"Tch, that fire bastard! When I get my hands on him!" Growling, Gajeel, who was sitting atop me, rose from the ground, prompting me to do the same now that I was no longer pinned. "Tsk, son of a bitch, can't even enter my own home anymore." Dusting myself off, I cracked my fingers while following Gajeel, who had practically flown into the guild to get his revenge.
"S-Sting! D-Did you see that! T-That was 'Blacksteel' Gajeel!" Like a fan-boy, Rogue grabbed Sting's shoulder, looking into the guild and staring at Gajeel with excitement clouding his gaze. "T-Then the one he's fighting must be Natsu 'The Salamander'! D-Do you think if we ask them, they'll give us an autograph!?" Matching his excitement, Sting glanced at Rogue, while bubbling with barely contained joy.
Seeing them seconds away from exploding into joy, I put Gajeel and Natsu's beating on hold and knocked their heads, causing them to wince. "Lest you want to end up knocked unconscious, avoid those two idiots for now; they're not ones to care about their surroundings… Follow me and stay close."
As I entered the guild, the six of them following me, I approached the bar, where Macao, Wakaba, Mira, Elfman, and, of course, Cana, were present. "I see you've got a little train with you, Cooper; you kidnap them from a day-care?" Rolling my eyes, I slapped Macao's back. "Why the hell would I do that?" "Ah, my back, get a softer touch, you beast." Ignoring Macao groaning at his back while Wakaba laughed, I had the six of them sit down at the bar.
"Huh, b-big hic bro? Why are you hic here?" Cana, clearly drunk, slurred her words as she looked at me, prompting me to drink the remaining alcohol from her cup before glancing at Mira. "Don't give her anymore." "Didn't plan on it." Nodding, I gently pushed Cana, ignoring her as she was barely forming a coherent sentence. "Anyway, where is, Gramps? In his office?" "Yes." "Alright. You guys watch them while I get Gramps."
As I turned around, Elfman promptly complained. "But it's not manly to watch kids, big bro!" "Hey, I'm not a kid! I'm nearly an adult!" Orga quickly fired back at Elfman, who snorted. "Huh? Nearly an adult and an adult aren't the same thing; as 17 years of age, come back to speak to me when you're 16." "Tch, I'm 15! You're only two years older than me! You punk!"
Slamming his fist onto the bar, Orga leaned into Elfman, who was about to match his fiery energy, but before he did, I knocked both of their heads. "Stop it, you brats; you're both kids to me, so shut up and stop bothering the real adults." "Heheh, that's really rich coming from the biggest kid of them all." Shooting Wakaba a glare, causing him to raise his arms in defense while smirking, I snorted and walked away, heading to Gramps' office.
Taking the stairs to the second floor, I passed the quest board and walked down the hallway before barging into Gramps' office, where he was sitting down reading an adult magazine. "Gah! Haa, i-it's you, Cooper, n-nearly had a heart attack; though it was Erza or Mira." Pressing a hand atop his heart, Gramps heaved a sigh of relief while tossing the magazine onto the desk.
"Playgirl magazine? Which volume is this?" "Volume 3, issue 22. The girls in there are quite something." Skimming through the magazine, nodding in satisfaction, with a few pages earning a raised eyebrow, Gramps got to the main topic. "So, I assume everything went smoothly?" "Yep. That Jiemma dude was a fucking weak bastard; just some loser who believed in the law of the jungle but never truly experienced it."
Scoffing in sheer disappointment, I set the magazine down and folded my arms, causing Gramps to flash a smirk. "Well, it was his misfortune for angering someone who has truly experienced the law of the jungle." "He only believed in it because he'd never encountered someone stronger than him… Anyway, enough about that waste of space. I've brought along some kids he'd probably kidnapped, and I need you to handle it."
Dismissively waving my hand, I briefly mentioned Minerva, Sting, Rogue, Orga, Rufus, and Dobengal, causing Gramps to raise an eyebrow before he stood up, walking from behind his desk. "Ho, well then, as the Guild Master, I ought to properly greet them." Following behind Gramps, we headed to the balcony of the second floor, allowing us overlook the guild hall.
During my short absence, Orga and Elfman ended up fighting; Sting and Rogue were ever so slowly inching closer to Natsu and Gajeel, who were locked in a contest of strength; Wendy was healing Minerva; Dobengal was nowhere to be seen; and Rufus was quietly sitting down, observing everything.
"Tch, damn brats; I got no fucking authority apparently." "Hahaha, now you know how I feel." Gloating at my annoyance, Gramps slapped my back while laughing, causing my face to twitch. "Tsk, annoying." With a grin, Gramps cleared his throat before shouting, trying to gather everyone's attention, but other than a few people, no one noticed him.
"Hehe, surely no other guild master has so little authority as you, Gramps." Glancing at Gramps with a triumphant smirk, his eye twitched violently before he promptly released his magic power, washing it through the guild.
Instantly, everyone, Natsu, Gajeel, Orga, Elfman, and even Dobengal, who had been concealing himself behind the bar, stopped what they were doing and looked up at Gramps and I. "You brats! Listen when I call you!" Using his magic, Gramps grew just his head and eyed everyone. "Um, if you have nothing to say, can we keep fighting?" "Tch, yeah, I was about cave his face in."
With Natsu and Gajeel pushing him over the edge, he expanded his arm and flicked the two of them into the walls. "Now that the annoyances are out… I'm Makarov Dreyr, The Guild Master…." Deactivating his magic, Gramps leaped onto the railing and cleared his throat before placing his fists on his hips; his charisma in full effect.
'Tsk, wish I were that charismatic.' Folding my arms, I clicked my tongue, envious of Gramps natural charisma.
"... Welcome to Fairy Tail!"
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A Few Days Later
After returning, the six children I'd taken with me from Sabertooth, under Gramps's insistence, stayed within the guild, using the resting rooms as their homes; he wanted them to get to know Fairy Tail before asking them to join, rather than just forcing it upon them, the same way he did with me.
However, it took them even less time than I to get accustomed to the way of Fairy Tail; the constant fighting and shouting didn't seem to frighten them in the slightest. As a matter of fact, they embraced it. Orga reminded me of a younger me when I'd recently joined Fairy Tail, picking fights with everyone; of course, he quickly learned who to fight and who to avoid, mainly Erza, Mirajane, Gramps, and me.
Yes. He tried to fight Gramps, a renowned Wizard Saint; well, I couldn't say anything since I'd try to fight Gildarts when I was younger.
Sting and Rogue also weren't scared of fighting, but they weren't as battle-hungry as Orga; Sting was a busybody, running around the guild with infinite energy, and Rogue was more introverted. Vijeeter seemed to have become a role model for Dobengal, given their similar fighting style; he'd even taken him under his wing somewhat, teaching him how to fight.
Rufus, unsurprisingly, practically became best friends with Levy, Laki, and Fried; the smartest among them getting along with the smartest of Fairy Tail, it was only natural. He also loved to discuss different types of magic with Gramps; the two had a rather deep conversation one wouldn't expect from a twelve-year-old.
As for Minerva, someone who had been abused most of her life, she was very accustomed to violence; at first, she found it unsettling, but eventually, with some guidance from Gramps, she came to understand the difference between the violence she was subjected to and the violence of Fairy Tail. If I'm not mistaken, Gramps had quoted it as "Violence of Love".
With Gramps' advice, she also started engaging in some little fights here and there; nothing serious like Orga's, she was merely growing used to Fairy Tail's violence. She also hit it off with Wendy.
"So, who wants to be stamped first?" With a grin, Gramps stood on the bar while glancing between Orga, Sting, Rogue, Dobengal, Rufus, and Minerva.
Now, all of us had surrounded them, forming a half-circle around the bar, watching the tradition every guild did when accepting new members.
"Me! Me! I want a big one on my back like Cooper!" Grinning, Orga stepped forward and removed his shirt before turning around, causing Gramps to smirk as he enlarged the stamp. "Done!"
After Orga, Sting was next, getting it on his right shoulder, while Rogue was on his left shoulder, the two copying Natsu and Gajeel, respectively. Rufus got it on his left peck, while Dobengal got it on his right thigh; unique spots if you asked me. As for Minerva, the final person… "Oh, oh, Miny, pick your right shoulder!" From the crowd, Wendy shouted at Minerva, calling her by a nickname she must've given her.
Per Wendy's request, Minerva selected the emblem to be placed on her right shoulder.
"Heh, now, welcome to Fairy Tail Officially!" Tossing the stamp into the air, Gramps shouted, causing all of us to do so as well, only for Natsu to suddenly punch Gray with a fiery fist. "Haha, guild fight!"