Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Balsam Village.
July 14, x790.
Shortly after returning from the baths, Alfonzo, Elicia, Marin, and Sun, wearing the inn's provided yukatas, rushed into the room they were sharing in their suite, leaving Brandish in the common area alone.
"Well, I guess I know what they're doing." Brandish muttered. "Hmm... Should I eavesdrop?"
["Seriously?"] Hecatoncheires asked incredulously. ["You couldn't even enter a mixed bath with them. But you wanna listen to this?"
"The two things are different." Brandish replied casually. "Alfonzo can't see me this way."
["I don't know what to do with you."] Hecatoncheires said, sounding as if she had given up completely. ["Do whatever you want. I'm just gonna meditate."]
Before Hecatoncheires had even stopped speaking, Brandish was already creeping towards the closed door.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the bedroom, Alfonzo had one arm around Marin and Sun, each. At the same time, Elicia was standing in front of him while cupping his face in her hands and kissing him passionately.
However, before things could get too intense, the quartet felt Brandish approaching the sliding door to the room.
"She knows we know she's there, right?' Marin asked, amused at Brandish's attempt to be sneaky.
"She probably thinks we forgot in the throes of passion." Elicia said after breaking the kiss with Alfonzo. "On top of that, Fonzie put up a [Silencing Barrier] as soon as we closed the door. So, all that would be pointless."
"Should we let her in?" Sun asked while tilting her head cutely.
"I don't think she's ready for that." Alfonzo replied. "I mean, she couldn't even come into the mixed bath."
"Then, should we just let her wait outside?" Marin asked. A moment later, her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! Let her listen. Just make the barrier cover the whole suite instead of just the room."
"Are you sure?" Alfonzo asked.
"Yeah, do it, Fonzie." Elicia said. "The look on her face when we're done is gonna be hilarious."
"Like you'll really be awake to see it." Alfonzo taunted.
"That sounds like a challenge." Elicia said with a glint in her eyes. "I'll show you. Just wait and see."
Shrugging his shoulders, Alfonzo tapped his heel on the tatami floor. Then, the thin sheet of metal coating the wall between the room and the rest of the suite was dispelled. At the same time, thin sheets of metal with silencing sigils manifested around the rest of the suite. Though, Brandish, who was so focused on pressing an ear against the door to the bedroom seemed to not notice.
With that taken care of, Alfonzo returned his attention to the three ladies. He decided he would give a little extra attention to Elicia, as well. Wanting to see if she was really so determined to see the look on Brandish's face when they were done.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
While Alfonzo and the others were enjoying their celebration vacation, Ur was sitting in her office while writing an official letter to Shibuki, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls of Stella.
"Damn it, when was the last time I had to write a letter like this?" Ur asked herself while drafting the letter. "I mean, seriously? Who doesn't have an lPhone?"
"Actually, there are quite a few people who don't." Irene, who was seated in Ur's office, replied. "Anyway, I wish I had been present to see Gildarts use his [Soul Armament]. It's such a rare occurrence."
"Well, it's rare for most of the stronger members of our guild, isn't it?" Ur asked with a shrug while continuing to write. "I mean, when was the last time you used yours?"
"What are you talking about?" Irene asked with a smile. "Belserion is always released."
"Huh?" Ur exclaimed in disbelief.
Instead of replying, Irene simply summoned her [Soul Armament] to her hand. And sure enough, the stave was in its released form.
"How?" Ur asked. "I mean, when Artemesia's seal is partially opened, it drains stamina like crazy."
"Then, I guess you need to train your stamina more." Irene replied matter of factly. "Well, I guess that makes sense. You almost never leave the town."
"That's just the fate of a guild master." Ur replied with a shrug. "Other than going to Crocus for the Grand Magic Games and to Era when the Council calls, I need to be here to protect the guild."
"And do you really think anyone could hurt this place?" Irene asked with an eyebrow raised. "Even I, to do any real damage to this tower, would have to attack with Belserion."
Hearing that, Ur stopped writing completely. With her eyes wide, all she could do is stare at Irene, not knowing what to say in response.
"Besides, do you really need to be the guild master at this point?" Irene continued, unconcerned with Ur's surprised expression.
"If you or Alfonzo would take over, I sure as hell wouldn't." Ur replied in a sour tone.
"Seriously, you're hopeless." Irene replied while rolling her eyes. "Why don't you think of another option."
"Like what?" Ur asked, frustrated that Irene was beating around the bush. "Other than you and Alfonzo, no one else is either strong enough or stable enough to be the guild master."
"*Sigh* I almost forgot, you're a Fairy Tail wizard, too." Irene said while shaking her head.
"And now you're calling me dumb." Ur groaned. "Well, since I'm so dumb, could you just spell it out for me, please?"
Instead of responding immediately, Irene shook her head. She then reached down to the coffee table and picked up the glass of wine she had been sipping ever since she came to spend her time in Ur's office. A moment later, after savoring the taste of the wine, she looked at Ur again to answer her question.
"Mavis." Irene said simply.
Hearing that, Ur's eyes opened wide once again.
*Smack!*
She then slapped herself across the forehead.
"How did I not think of that?" Ur asked herself. "It was so obvious. I guess you were right. I've been a member of Fairy Tail so long that I'm starting to get as dumb as the rest of them. I guess that happens to everyone over time."
"Only if you let it." Irene corrected. "I don't plan to let my IQ fall that low... ever. Also, I doubt Alfonzo or Elicia will have that issue, either. Unfortunately, it's too late for Erza."
"To be fair, I don't think she ever had a chance from the start." Ur replied as she reached for her lPhone. "I mean, Alfonzo fed her a strawberry shortcake the day she arrived. And that was enough to start her habit and all that came with it."
"I see." Irene said while shaking her head once again. "I want to be angry with him. But Something tells me she needed some cheering up after what she had been through. And that was what Alfonzo came up with to do so."
If Irene knew that Alfonzo already knew about Erza's addiction to strawberry shortcake before even meeting her and still did that, her opinion on the matter would more than likely change. Alfonzo would probably have to deal with one of Irene's more sadistic retaliations, as well.
"Good afternoon, First Master." Ur said, her call having connected in the meantime. "I have a proposition for you. Are you available to meet with me in my office? ... Great. I'll be here, then."
With that, Ur put her lPhone down, the call having ended.
"Thank you, Irene." Ur said gratefully. "I really would have never even considered that without you."
"Don't worry about it." Irene replied casually.
"But... Do you really think she would accept?" Ur asked. "I mean, Master Mavis has been enjoying her freedom to travel."
"Of course she will." Irene replied. "Mavis loves this guild more than anyone. Even that little old man. Trust me, she'll definitely be overjoyed to become the sixth guild master."
"I'll trust your words." Ur said.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Desierto, Unknown Location.
"Finally... I hate this country." Kakuzu, who had been trekking through the desert for more than a day, said in a somewhat exhausted tone as he approached a shallow cave carved into a rock formation. "This operation was definitely a waste of time and money. And I hate wasting money."
Not long later, Kakuzu entered the cave. Then, he sat cross-legged on a platform carved into the wall of the cave. He then circulated his magic power through the ring he wore before his consciousness left his body.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Unknown Location.
In the next instant, Kakuzu's [Projection] appeared standing on the tip of one of a giant statue's fingertips. Yet, his [Projection] was not the only one, as the other six members of the Akatsuki were present as [Projections], as well.
"You're late." A figure with an inhuman figure said in a disgruntled tone. "You made me wait. And I hate waiting."
Ignoring the rogue shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Sand, Kakuzu turned his eyes to the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain.
"Things went wrong during the retrieval of the Seven-Tails." Kakuzu said in a grim tone. "Very wrong."
"Explain." Pain said in an authoritative toen.
Kakuzu did just that, explaining how he and Hidan had the Jinchuriki cornered after killing the two Jōnin accompanying her. However, before he could get any further than that, he was interrupted.
"Now that you mention him, where is Hidan?" Itachi asked curiously, though his tone was utterly flat.
"Honestly, I'm not sure what happened to Hidan." Kakuzu replied. "But since he can't be killed, he may come back to us later."
Hearing Kakuzu's reply to Itachi's question, the atmosphere in the cavern housing the statue worsened sharply. Yet, no one spoke for a few moments.
"Hmph! That cultist fanatic was bound to get taken out eventually." Deidara said disdainfully. "Honestly, he was too weak to be in this group, anyway."
Although most of those present agreed with Deidara, they would have never said so. Especially since none of them were able to kill him. Yet, Hidan was able to kill most of them. A single drop of blood would be enough to do the job.
"Continue, Kakuzu." Pain said, bringing the conversation back to Kakuzu's recounting of his mission.
"Yeah..." Kakuzu replied. "Before we could take the girl down, Gildarts Clive of the Fairy Tail guild showed up. And he dealt with Hidan easy enough. Then, he survived a sneak attack from me with no damage. After that, he destroyed four of my hearts. Luckily, my fifth heart just barely survived. After that, I don't know what happened. But if I had to guess, he probably took the Jinchuriki girl back to Magnolia to protect her from us."
Once again, the cavern fell silent. And once again, that silence was broken by Deidara.
"I guess it wasn't just Hidan who was weak." Deidara said, his tone even more disdainful than before. "You're weak, too, Kakuzu. To think both of you were beaten by one wizard. You're just as bad as Itachi and Kisame. How 'bout I just go to Magnolia and let them see my art? That should take care of everything."
"That's enough, Deidara." Pain said, his purple eyes shining. "We're moving our plans forward. I want everyone to meet at the hideout closest to Magnolia on the eleventh of next month. We shall launch a full-scale attack on Fairy Tail the following day. They shall learn the consequences of defying the will of a god. I shall show them pain."
Unfortunately, Pain was completely unaware that a certain little boy would be celebrating his third birthday on the twelfth of August. And because of their attack, a certain pair of parents would be angered greatly. And because of that, the entire Kingdom of Fiore would find out exactly what happens when they were angered past a certain point.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Balsam Village.
As for the aforementioned parents, the father, was currently watching three of his wives, one of which was the other aforementioned parent, sleeping peacefully on a futon in the suite at the Edomae Hot Spring Inn.
"Maybe I overdid it a little." Alfonzo muttered quietly as he reached down and swept some hair out of Elicia's face. "Oh well, nothing I can do about it now."
Alfonzo then stood up and put on his yukata. At the same time, he dispelled the [Silencing Barrier] around the suite. Then, he made his way to the sliding door and pulled it open. However, instead of stepping through the open door, Alfonzo froze in place while looking down at the floor in front of the door.
"Looks like she overdid it, too." Alfonzo muttered.
Currently, on the floor in front of the bedroom, Brandish, with her yukata completely disheveled to the point where her breasts and crotch were completely exposed, was lying there unconscious. And based on the scent in the room, Alfonzo did not need to guess how she ended up that way.
"Well, let's get you to bed." Alfonzo said as he bent down to straighten Brandish's clothing. Then, once Brandish was presentable again, he lifted her in a princess carry before taking her to her own bedroom. "*Sigh* I guess I'll be having dinner alone tonight."