Chapter 12: Ch11,5: One Month - Elsewhere

AN: Ok, special chapter this week, our first view at a few POV's besides Jerry's! But before we do that, Reviewer Replies! :D

AnimeMyWorld:Glad you liked it, especially since we've got two more of these nice little chill sorta chapters this week and next before we get to some serious excitement again.

Reptil:I believe the magic share and other info last chapter regarding Celestial Wizardry is semi-canon at best. It's my personal head canon as to why the Celestial Spirits have keys and contracts at all, and I derived it from what hints and details we get about how Celestial Magic works, so like I said, semi-canon? There are currently no planned original keys, but that's no guarantee that there won't be any. As for what kinds of magic Jerry can use, certainly, I'll throw a list in after the end of this chapter!

Raidentensho:Yes indeed, if Jerry's successfully able to "invent" the movie industry, then he and all of Fairy Tail will be absolutely ROLLING in the jewel. Yes Jenny's Mecha-Soul certainly does pose some interesting possibilities that I had honestly quite forgotten about with it being so far in the future, but now that you bring it up, yes I just might have to do something with that.

And now, without further ado...

Chapter 11.5: One Month – Elsewhere

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==August 1st, Era, a little after 5:00 PM==

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Siegrain read over the letter again and couldn't help but smirk at the audacity of the Fairy Tail guild. None of it was obviously worded to be directly insulting, but nevertheless Makarov and the team that had been involved at Oshibana had somehow still managed to insult every member of the Magic Council, up to and including the implications that they were incompetent, smelled bad, into freaky stuff with their private lives that he hadn't even realized were a thing, and that their mothers dressed them funny. All this on top of subtly pointing out that they had gotten the absolute best results possible with the damages caused being the result of a giant demon trying to go on a rampage which they stopped in mere minutes.

It had taken Org a few minutes and two or three read throughs to catch even a hint of the insults although he'd picked up on the unusual tone of the letter immediately. To say he'd been red faced with fury would be an understatement, especially as he had realized on the second read through that for once, there was exactly squat he could blame Fairy Tail for. They had acted perfectly in accordance with the laws regarding wizard guilds and no less than five loopholes had been both pointed out and exploited to prove it. There were also no less than half a dozen case files attached to the leeter to establish precedent that proved the law was perfectly on Fairy Tail's side. They couldn't even charge Fairy Tail for the damages! The Council's hands were thoroughly tied.

Siegrain's eyes flicked down to the cluster of signatures at the bottom. Only one was unfamiliar to him from previous reports.

"I suppose this Jerry Granger must be responsible for this… mockery," Ultear declared from her soft chair across the desk, "I've heard speculation that Mystogan was involved on this one, do you suppose that's his real name?"

Siegrain shook his head at the gorgeous woman who also happened to be his closest confidant, "No. I've met Mystogan, this isn't his style, and the magic doesn't match up either. Mystogan is an extremely formidable wizard, and I believe he could have accomplished a feat like this, but the letter isn't like him at all, neither is the manner in which they defeated Eisenwald. If it had been Mystogan, the Eisenwald Guild wouldn't have even known he was there until they were waking up in prison." He snorted with laughter, "You have to admit, whoever he is, he's actually pretty funny. Can you imagine the look on Erigor's face?"

Ultear took a moment and then sniggered into her hand, "It must've been priceless. Doesn't excuse the letter, but it must've been pretty funny."

Siegrain snorted, "The letter is almost an excuse in its own right." He grinned, "Did you see Org's face? Just that second read through when he realized that he couldn't pin squat on Fairy Tail and actually kind of owes them a reward was probably the funniest thing I've seen all month!"

Ultear smirked at the memory before musing, "I have to wonder if this Jerry Granger is going to be Fairy Tail's new legal defense. If so then he may prove to be an even bigger thorn in the Council's collective side than the rest of Fairy Tail combined!"

Siegrain snorted, "It would certainly cut down on our revenue. The damage collections from Fairy Tail alone accounted for almost twenty percent of the donations for guilds across the entire country last quarter, and they've been quite consistent in that. On top of that, since so many of their jobs are for the council, we've actually been getting top notch services nearly for free because they have to pay so much back in damages. Even with the council's policy about covering half of the damages caused for official jobs, the amount we save makes it hardly a pittance, especially considering that it comes out of the total pool for all wizard guild damages. I still don't know why Org hates dealing with them so much. They're a hundred times more effective than the Rune Knights and cheaper to boot."

Ultear waved the letter at him in answer and he snorted, "Well yes there is their attitude, but really, that's nothing when you measure it up against their results. When's the last time a Fairy Tail team actually failed a job for us?"

Ultear shrugged, "Hard to say. Still though, do you think we should do anything about this Jerry Granger?"

Siegrain set down the letter and picked up the report on the Oshibana Incident, quickly opening it to the page detailing the aftermath, "It says here he got caught up in the initial build up to the Lullaby's life draining spell and was badly affected. He's also speculated to have driven himself to near total magic exhaustion immediately prior to falling victim to the Lullaby's spell. Judging by the effects, I think it even helps explain how the Lullaby's magic worked."

Ultear perked up immediately. Siegrain was a lot of things, but wrong was rarely one of them. He may have become one of the Ten Wizard Saints because of his power, but it was his instinct for profound insight into the workings of magic that made him that strong to begin with. So if he had an idea of how magic from the legendary Black Wizard Zeref worked… "Do tell!"

"It seems to be a magic draining spell," Siegrain explained, "Normally you wouldn't see such horrid results so quickly, but since Jerry Granger had already driven himself to near magic exhaustion he had no reserves for it to eat through, therefore it was able to start eating straight out of his life force without the buffer a person's magic would normally provide. It's like instant and severe Magic Deficiency Syndrome forced through an aerial drain attack. The structure of the Lullaby lends further credence to the idea as we know that wood and plant life can sustain vast amounts of magic, and given that the Lullaby becomes a massive wooden demon, it would certainly be able to withstand any but the most absurd overload." He snorted, "You could probably fire the Etherion at that thing while it was hungry and it would just thank you for the snack before stepping on you. It must've been terribly fragile though for them to have defeated it so quickly."

Ultear raised an eyebrow, "It was rooted in place and faced with the undivided attentions of Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster and your favorite red head." Siegrain shot her a mild glare as she continued, "There aren't many things that could put up a good fight in those circumstances, especially given how big it was."

Siegrain nodded, "It would've been far more effective in its flute form. Despite the lack of self-defensive capabilities, it would've been much more difficult to hit and its spell would've likely remained just as potent. Kinda makes you wonder about the validity of even having a giant demon at your beck and call."

Ultear raised an eyebrow at the subtle jab, "At this point, it's more a revenge thing."

Siegrain smirked and spun his chair, "Suuure it is."

When he spun back to the front, Ultear was right next to him, her hand clamping onto the top of the chair to stop it from moving as she leaned over, her dark hair falling around her face like an inky black curtain as her eyes bored into his. Ultear's displeasure was all but palpable between them. Siegrain grimaced as he realized he probably shouldn't have said that. He went pale and a bead of sweat may or may not have run down his back. Time for Plans A and D!

His grimace turned into his best attempt at a sincere and apologetic smile, "Alright, hey I'm sorry you know? I shouldn't have brought that up. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you?"

Ultear smirked and turned, easily tugging him from his chair to tow him along behind her, "I knew you'd see it my way."

…

==Somewhere in West Fiore, 7:18 PM==

…

The massive man with one arm tucked into his arm like a sling snarled at the paper in his hand before throwing it down. The raven haired little girl doing pushups while he sat on her flinched before redoubling her pace, praying that she wouldn't be the target of his ire the way she so often was.

The massive man simmered with rage, One day, MY GUILD will be the strongest. He shot a glare down at his daughter, Why couldn't I have had a daughter like Erza Scarlet?

"I'm sorry!" the poor child beneath him squeaked, "I'll get stronger, I promise! I'll be even stronger than Erza Scarlet!"

Jiemma realized belatedly that he must've said that out loud and then he snorted derisively, "You'd better, worthless brat."

Minerva bit her lip. The words stung, they always had. She had started to build up a tolerance to it, but she was nowhere near an immunity.

…

==Akane Beach, 8:15 PM==

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At a bar on the beach, three men sat around a table waiting for their friend. She was fifteen minutes late.

"There you are," the immense man rumbled through his iron jaw as one of his oldest and dearest friends ran up.

The girl with cat ears pouted at him, "I was getting a helpless kitty out of a tree!"

The small blonde man next to the man with the iron jaw grinned, "We figured as much. We went ahead and ordered for you."

The cat girl frowned, "What did you order?"

"We got you the tuna," the third man drawled, "Unless you're gonna tell me you didn't want your favorite fish for dinner?"

"THANK YOU!" Milliana exclaimed as she tackled him in a hug before seeming to teleport into a chair, deeply excited about the prospect of her favorite dinner.

"You and your tuna," Simon smirked, "Never fails to baffle me how you can always get so excited about it. You eat the same thing every day!"

Milliana pouted at him, "It's good!"

Wally laughed, "Can't deny that, they do serve up a pretty mean tuna sandwich here."

It was at about this point that Sho decided to broach the topic, running a hand through his messy blonde hair, "So, has anyone else seen the papers?"

The other three looked at him, Simon going a little stiff at the mention of it. "No," Milliana replied, "Why? Did something happen?"

"Just show them," Simon grumbled as he reached for his drink.

Sho produced a copy of the weekly paper and plopped it on the table with the headline reading, "OSHIBANA TOWN SAVED! FAIRY TAIL VS DARK GUILD AND GIANT DEMON!" It wasn't the headline that caught his friends' attention though. It was the picture, five wizards walking (well, four walking, one was out cold and being carried by two of his friends) away from the wreckage of a building with dozens of wizards frozen in ice behind them, in the lead was…

"Erza…" Milliana whispered in surprise.

"Nice to see she's doing so well for herself," Wally mused, "Wonder how much of that was her doing? She looks like she's perfectly fine."

"How can she look that perfect after a fight like that?!" Milliana exclaimed.

"She's Erza," Simon declared bluntly, "She always looks good. Oh be quiet," he grumbled as the other three shot him knowing looks and tried to cover their snickers.

…

==Mermaid Heel, 9:30 PM==

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Mermaid Heel's Guild Master, Ariel Finnegan liked to think of herself as a very patient woman. She loved all her girls very much, and while they could be trying sometimes, she knew they were all far better behaved and well mannered than probably ninety percent of the rest of the wizards in Fiore.

Which made the issue currently facing her, a bit…tricky. "Kagura, please. You need to rest! Haven't you practiced enough for one day?"

The sixteen year old prodigy who was honestly Ariel, no, all of Mermaid Heel's pride and joy, sheathed her sword and whirled, whipping out a newspaper from Ariel didn't even really want to know where. Kagura pointed at the front page with an almost manic look in her eyes, "Master do you see this?"

Ariel raised an eyebrow and then looked, smirking slightly, "Malba City's annual rutabaga festival is next week?"

Kagura blinked and turned to look at the front page in confusion. Her eyebrows drew together and she raised her eyes to shoot a dry glare at the woman who was the closest thing she had to a mother, "Master, there's nothing on here about rutabagas."

Ariel nodded and sighed, "You're talking about Erza Scarlet taking down a giant demon in Oshibana town right?"

"In less than fifteen minutes!" Kagura exclaimed, "She's so strong! I'm nowhere near her level yet! I have to keep training!" So saying she turned, drew her sword and unleashed a slash loaded with gravity magic that split the waves almost a hundred meters into the surf. Ariel raised an eyebrow, Kagura could normally split the surf twice that far out.

Ariel sighed and laid a hand on her strongest pupil's shoulder, "Kagura." Kagura flinched at the firm tone and Ariel continued gently, "You are extremely strong. I often think you don't realize just how strong. I think even Erza Scarlet would be terribly impressed with your strength." Kagura blushed at the praise and Ariel continued, "However I'm sure Erza Scarlet would also tell you how important it is to rest and not drive yourself into the ground. What if she dropped by tomorrow and you were all worn out and disheveled from training all night?"

Kagura would never admit to actually squeaking at the thought, but Ariel had made her point. She smiled, "So come inside, take a nice bath, and when you're done, I'll fix you something to eat. How's that sound?"

Kagura nodded and sheathed her sword, finally allowing herself to admit how tired she actually was, "Alright. Thanks Mo-…Master."

Ariel's heart skipped a beat, "Did, did you just call me Mom?"

Kagura blushed crimson, "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean…"

Then she was wrapped in a hug and Ariel told her quietly, "Don't be. I consider the whole guild my family. I don't guess I've ever said it, but if I ever had a daughter, I'd want her to be just like you. So if you want to call me Mom, I'm okay with that."

Kagura decided right then and there as happy tears began to build and then pour down her face that she would never call Ariel Finnegan "Master" again.

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==Magnolia, 10:30 PM==

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Lucy sat down to her desk and began write…

Dear Mom,

Paid my rent today for the first time. Jerry still insists there's no need, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't.

Wound up having dinner with him. Can you believe he's a good cook on top of everything else? Can't believe my luck. I meet one of the hottest guys I've ever seen and not only is he smart, cool and thoughtful, he actually thinks I'm really pretty too! Too bad he met Mirajane as soon as we got to Fairy Tail, there's no way I can compete with her.

It's even worse because I can't even be upset with her. She's so sweet that even if he had actually been mine to steal, I don't think I'd be able to stay angry at her! She helped settle down one of those insane brawls today and I don't think she knew I was listening, but I think I actually heard her chewing Natsu out for letting me get dragged through that pigsty today.

Natsu's a great guy too, but he's so weird sometimes. He'll just jump right in against a monster, and I know he'll save me if I'm ever actually in danger, but he's so freakishly tough that I'm not sure he understands what constitutes danger for normal people like me! He sat there and laughed while that stupid monster boar dragged me all over the farm! I don't even want to think about what I got covered in!

I know I don't say it enough, but thank you so much for teaching me Celestial Magic, if I hadn't had Taurus, I don't think we would've stopped that boar before it destroyed something and we got charged for it. I think Natsu would've waited for me to let go, but I wasn't going to let go until I absolutely had to. It's super infuriating because he could've totally turned that stupid pig into bacon in like a minute, but nooo, he had to sit back and laugh at me try to do the job he dragged me along on!

To make matters worse, apparently everyone's decided that now me, Jerry and Erza are the only ones who can keep Natsu in line, so he's not allowed to go on jobs without one of us along anymore! He's terrified of Erza and definitely won't go to her, Jerry's still recovering from that avalanche and that run-in we had with Eisenwald last week, so guess who his number one pick is?

If he wasn't such a stupid childish prickhe'd be a total catch, but the way he acts I just can't even see him that way!

On the upside, Jerry was totally concerned about me when I got back, and I knowhe was checking me out over dinner. I might not be able to compete with Mirajane, but if those two ever break up, I've totally got a shot with him!

Lucy stifled a yawn, looked over at the clock on her wall and raised an eyebrow as she saw it was after 11:00, she turned back to her letter and quickly wrapped it up,

It's getting late, so I'm going to stop here for tonight. Tell you more next time,

Lots of love,

Lucy

…

==Meanwhile, Era==

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Siegrain and Ultear collapsed onto the bed, their chests heaving in unison. Ultear wrapped her arms around her favorite toy and kissed him, "You, are a very bad boy."

Siegrain grinned and held her a little tighter, "Only for you."

Ultear snuggled into his chest with a smile, "Mmm…damn well better be."

...

END CHAPTER

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AN: Ok! As promised, a list of all the magic Jerry can use as of this chapter!

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=Light magic: Explosive bolt, invisibility, illusion-making, Desire, Blackout Mode

=Archive: Telepathy and telepathic 'radar', screen projection, screen shield

=Telekinetic

=Teleportation

=Hole Magic: Portals

=Celestial Spirit Magic

=Card Magic: Bullet Card, Card Car, Card Dimension

=Crash Magic: Standard and Decomposition

=Transformation (limited to substances, can't transform himself yet)

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This is pretty much his standard set and will remain such for the next...(goes and checks schedule)...few dozen chapters I think. I can go ahead and confirm that his next new type of magic is going to be another potent combination type, but I'm not saying what it is until time for its debut. By my current estimates, it should make its first appearance this coming spring or early summer. The arc preceding and leading into that one is taking a while and I don't know quite how long its going to be yet, I just know that it's going to be the most epic one yet...until I try to one up it with that next one. All I can tell you about what to expect for it is the following: Trains, storms, and Gajeel singing.