Firefall || Fairy Tail

10 : r e s t . a n d . p r e p a r a t i o n

"It shouldn't still exist." Kia's words were nearly inaudible, but for the sensitive ears of the Dragon Slayers it was clear.

Gajeel turned, "What shouldn't exist?"

Kia looked up, locking eyes with their Master. His brows raised as he read her expression. There were very few things or people that could cause the pink-haired girl to become this hostile.

Her words came out like a growl, "Those idiots are playing with things they don't understand."

The rings of fire began appearing and rippling faster and more violently. Master's eyes widened as he watched Kia's eyes shifting from their normal onyx color into a golden hue with dilated pupils.

"Verani!"

The blonde had already started the gestures for the spell even before her grandfather had called her name. Slamming her palm against Kia's chest, a glow erupted throughout the room. Everyone else was forced to shield their eyes. After blinking a few times, they found Verani placing a now unconscious Kia in a chair.

"What the hell was that?" Laxus asked, looking between the pair and his grandfather.

Master sighed, but it was Verani who answered, "The uncontained rage of a phoenix."

"I was afraid that might happen with how she's been feeling since we got here yesterday." Amber muttered.

"What do you mean?" Cana asked.

Finally turning back around, V replied, "She's been feeling off since we arrived in Crocus. When Amber checked her at lunch, she said that whatever it was showed similar symptoms to her time sickness."

"If what we know about the Eclipse Gate is true, it's nothing but a concentration of time magic." Mira said.

Juvia took a step forward, "But will she be alright?"

"Yeah," Amber nodded, "V just contained the fire and knocked her out. She needed the sleep anyway."

"That's good." Erza said, before turning back to their Master. "But we still need to figure out what we can do about Lucy. The Royal Army isn't known for acting rashly and taking citizens for no reason. If we knew what the real justification for her capture was... Perhaps we could use that to help her."

Natsu growled as he snapped the ropes that had been constraining him, "We all need to quit flapping our gums and do something!"

"Simmer down!" Makarov said firmly as his enlarged fist flattened the pyro into the floorboards. "A member of our family has been taken against her will. Believe me, we all want justice right now."

Though he was addressing the issues as it had first been presented to him, Makarov knew that he was going to need to have a conversation with Kia whenever she woke up. There was much more to the story for her transformation to forcefully start that way.

"That being said, we can't just charge headlong into conflict like we usually do. It's too risky. However," he looked up and locked eyes with those in the room, "We are not cowards and we will not let them get away with this. We are Fairy Tail."

||~x~||

After the excitement of the fourth day and Lucy's arrest, most of those involved with the Games slept until the late afternoon on rest day. Kia was no exception to this as she sat on the windowsill of the Mythics' hotel room. She assumed that the girls had gone out to get something to eat, but she welcomed the quiet.

She gripped the bottoms of her shorts as she closed her eyes, "I can't believe I almost lost control like that."

Things would have fallen apart if Verani hadn't reacted when she did. Seeing as no one was busting down their door for answers, she could assume that she hadn't completely broken her seal, but that didn't make it any less frightening. It wasn't time for anyone else to know that truth about her. Kia wasn't even sure if she was ready to face that part of her past again.