Magic Mayhem

"Mama!"

A young voice, small and scared. Hiccups and sobs as she traveled through the dark of the trees and the night, whipping her eyes.

"Azurtis! Where are you!?" She cried and suddenly fell as her foot got caught in a hole. "I can't be alone....I'm scared of the dark." She cried and buried her face in her arms and cried.

"Hello?" Came a man's voice piercing through the darkness as a small dimly glow could be seen slowly approaching through the rows of trees and branches "I could have sworn I heard a child's voice crying in this directiom"he said as he came to a stop holding out his arm as a raven landed on it "Take to the skies Raijin, tell me what you can see"he said as the bird obediently flew off before finding a spot and slowly circling overhead as the dark haired man with the eyepatch over one eye walked towards a small clearing in the trees "Little one, don't be afraid"he called out into the night "My name is Kenji, I'm one of the 10 Wizard Saints of Fiore...are you alright, do you need help?"


"Tyberius....Ty this isnt funny anymore old man where'd you go?"a young boy asked as he scaled the side of a cliff jumping from rock to rock till he reached the top looking around "He...didnt say he was going anywhere....and he hasnt been back in a long time...I hope something didnt happen to him whatever he's doing...but he's a dragon..what could possinly hurt a Lightning Dragon...besides a dragon slayer like me!" He grinned proudly patting his chest before letting out a loud yell which echoed across the mountain "TYBERIUS!!!!!"

The little girl gasped and looked up at him after sitting up quickly, dort and tears smearing her face. "Az....Azurtis.....she's missing." She said with a soft sob. "She...hasn't come back yet....and I...I can't be alone.....I'm scared of the dark."

"Hello? Someone there?" A woman's voice called out. A woman in a red cloak walked out from a grouping of foliage. A basket on one of her arms filled with wild herbs, flowers and various plants. "Oh...boy are alright? What are doing out here by yourself? It's dark and dangerous out here."

"Aww you poor thing. You shouldn't be out here all alone...this Azurtis...she wouldn't happen to have bern a dragon would she?"he asked "That's actually the reason I'm here. Reports are indicating that the dragons all seemed to suddenly vanish"he said pulling out a cloth and wiping her face "Say...if you dont wanna be alone, how about you come with me until your friend comes back hm? We could get you some new clothes and a nice hot bathe and food to match"he said with a smile holding out his hand

The boy stopped as he heard her as he jumped dowm beside her chest puffed out "I'm waiting for Papa Ty...but he hasn't been home in days...what are YOU doing here by yourself, it's dark and dangerous out here" je said copying her as he sat dowj in front of her then letting out a sad sigh "I dont think he is gonna come back..."he said saddly

"Vanished?" She said and was suddenly worried for her mother. She sniffled and listened to his kind words and offer before she wiped at a stray tear and looked at his hand before nodding and took it. "My....my name is Layla. Layla Luna." She said and held his hand tightly like a life line.

"Well I am older then you and these plants so much better harvesting at night time." She said, though she really didn't need to explain why. But her Job was to find the ingredients and brew up some positions and salves for a client.
Her heart sank though for the young boy and stepped up to him. "If your papa is gone...you can come stay with me....till he comes back." She reached up and put a hand on his head to comfort him. "I'm sure he misses you very much and won't be gone long.....till then you can stay with me....you'll have a soft bed, plenty of warm food and fresh clothes. How does that sound?" She gave him her best smile in hopes that it would make him say yes....she didn't have the heart to leave him there by himself.

Kenji smiled "it's nice to meet you Layla Luna"he geinned as he held her hand as they walked "Let's get put of here"he told her as they soon were headed out the forest and on the parh home "So you guys live out here in the forest huh? That must be tons of fun"

The boy looked over her defiantly...before his stomach let out a huge growl and he blushed "Warm food huh...uhhh okay I can go for a while..but I dont want Ty to think I'm gone too!"he said "Oh yeah...I'm Akihiko..who are you?"

"Yeah...Azurtis is an earth dragon....she taught me a lot about the forest and earth and animals." She said. "You...um..you said she vanished....where would she have gone...she wouldn't just leave..."

"Nice to meet you Akihiko. I'm Calista." She said and smiled. "Come in, I'll take you to my place....i have the makings a great stew at home." Calista said and ruffled Ahikios hair before taking her hand off his head and nodded toward the path.

"I'm not to sure young one. There have been reports of dragons vanishing all over Fiore. The magic council asked me to carry out an investigation to see if these claims are true and so far they seem to be. All the dragons seemed to have gone away together at the same exact time."Kenji said as they walked "My guild actually isn't too far away from here, we will go back there and get you all cleaned up, I'm sure our guild is gonna love this, my father the current Guildmaster will to"

"Call me Aki"the young white haired boy said with a smile as he nodded "Okay! Lead the way pretty pink haired lady"he said as they walked together

"What's a guild?" She asked as she walked along side of him. "Azurtis taught me a lot about magic and the forest...even how to read and right but not much about anything else really." She said and brushed her red hair from her face.

"Well aren't you charming." She said and smiled. "So....how lon have you been here by yourself? You said he was gone for days..."

"That's wonderful! I'm glad your Azurtis is such a good parent to you. A guild is a place where wizards from all over the kingdom can come together under one roof to come together and work for a better life. Guilds offer wizard's job, so they can earn berries and make a living. My guild, Raven's Forest, was started by my father, but he's very sick and soon to leave this world, which means I'm going to have to follow in his footsteps as Guildmaster" Kenji said as he nervously poked two fingers together "He says I'm a lot stronger than he was when he was my age, but it still makes me a bit nervous to think about leading the guild."he commented

"Uhhhhh......this is the third time the moon has come up since he left so....two days maybe? It's hard to tell time out here."Aki said as he walked beside her his hands on his head "You seem like a nice person...are you always this nice to strange kids you meet in the dark?"

"Oh...I'm sorry....Azurtis once told me not to think of death as someone or something leaving you forever. They are always with you in your heart. You see them more in everything you put your heart into and truly belive in." She said and looked up to him with a small smile. "And since you have been so nice to me though we just met.....I think you are going to be a great master."

"Well because once, a long time ago, I was the strang child lost in the dark." Calista had a find smile on her face as she thought back to the days of her childhood. "I had lost my parents to sickness....my uncle and his wife came and were suppose to take care of me.....but they too over my home, took my parents money and cast me out onto the street. I wandered for days, starving, cold. Then one day on a night much like this my guild master found me rummaging through the trash for something to eat....he took me in. Gave me a place to sleep and food to eat and expected nothing in return."

"Wow....your dragon...and you..are both very wise"Kenji said as he smiled down at the girl "And thank you for your nice words of encouragement, you'll make a fine wizard yourself, who knows maybe you'll end up joining us permanently here at the guild"he said as they came to the edge where the forest met civilization "See that building with the flag of the Raven carrying the Rose in its beak? That's the symbol for our guild."he told her "Well come on Layla, let's get you bathed, clothed and fed hm?"he smiled still holding her hand as he took her down and towards the front gate of the guild

"Your guild seems like a nice one. Tyberius told me that there are three kinds of guilds, regular guilds, with no extraordinary wizards, dark guilds, with powerful evil wizards, and THE guilds, the ones that are known to have powerful wizards and help tons of people all over, Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth and so many other strong guilds. Which one are you from?"Aki asked curiously as they walked along

"I'm scared..." She said nervously. She had dropped her eyes to her feet and she played at the him of her dirty dress. "I've never really been outside the forest." She explained. But seeing the lights made her feel a bit better as well as not being alone. "It's bright...." She said softly

"Ravens Forest I think is a great guild. We are not as big as Fairytail or Blue Pegasus, but we hold our own and make it a point to help all those in need." Calista said as the lights of the situ began to wrap around them. "That's our guild there with the banner of a Raven holding a rose in its beak."

"We are the light of the night"Kenji said with a smile as they headed down into the village and soon came to the Guild doors as he pushed them open with a smile "Hey everyone! I didn't find the dragons, but I found a special guest"he smiled "Everyone meet Layla Luna"he said motioning down towards her

The guild hall was alive with laughter and chatter as drinks flowed and food was served across the tables as everyone turned towards Kenji before rushing up quickly "OMG she's so cute!" "She needs some food she's so tiny!" "I have so many clothes she can have from when my daughter was a baby" among others as everyone fawned over her

"Welcome"came a voice from the back of the guild as a tall man with dark black and gold robes stood huffing on a pipe as the guild's attention turned once more "Master Craven! You shouldn't be out of bed!"they yelled as the man laughed "I had to see our new guest for my self, I can sense the magic on this one as soon as you entered the town. Dragon Slayer Magic is a very old form of magic, very powerful. Perhaps even more so than your Heavenly Body magic"he smiled at his son as he walked over

"Aww I've heard of Raven's Forest! You guys have the Guildmaster with the crazy all seeing eye thing right!?"Akihiko asked excitedly "You know that guy? He raised you? That's super cool! I wanna see your guild now! Can we get there faster?"he asked as his body began to crackle with electricity before he suddenly vanished zipping forward in a flash of light reappearing a few yards away

Layla moved behind Kenji and held onto his back. "He...hello." She said and buried her face partially into his clothes.
"Wait! Your telling me that this cute little thing is a dragon slayer?"
"Ea..earth dragon. Azurtis taught me." She said softly.

Calista chuckled and jogged after him. 'If he's this excited, wait till I tell him I'm with his son.' She thought to herself. They made it to the guild where the doors were still wide open and the the guild was alive with activity. "Kenji....your back!" Calista called and hurried up to him but stopped. "...and you have a small friend.

Kenji smiled at her "Cali! It's you're also back.....and with a small friend..."he said as he blinked looking down at the small white haired boy "I thought you were just going to pick some herbs from the cliffs?"he laughed kneeling down next to the boy "And what might your name be my young friend?"

"Akihiko"the boy said proudly puffing his chest out "Akihiko the Shining Prince! That's what Tyberius calls me."he said happily then frowned "But I haven't seen Ty in days..." he said as he looked down at the ground

"Ahh Tyberius must be your dragon as well my young friend" Master Craven said as he walked up to the group "How blessed I am to leave my guild with such a bright future, two dragon slayers."he smiled "TWO!?" the rest of the guild jeered in shock and disbelief though Craven continued "Layla, Akihiko, I would like for the two of you to become the best of friends, and train one another hard until your dragons return for you"he smiled "Even my all seeing eye does not know where they went, but their energy is very much alive in the world, they will return eventually."

"Oh what a little sweetie." Calista said and smiled and knelt down to meet Layla. The little girl looked down shyly and played with her hair while looking away. "Your have very pretty hair..."
Calista said and smiled. "I wish I had your color."
Layla looked up and shook her head. "No....no! You have very pretty hair...." She said and gave a small smile in return.
"Awe...thank you. My name is Calista."
"I'm Layla." She said.
"Nice to meet you." Calista stood and looked to the master as he spoke to the children and she moved to stand beside Kenji while Aki and and Layla looked between the master and eachother.

"I found him on the cliffs." She said softly to Kenji

"Really? Then it really is true, all the dragons have gone missing..."Kenji said softly tapping his chin "I'll have to write up my report and take it to the Magic Council. I can't believe they are offering 2 million berries for investigation on the strange phenomena that have been going on. And now we know it's because the dragons left...what are we going to do with 2 million berries?"he smiled "You know, after we pay for the wedding and stuff."

"Hey"Akihiko said smiling as he nodded his head at Layla "So you had a dragon too huh? Did your dragon teach you all kinds of cool magic too?"he asked her curiously

"Wedding?"Master Craven asked looking up from the two children "Don't tell me you two are..." "We wanted to surprise you...with your sickness and all, we wanted you to at least be there for the wedding..I know we're only 17 right now but our feelings aren't going to be changing anytime soon."Kenji smiled

"We had also hoped that you....would...walk me down the aisle." Calista said as she held Kenjis hand.

"Yeah....Azurtis....she is an earth dragon. I know all kinds of spells. Do d your dragon teach you a lot too?"

Craven smiled at the two of them "There could be no greater honor."he said with a smile "Today must be my absolute lucky day. I knew there was a reason I wanted to get out of bed."he said softly "But for now, I need to go back, I'm very tired...Kenji, before you go to bed tonight, I need you to come see me."he said as his son nodded "Yes sir" he said watching his father leave

"Yeah he was this HUGE lightning dragon...Earth hm....so you're my opposite....fight me!"Aki said "I want to see how strong I am against my opposite"he said "You did learn how to fight too right?"

"Azurtis said fighting should be the last resort. That what I was taught I should not use to prove how strong I am or for personal gain." She said.

"Let me bring you something to make you comfortable after we get you settled." She said as the master was helped back to his bed. She looked to the guild members. "Alright, our two new little ones need bathed, fresh clothes and food. Some of you have kids, if you could collect some of their clothes that they don't wear anymore. Maybe some other basics. Brushes, blankets, things like that. Also some food, there should be some stew in back."

"Azurtis said fighting should be the last resort. That what I was taught I should not use to prove how strong I am or for personal gain." She said.

"Let me bring you something to make you comfortable after we get you settled." She said as the master was helped back to his bed. She looked to the guild members. "Alright, our two new little ones need bathed, fresh clothes and food. Some of you have kids, if you could collect some of their clothes that they don't wear anymore. Maybe some other basics. Brushes, blankets, things like that. Also some food, there should be some stew in back."

"Ty told me the same thing..."Aki said "But he also said training isnt fighting, it's learning discipline. So in that case you can train with me and it's like a practice fight"he grinned

It didnt take long for the guild members to scatter and return with piles and piles of items as Kenji sweatdropped slightly "Was not expecting this at all...but Master to bed, I'll start with the kids and you can come join me"he said taking each of their hands "Tomorrow you both can start training, for now it's bathtimw, come on"he smiled leading them off to go bathe in the back

"I'll get some beds made up and some food ready." Calista said and kissed his cheek before Kenji lead off the two children.
"Maybe....he will agree to a house....made for four?" She thought out loud as the three walked away together

Kenji paused as he looked back towards her retreating form *What did she just...*he thought before shaking his head as he lead the kids to the bathhouse "Alright, everyome strip dowm so we can get you clean"he said as he rolled up his sleeves before playfully grabbing the kids and tossing them into the warm water

Craven chuckled softly as he was laid down "I knew this day would eventually come from the moment you two laid eyes on each other all those years ago. I cannot believe it's been 10 years already"he said with a small cough