Chapter 5: Best Frenemies Forever

Chapter 5: Best Frenemies Forever

A fortnight passed, and Pierce and Tyria took on more jobs, some togeber, some with others, and the occasional one alone. But, whenever possible, they would make a habit of meeting up and sharing lunch.

"Seems like you're settling in well," Pierce observed, watching Tyria eagerly tuck into one of Sarah's sausage sandwich specials, or Quad-S Meatlover's -s, as they were officially called at the bar.

"Yeah, this place is great," the dark-skinned wizard grinned through a mouthful of meat. "Where's Kit?"

"He decided that he just couldn't stand watching us eat anymore, and he's had enough with us 'mocking him'," the Tamer helplessly shrugged.

"Right," Tyria sweat-dropped.

"Hey, did you guys hear the news?" Boomer asked, taking a seat next to them.

"How about you tell us what that news is, and we'll tell you if we've heard or not?" Pierce logically suggested.

"Oh yeah, good idea," Boomer nodded, scratching his head awkwardly. "Some bastard smashed up Fairy Tail's guild hall. The place is a mess, metal pillars all over it. It's a wonder the place didn't come crashing down,"

"What?" Tyria gasped.

"So, someone wants to pick a fight with the fairies? Bad move," Pierce shook his head.

"Why?" Tyria asked.

"Because Phoenix Eye owes Fairy Tail a debt. Sure, we're rivals in every sense of the word, and we all act like we hate each other's guts. But when it comes down to the grind, we've got each other's backs through thick and thin," Pierce informed her. "Anyone who picks a fight with Fairy Tail had better be ready to take on two guilds,"

"But what guild would be crazy enough to take on Fairy Tail, knowing that?" Tyria wondered.

"According to the papers, Phantom Lord," a familiar voice interrupted them. Hare plonked herself down in the seat next to Boomer, causing all three other wizards to jump involuntarily.

"The journalists have identified that the most likely source of this destruction is a man named Black Steel Gajeel. He's an S-Class wizard in the Phantom Lord guild," Hare explained.

Tyria knew all about S-Class. She had noticed that there was a second floor to the building that bore a second job request board, and upon asking after it, Pierce had explained the concept of S-Class jobs and wizards qualified to take them. Anyone was allowed up there, but without that badge of approval from Master Feng, you couldn't touch that board. Unless an S-Class wizard asked you to come along on one of those jobs, which did happen from time to time. Pierce could recall a couple of such occasions.

"What do you want?" Boomer warily questioned.

"Nothing to do with you three losers, that's for sure," the kimono-clad woman snorted. "But if Phantom Lord's coming after Fairy Tail, then you can bet they have some kind of plan to deal with Phoenix's Eye, too. And, as much as I hate to admit it, my best bet for survival is probably with you lot,"

"Woo-hoo," Pierce sarcastically pumped a fist.

"Something's been different about you recently," Hare mused, before suddenly appearing centimetres from Pierce's face. "You aren't as afraid of me as you used to be," she hissed.

"Well, it's just, after seeing T-the Shellshocker knock you out with one hit, it's a little hard to take you seriously anymore," Pierce reasoned.

"I can still kick your ass twelve ways to Sunday," Hare hissed.

"And that means I should be afraid of you? Pssh. You know, come to think of it, I actually can't remember a single time where you've beaten me or Boomer without first stealing our flute or boombox with your superspeed," Pierce mused.

"She's still scary, man!" Boomer hissed.

Hare blinked, stunned by his defiance, before leaning back and snorting; "Whatever,"

A familiar voice echoed across the hall. "Everyone! Pay attention!" Master Feng bellowed from the second-floor balcony. The entire guild quietened down and looked up to her vantage point. "I'm sure you all know that Fairy Tail has been attacked! By Phantom Lord, no less!"

"Yeah, we heard," someone called.

"It is our duty as members of Phoenix's Eye to lend Fairy Tail any and all support it needs! However, it appears that Fairy Tail does not intend to return fire at present, but that does not mean that Phantom Lord is finished. I would be very surprised if this is the extent of their scheme, and if they plan to take on Fairy Tail, they will also have a plan in place to deal with us! Ergo, we are now in a state of red alert! This means that no guild member is to go anywhere alone, they must always be in a group of three of more! Do I make myself clear?!" she demanded. The entire guild replied with various affirmations.

"I have also worked with Makarov to develop a system of safe refuge points, crafted so that any wizard in Phoenix's Eye can, if they feel threatened, make it to one of numerous safe locations throughout Magnolia within two minutes of running," Feng explained, throwing a lacrima into the air. It froze in midair and hovered there, before projecting a vertical map of Magnolia. Feng raised her arms and tendrils of fire burst out, highlighting key places in the city. Places of interest included both the Phoenix's Eye and Fairy Tail guild halls, Fairy Hills and the Nest, as well as other locations including Pierce's house, Kardia Cathedral, the hospital, South Gate Park, and for some reason, a completely random cake shop. "Master, what's up with the cake shop?" a red-haired boy wearing a heavy-looking iron helmet asked in curiosity.

Feng sighed. "Apparently one of the members of Fairy Tail is so obsessed with cake that she swore to defend the shop with her life. I was skeptical, but Makarov thinks she's serious about it, so it made the list," she helplessly shrugged.

"Erza Scarlet?" another wizard snorted, folding his arms.

"Ezra Scarlet," Feng confirmed with an exasperated nod. "Know this map well, it might just save your life," she commanded. "Or at least save me several medical bills," the master quietly moaned to herself. "Now, if we're done here, go in peace, and take care," she commanded. The lacrima map and its fiery focal points remained, as she vanished back into the tower.

"So, even the master thinks we might be in trouble," Hare noted.

"That's bad," Boomer gulped, nervously tapping his boombox.

Unconsciously, Pierce Requipped his flute, and Tyria shifted a little bit closer to him. "Maybe Crystal was right, and I should have bought that sword," he mused.

"Pssh. You'd never know how to use it," the Speed wizard sitting opposite him snorted.

"Oh, I would have been happy to give him a few classes!" a loud, booming voice echoed through the table, and the biggest man that Tyria had ever seen sat down at the end of their table.

"Hi, Sarph," Pierce absent-mindlessly nodded.

Sarph, with pale skin and well-defined muscles, towered over the other wizards at the table. He was bald, and yellow eyes glinted in the light. He smiled, baring white teeth, and wore a vest of golden chain mail, with brown trousers. A large sword was slung over his back. "Hi," Tyria weakly waved.

"Oh, this is Sarph. He's an S-Class wizard," Pierce dismissively introduced the man. "And a damn good swordsman at that," Sarph jovially grinned.

Tyria blinked five times, processing this. "Don't just say that like it's no big deal!" she finally snapped.

"Oh, it isn't, really. So I completed a special trial that puts me on a higher level within the guild. So I'm more powerful. It doesn't make me any better than the rest of you," Sarph smiled broadly, before a dark look crossed his face. "Something that some people would do well to remember," he snorted, casting a dark look towards the second floor. But then his smile returned, and so did his gaze towards the other four wizards. "But let's not cry over dried stains of milk. Now, I was actually coming over here to talk to you, Pierce," he nodded to the Tamer. "A mission has turned up on the S-Class board that I think you might be interested in,"

There was no clear change in Pierce's expression. But a trained eye would notice the way that his jaw and neck tightened.

"Now, obviously we can't afford to leave during a crisis such as this. But as soon as this Phantom Lord nonsense is over, we should definitely attend to that business," Sarph nodded.

Pierce nodded to himself, resolve tightening his muscles. "Is it Severed Tusk again?" he asked, gripping his flute.

"No, but it might as well be. It's a facility run by a dark guild under the Oracion Och, which, if my intel is correct, is trying to create a new kind of monster," Sarph shook his head in disapproval. "I don't know what perversions of nature they have in that facility, but I know that if anyone can be trusted to make sure that they go to a good home, it will be you. So I want you along with me for that one,"

"Create a new kind of monster? Is that even possible?" Boomer echoed in horror.

"Nothing's impossible when dark guilds are in the picture," Pierce frowned, clutching his flute. "I need some time to think. I'll see you all later," he declared, walking towards the entrance.

"Wait! We aren't supposed to go anywhere by ourselves!" Tyria protested.

"I'm not by myself," Pierce replied over his shoulder, brandishing his flute in full view. "See you later,"

~P's E~

The Tamer was a little surprised to, when he came home, find a group of Fairy Tail and Phoenix's Eye wizards having a brawl outside him and Lucy's houses. A red-haired girl who he recognised as Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet regarded the group irritably.

Pierce frowned, raised his flute and pressed fingers down on every hole but one, before blowing as hard as he could. The resulting shill noise, while not summoning any monsters, was ear-splitting enough to interrupt the fight. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

"These Fairy Tail wizards were squatting outside your house!" Boomer shouted.

"We weren't squatting! Lucy kicked us out!" a pink-haired teenager wearing a white scarf and a black vest raged in response.

"And whose fault was that, flame-brain?" a half-naked boy with black hair and the Fairy Tail logo on his chest snorted.

"It was obviously yours, you icy prick!" Flame-brain roared.

"Somebody help me!" Tyria wailed from the middle of the fight.

"I'll take you fairies on any time," Hare coolly smiled.

"You think so? Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" the pink-haired fairy roared, throwing a flaming fist towards Hare, who suddenly flickered out of the way.

"Natsu! Gray! Enough!" Erza snapped, a sword Requipping into her hand. Both wizards paled and squeaked; "Yes ma'am!"

Unfortunately, this gave Hare, who never knew when to quit, the opportunity to plant a stunning blow to Natsu's face. She smirked - right up until Natsu unleashed a massive flaming road in her general direction. "TechType: Force Field!" Tyria squeaked, and Boomer dashed to hide behind her.

Hare was blown backwards, her kimono singed and tattered. "Little punk," she growled. "That's it! Speed Stri - huh?"

All five combatants suddenly found themselves lifted into the air by rubbery black tentacles. "Good job, Inky," Pierce smiled, patting the baby kraken. "Yay! I win - ouch!" the baby squeaked, as Natsu, predictably, tried to hit her. "Stop it! I don't like it!" she moaned, sending her other three tentacles to further incapacitate the Dragon Slayer.

"Is that a tame kraken?" Erza asked, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"Yeah, this is Inky," Pierce waved, protectively stepping between the S-Class wizard and his friend.

"Very impressive. I would greatly enjoy testing my skills against this Inky," the knight smiled.

"I don't wanna," the kraken gulped, and Pierce shook her head. "She's only a baby. No way I'm letting something like that happen,"

"As you wish. How long will it be until she is an adult?" Erza directly asked.

"Uh, seven and a half years?" Pierce shrugged. "Now, if we let you all down, will you stop fighting?"

Most of the captured wizards nodded their assent. Natsu, on the other hand, roared "Never! You're going down, phoenixes!" A tentacle promptly wrapped itself around his mouth and prevented him from talking.

"Natsu!" A familiar blonde girl burst out of the house that they were standing outside, and looked around at the situation. "Why does this not surprise me?" she sighed.

"Hey, Lucy! Hi!" Pierce waved.

"Hey, Pierce," Lucy friendlily replied. "I take it that Natsu's being a pain as usual?" she folded her arms expectantly.

"That's Natsu for you," commented a blue cat with wings and a green backpack, emerging behind Lucy. "How did you get back into my house?" the Celestial Wizard demanded upon noticing him.

"Now then," Erza glowered at the other wizards. "Anyone who doesn't behave when they're put down will answer to me," she declared. "Pierce?"

"Bye-bye!" Inky waved, unintentionally shaking Gray in midair, as Pierce played the tune to return her to the subspace within his flute.

"You know, I always thought that krakens were aquatic beings," Gray commented, picking himself up.

"Actually, they're amphibians. While they prefer water, they can survive on land. There's actually a species of pygmy kraken that -" Pierce started, but was interrupted by Natsu's declaration of "Boring! How about we fight it instead?"

"Natsu?" Erza glowered, and the Dragon Slayer immediately cowered under her glare. "You weren't planning to hurt that sweet, innocent baby squid, now were you?" she demanded. "No ma'am!"

"Well, now that that's settled," Pierce took point as the Phoenix's Eye wizards regrouped. "Lemme guess, Lucy. Your house is also on the safe zone list," he deadpanned.

"Yup, that's right," the blonde nodded.

"Isn't having two refuge points right next to each other a little redundant?" Tyria pointed out.

"So, why were you all fighting, anyway?" the Tamer asked his Sound Wizard friend.

"Someone thought we were encroaching on Lucy's house, when we were actually just waiting for you to get back so you could let us in to your place," Boomer explained, with a pointed look towards Natsu, who fumed but said nothing.

"I'd better let this lot in. Can you handle your guild mates?" Lucy asked, and Pierce nodded. "We'll be fine. My magic revolves entirely around keeping people calm and telling them what to do. I have a little experience," he grinned, leading the Phoenix's Eye wizards towards his own house. "See you later!"

"See ya!" Lucy waved as they both entered their own houses, leading their friends. As they did, Pierce, realising that he missed his companion, played the tune to summon Kit, and the yokai emerged.

"You're awfully friendly with that fairy girl," Hare frowned.

"She's my neighbour," the Tamer defended himself with folded arms.

"I thought Fairy Tail and Phoenix's Eye were friends," Tyria frowned.

"Oh, it's more like 'frenemies'. Sure, in times of crisis, we come together. But that doesn't mean we're all buddies," the green-clad woman snorted.

"She's just mad because her crush is in another guild," Kit giggled. He promptly danced away from Hare's boot before it could flatten him.

"Her crush?" Tyria chuckled. Hare's stormy glare warned her that this was a bad idea, but Kit was already responding - and, as a yokai, he was immune to anything Hare could hit him with. "Freed Justine. Tall, green hair, absolute gentleman. Fairy Tail Wizard," he smirked.

"Why, you blasted - abhorrent - dead meat!" Each insult was punctuated by another failed attempt to squash Kit into ectoplasm. Pierce played a quick tune to return Kit before the fox could get himself into any more trouble, and Hare breathed heavily, still fuming with anger.

"How about we go upstairs and I start making dinner?" Tyria offered, in an attempt to make peace.

"I could eat," Boomer agreed, eagerly patting his stomach.

~P's E~

"Damn, why didn't you tell me you could cook, Tyria?" Pierce moaned in satisfaction.

"You never asked. Plus, I spent a lot of time cooking for myself before I joined, so, yeah," Tyria shrugged.

"I never thought I'd see the day when one of you brats would be good for something," Hare contentedly nodded, "But this takes the cake,"

Tyria blinked. "Cake . . oh, that reminds me!" she gasped, dashing back into the kitchen. Where she stopped, and looked at the place on the bench where the cake had been half an hour ago. "That's weird. Where did the cake go?"

Next door, Erza was frantically shovelling frosty goodness into her mouth. "So, where'd you get the cake?" Happy asked. "If I give you a piece, will you forget that you asked that question?" the S-Class wizard offered. "Aye, sir!"

Back in Pierce's house, Tyria returned to the living room empty-handed. "Sorry, guys, but someone stole the cake," she reluctantly admitted. "Which is weird, because there's only one door and no windows in the kitchen, and no one could have gotten in without us seeing them," the wizard frowned.

"There's a skylight, and Erza Scarlet is next door. Enough said," the Tamer pointed out. "That girl has a problem," Kit agreed.

"Eh. I'm trying to cut down on sugar anyway. People are whispering that I'm starting to get a little tubby," Boomer shook his head.

The rest of the room's occupants all slowly turned their gaze towards the Sound wizard's unnecessarily wide body and pudgy limbs and sweatdropped. "You're joking, right?" Kit finally deadpanned.

"I know. I can't see it, but I guess Russell must know what he's talking about," Boomer shamelessly shrugged. Pierce facepalmed, and Hare laughed.

Soon enough, it was time to settle down. Boomer took the floor next to Pierce's bed, leaving Tyria and Hare on the couches. "Goodnight, Hare," the dark-skinned wizard sleepily nodded.

"Shut up, little brat," her temporary roommate sleepily responded.

"Goodnight to me too," Tyria chuckled, nestling down in the covers.

~P's E~

Pierce was woken by screams of outrage coming from the window. "What in the world?" he blearily blinked, seeing the red sunrise light coming through the cracks in the curtains. There was a tumultuous uproar coming from down the road. "Hey, Boomer. Wake up. Something's going down in South Gate Park," Pierce climbed out of bed and nudged Boomer awake.

The shockwave of sound resulting from startling the Sound wizard bodily lifted Pierce into the air, and upset the contents of his bookshelves. He fell back onto the bed, as Boomer blearily woke up. "Pierce?" he blinked, sitting up and spotting the Tamer lying, slumped, on his bed. He registered the noise coming from outside. "Pierce, wake up. There's something happening outside. It sounds like it's coming from South Gate Park,"

Pierce opened his eyes and glared at him. "Oh really? Then I suppose we had better wake the girls and go investigate,"

"Well, we should probably get dressed out of our pyjamas too, but yeah," Boomer agreed.

~P's E~

The four Phoenix's Eye wizards ran towards the tree, where a crowd that looked as though half of Magnolia was gathered around the great tree was gathered . . well, around said great tree. "What the hell is going on?" Pierce demanded, attempting to push through the crowd with little success.

"Someone crucified a trio of Fairy Tail wizards against the tree," the crowd whispered.

"Shove over," Hare demanded, pushing through the crowd with much greater success - until the Fairy Tail wizards that had been staying in Lucy's house shoved past her, leaving Hare fuming. Pierce and Tyria had the presence of mind to follow the swathe they cut through the crowd, taking advantage of the opportunity to get to the front.

And, upon reaching the centre of the crowd, they saw something horrifying. Three Fairy Tail wizards - who, admittedly, Pierce didn't recognise, but that was beside the point - were hung on the tree by metal studs that were driven through their hands and feet. "That's horrible," Tyria gasped.

The crowd's attention turned to the side, and the two wizards followed suit, where they saw the Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov, with a dark look on his face. "They can destroy our house. They can spit in the face of our guild. But no parent," he glowered, "can stand by while their children's blood runs!"

The Master's body swelled, until he towered over the crowd. "This means war!" he roared. Every member of Fairy Tail in the crowd shotued in agreement, as Pierce joined in. After a second, Tyria followed suit, and behind them, they heard Boomer joining in with the full might of his handheld sound system.

"Phantom Lord's in trouble, aren't they?" Tyria said with a small smile.

Pierce grinned. "You bet,"

~P's E~

"Welcome back to DK's Ds!" Kit grinned.

"Okay, what can we discuss that's relevant to today's chapter? Maybe the lecture from Chapter 3 would have been more appropriate," he mused. "Okay, um," He frantically shifted through papers, before finding something appropriate. "Here we are; S-Class Wizards in Phoenix's Eye!"

"S-Class is a coveted title, borne only by the most powerful wizards in the guild. This includes Sarph," the yokai shows a crude picture of the gold-clad man, "and others who we haven't seen yet, such as the Power Twins, Bleeding-Vein Artorias, Garrotte, and," Kit shuddered. "Her,"

"But let's not dwell on things that give me nightmares," the fox declared. "Much like in Fairy Tail, S-Class wizards are selected by way of taking, and winning, a trial. Unfortunately, unlike Fairy Tail's Tenrou Island, Phoenix's Eye doesn't have its very own island to call sacred ground. So we hold the trials in different places all the time. It's mostly just a matter of whatever dump's naive enough to let us smash things up there for a week or two," he chuckled. "Previous locations include deserted islands, remote mountains, active volcanoes, and I near Master's been looking into renting out the moon!"

"I don't think there's anything else I can explain without getting way too specific, so, until next time!" Kit waved.

A/N

A/N

And this chapter marks the debut appearances of my first two submitted characters! Both of which made very minor and forgettable appearances, but they will return!

Also, Sarph is not to be a major recurring character. He's an important character but about on the same level of recurring-ness as Levy. If Levy were S-Class and as strong as Erza. XD

Anyway, still accepting OCs, and peace!