Chapter III

A New Fairy Tail

Volume 1: Bikochu Mission

Summary:

New Fairy Tail member, Yuri Dreyar embarks on his first mission with his older brother, Laxus. Their task? To aid the Aburame Clan's heir, Shino Aburame in discovering the endangered Bikochu insect species. However, they are not the only ones pursuing this insect as other mages pursue the same goal.

Chapter III

March 15th Year x771.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Balsam Village, Forest Outskirt.

Magic had always been something that had fascinated him. 

As a member of Fairy Tail, the strongest Guild in the Kingdom of Fiore Yuri was surrounded by it all the time. The regular brawls that erupted between the many large personalities of the Guild which often resulted in the dangerous and liberal use of their magic. It had given Yuri the chance to witness the various magic used by his fellow Guild members, the vast array of people and the unique magics they wielded only made his love for it grow deeper. 

There was no end to what magic was capable of and Yuri wanted to know everything. 

Though young and having only just gained the ability to manifest his magic that had not stopped Yuri from pestering his grandfather about his use of {Giant Magic} and {Light Magic}. He had also spent a great deal of time watching his brother learn and practise {Lightning Magic} and constantly questioned his fellow Guild members about their own. Each and every one of them was open about their magic, answering his incessant questions as best as they could, the only outlier being his own father, Ivan. 

So, whoever someone new came along, whether it be a new member coming to join the Guild or in this first instance, meeting someone new upon a mission, Yuri interrogated them thoroughly. Shino happened to be on the receiving end of this endless barrage of questions today, Yuri wishing to know all he could about the {Insect Magic} that Shino and his clan used. His boundless fascination and love for magic not allowing prejudice to cloud his mind like it did for others like Laxus. 

Shino had been blunt in his responses though that was no different to how the boy had been throughout the trio's time together. However, when it came to the regards of his family's unique form of magic, Shino had been even more blunt on account of not wanting to reveal everything about their magic. Despite that though, Shino answered all the questions that came his way as best as he could, sometimes answering shortly and in others explaining them in more detail. 

Before Laxus' very eyes, the stoic and quiet figure that was Shino found himself dragged into an unlikely conversation with his younger brother before he even had the chance to realise it. It was not hard to believe though, Yuri was endlessly exuberant and full of energy to a point it was almost infectious which accounted for why he was so beloved by the members of their Guild. 

However, that did not mean he enjoyed listening to just how the Aburame Clan's magic worked. 

Even though Laxus did not take much interest in the nobility of the Kingdom of Fiore there had been a time earlier on in his life that he had taken an interest in the Rune Knights before his father, Ivar had found out. Though the Rune Knights and their members were not nearly as high profile as the various members of Official Guilds in Fiore, several officers had made a name for themselves. Amongst those small few was Shibi Aburame, a Baron in the Fiore nobility, a reclusive noble who held little influence within the Kingdom of Fiore but had proven himself in numerous battles against Bosco incursions. 

Overhearing how their magic worked, allowing insects to freely enter and exit their bodies through the pores of their skin, inhabiting their body like a second home, Laxus could understand why they kept to themselves. Yuri though was entirely unfazed by this information, not finding it disturbing in the slightest, just continuing to bombard the young with more questions. 

To Laxus though, the idea of insects living within him was disgusting. 

It did not matter to him that by feeding off the magic in their body the insects became subservient, almost akin to familiars that followed the user's biding. The simple idea of them inhabiting his body made Laxus' skin crawl and he would much rather have the topic of the conversation move onto something else entirely. 

However, Yuri, like always was filled with a never-ending curiosity and simple-mindedness to pursue something that had piqued his interest and so, continued to chatter away about the same topic. Unfortunately for him, Laxus had been stuck here for the last three hours following behind the two boys as they moved along the outskirts of the forest surrounding Balsam Village, hoping and praying those insects would find something eventually. 

He just wanted something interesting to happen in general. 

He was so bored. 

-X-

March 15th Year x771. 

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Balsam Village, Deep Forest. 

It was quiet as the three of them reclined upon the rock formation deep within the forest surrounding Balsam Village. Two men and one woman, the former two positioned further down with one sat leaning against the rock while the other stood with his arms across his chest. Meanwhile, the woman sat at the top, looking upon the forest around them as numerous bees buzzed in the air in an unnaturally calm manner before they rushed to the ground, following something that moved under its surface. 

"Kurotsuchi." The woman turned her attention to the young girl rising from the ground. "Did you find somewhere?"

"I did, Suzumebachi." Kurotsuchi replied with a nod of her head, stretching her arms out above her head as she looked up at the trio moving down to her. "Not far from here there's a large clearing. It's more than big enough for us to set up base there like you wanted."

"Good," Suzumebachi murmured, smiling widely. "Jibachi, Kurobachi, start heading north toward Balsam Village. We'll need to keep an eye on any mages or Aburame members that come here. They posted a notice on nearby Guild Halls so they'll be coming soon when one Guild accepts the request."

The two men of the group nodded their heads, turning on their heels and heading around the other side of the rock formation, while Suzumebachi came up to Kurotsuchi. With a nod of her head, the two began walking east and after only a short walk done in silence, the two arrived at a large opening, Suzumebachi smiling once more. 

"Good job, Kurotsuchi." She praised. "This is more than perfect for what we need."

Stepping out into the clearing, Suzumebachi gathered her magic, two large brown magic circles appearing before outstretched hands. She then crouched down, placing both hands onto the ground, the magic circles coming together, spreading out rapidly till they expanded out over nearly the entirety of the clearing. The ground rumbled heavily for a moment before erupting upwards into a large hollow mound with large circular entrances on the sides. 

"{Rock Hive!}" She chanted as the spell continued its effect, the mound growing even larger till it eventually came to a stop just before breaking through the treetops of the abnormally large trees surrounding Balsam Village. "Kurotsuchi, you'll stay with me until we find the Bikochu."

"But I can..."

"You're stronger than Jibachi and Kurobachi, of that there is no doubt." Suzumebachi cut the girl off as they moved inside the darkness of the structure that had just been produced. "They understand just how important finding the Bikochi means to us and our family, they will give their lives to ensure that the Aburame clan does not interfere with our plans of acquiring our ancestor's lost scroll. But you do not use the {Insect Magic} of our ancestors, just like the rest of our family."

"I was sent here to support you guys on this mission by grandfather." Kurotsuchi pointed out. "Besides, what are we even looking for anyway?"

"After our ancestors lost against the Aburame Clan when invading the Kingdom of Fiore centuries ago, our clan fractured into the main and side branch. We of the side branch still practise the {Insect Magic} used to combat the Aburame Clan. However, the main branch focused on different pursuits of magic."

"I know all this." Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes. "What's so special about this Bikochu anyway?"

"The Bikochu insect will help us find and recover the Lost Magic of our branch. It is mine, Jibachi and Kurobachi's duty to see this mission through to the very end even if it costs us our lives. As citizens of Jaya and the Kamizuru Clan, should the Kingdom of Fiore discover out presence, only executions and torture await us. We know this and accept this. We are jus tools." Kurotsuchi frowned heavily, not liking that in the slightest. "But you are different. I will not allow this mission to be your end, Kurotsuchi. So, stay by my side and should things go south, do your best to escape and live to see another day."

Suzumebachi came to a stop at the centre, Kurotsuchi holding her arm tightly to her side, looking to the ground in thought. 

"{Summoning Magic: Giant Queen Bee.}" Beneath Suzumebachi, a large magic circle spread across the ground and from it, rose a humungous bee easily the size of a small house. "Now, my Queen, recall all bees within the area and let us begin our search."

-X-

March 15th Year x771. 

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Balsam Village, Forest Outskirt. 

Coming to a sudden halt, Shino raised his head and looked to the sky, Yuri and Laxus also stopping. Neither knew why they had nor did Shino say anything, to begin with as he continued to survey his surroundings with sharp turns of his head. 

"What's wrong?" Laxus asked gruffly, body tensing as he too began to look at his surroundings. 

"I lost connection with all the bees." Shino answered. 

"Is that a problem?" Laxus wondered. "Maybe there's none in the area."

Though Laxus had tuned out much of the conversation shared between Yuri and Shino, the former had taken on board everything he had been told. "But that shouldn't happen for those bees already called with {Insect Gathering.}" Yuri said. 

"...Precisely." Shino agreed, audibly surprised, the first showcase of emotion he gave besides the bewilderment he seemed to having with the situation at hand. 

"Then that means something else has called them." Laxus surmised, Shino nodding his head in agreement. 

"Except {Insect Gathering} overpowers the orders of a bee queen." He explained. "The only thing that can overpower the orders of {Insect Gathering} is a more powerful version of it."

It took a moment for what Shino said to sink and when it did, Laxus smiled eagerly, fists clenching in excitement. "That means we're not the only ones looking for the Biko-whatever. Finally, things just got interesting."

Though often viewed as a prodigy by many, Yuri was still a child at the end of the day, prone to moments of asking stupid questions "Does that mean there's other mages here?" Yuri wondered, looking to Laxus who nodded his head. "New mages. New magic. Awesome."

The responses by the two brothers only served to confuse Shino even further.