"Legally Illegal"
Kara left her house with determination, leaving behind even the chaotic members of Fairy Tail who had settled in her living room without permission. There was something more important than any mess they could cause: she needed to find Erza.
As she walked through the island, a salty breeze brushed her face. The destruction had been so intense that now, from the area where the vice admirals' houses stood, there was a clear view of the sea. There, standing silently, Erza's silhouette was outlined against the horizon. Kara recognized her instantly.
"Maybe my house is worth more now, don't you think?" she said with a soft smile, calmly approaching from behind.
Erza turned her head slightly to glance at her, keeping her eyes on the ocean. They reflected a storm barely held at bay.
"I spoke with the swordswoman," she said suddenly, her voice firm. "She told me you joined the Marines at fourteen. That since then, you've kept rising through the ranks, facing danger again and again, coming back with your body in pieces... You trained with the best, just to become stronger."
Kara said nothing, but her smile didn't fade. Erza lowered her gaze, staring at her own feet as if unsure where to place her guilt.
"I wasn't there to support you. Like we used to in Fairy Tail..." she added in a murmur, filled with regret.
"It's okay," Kara replied, raising her arms with a wide, proud smile. "I'm super strong now! I could totally kick my dad's butt if I wanted to!"
That pulled a small laugh from Erza, but her expression quickly turned somber.
"Do you remember when we met?" she asked suddenly, locking eyes with Kara.
"Of course," Kara answered without hesitation. "You challenged me to a duel out of nowhere, and I... realized I liked women. Thanks to you… and your future self," she added with a playful grin.
Erza blushed immediately.
"Ahem… I meant your personality," she said, looking away. "At first, you were so serious... it felt like there was a wall between you and the guild. But over time, you became more cheerful, more radiant. You connected with everyone."
"Back then... all I cared about was my sister and my mother," Kara said sincerely. "I couldn't see beyond that. It took me a while to accept the others as family."
Erza nodded with a faint smile, but her eyes soon clouded over again.
"Then… why does your happiness"your explosive smile"feel like it did in those early days?"
Kara lowered her arms. Her smile faded into something calmer, more genuine.
"Still reading me like a book, huh?" she said, walking over to stand beside her, gazing at the sea as well.
The sound of the waves was the only thing that could be heard for a few seconds, until Kara spoke again, her voice low and filled with emotion.
"The first time I arrived here… I was just a baby. Inside, I felt a chaos I couldn't describe. Over time, I thought I'd never see you again. I wanted to cling to something, to someone, just like I used to in Fairy Tail. I thought that if I opened up more, if I acted cheerful, I could connect with people faster… and maybe, just maybe, it would hurt less if you never came for me."
Erza pressed her lips together but didn't interrupt.
"But it didn't work," Kara went on. "Every night before sleeping, I'd think about all of you… and it would break my heart. So I forced myself to be happy, so I wouldn't fall apart the next day."
She turned to Erza with a warm, genuine smile.
"Don't worry, I'm not pretending anymore. Maybe I've picked up a bit of Grandpa Garp's personality… and my brother Luffy's too. Now that you're here… I'm okay. Thank you for finding me."
Erza hugged her tightly, and Kara hugged back instantly, holding her as if time had never separated them.
"Of course," Erza whispered, smiling too.
But then, she dropped an unexpected comment:
"By the way… it seems like your 'girlfriends' in this world were quite helpful, huh?"
Kara burst out laughing.
"Well, that was a nice bonus of landing in a new world!" she replied with a cheeky grin.
Erza gave her a light jab in the ribs.
"I don't even know why you're teasing me," Kara added, still laughing. "You were the one who had the most fun whenever we had 'extra guests' during our sleepovers."
"Shut up!" Erza snapped, blushing furiously.
"Hey, every Fairy Tail member is squatting in my house… but I'm sure Gion won't mind sharing her bed."
Before Erza could protest, Kara scooped her up bridal-style and carried her laughing toward the neighboring house.
"Kara!" Gion's voice rang out from inside. "Wait"!"
Nothing more was heard. The doors and windows slammed shut, ensuring not a single sound from inside could escape.
...…..
Kara, still young, walked through the doors of the Fairy Tail guild with a thick book under her arm. Just behind her was Cana, though that company lasted only a few seconds.
"See you, nerd! Time to drink and have some fun!" Cana shouted before running off to find her friends and her inseparable barrel " though since she was still young, it was one full of juice.
Kara sighed disinterestedly and walked steadily toward the bar, where Master Makarov was calmly drinking a mug of beer as big as his head.
"Ho, Kara!" Makarov greeted when he saw her. "Still studying as always, huh?"
"Yes," she replied calmly. "Master, may I ask you a question?"
"If it's about laws… I'm not the best person, but go ahead," said Makarov, already looking a little nervous.
"Is our guild illegal?" Kara asked with the same natural tone as if she were asking what was for lunch.
The master froze, mug halfway to his mouth.
"W-Why would you think that…?"
"Well…" Kara opened her book, which was full of sticky notes, highlights, and annotations with names of guild members. "Natsu went on his first mission a few days ago and destroyed four houses… all to catch a pet. Gray walks around naked in the streets and steals clothes from clotheslines. Mirajane and Erza, on a simple mission to chase away bandits, destroyed an entire town because of a silly rivalry between them. Macao and Wakaba keep harassing women wherever they go… Laxus picks fights with other guilds just to show off…"
She raised a finger for each offense, as if keeping count.
"Oh! And Dad destroyed half a mountain hunting a wyvern just to bring the meat to Mom because she was curious about how it tasted."
"THEY DID WHAT!?" Makarov shouted, visibly pale, as if twenty years had just been shaved off his life.
"I've been reading Fiore's penal code," Kara continued, unbothered. "And from what I understand, a lot of those things are illegal. So… is our guild illegal too?"
"Of course not! Absolutely not! Fairy Tail is… technically legal!" the master answered, cold sweat dripping down his face as he glanced at Kara's perfectly organized notes.
As if the universe decided to add insult to injury, a man in the uniform of the Magic Council appeared, wearing a stern expression and holding a folder that looked heavier than he was.
"Excuse me. Master Makarov Dreyar?"
"Uuuh… yes, that's me," the old man replied with a trembling voice.
"Here are the bills for collateral damage caused by your members, along with a summons to appear before the Council. Good day."
He dropped the giant folder on the bar and left with the efficiency of someone who had clearly done this many times before.
"If we're not an illegal guild, maybe becoming one would stop them from bothering us with all this paperwork," Kara said, flipping through the documents with a blank expression.
"Of course not! Fairy Tail is not an illegal guild!" Makarov shouted in desperation… though doubt was beginning to eat away at his soul.
Just then, Natsu and Gray made their usual entrance: an explosive, noisy fight that quickly dragged the rest of the guild into an all-out brawl. Plates, tables, barrels, and mages flew through the air.
"We're not illegal… right…?" Makarov muttered as he watched his guild turn into a war zone.
"Kara! Fight me!" Natsu shouted with a blazing smile before charging at her, fist on fire.
Kara turned around with a bored expression, grabbed him by the neck like a sack of bread, and slammed him into the floor so hard his head got stuck between the planks.
"Ha! What an idiot!" Gray mocked, completely naked, as usual.
Kara looked him up and down with a neutral gaze… until her eyes stopped a little lower. Then, she smiled with mischief.
"Tiny."
The blow hit harder than an explosion. Gray fell to his knees, an existential shadow covering his face.
"Seems like we are illegal," Kara concluded as everyone laughed at Gray and Makarov clutched his chest, on the verge of collapse.
Just then, Erza entered with a smile and a cart full of suitcases and souvenirs.
"Hi Kara! Still studying? I just got back from a mission."
Kara looked at her for a few seconds and then smiled softly.
"Well, I guess I don't mind being part of an illegal guild… if you're here."
And with that, she closed her book… at least for today.