Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
February, x782.
A few more months have passed since Elicia brought Angel to the guild. Angel, or rather Sorano Agria, spent only about a month with Fairy Tail before she decided that she did not wish to join a guild. Instead, she decided to venture out on her own and make a name of herself as an independent wizard.
No one really expected Sorano to join the guild, though. She always seemed to be irritated whenever she was in the guild hall. Especially when she saw Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna. Though she never mentioned the reason. So, everyone figured it was only a matter of time before she left.
Around the same time she left, the x781 S-Class promotion Exam took place. This time, the participants were Cana, Gray, Ultear, Natsu, Mirajane, Mest, and the three members of the Thunder God Tribe. Then, after several tests of skill and combat, Mirajane emerged as the newest S-Class wizard.
Immediately after returning from Tenrou Island, Mirajane took her first S-Class quest and completed it easily. And with that boost in her confidence she did something reckless. She decided to take her younger siblings with her on her next S-Class quest, which was against the guild rules.
"Come on." Natsu said as he and the Straus siblings stood outside of the guild hall. "I have a bad feeling about this quest. You should take me with you, too."
"We don't need your help, Natsu." Mirajane said arrogantly. "If something that I can't handle happens, what makes you think you'll be able to help."
"Big Sis, is it really a bad idea to take Natsu with us?" Elfman asked hesitantly. "It wouldn't hurt to have some back up, would it?"
"Elfman's right, Mira." Lisanna said, holding onto Mirajane's arm. "Natsu's pretty strong, too, you know."
"Are the two of you saying I can't handle this alone?" Mirajane asked angrily. "If that's what you think, then you two can stay here."
'There's no way I'll fail to keep them safe.' Mirajane thought to herself as she turned around and started walking away from the guild hall. 'If Erza can complete all her quests without failing, than so can I. And since I'm better than she is, I can protect Elfman and Lisanna, too, with no problem.'
While Mirajane was thinking, Elfman and Lisanna exchanged glances. Mirajane had already told them that she was taking them with her to help Elfman get a powerful [Beast Soul] for his [Take Over Magic]. And if, at least, Elfman did not go, then they would be putting her kind gesture to waste.
"Sorry, Natsu." Elfman said, lowering his head timidly. "But you'll definitely be strong enough to take S-Class quests soon."
"Yeah, Sorry, Natsu." Lisanna added in a clearly forced, cheerful tone. "But we can go on a quest together after we get back, okay?"
With that, both Elfman and Lisanna also turned around before jogging to catch up with Mirajane.
Meanwhile, Natsu stood at the guild hall's entrance with frustration clearly written in his expression.
"Hey, Gramps." Alfonzo said from behind the bar. "Are you really gonna let her take those two with her?"
"*Sigh* Her ego has grown too large. A bit of failure will do her some good." Makarov said while shaking his head gently.
"Yeah, but failure in this case could cost someone their life, Old Man." Alfonzo said, clearly disagreeing with Makarov's decision of inaction.
"Mirajane is strong, My Boy. And she's fiercely protective of her siblings, she'd never let anything happen to them." Makarov said in a solemn tone. A moment later, however, his tone turned playful while he wore a mischievous smirk as he continued. "If you're so worried, then why don't you trail them? I bet that girl would be happy to know you're so worried about her."
"Fine, I will." Alfonzo said with a nod. Then, he leapt over the bar and started walking toward the guild hall's entrance. "Tell everyone that I had to enforce the guild rules, or something, when they asked why I'm not cooking any more today. See ya later, Gramps."
Not waiting for Makarov's reply, Alfonzo disappeared through the guild's doors a few moments later, leaving Makarov to watch him with his eyes and mouth open wide.
"Wait, did he just leave me to explain why he left in the middle of his shift?" Makarov exclaimed quietly. "And the worst thing about it, I'm the one that told him to go after them. Even if it was a joke, he did not suggest it himself at all."
At that moment, Max Alors walked up to the bar.
"Hey, Alfonzo, can I get another serving of the usual?" Max asked in a loud enough voice to be heard from the kitchen.
Like that, time went by without a response. As it did, Max's expression was filled with more and more suspicion. Meanwhile, Makarov continuously cursed Alfonzo in his mind for the mess he would have to clean up shortly.
A few moments ago, just as Alfonzo stepped through the guild's front entrance, he saw Natsu, who had not moved since the Straus siblings left.
"Come on, Natsu." Alfonzo said as he walked past the pink-haired boy and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go on a little adventure of our own. We can see what the Kingdom has to offer."
Turning his head when he felt the hand land on his shoulder, Natsu saw Alfonzo wink at him as he spoke. At first, Natsu, who was not the sharpest tool in the shed, had no idea what Alfonzo was talking about. A few moments of confused thinking later, he understood and smiled brightly.
"Okay, I'll go get packed quickly." Natsu said as he ran off.
"You'd better hurry!" Alfonzo shouted after Natsu. "Meet me at the train station, we don't wanna miss the next train."
Hearin g that they would be taking the train, Natsu stumbled. Before he could fall to the ground, however, he corrected himself and continued on his way.
The reason behind Natsu's stumble was quite simple, actually. Like all Dragon Slayer wizards, after reaching a certain threshold of power, Natsu became quite susceptible to motion sickness due to his heightened senses. So, Natsu did not fare well on any vehicular form of transportation.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo also rushed back to his mansion to pack for the journey. He knew that he and Natsu would have some time before Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna boarded a train to the quest location. They had to pack, too, after all.
And just as Alfonzo expected, he and Natsu, after meeting up outside the station, were just in time to see Mirajane buy the tickets for herself and her siblings.
"Alright, Natsu, we have to stay hidden." Alfonzo said quietly. "We don't want them to know that we're following them. And if everything goes well, they won't know for the entire trip. Remember, we're only here to make sure that nothing happens to them, got it?"
"I underst---" Natsu said energetically before Alfonzo clamped his hand over Natsu's mouth before dragging him behind a pillar.
"Hey, did you two hear that?" Lisanna asked as she looked around.
"Hear what?" Elfman asked.
"I thought I heard Natsu's voice just now." Lisanna said while looking around the station. "Do you think he followed us?"
"Of course not." Mirajane said dismissively. "He gets motion sickness, remember. There's no way he would willingly ride a train to follow us. You probably only heard someone that sounds like him."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Lisanna said, still glancing around the station from time to time.
"Anyway, let's go to our train's platform to wait." Mirajane said as she started walking away.
Naturally, Elfman and Lisanna followed Mirajane through the station. At the same time, Alfonzo poked his head out from behind the pillar to check if the coast was clear.
"Okay, we're in the clear." Alfonzo said, stepping out from behind the pillar a second later.
Unfortunately, when Alfonzo clamped his hand over Natsu's mouth, he also covered his nose by accident. So, Natsu was desperately clawing at Alfonzo's hand, that was still clamped over his face.
"Oh, sorry about that." Alfonzo said as he released Natsu.
"Were you trying to kill me, Alfonzo?" Natsu asked angrily.
"Sorry, man, I was just trying to make sure they didn't catch us." Alfonzo said with a wry smile. Then, his expression turned serious as he continued. "Look, Natsu, we can't let them see or hear us. We have to be like spies, got it?"
Hearing the word "spies," Natsu's eyes lit up. Then, out of nowhere, he pulled a pair of sunglasses with a fake nose and mustache attached and put them on his face.
"That's right, we're spies, now." Natsu said with great enthusiasm. "We have to blend into the crowd and keep an eye on our target."
'I don't know this moron.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he slowly backed away from Natsu.
A moment later, Alfonzo pulled his backpack off of his shoulders. Then, he pulled out a pair of black robes with red cloud patterns on them, throwing one at Natsu.
Put that on and take off those silly ass sunglasses." Alfonzo said, pulling the robe on as he spoke. "Make sure to pull up the collar, too. It can hid our facial features.
Seeing the cloak, Natsu was even more excited. On top of looking cool, the cloak was a real disguise. Just the thought of putting on a disguise made his fantasy about being a spy even more intense.
While Natsu was putting on the cloak and undoubtedly thinking something stupid, Alfonzo created a pair of metal hats that looked like straw hats with his magic. On top of that, he carved a number of sigils into them that would obscure their presence.
"Put this on, too." Alfonzo said, handing one of the hats to Natsu. "Both of us have pretty noticeable hair. If se don't cover it, they notice us quickly."
'I always wondered why Lici made these cloaks.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he walked toward the ticket counter. 'But right now, they're really coming in handy.'
A few moments later, Alfonzo and Natsu were standing on the same platform as the Straus siblings.
"Remember, you have to play it cool." Alfonzo said quietly. "We're only following them. The only time we intervene is if they are in real danger."
"I know that." Natsu said with a huff. ""I'm not stupid, you don't have to keep repeating yourself."
"Not stupid, huh?" Alfonzo said, giving Natsu a side eye.
As if to prove his own statement incorrect, Natsu's attention shifted to a small booth selling meals to be eaten on the train.
"Hey Alfonzo, wanna have a competition to see who can eat the most bento boxes?" Natsu asked as he started running toward the booth.
Before he could even get halfway, however, Natsu was stopped when Alfonzo grabbed him by the back of his head and hoisted him into the air, while somehow making sure that his hat did not fall off.
"Didn't I just tell you to play it cool?" Alfonzo said angrily in a quiet voice. "And why the fuck are you saying my name loud enough for half the station to hear it?"
"I'm sorry." Natsu said in a pain-filled tone while tears comically streamed down his face. "I won't let it happen again. Please put me down."
At the same time, Lisanna started looking around the platform.
"I could have sworn I heard Natsu's voice again." Lisanna said as she looked around. Although the two people in black robes with red cloud patterns drew her attention momentarily, she continued to look for the source of the voice she thought she heard. And this time, I swear I heard him say Alfonzo's name."
Hearing the name Alfonzo, even Mirajane started looking around, hoping that the person she was looking for was worried enough about her to follow her on her quest.
"Come on, Lisanna, there are so many people here, it was probably just someone that sounds like Natsu." Elfman said. "Besides, look at the time. Alfonzo shood still be in the guild's kitchen. Can you imagine how much chaos it would cause if he left to follow us."
After hearing Elfman's completely logical and equally wrong reasoning, both Mirajane and Lisanna deflated a little. They both thought it was a bit of a pity, though. It would have been so romantic if the boys they liked followed them secretly to protect them.
Not long afterward, an announcement over the train's P.A. system pulled the girls out of their fantasies.
{"All passengers traveling to Malba City, please make your preparations."} The voice of a female station employee said. {"The train well arrive on platform seven in two minutes. I repeat…"}
Exactly two minutes later, the train arrived at the platform. Then, once its doors were opened, all the passengers started to board.
It went without saying that Alfonzo and Natsu boarded the same train carriage as the Straus siblings. Then, after everyone was seated, it only took ten minutes for the train to pull out of the station. And as soon as it started moving, Natsu's motion sickness kicked in. However, before he could give them away, Alfonzo chopped him on the back of the neck, effectively knocking him out and keeping their identities secret.
Meanwhile, Natsu, as he was losing consciousness, had one last thought before everything went dark.
'I feel like I'm forgetting something.'
Back at the guild hall, Happy was sitting on top of the group of young wizards' usual table with a lost expression on his face while most of the guild was causing an uproar after discovering that Alfonzo had left in the middle of his shift.
"Where did Natsu go?" Happy asked no one in particular.