Withdrawal

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Akane Beach. 

March 17, x786. 

"Damn... Tear has never bought anything this nice for me." Ur said as she, Alfonzo, Makarov, Jura, Ritsu, and Shizuka sat in the living room of Alfonzo and Elicia's beachside villa. 

"You say that, but you live in the second best residence in Magnolia." Alfonzo replied with a cheeky smile. 

In response, Ur could only roll her eyes. 

"Even so, I must admit, this is a beautiful home." Ritsu said with a gentle smile. 

"Thank you." Alfonzo replied politely. "Tear really picked a great place, didn't she?" 

"Fonzie! Fonzie! Let's go to the beach!" Shizuka shouted excitedly while bouncing in the seat next to Alfonzo. "I wanna go swimming, and build a sand castle, and walk on the beach, and..." 

While Shizuka continued to gush about all the things she wanted to do, the others only looked at her with smiles. 

"It's amazing how someone can be so innocent in this world we live in." Makarov said while wearing a grandfatherly smile. 

"Indeed." Jura added. "It truly is a miraculous thing." 

"Yeah, Even Lici didn't stay so innocent." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Then again, seeing the things we see on quests makes that really hard, doesn't it?" 

"That's right." Ur said with a nod. "Still, she lived through that zombie apocalypse in Takanosu. So, it wouldn't be surprising if she lost her innocence." 

"It's probably because Alfonzo and Elicia were there." Makarov said. "If I had to guess, some of those they saved never had to see how humans can get under intense stress." 

"Yeah." Shizuka replied with a nod of her own, surprising everyone that she could still follow the conversation, despite the fact that it seemed like she was lost in her own world. "Fonzie and Lici kept us all safe. It was really nice!" 

As she shouted the last part of her sentence, Shizuka leaned over and hugged Alfonzo tightly with a big smile on her face. 

Naturally, this caused Makarov's eyes to snap in the direction of Shizuka's breasts, which changed shape under the pressure of her hug. However, just as Ur and Ritsu swept their arms in his direction, Makarov ducked his head on instinct. 

"Damn... Is he starting to adapt already?" Ur asked in an astonished tone. 

"Despite all his other short comings, he was the premier wizard of his generation." Ritsu said. 

In response, Makarov could only look at Ur and Ritsu with an offended expression. However, he could not bring himself to retort. Mainly because he thought doing so would make them redouble their efforts. 

"*Cough* Anyway, how long to you plan to stay here, Alfonzo?" Makarov asked, blatantly changing the subject. 

"Only a couple days." Alfonzo replied while smiling wryly. Then, he shifted his gaze to Shizuka, who was still hugging him tightly. "I get the feeling it will be impossible to leave before she gets her fill of the beach." 

"Well, I don't mind.' Ur replied with a shrug. "I didn't plan to be back in Magnolia for the next few days, anyway. And with things the way they ended up, I won't have to drive as far, either. On top of that, I'll have someone to make half the drive for me." 

"Oh, you're gonna let Shizuka drive?" Alfonzo asked curiously. 

Hearing that, Shizuka's eyes lit up. 

"I always wanted to drive one of the new magic vehicles." Shizuka said excitedly. "But I couldn't afford one. And Rika and the others won't let me drive theirs." 

Consciously ignoring Shizuka's enthusiasm, Ur stared into Alfonzo's eyes. 

"I was talking about you, Kid." Ur said sternly. "Especially since you don't have a vehicle to get back on your own. And I know you don't wanna take the train. Hell, after driving for so long, I couldn't take the train, either." 

"Oh, that's what you meant." Alfonzo said nonchalantly. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I do have a magic vehicle here. And I'll be driving that back." 

"Huh?" Ur exclaimed in confusion. "But didn't Tear and Juvia bring the car you took to Lamia Scale back a while ago?" 

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied while looking at Ur with a strange expression on his face. "But I don't see the problem." 

"Ur, did you forget?" Makarov asked with a smile. "Alfonzo built those magic vehicles himself, remember?" 

"Of course I know that." Ur replied sharply. A moment later, Ur realized what Makarov was getting at. "Damn it, you built a new one while you were here, before going to Era, didn't you?" 

"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Wanna see it?" 

With that, Alfonzo stood up, with Shizuka still clinging to him, and started walking towards the villa's front door. A moment later, Makarov, Ur, Jura, and Ritsu followed, curious to see Alfonzo's latest creation. 

A couple of minutes later, the group of six were standing in front of a metal shed that was set up on the driveway, just in front of Ur's Z3. Then, after separating from Shizuka, Alfonzo stepped forward and pulled the doors to the shed open. 

When the doors to the shed were opened, a sportbike resembling the Aprilia RSV4 in a black and violet color scheme became visible. And the fact that it was not a car surprised the others greatly. 

However, what surprised everyone even more was the fact that Ritsu was the first one to step forward. And when she did, she ran her hands across the surface of the bike very carefully. 

"It's beautiful." Ritsu said gently. 

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Alfonzo said blankly. 

Alfonzo was brought out of his daze a moment later, however, when Shizuka stepped forward and grabbed Alfonzo's arm. 

"Fonzie, can you take me for a ride?" Shizuka asked with her eyes sparkling. 

"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a shrug while occasionally glancing down at his arm, which disappeared between the valley of Shizuka's breasts. 

"I would like you to teach me how to ride this vehicle, as well.' Ritsu requested. "And once I have grown comfortable with it, I would like to purchase one for myself." 

"No problem." Alfonzo replied. "But we can talk about all that tomorrow. "The last few days have really tired me out. So, I wanna go to bed." 

Though Shizuka pouted in response, everyone nodded in understanding. Then, they all returned to the villa to get some rest. 

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia. 

March 20, x786. 

After arriving in Akane Beach, Jura was the first to leave and return to his guild. After a nice breakfast the next day, Jura bid the others farewell and asked Alfonzo to apologize to Ultear for him. Naturally, Alfonzo agreed to do so while shaking the Lamia Scale ace's hand. However, he warned him that he would probably have a pretty intense match with Ultear when they next met. 

After that, Alfonzo spent the rest of the day, and the next day, playing with Shizuka on the beach, teaching Ritsu how to ride a motorcycle, and taking the three ladies for a ride on said motorcycle. 

Also, during that time, it was reported in the newspaper that God Serena, after getting injured and being hospitalized, disappeared from the hospital one night. On top of that, no one knew where he disappeared to. It was never mentioned what caused his injuries, though. 

On top of that, Alfonzo was sure that after seeing the headline, "Strongest Wizard on Ishgar Disappears after being Injured," God Serena was absolutely livid while making his way to the Alvarez Empire on the Alakitasia continent. 

Another thing Alfonzo noticed was the fact that his invitation to join the Ten Wizard Saints was not announced in the news, either. However, he assumed that it was to maintain the organization's prestige. Especially since he declined the request... after beating God Serena senseless. 

And lastly, there was no report of Era being wiped off the map, making Alfonzo's worries useless. However, he did not feel an ounce of embarrassment over the way he reacted. 

Finally, on the morning of the twentieth, after having another great breakfast, Alfonzo, Makarov, Ur, and Shizuka brought Ritsu to the train station, as she intended to return to the Mermaid Heel HQ by train. But she did promise to make a trip to Magnolia to pick up the motorcycle she discussed buying from Alfonzo in the near future. 

Then, once all the goodbyes were exchanged, Alfonzo, Makarov, Ur, and Shizuka made their way back to Magnolia. While Makarov rode shotgun in Ur's Z3, Shizuka hugged Alfonzo from the backseat of the RSV4 as they returned. 

Several hours after Alfonzo, Makarov, Ur, and Shizuka left Akane Beach, Elicia was seated at the kitchen table in the mansion on Lake Sciliora with her head resting on the table top. On top of that, she looked to be in a very foul mood. 

"Hey, do any of you know what's wrong with Lici?" Lucy asked while she and the other residents of the mansion watched Elicia from the kitchen's entrance. 

"It's probably withdrawal." Ultear replied. 

"Yeah, it's been almost three months since the last time she saw Alfonzo---" Mirajane said, trying to add to the explanation. 

"Fonzie~~~~!" Elicia shouted as she began flailing her arms. "Where are you~~~~? I miss you so much~~~~!" 

"Yup, definitely withdrawal." Cana said before chugging down half a pint of scotch. "*Sigh* She really needs to get better control of herself." 

Hearing that, the other six ladies stared at Cana blankly. 

"What?" Cana asked while tilting her head in confusion. 

Instead of continuing that conversation, Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, Sun, and Lucy turned their attention back to Elicia. 

"I can understand how she feels, though." Erza said in an empathetic tone. "It's been just as long since the last time I saw him, too." 

"Yeah, me, too." Mirajane added. "But I know this is the longest time Lici has ever been separated from Alfonzo. So, I'm sure it's hitting her harder than the rest of us." 

"*Sigh* Maybe we should have tried harder to convince everyone to come with us when we went to Akane Beach." Sun said, her tone filled with guilt. 

"There was nothing we could do about that, Sun." Marin said, pulling Sun into a hug as she spoke. "I mean, other than Lucy and Lici, everyone else was out on quests." 

"Uh... I was here, though." Ultear said while raising her hand. 

"And you had just spent two months alone with him." Marin shot back sharply. "So, you don't get to be a part of this conversation." 

"Okay..." Ultear said as she lowered her hand, feeling intimidated by the glares she received from all the other girls. 

"Anyway." Erza said while still watching Elicia. "It's been a while since I've had a good strawberry shortcake, too. I mean, after having Alfonzo's so often, no other strawberry shortcake can compare." 

*Clatter!* 

With that, the other girls also began thinking about Alfonzo's cooking. However, they did not have the time to think about it for long. And the reason for that was simple. Elicia had stood up from the kitchen table with such force that the chair she was sitting on tipped over. 

"Lici, is something wrong?" Sun asked in a concerned tone. 

Instead of replying, however, Elicia turned her head towards the mansion's front door. Then, after tilting her head for a moment, she nodded to herself. A moment later, she sprinted out of the kitchen, towards the front door. 

"That was weird." Cana muttered; her pint stopped just before reaching her lips. 

"What's even weirder is the fact that you stopped mid drink." Lucy said in a teasing tone. "But seriously, that was quite abrupt." 

"Why don't you say that again, Lucy?" Cana asked as she lunged at Lucy playfully. 

In response, Lucy quickly ducked behind Erza, who after Elicia ran away, closed her eyes and spread her [Magic Power Detection]. A moment later, like Elicia, Erza also ran away from the kitchen, towards the front door. 

Naturally, Erza's actions caused all the other girls to look at her in confusion. However, they decided to follow her, if only to see what was going on. 

*Vroom~~~~!* 

A moment later, the sound of an extremely loud engine could be heard drawing closer to the mansion. And when they heard that sound, Marin, Sun, and Lucy's eyes opened wide before they sped up. 

A few moments later, Cana, Ultear, and Mirajane caught up with Erza, Marin, Sun, and Lucy, who were standing outside the mansion's front door. Then, like the other four, they watched Elicia fly through the air towards a two-wheeled magic vehicle with two riders. 

A moment later, they watched as the magic vehicle turned sharply and skidded to a stop. Then, the person riding in front, straightened his back and supported the magic vehicle with his right foot as he took off the safety helmet he was wearing. 

Then, with a big smile, the rider, Alfonzo tossed the helmet to the side and spread his arms wide, just int time to catch the excited Elicia. 

"Fonzie!" Elicia shouted happily after kissing Alfonzo all over his face while sitting on the part of the magic vehicle that coincided with a normal motorcycle's gas tank. "Welcome home! I missed you so much!" 

Meanwhile, Shizuka, who was riding behind Alfonzo, struggled to take off her own helmet, bringing an early end to the touching reunion as she squealed in a panic. 

"Fonzie!" Shizuka squealed. "Help! My head is stuck! I can't get it off!" 

Naturally, Shizuka's squeals drew everyone's attention to herself. And without exception, no one present could help smiling wryly at her.