Chapter 127:
– Haru –
For some reason, Master Makarov Dreyar didn't seem particularly pleased with me as we stepped out through the double doors of the Magic Council's regional detention center.
The mid-morning sun of Magnolia shined down on us. Beside me, Mavis Vermillion hissed like a vampire exposed to holy water, throwing a small arm over her eyes to shield them from the glare. Her long, pale-blonde hair was a frizzy disaster, and she looked like she was about two seconds away from vomiting on the pristine white steps of the Rune Knights' headquarters.
Makarov, however, wasn't hungover. He was just seething.
The tiny old man stomped down the stairs, his white mustache twitching with every angry step. He wore a fresh set of clothes that the knights had graciously returned to him, but his dignity was still somewhere back in the holding cell.
A group of Rune Knights stood guard by the entrance, their white uniforms crisp and their expressions severe. As we passed, I saw their eyes tracking Makarov with undisguised suspicion and disgust. They didn't even try to lower their voices.
"I still don't understand it," one knight muttered to his partner, leaning against his spear. "Why are we letting him walk? The guy is a monster…"
"I know," the other knight whispered back, shaking his head grimly. "Kidnapping a little girl and keeping her locked in a basement for years? That's sick!"
Makarov flinched violently, his shoulders hunching up toward his ears. He let out a low, strangled whimpering noise, squeezing his eyes shut as if trying to block out reality.
"I heard he chained her up," the first knight continued, his voice dripping with judgment. "Look at her. She's tiny. Poor thing probably never saw the sun until that handsome fox-guy saved her."
"It's a travesty of justice," the second knight agreed, spitting on the cobblestones. "But what can we do? The Captain said his hands were tied. Ancient laws and all that!"
Makarov let out a sound that was half-groan, half-sob. "They think I'm a monster..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "My reputation... the honor of the Dreyar name... it's all gone."
I stuffed my hands into my pockets, my ten golden fox tails swaying lazily behind me in a rhythmic motion. I couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corner of my lips. "Oh, cheer up, old man," I said breezily. "You're a free man again. The fresh air, the birds singing, the open scorn of your peers—it's a beautiful day!"
Makarov shot me a glare that could have withered a lesser demon. "This is your fault, Haru! You told them I kidnapped the First! You corroborated the story!"
"I merely agreed with the authorities," I corrected him smoothly. "I'm a law-abiding business owner. I couldn't lie to an officer of the law. Besides," I continued, gesturing to the stunning blue-skinned woman walking gracefully on my left. "You shouldn't be thanking me. You should be thanking Cortana. If it wasn't for her, you'd probably still be rotting in that cell waiting for a trial."
Cortana beamed at me. The digital patterns running beneath her epidermis pulsed with a soft, rhythmic light, and her blue hair swayed as she walked. "It was actually quite fascinating," Cortana said. She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Fiore's legal system is... archaic, to say the least. It's a mess of contradictory decrees, royal edicts, and magical contracts dating back hundreds of years!"
When we had arrived at the station an hour ago, the captain had refused to release Makarov. That was until Cortana had asked to see the legal codex. She had scanned through three thousand pages of dusty, hand-written laws in about five seconds.
"I found a loophole in the 'Magical Saint Protection Act' of X462," Cortana explained, flashing a bright, proud smile at Makarov. "Apparently, wizards holding the title of 'Saint' cannot be prosecuted for 'internal guild management disputes' or 'domestic confinement' without a direct order from the King of Fiore himself. Since Mavis is technically a guild member, your... alleged imprisonment of her fell under guild jurisdiction, not the Council's."
Makarov stared at her, his mouth hanging open slightly. "You... you found a loophole in a three-hundred-year-old law in under five minutes?"
"It took me three seconds to find it," Cortana corrected gently. "It took me five minutes to convince the Captain that I wasn't making it up!"
I chuckled, placing my hand on her shoulder. I noticed that she leaned into my touch instantly with a faint flush of purple-blue coloring her cheeks.
"Seriously," I said, giving her a squeeze. "If I ever end up on trial for something—which, let's be honest, is probably inevitable at some point—I want you as my lawyer. You were ruthless in there!"
Cortana giggled. "I simply applied logic to an illogical system, Haru. But I admit... it was pretty fun."
We continued walking down the main thoroughfare of Magnolia. The town was lively, with merchants hawking their wares and riverboats drifting down the canals. But everywhere we went, the whispers followed us.
People stopped and pointed. Mothers pulled their children closer.
"That's him," I heard a baker whisper to his wife. "The Master of Fairy Tail. I heard he eats children."
"No, I heard he keeps them in jars!" the wife hissed back.
Makarov groaned again, burying his face in his hands. "It doesn't matter that I'm free," he lamented, his voice muffled by his palms. "These rumors... they'll circulate for months! Decades! I'll go down in history as Makarov the Kidnapper!"
I shrugged, my tails flicking dismissively. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Fairy Tail causes so much property damage and chaos on a weekly basis that this will be old news by next month. Someone will probably blow up a mountain, and everyone will forget all about your dungeon."
"IT WAS NOT A DUNGEON!"
"I hate how Haru is right though," Mavis piped up from my other side. "My guild does cause a lot of mayhem…" she trailed off for a second before continuing. "I am just glad our guild is safe," Mavis said. She looked up at me, fixing me with a glare that she probably intended to be intimidating. Instead, with her disheveled hair and petite stature, she just looked adorable. "Even if you are a terrible, petty man who bullies the elderly."
"He started it," I reminded her.
Makarov stopped walking. It seemed the fog of his despair had finally lifted enough for his brain to catch up with reality as he just now realized something pretty important.
His eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped so low it nearly hit his chest. He pointed a shaking finger at the girl. "Wait..." Makarov choked out. "Wait just a damn minute! How... HOW IN THE NAME OF THE STARS IS THE FIRST MASTER ALIVE!?" He shouted the question, drawing even more stares from the passersby. He looked between me and Mavis, his brain clearly short-circuiting. "How is she walking?! How is she talking?! Why is she hungover?!"
Mavis blinked, looking down at herself as if just remembering she had a body. "Oh. Yes. That."
I kept my face perfectly straight. I didn't even crack a smile. I looked Makarov dead in the eye.
"The power of friendship brought her back to life," I said frankly.
For some reason, that just felt like the right thing to say in this world…
Makarov stared at me. His left eye began to twitch. "I am going to punch you," Makarov growled, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "I am going to grow into a giant and step on you, you cheeky fox brat!"
"Try it, old man," I teased, flashing him a sharp-toothed grin. "But maybe save your energy. We're here."
We had arrived at the new Fairy Tail guild hall. It was a grand structure, rebuilt after the Phantom Lord war, standing proud on the hill overlooking the lake.
Makarov took a deep breath, smoothing down his tunic and adjusting his collar. He tried to summon the dignity of a Guild Master returning from a harrowing ordeal. He puffed out his chest, marching up the steps with a renewed sense of purpose. "They must be worried sick," Makarov muttered, reaching for the double doors. "My children... they must have been terrified when the knights took me away. They're probably planning a rescue mission right now!" He threw the doors open with a dramatic flair. "Fear not, my children!" Makarov bellowed, throwing his arms wide. "I have been released! Your Master has returned! You don't have to worry about—"
His voice died in his throat.
The guild hall was not filled with worried mages planning a rescue. It wasn't filled with weeping wizards concerned for their leader…
Bodies were strewn everywhere. Tables were overturned. Chairs were smashed. The air was thick with the smell of stale beer, spilled wine, and regret.
Near the entrance, Laxus Dreyar—the S-Class lightning mage and Makarov's own grandson—was slumped over a table, his head buried in his arms. He lifted his head slowly at the sound of Makarov's shouting, wincing as the light hit his eyes. "Ugh..." Laxus groaned, pressing his palms into his temples. "Old man... keep it down. My head is pounding like a drum."
"Aye, sir..." A weak voice drifted from above. Happy the cat was floating upside down near the rafters, his wings barely flapping. He looked green. "The bright light... it hurts my eyes... I think I ate too much fish..."
On a bench nearby, Lucy Heartfilia was curled into a fetal position, clutching her stomach. Her clothes were rumpled, and she looked like she wanted to die. "Oh god..." she whimpered. "I'm supposed to be the responsible one. How did I get talked into doing shots with a werewolf!? Why is the room spinning!?"
Further back, Gray was stripped down to his boxers, sleeping face-down on the floor in a puddle of something sticky. Natsu was hanging halfway out of a window, snoring loudly, a half-eaten turkey leg still clutched in his hand.
Makarov stood in the doorway, frozen. His arms slowly lowered to his sides. He looked at the carnage. He looked at his hungover, miserable "children."
Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head to look at me and Mavis. His expression was completely deadpan.
"Was my entire guild partying last night?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. "While their poor, elderly Guild Master was locked away in a cold, damp magic jail cell?"
Mavis flinched. She looked at the ceiling. She looked at her feet. She looked anywhere but at Makarov. "No...?" she squeaked, the lie so unconvincing it was almost painful.
"They were celebrating your release in advance," I offered helpfully. "They just... started early. Very early."
Makarov's lip trembled. His eyes welled up with tears. His face crumpled like a wet paper bag.
"THEY DIDN'T EVEN CARE!" he wailed, dropping to his knees and pounding the floor. "I WAS ROTTING IN PRISON AND THEY WERE DRINKING! UNGRATEFUL BRATS! ALL OF THEM!"
I decided that was my cue to leave.
"Erm, Haru. Is this normal?"
I reached out, my fingers interlocking with Cortana's. "For this guild? Absolutely," I said. "Come on. Let's get out of here before the riot starts…"
I gently pulled her away from the doorway, leaving the wailing Master and his hungover guild behind.
I noticed Cortana seemed a little nervous as we walked. Her grip on my hand was tight, her fingers squeezing mine rhythmically. She kept glancing at me, then down at our joined hands, then away, a faint flush darkening her blue cheeks.
"You okay?" I asked softly, slowing my pace to match hers. "You seem a little jumpy."
Cortana bit her lip, looking up at me through her lashes. The digital patterns on her skin swirled a little faster, betraying her increased heart rate.
"It's just..." she started, her voice hesitant. "Sensory input. It's still overwhelming. Holding your hand... I can feel the texture of your skin. The warmth. The pulse in your wrist. It's a lot of data processing, but... analog." She squeezed my hand again. "It's nice. But it makes my core temperature rise. I'm not used to... feeling."
I smiled, swinging our hands gently between us. "You'll get used to it. And there are plenty of other feelings to experience, too."
Cortana's eyes widened slightly, and a mischievous, eager spark lit up her gaze. "Oh? Like what?"
"Well," I said, glancing around the picturesque, medieval-style street. "We have a whole day ahead of us. Master Chief is off getting a job... and I'm technically free." I leaned in closer to her ear. "I could show you a few more sensations, if you're interested."
Cortana shivered, her breath hitching. "I think," she whispered, leaning into my side, "that I would be very interested in that data."
– Mavis –
Mavis Vermillion was not proud of her current strategic retreat. In fact, as the legendary First Master of Fairy Tail and the renowned Fairy Tactician, she would usually classify fleeing the battlefield as a last resort. But today, the battlefield was the main hall of her own guild, and the enemy was a furious, weeping, shouting Makarov Dreyar who was currently tearing into his hungover guild members for partying while he rotted in a jail cell.
Mavis loved her guild more than anything in the world—she had literally died for it once, and spent a century as a semi-conscious battery to protect it—but she drew the line at being scolded like a naughty child when she was technically older than the man doing the scolding.
She slipped out the side door while Makarov was busy screaming at Laxus about responsibility. The mid-morning sun of Magnolia felt like a physical assault, stabbing into her sensitive green eyes and making the thumping rhythm in her skull intensify.
"Too bright," she whimpered, shielding her eyes with a small, pale hand.
She needed sanctuary. She needed a place where Makarov wouldn't dare look for her. And she knew exactly where that was. Makarov was terrified of Haru. The Fox Hole was the only safe harbor right now.
Mavis stumbled down the street. She pushed open the wooden door of the restaurant and slipped inside, letting out a long, shaky sigh as the cool, dim interior washed over her.
She had barely taken two steps onto the polished wooden floorboards when a blur of gold and white launched itself at her from across the room.
"MAVIS-CHAN!"
The high-pitched squeal drilled straight into Mavis's sensitive ears. Before she could even raise her hands to defend herself, a small projectile slammed into her midsection.
"Oof!" Mavis grunted, the air leaving her lungs as she was tackled.
"I'm so glad you're back so soon!" Kunou chirped, her voice vibrating with boundless energy. The little fox girl looked up at Mavis, her golden eyes wide and sparkling, her fox ears twitching happily atop her head. "Last night was so much fun! Even if Mama made us go to bed way too early before the party really ended. You're so lucky you got to stay up with the big people, Mavis-chan!"
Mavis swayed, trying to keep her balance as Kunou clung to her waist. "Yes... lucky," Mavis croaked, her voice dry. She felt like she had swallowed a bag of sand.
Kunou didn't seem to notice Mavis's distress. In her excitement, the little kitsune unleashed her most potent weapon. All nine of her thick, fluffy golden tails unfurled behind her and wrapped around Mavis in a tight, suffocating embrace.
So fluffy…
"Did you eat lots of pudding?" Kunou asked, squeezing tighter, nuzzling her face into Mavis's stomach. "Haru-nii said he has the best pudding! I bet you ate a mountain of it!"
"I... I might have skipped the pudding," Mavis admitted weakly. She didn't have the heart to tell the innocent child that she had skipped dessert in favor of a drinking contest where she indulged way too much alcohol. She looked over the wall of golden fur to see two other girls approaching.
One was Tanya Degurechaff. The small blonde girl walked with a rigid, military precision that seemed completely at odds with her size. She wore a crisp, clean uniform, and casually slung over her shoulder was a rifle that looked almost as big as she was. Mavis hadn't learned much about Tanya the night before, other than the fact that she was quite a serious little girl and was Kunou's first real friend her own age.
"Good morning," Tanya said, her voice flat and professional. She looked Mavis up and down, her blue eyes analytical. "You look sick…"
"Something like that," Mavis muttered.
Trailing behind Tanya was the third member of their little group—Princess Myrcella. The girl looked soft and gentle compared to Tanya's hardness, wearing a fine dress that spoke of nobility.
She offered Mavis a hesitant, polite smile. "Are you quite alright, Lady Mavis?" Myrcella asked softly, clasping her hands in front of her. She tilted her head, studying Mavis's pale face and the dark circles under her eyes. "You look... well, you look very tired. You have the same look my mother, Cersei, gets in the mornings after she stays up all night drinking wine and shouting at her reflection in the mirror about still being Queen..."
Kunou gasped loudly. The golden tails instantly loosened, falling away from Mavis's body as Kunou stepped back, her eyes wide with shock.
"Oh no," Mavis thought, missing the support of the tails as she swayed on her feet. "The fluffy is gone..."
Kunou placed her hands on her hips, her ears flattening against her head as she looked at Myrcella with indignation. "Myrcella-chan! That is mean!" Kunou declared, her voice rising in defense of her new friend. "Mavis-chan is a good girl! There is no way she would stay up all night drinking stinky alcohol like a grown-up! She probably stayed up eating too many sweets!"
Mavis stared into Kunou's innocent, trusting golden eyes. "I... uh..." Mavis stammered, looking away. "Yes. Sweets. Lots of... sweets. I just ate too much is all…"
Tanya let out a short, skeptical snort, but she didn't blow Mavis's cover.
Kunou beamed. "See? I told you!" She turned back to Mavis, her energy spiking again. Her tails began to swish back and forth, creating a small breeze. "Since you're awake, and we're awake, and Nii-chan is busy doing stuff... we should do something fun!"
A look of intense determination crossed Kunou's face—a look that Tanya seemed to recognize immediately. "Oh no," Tanya groaned, taking a step back and adjusting the strap of her rifle. "Kunou, I recognize that look on your face!"
"What look?" Mavis asked, blinking slowly. Her brain was still moving through molasses.
"The adventure look!" Myrcella piped up, looking equal parts terrified and excited.
Before Mavis could process what that meant, Kunou moved.
"Capture the targets!" Kunou shouted.
Her nine tails lashed out! Three of the tails wrapped tightly around her waist. Three more snagged Tanya, pinning her arms to her sides before she could reach for her weapon. The final three looped around Myrcella, who let out a small, resigned squeak.
"Kunou!" Tanya barked, struggling against the fur. "Release me this instant! We're supposed to be catching up on our studies from how much schoolwork we keep missing because of your adventures!"
"No!" Kunou laughed, her tails tightening to pull all three girls together into a cluster. "We are going on a fun adventure!"
"What is happening?" Mavis cried, tugging uselessly at the tail wrapped around her midsection. She tried to dig her bare heels into the floorboards, but Kunou was surprisingly strong for a child. "I don't want an adventure! I want a nap! I want a glass of water and a dark room!"
"We're getting kidnapped," Myrcella explained helpfully as she was dragged sideways. "Kunou did this to me the first time we met. It is best not to struggle. She is very persistent."
"I am the Fairy Tactician!" Mavis protested, her voice rising in panic as she was hauled bodily toward the front door of the Fox Hole. "I cannot be kidnapped by a child! It is undignified!"
"It's happening anyway," Tanya grumbled, ceasing her struggles and letting herself be dragged. "Just accept your fate, Vermillion. Resistance is futile against the fluff."
Kunou marched toward the door, dragging her three captives behind her. She looked back at them, her grin wide and showing her sharp little fangs. "It's gonna be great! We'll fight monsters! We'll find treasure! It'll be way better than sleeping!"
They reached the door. "Big Sister Ranni!" Kunou shouted at the ceiling, her voice echoing with absolute faith. "Send us to some place where I can have a whole lot of fun! Please!"
Mavis felt a shift in the air in the Fox Hole. Unseen but felt, a powerful presence turned its gaze upon them. Mavis shivered. She recognized that power—it was the same blue starlight she had seen the night before from the powerful blue witch with four arms.
– Kunou –
"We're in a desert!" Kunou cheered.
She finally released her best friends, allowing them to stumble onto the hot, sandy ground as her nine golden tails curled back closer to her body, swishing through the dry air like happy banners. The sun beat down on them relentlessly from a cloudless blue sky.
"Ugh..." Mavis Vermillion groaned, shielding her eyes with a small hand. She looked miserable, her pale skin already flushing pink in the sun. "It's even brighter here than it was in Magnolia! Why is the sun so angry today?" She whimpered, swaying slightly on her feet as if the heat itself was a physical weight pushing her down.
Kunou giggled, though she felt a little bad for Mavis-chan.
But Tanya-chan was amazing as always! Without even being asked, she raised a hand, her blue eyes narrowing in concentration. A soft, cool breeze suddenly swirled around them, lowering the temperature in their immediate vicinity by at least ten degrees.
"Cooling magic," Tanya stated simply, adjusting the strap of her large rifle on her shoulder. "Heatstroke is inefficient. We cannot have you all collapsing before we've even begun reconnaissance."
"Oh, thank the stars," Mavis sighed, her shoulders relaxing as the magical air conditioning hit her.
Princess Myrcella let out a long, grateful breath, fanning herself with one hand. She was wearing a beautiful, intricate dress made of heavy fabric—completely unsuited for desert exploration. "Thank you, Tanya," Myrcella said politely, curtsying slightly despite the sand. "I was worried I might faint."
Kunou tilted her head, studying Myrcella's outfit. "Myrcella-chan, why do you always wear fancy dresses?" she asked, poking the layers of silk and lace. "It's super hot! You should wear shorts like me! Or maybe combat pants like Tanya-chan!"
Myrcella blushed, smoothing her skirt. "A lady must always be presentable, Kunou," she said, though she looked a little wistful.
"Boring!" Kunou declared, sticking her tongue out.
She turned her attention back to their surroundings. The heavy wooden door to the Fox Hole hovered strangely in the middle of the desert behind them.
In front of them, a tall chain-link fence stretched out, marked with ominous signs.
Kunou squinted at one. "'KEEP OUT. US GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED.'" She sounded out the words carefully. "Government property? Are we in America? Nii-chan said America has lots of places that serve pizza and burgers! Except all the food is full of artificial chemicals and preservatives and can't technically be classified as actual food…"
"If this is a government facility, we should exercise caution," Tanya warned, her gaze sharp as she scanned the perimeter. "Trespassing on military grounds is generally frowned upon by those governments."
"It doesn't matter!" Kunou shouted, pointing triumphantly at a section of the fence a few yards away. "Look! Someone already made a door for us! That means it should be fine!"
A hole had been cut through the chain-link, the wire curled back to create an opening just big enough for a person to slip through.
Before anyone could stop her, she dove through the opening, twisting her body in mid-air to ensure her nine fluffy tails didn't snag on the sharp wire. Her mother, Yasaka, would be absolutely furious if she came home with scuffed fur or torn clothes again. Kunou landed lightly on the balls of her feet on the other side.
"Kunou!" Tanya called out, her voice exasperated. "Slow down! We need to assess the threat level of the locals first before we proceed!"
"No time for that boring stuff! Big Sister Ranni wouldn't send us somewhere too dangerous!" Kunou yelled back, already sprinting across the sand toward a cluster of temporary buildings and tents in the distance. "I smell adventure! It smells like... like ozone and magic!"
As she got closer to the center of the crater, she spotted people. Two men.
One of them was wearing a sharp black suit and sunglasses, looking exactly like the cool spies from the foreign movies she sometimes watches. He had a receding hairline and a very serious expression. The other man was dressed in tactical gear and was holding a very fancy-looking compound bow.
Kunou slowed down, engaging her stealth mode. She crept up behind them, her footsteps silent on the sand, her breathing shallow. They were talking in low voices, looking down into the pit.
"Keep the perimeter secure, Barton," the suit guy said. "We don't want any more civilians getting too close, especially after that big blonde guy beat up half of our security forces."
"Hi there!" Kunou shouted, popping up right between them. "Are you a spy? Are you James Bond?"
Both men jumped. The suit guy spun around, his hand instinctively going to his jacket as if reaching for a weapon, but he froze when he saw her. The bow guy whirled, an arrow nocked and half-drawn before he realized he was aiming at a small child with animal ears. They stared at her. Then, their eyes drifted to the nine golden tails swishing happily behind her.
"What the..." the bow guy muttered, lowering his weapon. "Coulson, am I hallucinating from the heat, or is that a kid with tails?"
"Are those tails real?" Coulson asked, his voice calm but his eyebrows raised high above his sunglasses.
"Yes they are!" Kunou declared proudly, puffing out her chest. She gave her tails a wiggle, making them fluff up even more. "And they are very soft and fluffy! But you aren't allowed to touch them because Mama said men I don't know shouldn't do that! It's improper!"
The bow guy snorted, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I wasn't gonna touch them, kid. Promise."
Coulson crouched down, bringing himself to eye level with her. He took off his sunglasses, revealing kind but sharp eyes. "Alright then. I won't touch them. But can you tell me what you're doing here? This is a restricted area."
Just then, the sound of running footsteps announced the arrival of the rest of the party. Tanya, Mavis, and Myrcella skidded to a halt behind Kunou, breathing heavily.
"Kunou!" Tanya huffed, looking annoyed. She adjusted her grip on her rifle, her eyes scanning the two agents warily. "I know I've told you this like a hundred times, but please stop running off so fast! You make my job so much harder!"
Mavis was bent over, hands on her knees, wheezing. "Too... much... running..." she gasped. "My legs... they are not used to this… My body was asleep for a very long time…"
Myrcella looked pale but composed, dabbing a handkerchief to her forehead. "Perhaps... a slower pace next time, Kunou? It is undignified for noble women to run so fast…"
Kunou giggled. "You guys are too slow! Adventure waits for no one!" She turned back to the spy man. "See? My friends are here now! We're exploring!"
Coulson looked from Kunou to the new arrivals. His gaze lingered on Tanya for a long moment, specifically on the large, very real-looking assault rifle slung over her shoulder. "Hello... little girls?" Coulson said slowly, his voice carefully neutral. "How did you all get in here? The perimeter is supposed to be secure."
"There's a hole in the fence!" Kunou explained helpfully, pointing back the way they came. "We walked right through it! You should probably fix that if you want to keep secrets."
The bow guy—Barton—let out a loud laugh. "She's got you there, Phil. Security's looking a little swiss cheese today."
Coulson sighed, rubbing his temple. "I'll have a talk with the perimeter team." He looked back at the group, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Okay then... let's start over…" He then paused. He pointed a finger at Tanya. "...is that little girl holding an AR-15?"
Tanya stepped forward, snapping to attention. "I know how to use it. You do not need to worry about negligent discharges. My trigger discipline is impeccable!"
Yeah! Tanya-chan was the best!
For some reason, that seemed to do the opposite of reassuring him. Coulson looked significantly more worried. "Right," he said slowly. "Of course you are..."
Kunou hopped up and down. "My name is Kunou! I'm a kitsune! Hey, are we in America? You never answered if you were a spy! Is there adventure nearby? I can sense it! My nose is tingling!"
"I do sense a source of tremendous magical power nearby," Mavis piped up. Her green eyes were glowing faintly. She pointed a small finger toward the large plastic tents set up nearby. "Something powerful is being held there. It feels... ancient. Divine."
Coulson's head snapped toward Mavis. The casual demeanor vanished instantly. "You can sense WHAT!?"
"Magic!" Mavis said simply. "A lot of it. It feels like lightning magic."
Kunou gasped. "Lightning!?" She spun around and stared at the tent. "Is it a lost treasure from uncle Sunanoo?"
"Wait, hold on," Coulson said, standing up and holding out a hand. "You need to stay back. That area is—"
"ADVENTURE!" Kunou screamed. She didn't wait for permission. She pushed off the ground with a burst of speed that kicked sand into the air. She laughed as the wind rushed through her ears. She tore through the plastic flaps of the containment tent, skidding to a halt inside.
Resting in the center of a crater of rock, was a hammer. It looked heavy, made of gray metal, with a short handle wrapped in leather. It hummed with a low, thrumming energy that made the fur on Kunou's tails stand straight up.
"Ooh," Kunou whispered, her eyes wide. "A magic hammer!"
"Hey! Little girl! Step away from the object!" A man in a bulky yellow hazmat suit scrambled toward her, waving his gloved hands frantically.
He looked like a giant, clumsy banana.
"No thanks!" Kunou chirped.
She skipped right past a bank of computer monitors, her kimono sleeves fluttering, and hopped down into the small crater. The hammer was right there, waiting for her. It felt... lonely. It felt like it was waiting for someone fun to come along and play with it.
"I can play with you!" Kunou declared happily. She reached out with both hands. Her small fingers wrapped around the leather-bound handle.
The moment her skin touched the weapon, a shockwave of warmth rushed up her arms. It wasn't painful, it felt like sticking her hand into a warm bath, or hugging her Mama, Yasaka.
The intricate knotwork designs on the hammer's metal head suddenly flared to life, glowing with a brilliant, pulsing blue light that cast long, dancing shadows against the tent walls.
"Whoa..." the hazmat scientist gasped, skidding to a halt at the edge of the pit. "The energy readings... they're off the charts!"
"Prepare for extraction!" another scientist yelled, fumbling with a radio. "We have a containment breach! The artifact is active!"
Kunou ignored the boring adults. She planted her feet firmly, braced her legs, and prepared to heave with all her might. She expected it to be heavy since it was lodged in stone!
She pulled hard!
Pop.
There was no resistance! It didn't even weigh as much as her schoolbag. The hammer slid free from the rock as easily as a spoon coming out of pudding. Kunou stumbled back a step, surprised by the lack of weight, before catching her balance.
She held the hammer aloft, her grin stretching from ear to ear. The metal hummed in her grip, vibrating against her palms like a purring cat.
"The treasure has been claimed as mine!" she announced, her voice echoing with a strange, harmonic resonance that definitely wasn't there before.
"Eh?" The scientist in the hazmat suit lowered his radio, staring at her through his plastic visor. "Was... was she supposed to do that? Nobody has been able to move that thing for days. Not even the truck could pull it."
"I don't know, man," another scientist stammered, backing away as the blue glow intensified. "I'm just as confused as you are. Is she... is she a mutant?"
The air inside the tent suddenly grew heavy. The smell of ozone spiked, becoming sharp and electric. The hair on Kunou's arms stood up.
BA-DOOM!
The sky tore open above them!
A massive, blinding column of lightning smashed through the roof of the tent, vaporizing the plastic and metal supports in a shower of sparks. The scientists screamed and dived for cover, shielding their eyes.
Kunou laughed as the white-hot energy slammed into her. It didn't burn. It tickled! The lightning washed over her, spiraling down the shaft of the hammer and enveloping her small body in a cocoon of crackling electricity.
"So sparkly!" Kunou squealed.
She looked down at herself as the magic took hold. Her beautiful kimono, the one her mother had dressed her in, began to dissolve into ribbons of light. For a second, she was wrapped only in the lightning, but then the light solidified.
Metal plates formed over her chest and shoulders—shiny, silver discs that looked like fish scales but felt as hard as diamond. A dark tunic materialized beneath the armor. Heavy, cool metal bracers snapped around her wrists, and sturdy boots replaced her sandals.
Finally, with a dramatic fwoosh, a magnificent crimson cape unfurled from her shoulders, snapping in the wind generated by the storm she was standing in.
The lightning faded, leaving Kunou hovering a few feet off the ground. Small arcs of electricity danced between her nine tails, which were now fluffier and shinier than ever before. She felt super powerful right now!
"I'm a superhero!" Kunou cheered, doing a little spin in the air to let the cape flutter. She looked down at the scientists, who were cowering behind an overturned table. "Bye-bye, banana men!"
Kunou gripped the hammer—her hammer—and threw her hand forward. The weapon yanked her through the air, pulling her straight out the hole in the tent roof. She soared into the blue sky, the desert wind whipping through her hair. Flight was so much easier now! She didn't even have to use her foxfire to stay aloft.
She scanned the ground below. She saw the hole in the fence she'd made earlier, and a group of figures running across the sand. It was her friends!
Tanya, Mavis, and Myrcella were sprinting toward the tent, followed closely by the nice spy man, Coulson, and the bow man, Barton. They looked worried.
"I'm coming!" Kunou shouted.
She tucked her knees and dove, banking sharply. She landed right in front of them, hitting the sand with a heavy thud that kicked up a dust cloud. She stood up straight, striking a heroic pose with the hammer held high and her new red cape billowing majestically behind her.
"Look what I found!" Kunou beamed, her golden eyes sparkling. "Isn't it cool!? I even got to go through a cool magical girl transformation just like on TV, and I got armor and a cape!"
The group skidded to a halt, staring at her in stunned silence.
Princess Myrcella brought her hands to her mouth. She smoothed the skirt of her own dress, looking at Kunou's shiny new armor. "Awe," Myrcella said. "You look like a knight from the stories, Kunou!"
Tanya walked a circle around Kunou, inspecting the craftsmanship of the armor.
"Hammers are lame," Tanya huffed, pretending she wasn't jealous while patting the stock of her gun. "They lack range and tactical flexibility. Guns and knives are superior for modern combat." She paused, reaching out to finger the fabric of Kunou's red cape. "Although... the cape and armor do look kind of cool. They appear to offer significant ballistic protection."
Kunou grinned. "Don't pretend you aren't jealous!"
"Kunou..." Mavis squeaked, pointing a trembling finger at the weapon. "How... how are you holding that? That is a Divine Construct! The magical density... it's astronomical! It's the weapon of a god! How are you holding it so easily!?"
Kunou blinked, looking at the hammer. She tossed it lightly into the air and caught it by the handle. It felt as light as a feather. "I don't know," Kunou said with a casual shrug. "I just picked it up? It wanted me to hold it. It's friendly!" She turned toward the two agents. Agent Coulson had stopped a few feet away, his mouth slightly open, his sunglasses sliding down his nose. The bow guy, Barton, was grinning, looking back and forth between Kunou and the ruined tent behind her. "Finders keepers, by the way!" Kunou chirped happily at them. "I claimed it!"
Coulson rubbed his temples, looking like he had a sudden migraine. "It... it doesn't really work like that, kid," he muttered, reaching for his radio. "You can't just claim classified extraterrestrial artifacts because you picked them up."
"I just did!" Kunou argued, hugging the hammer to her chest. It was her friend now too and it gave her awesome super powers and she was keeping it!
Coulson just sighed, like how a lot of grownup did around her for some reason.
"I have a lot of questions for you four girls…"
– Haru –
Magnolia was beautiful in the late afternoon. For Cortana next to me, this was sensory overload in the best possible way. "It's so... vibrant," she murmured, her voice filled with a sense of wonder that made my chest tighten with affection.
We were walking slowly along the edge of the canal, her arm looped tightly through mine. She wasn't just holding me—she was clinging to me, her body pressed flush against my side with a deliberate closeness.
Her hand slid down my forearm, her fingers interlacing with mine.
"In the systems... on the Pillar of Autumn or in the Chief's armor... data was just data," she explained softly, leaning her head against my shoulder as we walked. "I could process it. I could analyze it. But I couldn't feel it. I knew the temperature of a star, but I didn't know what warmth felt like." She rubbed her cheek against my bicep, letting out a contented hum. "Touching and feeling—This is... better. Infinitely better."
I chuckled, squeezing her hand back. "I'm glad you like it. Though, I have to say, having the smartest AI in the universe turned into a clingy spirit girl is a pretty nice perk for me, too."
Cortana laughed, the sound bright and musical. "Oh, you haven't seen clingy yet," she teased, her voice dropping an octave into that sultry, playful tone she was quickly mastering. "I have a lot of lost time to make up for. I plan on touching everything!" To prove her point, she released my hand only to slide her arm around my waist, her hand slipping into the back pocket of my pants. She gave my ass a firm, possessive squeeze, her nails digging slightly through the fabric.
My tails twitched involuntarily behind me, reacting to the sudden jolt of arousal. "Bold," I murmured, smirking at her.
"Curious," she corrected, grinning up at me. "I'm gathering data on muscle density and gluteal firmness. It's very scientific."
"Is that so?"
"Absolutely. And the preliminary results are... highly favorable."
We stopped at a small street vendor selling magical ice cream. The vendor, a cheerful old wizard with a pointy hat, scooped generous portions of 'Sky-Blue Vanilla'—which apparently changed flavor as you ate it—into two waffle cones.
I paid him and handed a cone to Cortana. She stared at it with the intensity of a scientist examining a new element.
"It's cold," she noted, bringing it close to her face.
"Give it a try," I encouraged, taking a lick of my own.
Cortana extended her tongue—a soft, blue muscle that looked incredibly exotic—and took a tentative lick. Her eyes widened instantly. A shiver rippled through her entire body, visible as a wave of light pulsing through the digital markings on her skin. "Oh!" she gasped, pulling back. "That... that is intense. It's sweet, but cold, and then creamy..." She took another lick, deeper this time, swirling her tongue around the scoop. A drop of melting cream landed on her thumb.
Without missing a beat, she brought her thumb to her mouth. She wrapped her lips around the digit, sucking the ice cream off with a slow, deliberate suction that made my breath hitch in my throat. Her eyes locked onto mine as she pulled her thumb out with a wet pop.
"Delicious," she whispered.
I groaned internally. She knew exactly what she was doing. She was learning fast.
Cortana giggled, leaning into me again as we resumed our walk. "It's fun sensing your heart rate spike on my internal sensors. You run hot, Haru. It's very attractive."
We found a bench overlooking the water and sat down to finish our treats. Cortana sat close enough that our thighs were pressed together from hip to knee. She ate her ice cream with an enthusiasm that was adorable, occasionally making small noises of delight that drew looks from passersby—though most of the looks were directed at her striking blue skin and the fact that she was arguably the most beautiful woman in the city.
I was just finishing the last of my own cone when I felt a familiar shift in the magical atmosphere. A small rift in space opened directly in front of my face.
Cortana stiffened, her hand instinctively going to my arm. "Haru? Is that... a wormhole?"
"It's mail," I said, recognizing the signature instantly. "From Ranni."
A rolled-up scroll of parchment floated out of the rift, tied with a dark blue ribbon. It hovered in the air for a moment before dropping into my waiting hand. The rift closed as silently as it had opened.
"Ranni?" Cortana asked, peering over my shoulder. "The Moon Goddess?"
"Yeah," I said, untying the ribbon. "She usually only sends messages if it's important. Or if she's watching us and wants to tease me."
"Oh? Are you sure she's just not jealous you're on a date with another beautiful blue woman?" Cortana said with a small giggle next to me.
I just grinned back at her, but doubted that was it. I unrolled the parchment to see what she wanted to tell me…
"My Dear Consort Eternal,
I thought it prudent to inform thee of thy sister's current... escapades. She requested an adventure, and I, in my benevolence, sent her to a realm rich in potential.
I may have slightly underestimated thy sister's penchant ability to attract chaos…
XXX