Rave Master Fan Fiction ❯ Upon a Shooting Star ❯ Chapter 9: A Trip to the Books ( Chapter 9 )

Author’s Corner:
SSD: Yay! I love when I’m actually on a roll for once. This chapter Cassiopeia comes back!Lucy: *sigh of relief* So glad you didn’t do anything too embarrassing to me this time.SSD: Chapter isn’t over yet. And dammit, Lucy! You will admit your feelings about Laxus one of these days, I’m the author, I’ll make it happen. Lucy: *deadpan* Yeah, not happening. The fanbase knows I like *blush* Gah! Never you mind!SSD: You saw the pairing list, and I said you’re with Laxus. Deal with it.Lucy: But…he’s such an ass right now!SSD: Yes, he does have a nice ass, especially in leather.Lucy *crimson* …I am cutting off this discussion here. Silverserpentdragon does not own Fairy Tail, any theft of her characters will be punished.USSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSSUSS

Chapter 9: A Visit to the Books

Laxus blinked as he walked back into the guild after being away on his mission the past two weeks. He took in the sight of the older mages relaxing and drinking and… “Where’s the pink menace and stripper boy? Aren’t they usually causing havoc by now?” Bickslow asked for him.Azule looked up from the bar. “Oh, Lucy invited them to stay a week at her family’s home while she visited her father. Erza, Cana, Lisanna, Natsu, Gray and Kalia all went.Laxus bit back the growl that bubbled up at the mention of the younger Lightning Mage. He clenched his fists and reined in the sparking. [Fucking thief…let it go, brat isn’t even here.] “Didn’t realize Blondie still had family.” He reached over and grabbed a glass from the counter, helping himself to the tap under Azule’s disapproving glare.Azule huffed. “Yes, her father let her join the guild after we finished her training. She’s going to spend time with him.”Laxus took a drink. “Whatever, not my problem.”Azule twitched. “If it isn’t your problem, then don’t bother asking.”Laxus headed up to the second floor with the Thunder God Tribe following behind him. Freed looked at Laxus oddly.“Laxus-sama…are you…fascinated by our newest member?”Laxus glared at him. “Freed. Mind your own business.” He drained his beer in one go and left the mug on the counter. “I’m taking a solo.”Evergreen glared at Freed. “Look what you did, Freed! Laxus, at least let me go with you.” She gave him a sultry look…that blatantly got ignored.“I said a solo.” He grabbed a mission flier and went to get it “approved” before leaving.Evergreen huffed and sat back in her chair, arms crossed. “I don’t see why he doesn’t look at me…”Bickslow rolled his eyes behind his mask. “Too forward?”Evergreen glared at him. “I’m far better than those harlots that otherwise grope at him.”Freed sighed. “Perhaps because we have been a group for so long, Laxus-sama cannot see you otherwise?”Evergreen turned her ire to him. “That’s the exact opposite of what usually happens in these instances.”Laxus rolled his eyes downstairs, hearing every word. [Yeah…not happening, Ever. Not when you’re a sister to me, hot sister…but still a sister.] He then left on his job.Meanwhile, far away from Fairy Tail, the younger generation sat in their own compartment. Natsu, of course, was knocked out by Erza and had Lisanna tending to him with his head in her lap. Gray was chilling in his boxers, unaware as usual. Kalia…sat in the precarious position of being next to her crush and blushing profusely, looking like she would faint if their knees touched just one more time. Cana, seeing her friend’s predicament, just snickered as she sat next to Erza. As for Lucy… was stuck in Cana’s lap due to the compartment size only fitting eight and Natsu took up most of one seat.Lucy frowned a bit. “…Maybe I should’ve taken the offer of larger compartment…”Cana laughed. “Nah, this is fine. It’s always worth it when Erza knocks the flamethrower out.”Erza blinked. “I merely took care of his motion sickness. Lucy, how long do we have left?”Lucy blinked. “Well, at this rate, we should be at the estate in another two hours or so. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way up though, the station isn’t really close to the grounds.”Kalia looked at her. “I-is your h-home r-really th-that big?”Lucy nodded. “Yeah….you’ll see when we get there.”Erza tilted her head slightly. “Lucy, why are we all going there now?”Lucy blinked. “There isn’t an ulterior motive, Erza. I just want my dad to know that I really am making new friends, and that they’re good ones. Although, Gray, your clothes, please stop touching your boxers.”Gray blinked and looked down, flushing crimson when he realized- “Crap! Where’d my clothes go?!”Kalia blushed as she reached into her bag. “H-here…I…s-sorry…”Gray took his discarded clothing from her and swiftly dressed. “Thanks, Kalia.”Kalia nodded mutely and tucked her head down. Cana snickered in amusement. The rest of the group’s time passed in amicable small talk, bringing everyone up to speed on the missions they completed in the past two weeks.“Next stop in five minutes, Heartfilia Konzern.”Lucy looked up. “That’s us, we should get ready and wake Natsu up.” She hopped out of Cana’s lap, missing the brunette’s slight pout before the teens all set about getting down their luggage.“This is a quaint little village,” Erza mused as she looked over the grounds and spotted the houses to the side of a large flowery area.“Oh no, those are the servants’ homes. The mansion is right there.” Lucy burst the bubble as she pointed to a behemoth of a building standing picturesquely against a mountainous backdrop.The entire group’s jaws dropped. “THAT’S YOUR HOUSE?!”Lucy blinked, completely unperturbed. “Yeah? We’re on the grounds right now. The property stretches from here all the way back to those mountains.”Cana twitched. “…that has to be at least the size of Magnolia…”The blonde shrugged. “I guess. Anyway, let’s get going before the servants start making a ruckus over my return. I also want Cassiopeia to get a head start on looking at my dad’s finances.”The teens nod and trek down.Happy flew beside Natsu. “Lushy’s loaded…”Natsu nodded numbly. “Yeah…”“Think they have a lot of really big fish in there?”Lucy sighed. “Yes, we can stop by the kitchens, I’ll have someone tell the cooks to make something to eat.”When they entered the enormous manor, they were greeted by Jude. He smiled warmly at Lucy as she ran up and hugged him. “I’m back, dad!”“Welcome home, Lucy. These are the friends you wrote to me about?”Lucy nodded. “This is Erza Scarlett, Natsu Dragneel and Happy, Gray Fullbuster, Cana Alberona, Lisanna Strauss, and Kalia Ilnolia, my friends from Fairy Tail.” Lucy beamed at them. “Oh! That reminds me, I found someone to help you with the accounting.”Jude coughed. “Lucy, there really is no need-““Open, Gate of the Prideful Queen, Cassiopeia!” Cassiopeia appeared in a glitter of silver, appraising her current surroundings with an impressed air. “I see you were not exaggerating, Miss Lucy. These accommodations are more than enough.” The Queen eyed Jude critically. “Of course, I know your type. Savvy when it comes to philandering with society and hammering out deals, yet utterly hopeless when it comes to actually managing your money. Show me to your books and I will have this sorted out in a matter of moments.” She waved imperiously as Jude stared gobsmacked at her.Lucy pushed him slightly. “Go on, dad, I brought her to help after all.” Lucy smiled at him as he nodded and led Cassiopeia to his study. The blonde whirled on her friends. “Alright, so what do you guys want to-“RUMBLELucy sweatdropped. “Right…food first it is then. This way, guys.” She led them to the kitchen where there was more “ooh”ing and “awe”ing. “Hey, everyone! Would you guys be able to whip something up for my friends and I?”The cooks all yelled, “Miss Lucy!” before trying to stampede her. Lucy took their enthusiastic greetings in stride, giving them all an earnest smile in return. The Fairy Tail mages watched in slight awe at the ease Lucy managed the crowd of chefs before they set about making a feast.Cana immediately thought back to what Lucy told her while drunk a couple weeks back. [Stand on the side cheering? I wish you luck on brightening Laxus up, he’d have no problem being Guild Master if you were right at his side…] Cana grimaced at the pang in her chest from that admission. [Can’t believe I’m falling for a girl…]Erza smiled. “Lucy has a certain magnetism to her, wouldn’t you agree?”Cana blinked and looked up at the older girl before grinning awkwardly. “Yeah, you can say that.”Lisanna smiled as well. “I haven’t gone on a mission with her yet, but she seems to have this ability to draw you in and feel like you really are something special.” She blushed a bit.Natsu looked confused. “Happy…I really don’t get girls.”Gray flushed a bit, having developed a slight crush on the Celestial Mage during their few jobs together. “I get what you guys are saying…”Kalia smiled. “L-Lucy is…th-the sp-special one…”Lucy turned back to her friends after the last cook left. “Whew, sorry about that, they haven’t seen me in a while so…why do you all have that strange look in your eye?” The blonde backed away, slightly creeped out. Erza shook her head. “It’s nothing, merely group contemplation.”“Oh, okay. Anyway, lunch won’t be ready for another hour yet. I can get some fire for Natsu but otherwise is fruit okay for now?”A round of concurring “yes” later and Lucy was leading the group on a tour of the grounds. “We’ll start inside, since we’re here anyway. Of course you know the kitchens. Connected to them is the formal dining room,” She brought them to a large room easily the size of the guild hall filled with a long mahogany table and exquisitely crafted chairs, enough to seat 70 people. “This is where dad holds all his business dinners. The galas are in the ballroom which is this way.” She led them to another room with marble tiles and crystalline chandeliers hanging from the gilded ceiling. “Then there’s the family room, the entertainment rooms, the billiard hall, the natatorium, the guest wing which is where you guys will be staying. Then the family wing.”“What’s behind here?” Natsu tried opening a door just before the family wing.Lucy blinked. “Oh, that’s my dad’s study. Let’s head inside, I want to see how he and Cassiopeia are coming along anyway.” She opened the door and blinked as she saw the Queen spirit tossing journals and anything she could reach at a cowering Jude.“You insufferable, blind, idiotic, cretin! How could you possibly miss such blatant signs of treachery?!” Cassiopeia screeched, her appearance looking disheveled from her tantrum.Lucy ran in, alarmed and followed by her friends. “Cassiopeia? What’s going on?” She got between the irate spirit and her father.Cassiopeia huffed and smoothed out her dress and hair. “This oaf is a complete wreck when it comes to managing his own finances. What do you know of this Junelle family?”Lucy blinked. “They’re the Konzern’s biggest competitor, I met their heir a while back.” She shuddered. “Even as a kid he’s a creep.” She tilted her head. “What do they have to do with anything?”Cassiopeia threw down a folder of records. “Everything. I have only gone through half of this and have noticed several inconsistencies. 100000J for a one hour train ride, one million for a three night stay at Akane resort? Hmph, this oaf believes them to be standard rates.”Jude cringed back. “Well, with how often…”Cassiopeia glared at him. “Silence. As he stated, they do occur in an alarming frequency and I have traced it to this man.” She pointed at the name on the receipt, one Gregory Sunar. “I looked through the dossier and lo and behold, he has an affiliation to your competitor.”Lucy’s and the others’ eyes widened. Lucy trembled in anger, realizing that this was the man that, ultimately, maybe, led to her father’s death in her previous timeline. “…Can you track his financial records as well and see if the skimmed money is being filtered back to the Junelle Estate?”Cana blinked. “Wait, I don’t see the connection.”Lucy turned the dossier to show Cana and the others. “According to this, his sister is currently the wife of the head of the Junelle Family. He should be set as they have a rather close relation. He could easily have paid for those expenses on his own without asking the Konzern for reimbursement. This extra money is going somewhere and we’re going to find it.” Lucy scowled. “At the least, we can have him arrested for embezzlement, corporate espionage if we can find proof that the money goes back to Junelle.” She perked up as an idea occurred to her. She took out Roger’s key. “And I think we have a way in…the Junelle’s had a daughter a few years ago, what girl doesn’t like cute and cuddly critters?”Cassiopeia gave a slightly evil grin. “Yes, that would be a sound idea, due to your contract, Lepus would be able to understand writing and you would be able to understand his reports. I will remain on stand by until you finish.”Lucy nodded and looked at her friends. “Sorry, this one is a personal mission.”Lisanna shook her head. “No worries, Lucy, we’ll help you as much as we can. I wish I could help, but I don’t have any stealthy Take Overs…”Erza closed her eyes and Requipped into a ninja outfit. “Will this suffice, Lucy?”Lucy facepalmed. “Not quite inconspicuous…”Natsu grinned wildly. “Why don’t we just charge in and demand answers? I’m all fired up!” he blazed a bit before Gray blasted him with frost.“Chill out, flame head, we don’t know for sure if they’re actually behind it.”“What was that, popsicle princess?!”Erza knocked their heads together. “Enough, this is not the guild hall and I doubt Mr. Heartfillia would appreciate you decimating his study.” She gave them a stern glare.Cana shrugged. “I could do a fortune reading, but I don’t know if that would really help you.”Kalia poked her fingers together. “S-sorry I c-can’t help…”Lucy sighed. “It’s fine. I said this was personal anyway, doing it myself would be better anyway.” She nodded and looked at Jude, who had recovered. “Sorry to cut the visit short, dad, but this is major.”Jude nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry to have dragged you into this. In fact…I will officially hire you to solve this mess. This way it will only fall on me.”Lucy blinked as she watched her father write out a contract of hire for the investigation into the Junelle Family for possible theft of monetary investments. Jude signed it and handed it to her. “Take your friends with you if you need to. The Junelle’s do have security and I’d rather you not get caught off guard.”Lucy blinked and nodded. “Thanks, dad. We’ll rest here for the night then and set out in the morning.”Jude nodded. “Good. Sunar is most likely unaware that we’re on to him. This will buy us some time until his next receipt gets denied.”Natsu’s nose twitched and he drooled. “I smell food…” He trudged towards the delicious smell like a zombie. Happy floated behind him with a similar look. “I smell fiiiiish…”Lisanna giggled. “Those two always have food on the brain.”Lucy smiled and looked at Cassiopeia. “Are you going to join us?”The Queen shook her head. “I have no need of food. I shall continue looking over this, it is possible Sunar is not working alone.”Lucy nodded. “Alright, if you find anything, let me know.”Cassiopeia nodded and set back to work. ”You should know, Sunar is on file as working here for 9 years. It will not surprise me if the amount he has swindled away in the time since your mother’s passing is a good sum.”Lucy nodded. “If he did…and the Junelle’s are involved…he will have a lot to answer for.” Lucy followed her friends and father to the informal dining room where lunch awaited them.
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Author’s Postscript:
SSD: Who saw corporate espionage coming into play? *raises hand*Lucy: Of course you did, you’re the author…as you like reminding me.SSD: Yeah, well…considering how it went from “bringing in the Junelle fortune to bolster the Heartfillia” to “bought out by the Junelle”, something seemed fishy. Then when Jude thought a train ride cost 100k Jewel? Yeah…totally something up there.Lucy: *grumble* When you put it like that…SSD: Exactly. And I’m sure Roger is happy that he gets screen time next chapter.Roger: *squeak squeak*SSD: Maybe, we’ll see. And I do have something…twisty…waiting for next chapter. I wonder how many will get it. *smirk* It won’t be too expected, I’m sure.Lucy: Actually…what’s Laxus’ problem with Kalia? She’s such a sweet person.SSD: Ah…that won’t be explained until the main story line of Fairy Tail starts up. Sorry, Lucy, you’ll just have to wait. I’m eager to bring it to the surface too but…suspense build anticipation which builds interest in the story.Lucy: I see, so you’re using it as a tempting lure of foreshadowing. SSD: Exactly. Anyway, see you all later! I won’t be updating tonight due to being busy, but I will put up a chapter Saturday, two if you’re lucky. Read and Review what you think might happen next chapter. Bye!