Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Hargeon.
July 30, x791.
"*Sigh* It's been a while since we last came here." Elicia said while holding Amar'e's hand as she and Alfonzo walked out of the orphanage where their journey in Earth Land began. "I can't believe this is the first time Matron Rebecca and the others are seeing Mar'e. Now I feel bad for not bringing him sooner."
"I know what you mean.' Alfonzo said while shaking his head fondly. "But things have been stupid busy for us in the last four years. On top of that, with all the donations we've made to the orphanage over the years, they've taken in more kids. So, none of the staff really has time to come visit us in Magnolia, either."
"Momma, Dad, they said you used to live here." Amar'e said, interrupting the conversation between his parents. "Why didn't you live with your parents?"
That question caused both Alfonzo and Elicia to pause. Then, their expressions turned sad for a moment. Luckily, they were both able to fix their expressions before they caused Amar'e to worry.
"It's because our parents passed away when we were little." Elicia said softly. "But you're a little too small to know all the details, Mar'e. All you need to know is that they protected us to the very end."
Being just shy of four years old, Amar'e was not able to understand the meaning of Elicia's explanation. But what he did take from that was the fact that he would not be able to meet his grandparents. And that was a fact that brought his mood down, which was pretty high after getting to play with all the other kids at the orphanage for an afternoon.
"Anyway, why don't we go to a restaurant to have dinner?" Alfonzo said with a smile as he patted Amar'e on the head soothingly. "I haven't been to 8-Island in a long time, either. Plus, I'm sure Yajima would love to meet Amar'e, too."
"Is he even there?' Elicia asked with a smile while watching Amar'e's mood improve slightly because of Alfonzo's patting.
"Probably." Alfonzo replied. "I mean, running that restaurant has always been his dream, right?"
"You're probably right." Elicia said with a nod while continuing to hold one of Amar'e's hands while he walked between her and Alfonzo.
"Yajima?" Amar'e asked while looking up at Elicia curiously, his short attention span making himforget about the sad topic of his grandparents not being around anymore. "Momma, is that the man from the Grand magic Games?"
"That's right, Sweetheart." Elicia said with a smile. "He used to be a member of Fairy Tail when he was young, too. He was on Gramps' team back then."
Hearing that, Amar'e's eyes lit up. Over the years, although he has not gotten the chance to see Makarov very often thanks to all the time he spent in Era, whenever Makarov comes around, he's one of the most fun people to play with. Plus, all the stories the old man told when he gathered the youngest members of the guild were really fun, too.
"I wanna be a wizard, too!" Amar'e said excitedly. "I wanna go on adventures like Grampa Makarov, Mommy, and Dad. I'll beat up the bad guys and help people, too."
"Really?" Elicia asked. "I bet my Mar'e will be the strongest. Even stronger than Daddy."
"So, what kind of magic do you wanna use?" Alfonzo asked while rolling his eyes at Elicia.
That question caused Amar'e to stop and think. And he actually thought really hard about it. So hard, in fact, that the little frown on his face made Elicia coo continuously, somewhat messing up his train of thought.
But Amar'e eventually gave a response. A response that both Alfonzo and Elicia were somewhat expecting.
"I wanna use metal and lightning like dad!" Amar'e cried out loudly.
"Aww~! You don't wanna use threads like Mom?" Elicia asked, intentionally making her voice sound sad.
"Nope!" Amar'e, without mercy, denied Elicia's question. "Dad's magic is cooler."
Hearing the lack of hesitation in Amar'e's response, Elicia froze with the light in her eyes dimming slightly.
"Ahahahahahaha!" Alfonzo, on the other hand, burst into laughter. He then scooped Amar'e up into his arms. "That's right, Amar'e, tell her. My magic is much cooler."
It should go without saying, ever since Alfonzo and Elicia were children and learned about their magic, they have always argued about whose magic was better. Though, they never really involved anyone else in these arguments. In fact, calling them arguments was a bit much. Instead, it was just playful banter between them. But with Amar'e's inclusion, the definitive winner was decided. And that hit Elicia much harder than she expected.
However, after hearing Alfonzo's unbridled laughter, Elicia came back to her senses. Then, she looked at the two most important guys in her life with mock anger.
"Oh, so you think my magic isn't cool?" Elicia said while raising her hands and wiggling her fingers. "I think it's time for Mommy to show you just how wrong you are, Mar'e."
"Ahh~~~~~!" Amar'e shouted while laughing happily. "Dad, help! Momma's gonna get me!"
"Don't worry, I gotchu!" Alfonzo shouted as he started to run away from Elicia. "I'll protect you from your mom's evil tickle techniques."
"You think you can get away from me?" Elicia asked in a playfully menacing tone as she started to chase Alfonzo and Amar'e. "You'll never escape!"
With that, the family of three, accompanied by playful laughter could be seen running through the streets of Hargeon, leaving their magic vehicle, Alfonzo's Vanquish, parked near the orphanage as they made their way towards 8-Island. Along the way, as Alfonzo and Elicia were quite famous, they received a lot of good natured smiles when they saw they were out with Amar'e for some family time.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
July 31, x791.
"…" Bianca's silence was deafening as she stared at her father with evident displeasure on her face.
"Come on, Bianca, how long are you gonna stay mad at me?" Alfonzo asked while smiling wryly.
Ever since Alfonzo, Elicia, and Amar'e returned home from Hargeon last night, Bianca had been staring at Alfonzo with such an expression. And although Alfonzo knew why, no matter what he did, he could not get her to stop… At least not for long, anyway.
The reason was simple, actually. Bianca felt left out when Alfonzo only took Amar'e with him to Hargeon. And although she could not articulate her feelings, she felt that he was playing favorites.
Of course, that could not have been further from the truth. Rather, the reason why Alfonzo did not take Bianca and Calvin with him was because they were with their mothers. While Calvin was sleeping in bed with Shizuka when it was time for Alfonzo, Elicia, and Amar'e to leave, Bianca had been at Lisanna's and Natsu's house with Mirajane so that she could play with her cousin, Miyako.
Then, when Alfonzo, Elicia, and Amar'e got home, the first thing Amar'e did was run to his little brother and sister and tell them about the trip. And while Calvin just thought it sounded like fun, Bianca was upset that she missed the chance to spend time with her father and play with other kids.
"Don't worry about it, Alfonzo." Mirajane said with a smile while watching her daughter show her displeasure. "She won't stay mad forever. Just give her some time."
"*Sigh* I know that." Alfonzo said while shaking his head fondly. "Still, I don't like making my little girl upset. I gotta think of a way to make her forgive me."
A moment later, a metaphorical lightbulb lit up in Alfonzo's mind. Then, he leaned in close to Bianca, looking like he was going to plant a kiss on her cheek. Yet, with reflexes that would not make anyone think she was only two years old, Bianca swiveled her head to the side, avoiding the kiss that she thought was coming.
However, Alfonzo expected as much. So, instead of trying to give his daughter a kiss, he only moved his lips close to her ear.
"Hey, Bianca, your big brother's birthday is almost here." Alfonzo whispered. "And you know what that means, don't you? I'm gonna have to make something for him. Something soft, sweet, and delicious. And you know what that something is, right?"
Despite herself, Bianca's eyes lit up. She knew exactly what the something Alfonzo was talking about was. And as it just so happened, it was her favorite thing to eat. Though, because she decided that she was still mad at Alfonzo, she tried her best not to show her excitement.
"It's cake… So what?" Bianca replied bluntly. Though, the quivering in her voice gave away exactly how she was feeling.
"Well, I thought that I'd teach you how to make one this year." Alfonzo said. "On top of that, you can be my official taste tester, too. What do you think about that?"
Hearing that, Bianca's eyes lit up even brighter than before. Still, she would not be won over so easily, at least that was what she thought. So, she would continue to pout while not looking at her father. At least, that's what she was doing in her mind.
In reality, Bianca's head snapped in Alfonzo's direction as soon as he said he would teach her how to bake a cake. And when she heard that she would be the official taste tester, her pout turned into a smile. A very wide smile.
Yet, it did not take Bianca long to realize that she was no longer pouting. Nor did it take her very long to realize that she was looking at Alfonzo again. Though, that was more due to the fact that she could hear Mirajane laughing at her than her own awareness. Even so, she tried her best to pout again as she quickly turned away from Alfonzo.
"Fine… I guess I'll help." Bianca said, trying to sound as angry as she could. "But I'm not doing it because of you, Daddy. I just want Mar'e's cake to be the best it can be."
Immediately, Alfonzo felt as if he took an arrow to the heart. And although this was not the first time he felt this way, he could understand why Gildarts and Gozaburo doted so much on Cana and Sun. Though, he had no intention of taking it as far as they did. He would never disappear for three years or try to kill the one Bianca eventually gave her heart to. Though, whoever that lucky boy happened to be, he would have to be prepared to handle having a few bones broken.
But unlike Gildarts and Gozaburo, he would not throw them out after breaking their bones. Instead, he would heal them using the Techno Organic Metal. So, what if they felt that having their bones broken hurt less than being healed. If they could not handle such pain, then how could they ever think they were good enough for his little angel?
"Mira, you'd better be careful with her." Ultear said playfully. "At this rate, Bianca's gonna end up a tsundere like Saya used to be. And we all know that Laxus is the only one in the guild who could put up with something like that."
"Oh, don't worry." Mirajane said with a giggle. "This is something she only does when she's mad at Alfonzo. Plus, seeing Alfonzo come up with ways to sooth his little girl's feelings is always so fun."
"Actually, every time I see him like this, it feels like he's gonna leave Team Steel Threads during the next Battle of Fairy Tail Tournament." Cana said after taking a sip from a mimosa.
"Why would you say that?" Marin asked in a curious tone.
"Because he reminds me of Dad when he's like that." Cana replied. "And wouldn't he be a perfect fit on a team with Dad, Gozaburo, and Maes? In fact, Alzack would fit on that team, too. Have you seen him when he's taking care of Bisca now that she's pregnant?"
"Alfonzo's not that bad, is he?" Sun asked, remembering the way her father acted in the past.
"Sun, no one's as bad as your father." Lucy said bluntly. "Still, I think I'd rather have a father like yours than one like mine."
"Oh, stop acting like you don't already have a daddy who spoils you rotten, Lucy." Cana said while waggling her eyebrows.
"Cana! Not in front of the kids!" Elicia, Mirajane, and Shizuka all shouted in unison.
"Sorry." Cana replied while ducking her head.
"Alright, you ladies can keep chatting." Alfonzo said as he scooped up Bianca into his arms. "Bianca and I have some stuff to do in the kitchen. Just wait, this will be the best one yet."
"Yeah!" Bianca cheered happily, unable to hide the excitement from cooking with her father and getting to taste all the cake experiments.
Then, without another word, Alfonzo whisked Bianca away to the kitchen with maria following them shortly afterwards to act as support. By the time anyone saw the three of them again a few hours later, both Alfonzo and Bianca were covered in patches of flower while Bianca was licking the remnants of cake batter off her little fingers before Alfonzo took Amar'e and Calvin along to join them for a bath.