. Yes. “Gah! Shut up!” Her palms forcibly pressed into her ears, trying to suppress her own thoughts.
“Visual Magic has half of its effect on me, due to my artificial eye.” Erza stated calmly, paying no mind to the miniature temper tantrum May seemed to be hosting. The red head paced calmly past the blonde, reeling her fist back and slamming it into the brunette’s face, knocking her unconscious within seconds. At this, May just nodded. Of course, she had simply forgotten her fake eye.
May turned her attention back to the stone statues of her Guildmates. Her eyes quickly focused on the pink haired Dragon Slayer as he snuck around behind each female, slowly trying to melt away the curse on each of them. Natsu locked eyes with May, signaling to her wordlessly that his theory should work.
◊◊◊◊
May stood in front of Astria and Calypso as the two girls stretched. While Natsu’s plan had some merit to it, all of the Pageant contestants were released from their stone prisons when Erza beat Evergreen.
“I hated that. Worst nap of my life.” The plumette stated with a yawn.
“There’s more important things going on right now Caly.” Astria’s voice was rough as she focused on the door. “If Natsu and Gajeel can’t leave... I most likely won’t be able to either...” she mumbled as she continued to stare off into the distance.
“Who’s left of the Thunder Legion?” Calypso asked the pink haired dragon slayer.
“Freed, Bickslow and Laxus.” Natsu answered with a huff.
“Don’t be pissed off that you can’t fight.” May mumbled to the mage.
“Yeah, and I let you and Erza have all the fun earlier.” Natsu shot back at the shorter blonde. The two were about to butt heads again as Calypso let out a loud whistle. With all the attention on her, she let out a sinister smile before looking at the door.
“I call dibs on Bickslow.” She stated before making a full sprint to the door, two pure white wolves were waiting outside the Guild Hall door and ran after the Mage.
“Lucy, go give Calypso back up. She’s used to working with Loke so make sure to use him to your advantage as well. Levy stays back and assists in breaking the Enchantment on the hall. Erza should stay here as well, we should rest. Can I trust Freed to you Mirajane?” May called as the white-haired mage nodded in response.
“Does she usually just run off like that?” Gajeel asked Astria as the two hung back by the bar.
“Yeah, pretty much. Caly is a very powerful Mage and weapon user. She doesn’t seem it; she’d rather be in the Guild having fun or out in the woods under the moonlight than fighting. May and I are the opposite so it's helped our Team stay balanced. I blame my recklessness on Natsu.” Astria spoke casually to the Iron Dragon Slayer as they watched Natsu pace anxiously through the guild.
“It’s not my fault!” Natsu yelled back at his childhood friend.
“Natsu, once Levy breaks the Enhancement wanna help me look for Laxus?” Astria called back as she focused her attention to the pink haired man.
“No, you’re gonna help me look for him.”
“That’s what I just said!” Astria yelled at him, “Besides, I’m a better tracker than you are so hah!” Natsu made his way over to the two other Dragon Slayers. As soon as he was in range, Astria bonked him on the head with her fist. “Get your head outta your ass Natsu!”
“Remind me to stay on your good side.” Gajeel jokes to Astria as Natsu sat on the floor in front of them rubbing his head.
“I don’t need to do that.”
“Huh?”
“That’s Caly’s job. And if you hurt Caly, you have to deal with May and I. As well as her wolves.” Astria glared up at the man beside her to make sure to get her point across.
◊◊◊◊
Calypso was perched across the way from where Bickslow stood with his babies floating above him. They hadn’t caught on to her yet, her wolves watched the perimeter for any other enemies.
“I can probably take all five out in one go...” she mumbled to herself as she seemingly pulled her bow out of midair, “... invisible ones should do it.” Her hands worked as quickly as her mind did as five moon beam arrows appeared in her hands.
“Wait, am I bringing him back alive?” The moon mage shrugged to herself before continuing her thoughts. “Eh, Polyusica can heal him so I'll have my fun.” Calypso worked quickly to notch the arrows before taking her aim. She took a deep breath as she let the wind surround her. As she went to let the arrows fly, a chipper voice spoke behind her.
“So, what’s the game plan?” Lucy asked loudly, causing Calypso to flinch and miss her mark. Bickslow instantly looked their way and sent his babies flying, his snickering could be heard from their position.
“You dumb whore.” Calypso practically growled at the blonde in front of her as she glared at her. The first of Bickslow’s babies crashed into Lucy’s left shoulder, causing the blonde to scream in pain. Calypso dodged the first one that was heading towards her before proceeding to hit it with an arrow.
“Hey Bickslow, do me a favor and keep hitting the blonde with your babies.”
“Whose side are you on?!” Lucy yelled back at Calypso as she tried to dodge.
“Shut up and be helpful. Call Loke now.” Calypso demanded before jumping off of her perch and running towards Bickslow.
“Explain to me how I should shut up and call him at the same time?” Lucy quipped as she attempted to dodge the babies. Calypso stopped her attack and turned to the blonde.
“Summon Loke and then leave.” Lucy rolled her eyes at the plum haired mage on her left.
“Open, gate of the lion! Leo!” The Celestial Mage yelled as she waived the key.
“Hey gorgeous, did you summon me for a date?” Loke asked as Calypso hit him with a moon beam.
“Ouch!” Loke called as he turned around to face Calypso, “Oh hey babe, sorry I was flirting with another woman in front of you. She means nothing to me, promise.” Both Calypso and Lucy glared at him and put their hands on their hips. “Oh no.”
“Just back me up like always. Lucy, stay back.” Calypso commanded as her and Loke got into position.
“One hit wonder?” Loke called out.
“Absolutely.” The two stood next to each other before raising their opposite arms to the sky.
“Moon strike -” Calypso called as a sparkling silvery white sphere formed in her hand.
“Regulus impact-”
“-Combo,” the two called in unison as they turned to face one another. They grasped the others’ hand, aiming their combo attack at Bickslow. As the mage tried to dodge, the beams of combined light followed him. Loke anchored his other hand on Calypso’s side, he knew this move was taxing to use as is; let alone in daylight.
“One more hit and he should be down. You’ll be okay Caly.” Loke said as soothingly as possible to the moon mage.
“Don’t make me sound like a little bitch in front of blondie and tongue boy.” Loke let out a deep laugh at his friend's snarky comment. The two refocused the combo attack as their last hit knocked Bickslow to the ground. Calypso unclasped their hands before running to the fallen Fairy Tail member. She kneeled down beside him and checked his pulse.
“Well, he’s breathing at least but knocked out...” Calyso mumbled to the other two, “Hey Loke, can you do me a favor?” She called to the orange haired spirit.
“Of course, what's up?”
“Carry him back to the Guild Hall for me?”
“Yeah, of course.” He bent down before slinging the bigger man over his shoulder. “Come on Ladies, let’s head back to the Guild.” The two women nodded before following him, Calypso whistled and her two wolves came back to her side. “Caly, you’re buying me a beer when we get back.”
The Adventures of Team Lune - Chapter Three: The Tale of Two Kitties
Summary: A dragon slayer, a demon slayer, and a god slayer walk into a Guild Hall… and all goes to hell
Pairings: Natsu x Fem OC, Gajeel x Fem OC, Gray x Fem OC, Sting x Fem OC, Laxus x Fem OC, Loke x Fem OC
Word Count: 2,817
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“How long are we talking about?” Gajeel quipped as Calypso poured the Jasmine tea into two matching mugs.
“Well, I should probably start with how Team Lune was formed-”
“I just wanna know about Astria’s damn cat.”
“That’s the thing, she’s not just Ria’s cat. Opal just likes Ria the best.” Calypso smiled softly to the gruff dragon slayer as she placed his mug in front of him before taking her seat.
“Thank you.” He mumbled before picking up the pale pink mug and blowing on its hot contents. “How’d you join the guild and meet them then?”
“Oh, the wolves set me free after mastering my magic and I just kinda stumbled into the guild hall.” Gajeel almost choked on his tea at her statement.
“Wolves?”
“Yeah, the only way you can learn Moon magic is from this one eternal wolf pack. Like how you, Ria, and Natsu were trained by dragons. Funny enough, because of my training, I also have a good sense of smell and hearing. My nose isn’t as strong as my ears are though.”
“Just like we do,” Gajeel mumbled, more so to himself than to anyone else. The plumette across from him simply nodded before taking a sip of her tea. “How’d you end up with the wolves?” Calypso’s eyes dropped to her hands as she began to play with her fingers.
“I don’t know much more than what Leto told me. Apparently, my mother was killed, there was a battle, maybe even a war – all I know is that our home was destroyed. My mother was a student of the wolves when she was a kid, so she left me with them while she fought.”
“Leto, is that your wolf?”
“Hmm, in a sense yes. She’s the pack leader. I have the same loyalty to her and my pack as you dragon slayers have to your respective dragons.” After a momentary pause to drink more tea, the mage continued. “Ria came to the guild with Natsu, and May was found outside the Guild’s doors as a newborn. For the longest time, Ria stuck to Natsu and May was oddly drawn to Mystogan. Both were very shy – all of us were as kids. I became friends with Cana, the two of us would go on the jobs Master approved of. The three of us never really became close until Mystogan left on an S-Class quest. Master demanded that May stay back, that was a dark day. This strong kid that I always looked up to just, broke.” Gajeel kept his eyes on Calypso as her eyebrows drawn together as she focused on the cup in her hands.
“Master eventually got tired of May’s attitude and moodiness. He decided to take Ria away from Natsu and me away from Cana. Without telling any of us, he sent us out individually to the same job. We all left mere hours apart no less, none of us caught on until we all showed up at the same door for the requested meeting time. It was a simple job – just to find a lost item. Gramps figured we could find it easy. Between mine and Ria’s tracking skills and May’s all-around bossiness – it was done by nightfall. We’ve been together ever since.”
“Thats nice and all, but I only want to know about the cat.” Gajeel grumbled before finishing his tea.
“A good story is informative and well rounded. It’s a form of art and in this house, you’ll respect it.” She quipped back; her eyes flicked up to meet his in a demanding stare down.
“What are you going to do if I don’t?” He matched her intense glare as the words left his lips. A sinister smirk spread across Calypso's face, sending a slight shiver down the Iron Dragon Slayer’s spine.
“Well, for starters, you wouldn’t ever make it out of this house. What happens after that – probably a few broken ribs, lots of chains, and maybe a whip.” She broke eye contact with him as an almost undetectable trace of blush speckled her face. Gajeel’s trained eyes picked up on it quickly, before a faint blush appeared on his own face after her words sunk in. The slight silence became unbearable for Calypso, her hands began to fidget with her mug once more.
“We got Opal as a reward from a quest. It was weird – they gave us this light pink egg with silver and black sparkles and swirls on it. None of us had any clue what to do with it. When we got back to the guild, we found out Natsu and Lisanna had found one in the forest as well. Ria, May and I joined them in the woods to hatch the eggs. Well, whenever May was actually around the five of us kept the two eggs warm – that was really Natsu’s specialty.” As Calypso spoke and reminisced, a smile stayed on her lips. A small laugh escaped her as she thought more on the story before continuing.
“I was no help at all, and the others realized that pretty quickly. They put me in charge of gathering firewood and food. I mostly just avoided the place; they were holed up in the same woods my wolves are usually in too. So, I just hung around them more than anything. After about two weeks, Happy and Opal’s eggs hatched. They’ve been with us and a part of the guild since.”
Before either of them could get another word in, the front door opened, and three voices could be heard. Calypso’s face lit up as her friends had arrived home, her tea and Gajeel completely forgotten. Gajeel looked past the plumette and out the kitchen window, the sky was pitch black.
“I didn’t realize it was this late, I'll head out.” His gruff voice brought Calypso’s attention back to him.
“Huh?” She asked before whipping around and looking out the window. Pieces of plum-colored locks fell from her bun, framing her face as she turned back to face him. “Sorry about that, I rambled on for too long. I’ll probably have to cook for the others, do you want to stay for dinner?”
“Depends on what you’re cooking,” Gajeel said as he got up from the table, Calypso followed suit and walked behind him towards the front door. Opal was resting in Astria’s arms as the three of them chatted in the living room.
“Hey Gajeel!” Astria called out with a wave.
“Thanks for holding down the fort, Gajeel.” Natsu offered a small grin, as he turned to Calypso. “So, what’s for dinner?”
“Noodles and chicken thighs.” Calypso offered a shrug in response.
“I’ll see you four at the guild.” He turned to Calypso and gave he a gentle pat on the head. “See you later brat.” Gajeel headed out the door as Calypso’s face turned bright red.
“Wait, so you aren’t staying?” The plumette looked offended for a swift second, before her composure regained.
“Nah, I forgot I was going to train tonight since the weathers gonna be alright, since it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.” Gajeel grinned before slipping out the door and past Natsu.
“Did you two have a date? Are we interrupting?” Astria pouted momentarily, before the mocking tone dripped through her second question.
“He likes herrr!” Happy’s snarky comment broke the short pause.
“It was nothing like that!” Calypso paused before biting back at her friend, “Did you and Natsu go on a date?” This caused the light blue haired dragon slayer to blush just as heavily as Calypso was. Astria waved her hands in the air as a way to dismiss Calypso’s question.
“Hey! We were training!” The pink haired dragon slayer crossed his arms over his chest before huffing.
“Aye Sir! We were training really hard Calypso!” Happy shouted along.
“No yelling in the house! Indoor voices!” Opal folded her arms, before snuggling against Astria’s leg. “Lucy stopped us from training anymore for the night.”
“I see, did you guys do that much damage?”
“No... Not really...” Astria mumbled, patting Opal on the head softly. Opal offered a small smile in return before simply nodded, “It was some hefty damage, but it was a remote forest.”
“Yeah, that sounds like you two. Dinner will be ready in half an hour, go wash up, you all smell disgusting.” Calypso offered a small grin, suppressing the disappointment that she wouldn’t have her company tonight.
◊◊◊◊
The guild hall was filled with noise, booze and the heavenly scent of food – even at 8 in the morning. Astria, and Calypso sat at a table closer to the bar, all still with sleep in their eyes.
“Do you think I can grab a drink with breakfast?” Calypso asked her teammate.
“Calypso Lunar. No!” Astria scolded the oldest member as Gray and Loke took up seats at their table.
“May still hasn’t come back and I’m worried. I need something to take the edge off. What about a splash of something in my coffee? That should be fine right?”
“Okay Cana.” Gray teased the plumette, causing Astria to choke on her water.
“Hey man, leave my Caly alone.” Loke said as he threw his arm around her shoulder. “Both her and Cana are hot and have huge boobs, if they wanna drink this early in the morning we shouldn’t stop them. Why you ask? Because us hot blooded men benefit from it in the long run. Especially since they both tend to strip when they drink a lot.”
“If you’re so worried about May, why don’t you just go look for her?” Gray asked the two mages. The two women in question just shared a look and nodded once before turning back to him.
“She’s seemed stressed since she’s come back from her mission. We want to give her some breathing room and not harass her about it. She’ll tell us when she’s ready too” Astria sighed before turning away from the guys and letting her eyes wonder around the guild hall.
“That makes sense at least. How long has she been gone?” The slight worry in the ice mages voice caught Calypso and Loke’s attention. Both had a devious smile cross their lips and a dark look tinted their features.
“Awwww is ice boy worried about my May?”
“I think he is Caly. He’s worried about a hot young woman who’s kicked his ass time and time again. What’s the score now Gray? 132 to 0?” Loke added on, poking fun at his tsundere of a friend. Gray scoffed at the two before leaning back and crossing his arms. Before he could give his own witty remark back, the guild hall doors opened. A cross-breeze of wind carried the familiar scent to the Dragon Slayer’s nose.
“Hey Caly, May’s back.” Astria pointed out as she kept her eyes on their short blonde friend. Caly’s head whipped around and saw her make her way over to them. “She looks unharmed which is good.”
“Her stomach just rumbled; I'll flag Mira down.” Calypso added as she waved over to the white-haired barmaid.
“Hey guys, what can I get you?” Mira asked in her usual joy-filled tone.
“Two breakfast specials, a thing of smoked salmon, and three extra strong coffees. Can you put something in one of them for me?” Calypso ordered easily, with her being the oldest of the three she always took care of the others.
“Of course! I’ll be back with the drinks soon.” She walked back to her spot behind the bar as May finally arrived at the table.
“Hey...” The blonde spoke softly before taking the empty seat next to Calypso and across from Opal. Before the other two could speak, May pulled out two flyers from her pocket and showed them to her teammates. “The two of you should join the Miss Fairy Tail pageant. You guys have a better chance of taking home the gold if there's more than one of youse.”
“Jason’s a judge so I’m guaranteed top three.” Calypso said as she looked over the paper she snatched from May.
“Didn’t he judge last year too, and Mira still won?” Gray snipped to get back at her from earlier. Loke and Calypso stared daggers at the ice mage.
“Don’t listen to him. He’s ugly and unlovable, while you’re sexy and powerful. Which to be fair, is the best combo in a woman.” Loke complimented Calypso as her face continued to darken.
“I’ll skin you both alive if either of you continue to speak.”
“And on that note, I’ll be leaving.” Loke took his leave from the table, leaving Calypso’s death glare to Gray.
“All I have to do is whistle, and I can have a pack of wolves maul you to death.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. You need a new threat Calypso; you’ve used that one too many times already.” As Gray spoke, Mira silently placed the drinks on the table for the three women and scurried away. She valued her life too much to get between the bickering mages.
“Probably as much as you take your clothes off.” Astria added as she shoved the ice mage away from her in a playful manner.
“As the leader of Team Lune, I need you all to behave while we’re at the guild.” Opal said sarcastically.
“Yes, I’m so sorry, oh great master Opal.” May said as the three mages bowed to the light pink feline.
“What the actual fuck is your team?” Gray asked with scrunched eyebrows. In a split second, May was behind Gray as her palms were placed on both of his ears, applying a light pressure as she looked to her friends.
“Speak like that again and I’ll blow you up so badly they’ll be piecing you back together for weeks.” Gray hunched back a bit at her words, before sighing.
“Yeah yeah, whatever,” he let out with a huff.
“And we’ll feed your body parts to my wolves.” Calypso added with a smug smile.
“Do you not feed them? Isn’t that animal cruelty?”
“I do feed them, they just like people meat. And they like it fresh too.”
“You need psychological help.”
“Everyone in this guild does.” Astria added to as she was looking over Mays shoulder at her pink haired best friend.
“Open your mouth again and see what happens ice stripper.” May threatened once more.
“I’ll be taking my leave now too.” Gray sighed as he pushed the chair back and left the table. Mira made her way back to the table with breakfast as May took Gray’s seat.
“Enjoy Ladies!” Mira called as she turned and headed back.
“So, to confirm – you two are joining the pageant and we’re going on this job.” May stated as she cut into her food.
“Job?” Calypso and Astria asked in unison.
“Oh yeah I forgot to explain that since ice box interrupted us. It’s a simple one for 100,000 jewels. We just need to capture a bandit, so it’ll take us what, an hour at most? Easy money.” May explained as Calypso downed her alcoholic coffee.
“Yeah, we’ll be fine. When do we leave?”
“Give me two hours to drink a bit more and nap.” Calypso stated as she let out a yawn.
“You can nap on the train.” Opal spoke softly as she snacked on her salmon.
“This is why you’re in charge!” The three mages said in unison to the cat.
“Does it have to be a train though? Can’t we fly?” Astria asked with sadness in her voice.
“Opal can’t carry all three of us Ria.” May stated softly as she picked at her breakfast. The four sat in silence for a few seconds before Calypso spoke up.
“I’m gonna go threaten Gajeel. Do we think I can convince him to let me braid his hair?” Calypso asked as she stood up from the table.
“Maybe if you challenge him to something and use it as your prize.” Astria pitched to the plum haired mage.
“Say less.” Calypso sauntered over to where Cana, Gajeel and Juvia were seated and sat next to her best friend.
“So, uhhh. May I'm not going on a train so you’re on your own. I love you!” Astria said as she skipped out off with Opal following behind.
“Well then, I see how it is.” May spoke to no one before letting out a sigh. She silently continued to eat her meal before heading out on her now solo job. As she continued to pick at her food, she looked over to her friends – Caly was shoving a beer in Gajeel’s hand with a smile on her face. While Ria was happily sitting across from Natsu and Happy with Opal in her lap. The four of them were laughing happily as May sat by herself. They really would be okay without me, May thought to herself with another silent sigh.
The Adventures of Team Lune - Chapter Two: To Work, or Not to Work
Summary: A dragon slayer, a demon slayer, and a god slayer walk into a Guild Hall... and all goes to hell
Pairings: Natsu x Fem OC, Gajeel x Fem OC, Gray x Fem OC, Sting x Fem OC, Laxus x Fem OC, Loke x Fem OC
Word Count: 3,078
Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter
“Caly, I’m bored,” May whined to the plumette as she rolled over on the couch. Calypso offered a long eye roll in response as she continued to work on May’s new cloak.
“You’re such a whiny baby. I’m literally fixing your cape and now you want my attention?” She kept her eyes trained on the needle as she worked, gliding it effortlessly through the fabric as she has done plenty of times.
“I haven’t seen you in months and this is how you treat me?” The blonde huffed, puffing her cheeks out in a frown.
“Go play with Ria.”
“Ria’s playing with Natsu.” May groaned, flopping over the couch once more, and busying herself with the strings of her shirt. “Plus, I don’t want to see them making out.” She faked a gag as her eyes focused on the ceiling.
“I am not out playing with Natsu stupid! I’ve been home this whole time!” Ria shouted from the kitchen, as a pan fell to the floor in a screech.
May let out a mumble, before stating; “I have a feeling you guys didn’t actually miss me and just wanted to make me look bad.” The girl’s brows were furrowed in thought, now glaring daggers into the ceiling as her eyes turned to slits.
“You know that’s not true May!” Ria’s frown could be heard in her voice as she continued cooking lunch. “You worry us too much, hell, you worry the guild too much! We’re both so afraid that one day you just won’t come home! You’re too reckless!”
“I’m a fairy tail wizard, I’ll always come home.” May replied blandly, her eyes defocusing on the white paint of the ceiling. Her fingers still intwined with the pink fabric of her cropped shirt.
“You promise?” Astria’s voice came out in a peep from the corner of the wall, her eyes shining with tears that were ready to pour.
“I’ll only promise if you two do too, otherwise, nah.” She shrugged absentmindedly, feeling herself slip in between consciousness.
“Fine then, I promise the both of you that I’ll always come back home.” Calypso stated, her slim fingers working wickedly through the fabric.
“I promise I’ll always come home,” the bluenette followed.
“I promise to always come back home.” May told, standing up from her position on the couch, turning toward the door. “I’ll be home in a bit, I got something I need 'a do.” Her voice came in a squeak as she felt the vile burning sensation begin in her throat.
Before the two could interrupt, the blonde made for the door, swinging it open and leaving the self-made home. The burning sensation continued as she made her way down the steps, stumbling in the process. She proceeded down and out of the building, using the walls for support.
"Shit.” Her voice left her mouth in a whisper, her hand desperately clutching her side, the other gripping the wall as she maneuvered around the building’s side. She could make it on time. She had to. Her eyes were painfully dry, wishing to experience some sort of relief from the pain, May continued to stagger, letting go of the wall as she faced the forest’s edge. From there, she sprinted.
Needing to get as far away as possible; she let the pure adrenaline carry her. She didn’t make it far past the edge, before her knees wobbled, sending her tumbling onto her shins on the ground. Her arms sprang in front of her; hoping to offer herself some stability, but it was no use. They quickly gave out in front of her, sending her chest down into the dry dirt. The burning sensation did nothing but continue its way down half her body. Her skin felt hot to the touch, the other half was pure ice.
Her body trembled from pure temperature change and fear as her mouth opened silently. Her brain flooding with her own intrusive thoughts, now knowing it was useless to fight against it; she fell limp. Her body taking to complete gravitation toward the ground and shaking against it violently. She’d be lucky if the best case were hitting her head on a rock. Her brain continued its massacre; the thoughts continuing to fumble in like a burning rain.
“What are you doing?”
“Who are you?”
“Who are they?”
“Why are you here?”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Why are you hiding?”
“They’re afraid of you, all of them.”
The words shot through her skull, sending her head back and into the ground as each word erupted into its own pain. Searing through her skin and blurring her vision.
The darkness was thick. Fog-like and overall terrifying. It wasn’t a part of her. She exterminated darkness. She was not it. She was neither dark nor light. She was human. She was a Fairy Tail wizard. Nothing more, nothing less. No. She was a monster. She was not human.
Her shriek ripped through her throat, straining her vocal cords more than the burn. Her spit felt like lava and snow, coughing it out into the forest’s floor.
Where’s the light? There is none. You are the darkness. We are one. You are terrifying. You are nothing more than a demon now. You’ve gone too far. You’ve taken the power and become it.
May’s body continued to thrash ruthlessly, her breathing becoming ragged between screams. Some silent, gasping for air; others earth-splitting and beating through her ears.
I am a demon. You search for blood. You cannot get close to those you love. Their souls are not pure enough. You need pure souls. I need pure souls. Close to those I love. Love. Do you have love? No, you don’t either. Love doesn’t exist in this world. Only death and anguish. You are the bringer of both. You. Are. Darkness. You. Are. Nothing.
The final scream tore through her chest, her skin molten with it as her head slammed into a tree’s base; blood beginning to dribble down her forehead as her vision blurred immensely. The tears which pricked her eyes fell loosely, dark spots forming. A faint, “no,” ghosting her lips as the darkness took over and the blood continued to pool, staining the grass beneath her unmoving head. And then, the voices finally stopped.
◊◊◊◊
When she finally shifted, her skin burned once more. Unlike the searing pain from before, her arms just felt raw. As if her skin had melted off, leaving her bare to the air’s painful daggers. A groan rumbled in her throat, her eyes struggling to open. Is it morning? The girl trembled as the breeze continued to agitate her body. When her eyelids finally lifted, she was granted the sight of a glittery sky, littered in bright stars as her mouth gaped open from her previous lack of air. Her arms weren’t the only thing that felt raw, her throat too. Again. Her lips turned into a small frown as disdain racked through her body. She was a monster. She wasn’t a monster.
The blonde twitched, her subconscious kicking in once more. She tried finding the strength to roll over, but it didn’t exist. She raised her arm, to try and see its damage. Only to no avail. So, this is what I am now. Weak. Worthless. She cursed herself silently. Her arm trying to move once more, this time making it up to her line of vision. Her eyes grazed over the once pale skin, inspecting the redness that formed in lines going up and down against it. Scratches. Scratches created by long, sharp fingernails. Not nails. Claws. The strength she had to hold her arm up dissipated, her arm falling across her chest.
She had no strength to move it. No strength to get up. Not even enough strength to close her eyes once more. The grass was dyed red and the girl immobile, lying on rough (once)greenery and tarnished soil. Her head throbbed against her skull, making her wish for at least enough strength to sleep. At least some resilience. Her sage eyes remaining fixated on the blurry sky, her breathing beginning to slow. She could breathe now. She was alive. But she was weak. Far too weak. At this rate, you’ll never be able to save anyone. Another voice sounded within her. One she didn’t hear earlier but has met plenty times before. The girl struggled to speak, nothing but a small squeak coming from her parted lips. I have to, at least try. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. Her throat still burning, stopping only at the base of her lungs. It wasn’t long before she began to hear sticks breaking nearby.
Her breathing hitched, shallowing in hopes of not being discovered. Her eyes remained heavy, as the footsteps neared closer and closer. Her eyes scanned what could be seen from her peripheral, as her body fell completely still. The next footstep she heard was by her head, as blonde hair and a large scar rolled into her vision.
“Oi, what’re you doing out here? It’s ten 'o'clock.”
“I..” The words came out in a mutter, as her mouth dried. “I took a run and got tired.”
“I’m not really someone you can lie to, May.” Laxus shrugged, slumping down on the ground behind her head. His large hands rested against her head, before placing it into his lap.
“You’ve been coming around more often, Laxus.” Her body relaxed, leaning into his touch.
“And what of it?” He chuckled, unraveling his coat and placing it over her. “Get some more sleep. I’ll stay so you don’t get murdered.” The slight sarcasm was enough to let her erupt a small chuckle, before completely relaxing into his lap, and slowly falling back to sleep.
◊◊◊◊
“Natsu! You can’t burn down the entire forest!” Lucy beckoned, standing near a tree whilst Happy sat at the base of it. “Oh brother, why do I bother?” Her tone deflated as Astria also summoned flames to rival against Natsu’s.
Flames were swept toward Astria’s feet, as she dashed quickly and leaped above the incoming attack from behind. From her stance above, she managed a quick flip over the pinkette’s larger body, sending her feet into his back as she slammed him into the ground on his stomach. The man’s jaw opened wide, swallowing the dirt beneath him.
“Ria! That tastes like shit!”
“Then eat some more, flame brain!” A small symbol on Astria’s leg, in the shape of Jupiter began to glow. Her hands moved delicately as she summoned the ground to her own accord; twisting and wrapping around the fellow dragon slayer in an attempt to encage him.
From there, the earth swallowed him into a pit of Astria’s design. That was until the earth crumbled above Natsu, spouting fire and heat which emanated around the five.
The two continued to spar, flame combatting flame, then Astria took initiative to delve behind her own rock wall, which sprouted in front of her, right before she ducked.
In a swift movement, her fire dispersed before water was ejected straight into Natsu’s flames, turning it to steam.
“Hey, not fair!” Ria and Natsu yelled in unison at Lucy and the newly summoned Aquarius.
“Call me again to put out the fire brats' flames and see what happens.” The celestial spirit threated Lucy before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
“I was never a fan of celestial spirits, but I do like her.” Ria huffed as she turned back to her fellow dragon slayer.
“I like her too. It's because she smells like a fish!” Happy said with drool seeping out of his mouth. The exceeds stomach let out a rumble, loud enough to shock the birds out of the trees.
“I guess it's time for a break then, huh little buddy?” Natsu asked to his blue friend.
◊◊◊◊
Calypso’s hands worked quicker than her mind could as she continued to focus on the task at hand. The banging on the door was the only thing to break her train of thought.
“Hold on,” she shouted at the being behind her front door.
“Hurry up brat.” The man's gravelly voice shouted back, bringing a smile to the young womans face. Calypso opened the door to the taller man dressed in all black. She flashed him her smile, before leaving the door open and going back to what she was doing. This caught him off guard. Gajeel stood in the doorway for a few seconds before deciding to follow her, making sure to close the door behind him.
“You act like you’ve never been here before.” The plumette teased as she cleaned up what she was working on. Gajeel let out a grumble as he crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway. He kept his eyes on her as she moved gracefully around the living room. “As talkative as always I see.” She continued to tease as she shot the man a glance over her shoulder.
“I see you’re fixing the shorties cape.” Calypso let out a hum in response as she picked up the cloth in question. She took up her place back on the couch with her legs crossed in front of her. Her usual long, lose and wavy plum locks were tied up in a bun. Gajeel continued to look her over, she was dressed in her usual gear – a white halter crop top with a light grey leather bodice under the bust, a pale blue ankle length skirt with a slit up the side, and a pale-yellow chain around the top of the skirt that had a crescent moon attached at the end over the slit. What managed to catch his eyes were the slight bags under her eyes. For someone who always napped out in the open at the Guild, you’d think she wouldn’t have that issue.
“As best as I can. I’ve fixed it time and time again. I learned to sew just to fix this for May.” A soft smile graced her lips as she thought back to the beginning of her friendship with the two girls.
“I’m still shocked you have one friend, let alone two.” The girl in question let out a small laugh before tucking the cape away and turning back to the iron dragon slayer.
“Humm, I’d say it's up to three now.”
“Ha! Who’d you wrangle into being your friend now?”
“You.” Gajeel flinched back at her statement as her piercing green eyes meet his. Ever since he joined the guild and started talking to Calypso – who was by far, one of the very few people he found tolerable – he learned quickly that she has a knack for catching people off guard.
“In your dreams! Like hell I'd be your friend.”
“Oh yeah?” The plumette questioned as she stood in front of the taller man, her hands behind her back and eyes still locked on his. “Then why do you keep showing up at my house?” This thew the burly man off balance, he took a step back to get some distance between the two. Calypso was mentally faster than him and instinctively took a step closer. Gajeel let out a huff and crossed his arms once more before looking down at her.
“I had a question that you probably have the answer to.”
“Oh?” Calypso sighed before turning on her heels and heading to the kitchen. “What kind of tea do you like?” The black-haired man followed behind her, before taking his perch in the doorway once more.
“Got anything with iron?” He asked with a smirk.
“Hmm, May does owe me for fixing her cape. I can melt some of her old earrings and call it tea.” Before he could get an answer out, she was pushing past him and going up the stairs. After a few minutes – a loud “got it” was heard from the upper floor, before the sounds of footsteps made their way towards Gajeel. She stopped in front of him and held up the earrings with a grin on her face.
He quickly snatched them from her hands before bringing them up to his nose. The dragon slayer gave them a sniff before popping the two earrings in his mouth.
“I-” Calypso all but stuttered as she stared at the man before her. Gajeel smirked down at the shorter woman, he was basking in the glory of being the one to catch her off guard.
“They taste like ear.”
“...I wanted to make you tea...” The smaller mage began to pout, with tears welling up in her eyes.
“It would’ve tasted like ear too. Just make me a cup of whatever tea you want.” Gajeel let out his signature huff before averting his eyes from hers. The smile that lit up her face was almost blinding; it didn’t help the blush creeping up on the dragon slayers cheeks.
“I only really have Jasmine and Oolong. But I like the Jasmine a lot more, so I’ll make us that.” Calypso spoke as she began to prep the kettle. “Oh, and I would’ve suggested cleaning them before you ate them. But you’re greedy, huh?” She kept her back to him as she continued to work around the kitchen – her keen eyes catching the minuscule messes her two roommates had left behind. “You had a question, right?” Her soft voice snapped Gajeel out of his trance.
“Huh? Oh yeah...” Calypso let out a soft giggle before taking a seat at the kitchen table.
“I’ve been told my hearing is impeccable. Fire away!” She kept her eyes on him as he went to join her at the table, Gajeel took up the seat across from hers. His broad body filled up the space in the relatively empty and quiet room.
“...How did Astria and Natsu get their cats?” Calypso leaned back in her chair at his question.
“It’s kind of a long story.” The mage said with a smile as the tea kettle whistled.
The Adventures of Team Lune - Chapter One: Home Coming
Summary: A dragon slayer, a demon slayer, and a god slayer walk into a Guild Hall... and all goes to hell
Pairings: Natsu x Fem OC, Gajeel x Fem OC, Gray x Fem OC, Sting x Fem OC, Laxus x Fem OC, Loke x Fem OC
Word Count: 4144
Masterlist - Next Chapter
The guild hall was noisy. Not it's normal noisy, but still overwhelmingly loud. May's footsteps were hurried, the tips of her shoes slapping the concrete lightly. The rain pattering down around her, soaking the tattered fabric of her cloak, along with her ridiculously-long blonde locks. It had been six months. Six months since she left for a quest without notice. The mission was long, at first it had been said that it would take at least two years, but the client had been pleased with her progress; she had done what needed to be done and was released early with full compensation. A small grin lit her features at the hefty sum of a reward, as well as seeing her home once more. Her smile quickly melted to a grimace, as she remembered her cloak being torn to shreds.
Now she could only hope that Calypso would be able to fix it, although it seemed completely ruined, and she would have to buy a replica somehow. Her frown remained until she reached the guild's doors. She silently prayed to the God's that Calypso would be there, drinking as she usually was. Or even Astria, maybe Ria would fix it for her. She cringed at the thought, No, definitely not, Ria would probably further ruin it somehow. She then placed her palm flatly against one of the doors, sighing silently as she gave herself a moment. Everything would be normal in there, nothing new. As she inhaled once more, she let her intrusive thoughts clear, pressing the door open and letting herself into the hall; her eyes glued to the floor. She continued letting her feet move her, bit by bit until she let her eyes wander from the wooden planks, searching for Calypso's wine-purple hair.
"May! Welcome back!" The old man's voice ringed through her ears, as the guild hall fell eerily silent. Swallowing a deep breath, she offered a small wave heading toward the drunken plumette. The girls tanned forehead rested against a table as she snoozed, Cana sitting beside her with - what May could only assume - was a barrel of booze. Right now, wasn't a time to interact with other comrades, guildmates, or friends. She needed her cloak fixed, and now. May's paler hand reached out to the drunkard's shoulder, gripping it and shaking the body part, leaving the poor girl to wake with a tremor due to the force.
“Oi! Five more minutes! I'm fuckin' tired!" May's face twitched at the woman's slurred voice. With a small eye-roll, and the ignorance to those around her thoughts or voices, she placed her other hand atop her other shoulder, shaking with even more force. "What!" Calypso huffed rather loudly, pushing the small girls' hands away as she thrashed in her seat.
May's head turned to the side, giving a rather quizzical look as her eyebrow propped up. Her voice was soft and quiet, trying to divert any attention that was placed on her home coming.
"Good morning, sunshine.” Calypso's head shot up then, her eyes widening comically. "I need to stop drinking... I'm starting to hallucinate..." The woman muttered, looking back down at the table as May tapped her fingers upon the wood. "Wait- May would never let her cloak get ruined- May!" She jumped from her seat, grabbing the petite girl in front of her and rolling her into a spine-crushing hug. Calypso swung the woman around like a ragdoll, her blonde hair messily waving around.
"Oh, my gods! It's really you! Where the fuck have you been, you stupid brat!"
May's hands found themselves patting her back soothingly, quickly turning into small slaps as she was being crushed to what she presumed was death. "I-...I took!" She squeaked as her lungs were being drained of the air she so desperately needed.
"Huh? You leave for six months! Six goddamn months! Leaving me and Ria to wither here! How could you do that to us! You didn't even leave a note!" Calypso placed the girl on the floor, her hands leaving her weakened body, before they were placed firmly on her shoulders shaking her senseless. Well, at least she can breathe now. "You literally disappeared! We thought you died or something! You're insane!" As Calypso ranted, May found herself chuckling lightly, her cheeks growing warm in embarrassment.
Her fingers found the back of her neck, scratching sheepishly as she averted her gaze. "Well... You see, I um, took a really long mission- I figured you guys wouldn't mind much since I left rent money for about two-years," it seemed Calypso didn't mind the attention being drawn to the two, the thought resonated deeply within May however, leaving her entire body flushing with the warmth of embarrassment- that or it was just her blood circulating properly now.
By now, most of the guild's attention was on the two, truly unbeknownst to them. "Uh... Calypso by the way... Could you, y'know, possibly fix this?" The girl muttered, still blatantly upset about her cloak as she untied it from her pale neck. She folded the fabric strands- more like strings now as she handed the delicate piece to her friend.
"I bet you cried for hours over this, huh?" The shit-eating grin Calypso sported as the words left her lips made May fill with murderous intent. Her emerald eyes glinting with what seemed to be pure remorse. As soon as the tension was heavy, another familiar female presence was felt beside the two; before two arms shot out, palms placed sternly on each of their shoulders. The body moving between the two.
"C'mon May! You just got back, no need to go killing each other, yeah? And you-" Astria's palm moved from Calypso's shoulder, raising upward and slicing into her hair in a chop-like motion. Calypso groaned from the impact, raising her hands to rub her temples. "Don't go provoking her."
Calypso nodded sheepishly, before turning her attention back to May, "But seriously, we thought you fell off the place of the planet or something. Don't go worrying us like that again." May gave a curt nod, offering nothing but a small pout-like smile. The flimsy fabric that rested in Calypso's hands was placed onto the wooden table as she let out a small sigh. "I missed you, you dumb brat."
"Me too!" Astria let a small pout form across her face. "Do you know how many times I wanted to spar with you! And you weren't even here! That's so mean! Not even a note!? Seriously!" The smaller girl was hysterical by now, as she turned to May raising and slapping her fists against the other's chest comically. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Before the punches could begin to get more forceful, May's hands grasped at Ria's wrists, pinning them in front of her own chest.
"I get it, okay? But now isn't the time! The cloak is ruined! Like completely ruined!" The tears welling up in May's eyes seemed to glimmer under the hall's lighting, giving Astria a key to back-off for now, as May's pout deepened; Astria's formed as well.
"I'm sure Caly can fix it..." She carefully lied, her teeth grinding together as she neared closer and wrapped her thin arms around her friend, gently patting her back to try soothing her. From afar, most of the guild mates found themselves amused by the interaction, silently chuckling as small smiles graced their faces, others weren't so silent- talking quietly amongst each other at the comrade they hadn't seen quite often but still found themselves missing. However, there were a few who had no idea who the girl was, thinking she was a new guild member who was very much to their disliking, overreacting over an article of clothing. But one of the latter were not new whatsoever, standing straight with his arms crossed over his chest as his brows furrowed.
He stepped forward, stalking silently toward the girls. Calypso stared at her two friends, feeling complete as Team Lune was finally together once more, her feeling of half-emptiness now long-gone, fleeting as if it were nothing but an empty premonition. The three S-Class mages stood silently as May tried to keep herself from unraveling into silent sobs. Astria couldn't help but be amused, still feeling sorry for her dear friend, but finding her attachment to a simple article of clothing comical.
The man however, seemed very annoyed with the upset woman. As he neared the three, his pink hair flopping with each footstep, he felt the incline to slap her. "Are you serious right now? You're upset over a cloak you bought? While your friends and the guild have been here waiting for you to finally return?" His tone was harsh, piercing May's demeanor with poisonous irritation.
"Natsu..." Astria looked up from her friend, shaking her head no softly, as to not disturb May's panic.
"I'd understand if maybe a parent gave it to her or a friend or something, but seriously? Over clothing?" The oblivious boy seemed to have chosen ignorance that day, as Astria's eyes widened in reaction to his outburst. She could only imagine the anger beginning to dwell within May, as the other girl's body began to tremble slightly. "It's kind of," he seemed to search for the word as May unwrapped herself from her friend, pushing her away gently as her tears remained in the brim of her eyes, “...childish?”
"I'm sure you'd know all about that, because of Igneel's scarf, huh?" She peeped, feeling herself become even smaller in front of Natsu. The two girls backed a bit; knowing there wasn't any way this would end in a positive outcome.
"Watch your mouth, Dragneel." The girl stood, unwavering as her arm stuck out in front of her with her small palm facing openly toward him. "Or so help me, I will kill you right here."
"Hey, hey! He has a point! You're a part of Fairy Tail! How could you hurt your own friend?" A blonde girl asked, stepping closer with concerned eyes. "Can you even call yourself a part of this guild- no, this family if you really want to hurt one of us?" The girls question turned into a shout, allowing May the time to shift her attention to her with a quirked brow. May's head tilted to the side, before turning back to Natsu, seemingly completely unbothered by her questions. This only enraged the blonde. The girl took a few steps closer, before letting impudent words roll of her tongue. "I won't let you hurt him! You can't storm in here like that! You're not a part of this family!" The girl's words left May's ears ringing obnoxiously, as she fully turned to face her.
Her face was stern, unwavering and stone cold compared to hers, who was now on the verge of tears as Natsu remained in the air due to whatever magic the mage was using. "Natsu, could you keep your girlfriend on a leash?"
"Lucy," Laxus's voice warned calmly as he stood up, offering the other blonde a small shake of his head. "I'd stay out of it."
Lucy, as May learned had now turned to Laxus offering him a helpless look as her frown deepened before walking backwards and toward the scarlet haired woman, a woman May was highly fond of. Erza however, seemed completely unbothered toward the situation, simply shrugging to Gray as they stood by Happy, an exceed May had learned to love when hanging out with Astria and her company. However, three new faces stood beside the two she had known so well, a pale and pretty bluenette and a rather burly man whose hair raggedly grew beneath his shoulders. The man's attention seemed to drift from the soon to be brawl to the plum haired mage standing beside her and Astria. May's attention turned back to Natsu who only stared back in exasperation as adrenaline pumped through his veins like poison. He couldn't stay here, not like this. Not helpless. He hated that feeling.
Unbeknownst to the other guild members, besides the likes of Laxus and the Master, May hadn't harmed Natsu. She simply - yet complexly - made it seem that way. Natsu however, was also oblivious to this fact. The impact had been made using her magic, shattering some of the sheetrock which covered the wall's interior, milliseconds before she had moved Natsu swiftly, holding him in the air with an invisible force, and against the wall's rubble.
"May, you can stop now," Makarov turned his face to the blonde, offering a curt nod and a small smile. "Welcome back, my child." The girl nodded, letting Natsu fall to his feet as she left her arm drop- relinquishing her magic into nothing-ness.
"I'm home, Gramps." She shot him a warm smile, which allowed the pinkette dragon slayer to run up to her, uninterrupted. However, the woman wasn't oblivious, rather the opposite. As he neared her, fist clenched and ready to brawl- she swiftly ducked, grabbing his fist and enveloping it in her palm. Successfully stopping his attack. At what could be assumed was the speed of light, May disappeared from everyone watching's line of sight, reappearing behind Natsu, her whisper left his blood cold as he shivered from the close-proximity and her words brushing his neck as a shiver ran down his spine, clawing at it. "Boo." Before she stepped back completely, and once again appeared beside her infamous team. "I really don't feel like fighting when my cloak is... ruined." She pouted once more, sheepishly letting her arms fall behind her back and holding her small hands together.
"You started it!"
"No, you did!"
"You did!"
"You did!"
"Natsu.." Astria peeped, looking between the two as they bickered.
"You started!"
"No, you!"
"Natsu..."
"Stop bluffing! You were bitching over a cloak!" At this, May's eyes turned to slits. A soul piercing glare fell across her features.
"You brought up-"
"Natsu! You started it! Just calm down both of you, yeah?" Astria hurriedly looked between the two. Not even twenty-four hours into May's home coming and she already had to mediate fights. The girl sighed in defeat, waving her hand to the two. May let out a simple huff, crossing her arms under her chest as her face turned into a pout, Natsu mirroring her actions as they both turned their heads to opposite sides.
"She didn't even really hit you." Calypso noted, swirling her finger in the air.
"I know! And that pissed me off!" Natsu huffed, making Laxus let out a simple and low chuckle as he now neared the two.
"If she did, you'd probably be actually dead." Laxus smirked to Natsu as he stood beside May, letting his palm rub into the top of her head. "Welcome back, kid."
"Oh, what a warm welcome." May chuckled, waving his hand away as she turned back to Calypso whom had already begun drinking with Cana again. "I'm guessing that cloak will never be fixed."
"You don't need a shitty piece of fabric to be a mage, y'know." His deep voice was smooth, less gruff than usual as he offered a small grin, now facing Natsu.
"But I really liked that one."
"You'll get over it. I still don't know why you love them so much." Erza stated, smiling toward the group in front of her, shaking her head slightly in amusement.
"It's practically a part of her being now," Astria stated, offering a small smile to Natsu who was still pouting in annoyance. "Y'know Natsu, we can spar later so you can get over your little temper tantrum." His face sparked up at her words, nodding furiously to her before grabbing her wrist and tugging her quickly toward the door.
"No time to waste then! I'm fired up!" At his words, May couldn't help but let out a silent sigh, a small shake of her head following. After watching her two old friends leave through the guild doors, one by force and one thoroughly adrenaline pumped, she turned back to Laxus.
"So, what'd I miss?" She asked hesitantly, looking toward the new members wearily. Before the others could respond, Calypso's voice rang through the guild loud and clear.
"Lucy, dear-" she started as Cana poured her another glass, "make sure you know all the information before you come after someone. I'd hate to see you hurt because you started something out of ignorance." Calypso's grassy eyes flickered menacingly to meet Lucy's. "If you dare say anything like that to one of the members of my team – I'd have to kill you. Understood?”
The blonde’s eyes widened innocently, and she fervently nodded her head. Calypso sighed, breaking through the deathly silent guild. “What the fuck is everyone pouting over – our May has returned relatively unscathed. We should be drinking! Be merry or whatever!” A loud cheer rang through the hall, returning it to its normal volume.
“Well- somehow, Caly has become the peacekeeper in the guild. We’ve gotten a few new members too – all shitty brats if you ask me.” Laxus grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. “The troublemaking brats are just as loud as usual. They cause even more issues now since they’re all on the same team too.” May chuckled as she looked around the guild. Her eyes stopped at Calypso and Cana’s table – sitting next to Calypso was the male with long, scraggly black hair that reached below his shoulders. She recognized him from earlier when he was standing beside the pretty bluenette.
“So, the blonde who barks a lot is Lucy, is her skill good? I could use a new sparring partner.”
“Nope, all she has going for her is her body. Some of her stupid keys have merit.”
“And she’s on a team with Gray, Erza, and Natsu?”
“Natsu brought her into the guild no less.”
“Poor Ria...” May mumbled as her heart ached with the thought of her teammate made roommate’s lifelong friend. “Who’s the dude with Caly and Cana?”
“Gajeel, he’s an iron dragon slayer from Phantom Lord. He shouldn’t be here if you ask me, fucker attacked our guild and still fucking got in. Gramps let two of those assholes in.”
“Now, now Laxus, there’s no need to go slandering people just because you can’t see eye to eye with them.” The small grin May offered, reminded him too much of Mirajane for his liking; instead of calming down, he graced her with a short eyeroll. “Sounds like the kinda guy she likes to hang around. Who’s the other one from Phantom Lord?” Her eyebrow quirked in amusement. He offered a short scoff, tilting his head in the direction of the bluenette from earlier.
“Her names Juvia, she’s obsessed with Gray,” He offered a small shrug, earning a light smack to his chest from his petite friend.
“And her magic?”
“Water.” May nodded, soaking in the information of her new comrades. People she’d eventually have to fight besides, it was becoming apparent that it was not going to be easy.
“And you said Lucy uses keys?” Laxus nodded to her question, raising his own blonde brow as she patted her pockets for something, before pulling out a thin and bright silver key. “Like this?” His head tilted comically as he stared between May and the key.
“Since when do you use celestial magic?” May then mirrored his action.
“I don’t, but the quest I was on had a lot of rewards, y’know? This was one of them.” The girl simply shrugged, continuing to observe the key. “I’m not really into holder-type magic.”
“Doesn’t yours have some similarities though?” The shorter blonde let out a snort at his words.
“Don’t talk about things that you have no idea about, Dreyar.” His face fell into an arrogant smirk, as his hand rose to grab the key to inspect it himself.
"For something so small, it’s kind of heavy, no? Are you going to keep it?” He questioned as he continued to fiddle with the key.
“Holder-type magic tends to be heavier, since not all of the magic is stored within the user’s body. That and the key seems to be pure silver. To answer your other question, I usually would give it to someone in the guild that would use this kind of magic.” The blonde let out a sigh as she snatched the key back from Laxus. “But because of how nasty that girl was to me, I’ll keep it for now.” He clutched his sides as he let out a deep laugh.
“Aww does the little princess hate being disrespected?” Laxus mocked as May stared daggers into his soul. She took a small step back from him, letting out a short huff as she folded her arms underneath her chest.
“I’m not talking to you anymore.” He offered a small snicker in return before patting her head once more.
"Hey, hey weren’t you the one who said not to dislike others because of their differences? Some shit like that, huh?” She let out another short huff, before walking toward one of the two who had come from Phantom Lord, to properly introduce herself, Laxus hot on her heels. As she neared the girl, she wearily glanced toward her, seemingly nervous for some reason.
"Hi, I’m May, it’s nice to meet you. Welcome to the guild.”
“May, she’s been here for a few months now.” At Laxus’s words her cheeks flared up, the warmth casting a dark pink shade to arise to her cheeks.
"I was just trying to introduce myself Laxus!” At her outburst, the blonde man did nothing but snicker at her misfortune of coming home on the one day he was around the guild. Truth be told, it had been a while since he had been around. For the past few days, he had felt an inclination to hang around, sensing something out of the ordinary; he just couldn’t figure out what. Seeing May now, hadn’t been what he was expecting. Sure, he hadn’t seen May in a while. A little over six months to be exact.
He couldn’t exactly be furious with her considering he had gone away sporadically on missions with his team without notice as well. But looking at the girl by his side now, he knew she must’ve seen and raised hell on whatever mission she was out doing. There was no way she was still the same brat from before. Sure, she had grown; but he had seen her at least regularly, so it wasn’t that. He let his gaze wander down, finding his eyes glued to her paler, bared shoulders. That had been the most skin she had shown in a few years. Cloaks really had been a part of her being. It felt weird to see her this way, her pink halter top only granting so much coverage.
“You might’ve had a point. With the whole being a cry baby over a cloak. It’s like you’re naked without it.” The guy scoffed, suppressing his own amused chuckle with the ball of his fist. “It really is weird.”
“Hey, don’t call me naked!” The girls scold came out in a shriek, her voice catching the attention of more than half the guild for the umpteenth time that day.
A voice cut through, following May’s; “Yeah, no Laxus is right, you’re in the nude right now, May.” The blonde girl twitched at the statement, slowly turning toward the voice’s owner; blood turning cold in her veins in pure rage at Calypso’s words.
“Fix my cape, you damn drunk!” The words came out in a squeak, in a rather unintimidating manner as it usually would be. Truth be told, May had crossed the line of embarrassment long ago; her cheeks remaining a deep shade of vermillion.
The plumette cackled at her friend, waving her hand haphazardly. “After this drink, dear.”
May inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she let her breath out. If anyone needed a drink, it was her. Her feet worked faster than her brain as she stormed up to Calypso, her dainty fingers gripping the woman’s blushing ear, causing an even deeper color to surface as she pulled her up from her seat next to the iron dragon slayer. The small girl began to drag the woman out of the guild, by the tips of her ears, much to the guild members’ amusement.
