After an apology and a hug to Yin, Yang accompanied the group through Magnolia on their way to Fairy Tail. Though for reasons Yin couldn't comprehend, Yang was glaring at anyone who looked at her for more than three seconds and stuck pretty close to her. With Ultear in between them, she looked somewhat uneasy.
'What.. How.. Why.. She has a twin? A twin as strong as her?' Ultear a chill run up her spine when Yang turned her attention onto her.
Anxious, she grabbed Yin's hand and stuck closer to her. Yang's eyes narrowed, making Ultear feel as if she were going to pick her up and throw her. Instead, she went to Yin's other side and took her other hand while giving Ultear a particularly smug smirk.
"They look like a family.." Erza's eyes shone in envy and awe as she whispered to her Mother while they walked behind Yin, Yang and Ultear.
Irene looked at the weird competition unfolding in front of her and shook her head with a wry smile.
'A very.. strange one, yes I suppose they do..' Irene thought.
After a short walk, the group finally arrived at the guild. Fairy Tail was probably the most welcoming place in all of Ishgar. The atmosphere as the kids walked in was homely and welcoming..
That is, until a stool was thrown and a full on brawl broke out.
"This is.. Grandpa Rob's Guild?" Erza asked incredulously while Irene watched two middle-aged men fist fight, drink then go back to fist fighting.
"Ahahaha! It's a rowdy place but it's home. Come on, kids. I'll lead you over to my old friend and prevent you from taking a stray punch." Rob laughed joyously and led the kids, minus Erza and Ultear, who stayed with the Dragons casually chatting by the entrance.
Rob guided the kids as if he were a tour guide, swatting away flying chairs, flying tables and even flying people as he walked over to the bar, where a short old man was sitting and drinking.
While the chaos of a bar brawl was happening, Yin and Yang were catching up.
"FIVE Dragons!? I only got to meet one.. who I kinda abandoned because I thought you were in trouble... Yeah, I should probably tell him everything's good." Yang sheepishly scratched the back of her head and laughed.
"What Dragon did you meet..?" Yin asked, fearing that somehow Yang unlocked the 'Nakama' bullshit power prevalent in Fairy Tail and befriended Acnologia with a technique another blonde was famous for, talk-no-jutsu.
"Oh he's a.. fiery guy. Name's Atlas Flame and he taught me Dragon magic too. But man! Lucky you! Getting taught by five Dragons.." Yang nudged Yin's arm playfully, casually swatting back a blue haired middle aged man who was sent flying at them, without even thinking.
"GAAAAH!" *CRASH!*
"I technically only learned from four. Actually, the Light Dragon, Weisslogia gave me something to help you out. He left a notebook on how to use Light Magic. And of course, I'll teach you how to use Sky Magic and Metal Magic too." Yin replied, covering Ultear's head as a flying table smashes against her and Yang, splintering into pieces as soon as it touches them both.
Ultear looked at them both in a strange, awestricken silence. Quietly, she wondered to herself: 'Exactly who the hell am I involved with now!?'
Yin briefly looked to Irene, who seemed ready to pull out her staff and give the brawlers a traumatic brain injury if anything interrupted her talk with Erza. Yet before more damage was done, the fighters were pummeled into the wooden floorboards by a giant hand.
"That's enough! You little brats! You always find the worst moments to start a fight! Look! We have guests! Are we a Guild of Mages or a Guild of drunken idiots who beat each other up!?" The short old man shouted, his giant fist shrinking back down after stopping the fight.
"Both?" "Yeah both seems accurate! Hahaha!" Yin and Yang answered, with Yang breaking out in laughter as the old man blushed in complete embarrassment.
*Cough!* "Sorry about the ruckus. My old friend just told me what you did. Rescuing him and all those slaves from Dark Mages.. I cannot thank you enough. If you need anything from me-" Makarov pat his chest with a grateful smile. "Do not hesitate to ask."
The entire Guild went silent after Makarov spoke, looking at Yin, Yang and Irene with various expressions ranging from awe-struck, impressed and even some battle-hungry ones. Yin shook her head with a little smile and stepped forward.
"We don't need much. Actually, we wanted to speak to one Gray Fullbuster here for this one's sake." Yin replied, looking down at Ultear who stuck to her hip, looking uneasy.
Of course, she had every reason to be nervous. Makarov was a Wizard Saint and until recently, she was a Dark Mage. Though in truth, given her young age and lack of any real crimes under her belt, she would very likely be exempt from any crimes if she were put in front of the Magic Council. Alas, everyone who knew she was a Dark Mage, besides Yin and Hades, was dead. So there was no use worrying about it.
"Hmm..? Gray?" Makarov asked, looking at the seemingly shy Ultear and nodding slightly.
"Yes, Master?" Gray answered, drinking a flagon of milk in nothing but boxers.
"Come on over here. And put some clothes on!"
"Huh? Oh man! When did I take my clothes off!?" Gray cried out, flustered as he quickly gathered up his discarded clothes off the floor and quickly made his way over while frantically getting dressed.
"Hey there. This might be kinda sudden but this is Ultear, Ur's daughter. She's looking for her Mom and you know where she is, right?" Yin asked suddenly, causing Gray to freeze up and stare at her with a shocked expression.
"Y-You... wait.. daughter?" Gray then stared at Ultear with a complicated expression.
Ultear felt strange, meeting the boy she thought her Mother replaced her with. Feelings of resentment, guilt and sorrow mixed together as she opened her mouth.
"Y-Yes. Where is my Mother? Please.. I need to know. I have questions I.." Ultear trailed off, fighting back the tell-tale sign of incoming tears by turning away and rubbing her face.
Yin and Yang both put their hands on her head and took it from there.
"It's complicated but yeah, we're gonna track your teacher down." Yang added.
Gray frowned and took a deep breath before answering, "Ur.. used Iced Shell to seal a demon of Zeref named Deliora. She's.. in Brago, where Deliora has been sealed."
"Then Brago is where we go. We'll see if we can do something for her, right Sis?" Yang asked, nudging Yin's arm and giving the shaky Ultear a reassuring smile.
Ultear slowly nodded, looking up at Yin hopefully. She was a Dragon, after all. She even felt stronger than Hades and he was the strongest mage she'd ever seen until Yin came along.
"Mn. We'll do something, don't worry. We'll be back. Actually, Guild Master Makarov? Are you willing to accept the kids and Irene as new members? They need a place to stay." Yin asked the old man as he twiddled his moustache and gave her a casual thumbs up.
"Am I willing? Bah! Of course I'm willing. I just hope these kids don't start brawling and causing a ton of property damage.. Ah, at least Irene seems pretty sensible. In any case, leave them to me. I'll have the girls set up in the dorms and let the boys live with me and Rob until we get them their own places." Makarov answered casually while putting his hands behind his back to complete his wise old man look.
"Thanks. We'll be back to register ourselves afterward. Come on, Ultear, Yang. We should grab some winter clothes for Ultear and head out." Yin stated while starting to guide the two out.
But before they left, Gray spoke up again.
"Wait... I remember Ur talking about you once.. The reason for your name.. it was because the day when you were born, she wept tears of joy. You were..-no, are her happiness. She said she dreamt of a bright future for you."
Ultear's shoulders shook as she stopped, facing away from both Makarov and Gray at the front of the Guild doors.
"...Thank you... for.. telling me that.." Ultear croaked out as she wiped her eyes again.
Yin nodded at Gray with a little smile and continued walking. While Irene watched the little girl with trembling shoulders walk beside Yin and Yang, she felt a pang of empathy. The situations were different, but that was the kind of bond she wanted with Erza. Looking down at her daughter, who was looking at Yin and Ultear with worry, she realized she had a long way to go.
.
.
.
After getting Ultear all the Winter gear she'll need, the three boarded a train going to Cedar city. From there, they'll take a boat and head toward the Guiltina continent to the North, where Brago is. After an hour during the train ride, Ultear fell asleep, her head resting against Yin's lap.
"Heh~ She's really taken to you eh?" Yang teased, sitting across from them.
Yin simply shrugged, "I guess she sees me as the only hope she has to reunite with her Mom. I'm pretty confident we can free Ur but it probably won't be easy or quick. We'll need to expand our knowledge of magic.."
Yang's eyes then lit up as she pulled a book from her system's space and waved it at Yin. The book was unassuming, written in a letter that looked unfamilar.
"That reminds me. This is a book of Runes I got from going into the Dungeon on Patch. It says it's from Fate? I haven't read it yet, since after I got out of the Dungeon with Rubes, that whole Underworld war and this mission kinda happened. Wanna study with me?" Yang asked hopefully, looking eager to learn with her twin sister.
Yin blinked and gently took the book before opening it. Her eyes slightly widened as she began to grasp what it was.
"Primordial Rune.. a whole new magic system. That's perfect, Yang.. We use magic instinctively, this world's mages use magic through practice, study and emotion.. and these runes? It's about memory recall and practice. If I remember this right, I think Runes act as a sort of program.. Like one may give magic resistance when cast on someone or something. Reminds me of Irene's enchanting.." Yin muttered, skimming through the pages.
"Oh so they're like buffs?" Yang asked, getting a few ideas as she looked at her golden Witchblade.
"They're more than that. But we'll get into it while we travel. Maybe we can teach some to Ultear too." Yin replied, handing the book back and leaning back in her seat.
"Sounds good to me. But I have a few questions, now that we're alone. First off.. why aren't we just flyin' to the continent?"
Yin looked out the window, to the mountains obscuring the setting sun and answered, "Because Acnologia's a pain in the ass. We'll fight him later but traveling as Dragons is just gonna bring him right to us. Then, a whole bunch of people will die in the resulting fight."
Yang slowly nodded before asking, "Hmm.. okay that makes sense. Second question.. Why're you uh.. doing all this? I don't wanna say it's out of character but.. I didn't think you'd care about saving kids and all?"
Yin paused for a second, thinking over her answer. In truth, it was pretty simple. She wasn't devoid of sympathy or empathy, it was just that she prioritized Yang, herself, her family and her treasures above all else. But was it that she could only care about those things? No. The truth of it was simple.
"I wanted to. It's not for any grand reason or calling, like you have. I just.. wanted to. And I thought about it from your perspective. I know you'd help them. I know you'd really love the Fairy Tail guild and I know you're the type of person who would definitely do her best to help in these situations. So I guess it's just a mix of my own desire to help out and.. because I thought of you, Yang."
Yang looked at her sister, who answered honestly and gave her a beautiful smile before getting up and resting her forehead against Yin's.
"I think about that too. What you'd do in certain situations. I think we both influence each other. But don't act with me in mind tooo much. I love my sister the way she naturally is." Yin opened her mouth but Yang pressed her finger to her lips with a smug smile. "Heh! I bet you're gonna repeat the same words back to me. I know~. I know you and you know me, Yin. Noooow~ wanna read this book together? Ooh but we gotta be quiet.. Ultear's sleeping so soundly."
Yang whispered and sat next to Yin, opening the book while getting close, until both of them could clearly smell each other's shampoo that they use.
And as they silently flipped through a few pages, both of them had the same thought.
''Damn.. I really love her way too much.''
[AN: Sorry bout last week. Was busy. But Merry Xmas and have a Happy New Years! Gonna hold a poll for the next 3 chaps I'll either update for Rat's Journey or Apex so gimme your opinions~]