Natsu was curious. It was in his nature to be so. He couldn't help it and never could (not that he ever really tried). So when Lucy was in the shower and he saw a strange book on her bed, he couldn't help but paw through it, looking over the strange words with wide eyes. "What's this?" he asked, not really expecting anyone to have an answer for him.
Happy, flying over Natsu's shoulder, was actually about to reprimand the fire dragon slayer for messing with Lucy's new purchase when Gray's voice interrupted him. "Hey, Flame Brain, you really think Lucy would appreciate you going through her stuff like that?"
Without looking at the Ice Make Mage, Natsu snarled, "I'm not hurting anything, Ice Pick!"
The bickering was usual for the two, despite their closeness. The stress and excitement of the Grand Magic Games had not changed that. Although they had a rare night off from the tournament, for the moment they were all in the room, getting ready to head out for a night of stress relief after visiting Wendy and Elfman in the infirmary. Hence, why they were waiting on Lucy. "What is that, anyway?" Erza asked, sauntering over to Natsu's side in her purple dress that was low cut in the front and plunged deep in the back. A slit came high up on her left thigh and a thick black belt accented her thin waist. White gloves came up to the middle of her upper arms, leaving only half of her Fairy Tail emblem exposed. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with pieces framing her face. Even Natsu thought she looked beautiful, and he was usually oblivious.
"I don't know," he admitted as she easily took the book from his hands. "She picked it up in the market today."
Erza's eyes skimmed the book as Gray came to join them. "I've seen markings like these before," she breathed, her brow furrowing as she attempted to place the words. Her fingers gingerly touched the pages, sending little tingling sensations through her and before she knew it, her mouth started moving, forming words and sounds she had no control over. The sounds were nothing more than a whisper, but the power that came from them was palpable, electrifying the air around them. The book and markings immediately started glowing a brilliant gold, reflecting back from Erza's eyes as Natsu and Gray stared in shock. None of them heard Lucy's startled gasp as she came out of the bathroom in her robe to find the room completely engulfed in golden light.
"Erza!" Lucy screamed, the light somehow loud in its brightness, as the entire room seemed to vibrate around them in a strange blur.
Natsu was the only one who could hear her, his head snapping in her direction. "Lucy!"
"What are you doing?!" she shouted, running to the group as a wind started to pick up around them, thrashing Erza's hair about without her notice. She continued reading as though in a trance, her words almost chant-like in rhythm.
"I don't know! She just started reading it!"
"Well, stop her!" The wind was quickly picking up speed, whipping around them enough that the towel Lucy had wrapped around her hair quickly came free. She scarcely had enough time and sense of mind to grab her keys and clutch them tightly to her chest.
"What's happening?" Gray shouted, finally snapping out of the trance the glowing, dancing markings had put him under. Natsu was trying to wrestle the book out of Erza's grasp.
"Help me! We have to stop her!" Natsu roared, reluctant to kick Erza in her clearly helpless state, but about to see no other option. "Happy! Cover her eyes!"
"Aye!" The Exceed dive-bombed from above, landing on top of Erza's head and clamping his little blue paws tightly over Erza's eyes. The rapidity of her speech slowed, but did not stop.
"Erza! Snap out of it!" Gray hollered, fighting to be heard over the roar of the dazzling light in the room. It was so bright, it hurt his eyes, and when he looked at Natsu, he could see the fire dragon slayer clearly squinting in an effort to shut out some of the assaulting light.
"Erza!" Lucy screeched, jumping in to the wrestling match. "You're about to give us no other choice!" she warned, hoping something would snap the requip wizard out of it. "What's come over her?!"
"I wish I knew!" Gray shouted to be heard above the din. It was only getting worse, the gale picking up speed and blowing with such force that Happy was now holding onto Erza's head to keep from being blown away by it. Around them, the ground started to quake, rumbling deep within the earth as crackling sounds could be heard all around. Sounds similar to explosions could be heard, debris flying through the air and crashing into the walls as dangerous projectiles. Rather than keep trying to pry the book from Erza, Lucy turned and clung to Natsu, trying to keep from losing her footing as the four of them suddenly huddled together for protection from the sudden onslaught of flying objects. Screams soon followed, rapidly sounding and then fading in quick ululations that made Lucy shiver.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried, tears streaming down her face as she felt like the whole building were about to cave in on itself.
"Lucy!" he cried back, holding her protectively against him, covering her body with his while Gray did the same to the momentarily helpless Erza.
Gray was the only one who could hear it when Erza's words wound down, slowing into nothing; and as suddenly as the wind and rumbling started, it stopped, ceasing in one instant so that Lucy was left screaming into nothing and quickly shut her mouth out of embarrassment at the sudden silence. The five remained frozen in place for a moment before Happy was the first to move, sliding from Erza's head in a frozen state of terror. He hit the ground, now only inches away from him as Gray had her pinned safely to the floor, and uttered a tiny squeak.
"What happened?" Erza asked, surprisingly calm, as she blinked and her eyes cleared. She looked at Gray gratefully, like she understood he had done something for her, but didn't understand what. Her eyes widened even more when she realized she was on her back on the ground. Gray quickly got off of her, a light dusting of pink coloring his dirty cheeks as he scratched at the back of his neck.
"That's what I want to know!" Lucy retorted, scarcely waiting for Natsu to get off of her before taking the book from Erza and holding it protectively against her chest. "Just what do you think you were doing reading this? Don't you know what this is?" When the four looked at her dumbly, she continued, "It's a celestial spirit book about time! Only celestial spirits and those who use magic like Arc of Time are supposed to be able to activate it."
"Then how did Erza activate it?" Gray asked.
"That's what I would like to know," Lucy answered, looking at Erza with narrowed eyes. Erza looked surprisingly stunned, for Erza. Her hair was a mess, thrown into tangles from the strong wind and filled with debris, her cheeks streaked with dirt, her once beautiful gown in shambles. What was the most startling was the haunted look in her eyes – the wide, glazed look that told Lucy she thought she knew the answer but was too scared to tell. "Erza?" she asked gently.
Erza's mind was racing. The markings in the book had seemed so familiar to her, like something from a life long ago. It had felt both warm and cold, comforting and worrisome. It reminded her of someone. She sucked in a breath when she realized whom. "Jellal," she breathed.
"What about Tattoo Face?" Natsu grumbled, dusting himself off.
"Those markings. They were similar to those that were in the Tower of Heaven when I was a child."
"Eek!" Lucy squealed, throwing the book back onto the bed out of reflex before swallowing nervously. There was no bed. "Uh," she started, completely forgetting what she was about to say.
Moving on suddenly shaky legs, Erza made her way to the window, before she realized there was no window. "Guys," she breathed.
It was then that the changes to the room became apparent to everyone else. As the dust settled, a sight similar to the aftermath of a Natsu rampage greeted them. Dust and small particles of destroyed furniture fluttered around them. The outside wall was crumbled, blown inward by some unknown force that also knocked out the inner wall through the hallway, then down through the floor. The entire building seemed to be listing to the side.
When Natsu sniffed the air, he immediately crinkled his nose, but wasn't able to determine exactly what it was that assaulted his senses. From the amount of shaking the room had done, the amount of debris littering the floor, the shattered walls and floors, there should be people running to check on them and screaming; hell, they had heard screaming, but nothing was happening. The air was acrid and pungent, and yet wasn't strong enough for what they had just experienced. "This doesn't feel right," he simply stated.
Goose bumps rose on Lucy's arms as she followed Erza to the window, or at least where the window used to be. Happy jumped up in front of her and she happily held him to her chest, content to hug something to hide her anxiety. "How is it that no one has come running after all of that racket?" Gray asked, the first to voice what they were all thinking. Like the girls, he grew eerily still at what he saw out the window.
"What are you all looking at?" Natsu asked, drawn to the sudden silence and stillness from across the room. When no one answered him, he made his way to them, clambering over broken beds and chairs to get to them. He nearly fell on the way, catching himself by grabbing Lucy's shoulder. What he saw through the blasted hole in the wall made him grab her harder than he meant to.
"Ow! Natsu!" she hollered, jumping at his strength.
"Sorry!" he immediately apologized, unable to pull his eyes from the destruction in front of him. He had seen and caused his fair share of damage in the past, but there were no words to describe what he saw in front of him.
The city of Crocus was in ruins, its once great and tall capital lying in a heap of rubble. The buildings of the city were in no better shape, the majority of them filled with holes much like The Honey Bone Inn was. To the west of town, the coliseum, one of Crocus's crowning achievements, was one of the few things left standing, or at least mostly standing – half of it was crumbled along the mountainside it stood on. There were no people to be seen anywhere.
"What the hell happened?" Gray whispered, once more voicing everyone's concern.
"This has to be one hell of a dream," Natsu explained with an easy shrug of his shoulders.
"This isn't a dream, Natsu!" Lucy shouted, turning him back around angrily. She looked down at her tattered robe, ripped in several places, the hem all but shredded around the bottom and the sleeves. Her hair had been blown free from the towel and was now tangled around her shoulders, dirt now smudging what had been perfectly clean skin. Thanks to Natsu's protection, she had very few actual marks on her with the exception of her feet. "Would I look like this in a dream?" Smirking, Natsu narrowed his eyes and chose not to answer. "Ugh! You're infuriating!"
Erza tried to calm her mind, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. How was I able to activate something like that? Better yet, why? Her eyes opening once more, she couldn't pull her gaze from the destruction of the city. "What happened to everyone? How could this happen in a matter of seconds?" She turned to look where Lucy had tried to throw the book. "And what does it have to do with that?"
Gray was still looking out the window, trying to tune out Lucy and Natsu's arguing behind him. When that failed, he "Tch'd" at them and made his way outside, picking his way through the rubble with ease. The air outside was cold – colder than it should be for the summer months they had been experiencing – but there was something else off too. The sky was completely overcast and gray and it was raining. But there was something familiar about the rain. "I know this," he breathed, sticking his hand out and feeling the large droplets hitting his skin. "This is Juvia."
"What?" Natsu asked, surprising him. Happy flew off above him, on his way to check for any other survivors, as they now considered themselves.
"This is Juvia's rain," Gray repeated, his words growing edgier. "She's crying," he growled, his hand turning into a fist by the time he was done.
"Whoa!" Natsu held his hands up defensively even as he smiled at Gray. "So Juvia's feelings do matter to you, after all!"
Gray shot Natsu a look, his fist immediately pulling back and preparing for an ice attack as it met his other hand. "You really want to go there, Fire Breath? I heard the way you and Lucy called for each other in there when it felt like the building was going to go down."
Natsu's ears turned red as his hands burst into flame. "Can it, Stripper!"
"Make me, Moron!"
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
"Ice Make, Lance!"
Their magic met in the middle, Natsu's fire melting Gray's ice and leaving both of them panting and unsatisfied before their fists finally flew. It was Erza who finally interrupted them. "What are you doing?!" she roared.
The two paused, their arms immediately releasing each other. "Nothing!" they answered, scratching the back of their necks nervously. Natsu heaved a sigh of relief when Lucy showed up a moment later dressed in celestial spirit clothes. Erza was likewise put back together, back in her usual skirt and armor, her hair back in place.
"It's raining? But it was so sunny earlier," Lucy remarked.
"It's Juvia's rain," Gray answered, the anger still obvious in his voice.
"How," Lucy started, then held up her hand and shook her head. "You know what, never mind."
"If this is Juvia's rain, that means she's close by, right?" Erza asked, holding her hand out to feel the rain. It felt oddly cold. A shiver worked down her spine when she realized the air felt oddly cold. "This weather," she breathed.
"Yeah," Gray agreed. "It doesn't feel right at all."
Beside Erza, Lucy nodded, realizing the same thing and grateful Virgo had been perceptive and brought her a jacket. Lucy had tied it around her waist, not thinking she would need it, but now she put in on, glad she had it. "What's with this weather?" she asked as she shivered despite herself.
Natsu shrugged. "I don't notice anything."
Gray punched him. "Of course you don't."
Natsu glared at the other wizard who was immune to cold and moved to Lucy's side. While no flames appeared, she immediately sensed warmth coming from him and quietly stepped closer. When she risked a look up at him, he smiled down at her. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she quickly averted her gaze and whispered, "Thank you." He simply nudged her in the side in response.
"Erza! You won't believe who I found!" Happy suddenly cried from over the hill near the coliseum. The four wizards set off running after him.
They came upon Happy a moment later, shocked into utter silence when they saw Jellal standing before them, his clothing a tattered mess, his skin covered in scars, bandages, and bruises. "Jellal?!" Erza shrieked, rushing to his side while the others wisely stayed back.
"Erza," he breathed, his voice just as deep and luxurious to her ears as ever. "You haven't aged a day."
Thinking his comment odd, Erza brushed it off. "What's happened to you?"
Jellal's hazel eyes rapidly flicked back and forth between hers before he winced and leaned against the wall. "Where did you go?" he asked her, rather than answer her question.
"What do you mean? We've been right here." Rather than keep her distance, as was their custom, she found her hands searching inside his coat, looking for the source of his injury. Her hands came away bloody.
His face drawn, Jellal shook his head. "No, you haven't been."
Erza froze, the book fresh in her mind, thinking of Juvia's rain. Hadn't Gray made her rain stop before she left Phantom Lord? What could have possibly happened to Crocus, to Jellal? "How long has it been since you've seen me?" she wisely asked.
Swallowing before he could speak, Jellal also chose to forego the usual rules of their relationship and touch her. His hand cupped her cheek, sighing contentedly when he felt the warmth, the life running through her. His heart swelled when she leaned into his touch. "Five years."
Shock rippled through Erza with such force she staggered under its weight. Jellal caught her, bringing her gently to the ground at his feet before sitting next to her. "F-f-five years?"
"The fuck you say?!" Natsu shouted, breaking up their moment as he ran to them.
"You have been gone five years," Jellal repeated as the rest of them joined them.
"How is that possible? We were just in our room at the Honey Bone Inn!" Lucy argued.
Jellal shook his head. "The night the games were put on hold for the evening, the five of you disappeared. We searched for you. We searched for you for months! The Games were called off, wizards were arrested, guild wars were waged, guilds were disbanded. No one knew what happened to you and we feared the worst." He took a deep breath, gazing into Erza's eyes before looking up to Gray as well. "Some of us never stopped looking."
Gray sighed, guilt hitting him like a physical blow. "Juvia."
Jellal nodded. "She's one of the wizards from Fairy Tail that came with me."
Tears fell down Lucy's cheeks. "How could this have happened?" Her hands twitched, and she was suddenly reminded of the book in her arms. She quickly handed it to Erza, wiping her hands on her jacket after getting rid of it as though it were now some dirty thing.
"Does this mean anything to you?" Erza asked, carefully holding onto the book so Jellal wouldn't take it. When he reached for it, she pulled it back. "This is what I opened and read from, apparently beginning all of this without even realizing it," she cautioned.
"I don't need to open it," he answered ominously and Erza gave him the book.
The book in his hands, the group could feel a palpable tension growing within the air. The hair stood up on the back of Natsu's neck and he bristled, curling his lip up as he looked around them as though suspecting an unseen attack. Lucy stepped closer to him with a shiver working down her spine, holding onto his arm as he placed it protectively in front of her, shielding her from some anticipated attack. Gray had taken his shirt off again, and was watching Jellal anxiously, while nervously glancing to the horizon. Happy dropped to Natsu's shoulder.
"I remember this from the Tower of Heaven," Jellal began, his voice soft and melancholy as his fingers traced the cover. "How did you get this?"
"It was in a shop in town," Lucy answered. "I don't remember why I bought it now," she breathed, her words coming out further and further in between as she tried to remember what had made her purchase a book she didn't understand.
"Something wanted you to buy this book. Wanted the book to be activated when it was so that events would play out such as they have." He looked at each of them in turn; his eyes more intense than any of them could remember seeing them, with the exception of Erza. "Have you noticed anything else that's different about the time, now?"
"What do you mean, the time now?" Natsu snapped.
"Natsu, you have been transported through time," Jellal patiently reminded him.
Natsu snorted. "Time travel? That doesn't exist."
Gray punched him. "Look around! Haven't you been listening? That book took us five years into the future! How else can you explain it?"
Natsu stared at Gray as he tried to think of a come back and when he couldn't, he looked back at Jellal. "How could a book do that?"
"It wasn't the book so much as the spell."
"Can the spell be undone?" Erza asked.
"It's possible," Jellal started.
"But that's not what you asked," Lucy interrupted. "You asked if there was anything else different. And there is." She looked at each of her friends; surprised they hadn't noticed the difference yet. "The magical power here is exponentially less than it used to be. I can scarcely detect anything in some places. Even our power is diminished." She took in a breath. "And Erza…"
Erza grew incredibly still as she analyzed herself, amazed she hadn't noticed sooner. It would make the most sense for her to suffer the most for her actions – she had activated the spell after all, so the greatest drain should have come from her. "Do we have enough magical power to make it back?" Jellal was quiet for so long she shook him. "Answer me!"
"Yes," he reluctantly answered, "but there's a but," he quickly added.
"But what?"
"It will take all of it." He leveled each of them with his gaze. "From all of you and then some. I cannot guarantee all of us will make it out of it alive."
"Then the answer is simple, we will not go," Erza answered immediately. She would not risk her friends.
"Hear me out," Jellal argued. "If this works and you go back, the events that were set in motion, affecting the magical power here today will not happen. So in theory, it shouldn't matter. Even if we die, we won't be dead in the time you return to."
"But you can't guarantee five years from the day we make it back you won't die!" Tears were welling in Erza's eyes as she imagined Jellal losing all of his magical power before her eyes, imagined watching the life slowly drain from him until there was nothing left. He seemed very much in danger of doing so now.
"I cannot guarantee that anyway!" he argued. "No one can!"
"Juvia," Gray breathed, turning and running off toward something in the distance. Natsu and Lucy simply stared after him and stepped back to give Erza and Jellal their space at their feet.
"I won't risk killing you," Erza whispered.
Jellal pointedly looked down at his tattered and wounded body. "Look at me, Erza. We're all dead anyway."
The tears Erza fought to hold back fell and she buried her face in Jellal's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his cheek against her hair as she sobbed. "What happened?"
"We're at war."
Erza pulled back in shock, wiping the tears away. "With who?"
"I told you, guilds have changed. When Fairy Tail lost you so soon after getting you back, there was a huge shift in power. Dark guilds, like Raven Tail, have taken over much of what power remains in the land. We've been at war with them for a long time. We're part of what little resistance remains." His eyes darted to where Gray finally found Juvia before pulling away. "There are not many of us left, and we're losing."
"Gray-sama?!" Juvia cried from the distance, her boot heels clicking on the cobblestones as she ran.
"Juvia?" Gray called back, running to meet her. Relief flooded through him at the sight of her, at the image of her running and whole, at the knowledge that she still had the power for her rain, and that she still felt what she felt for him.
"Juvia never gave up hope of finding her darling Gray!" Juvia exclaimed as she bounded into Gray's arms. He crushed her against his chest, burying his face in her blue hair as tears stung his eyes. He never thought he'd be so happy to see her! It was as if he actually had been gone for five years, not just a few hours. When she sighed happily into his embrace, her arms wrapping just as tightly around his neck, his heart soared. The moment he felt the rain stop, he pulled back from her.
"I'm so sorry, Juvia."
"For what?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked up at him in confusion.
Now that he wasn't running blindly at her, Gray could see what five years had done to the water wizard. Juvia's hair was longer and wilder, her eyes wiser and sadder. Her clothes were rougher, her boots worn and up to her knees, but she still wore blue, and still sported her Fairy Tail emblem on her left thigh. He couldn't stop himself from touching it. The gentle touch of his fingers brought a blush to her cheeks. "I'm sorry I never told you before," he started, pulling her back into his arms so quickly she let out a startled squeak before he pressed his lips into hers.
"Atta boy, Gray!" Natsu called before Lucy slapped him.
Erza turned at Natsu's outburst and quickly looked away when she saw Gray and Juvia's kiss. Warmth flooded her cheeks as she brushed her hair nervously behind her ear. "Well, I guess he's not letting this time go to waste," she muttered as she cleared her throat nervously.
Jellal chuckled, shaking his head as he looked back at Erza. "What do you say? Come meet the resistance so we can get you home? I know everyone will be willing."
Erza's brows drew down in thought. "I don't like it."
"It's a much better option than staying here. If you stay, we will die."
Sensing that their moment was over, Lucy stepped closer. "Do you think Raven Tail was behind this from the beginning?"
Jellal nodded. "It wouldn't surprise me. Out of everyone, they are the ones who have benefitted the most and lost the least."
"How can we control how far back we'll go? I had no control over what I was doing," Erza admitted.
Sadness entered Jellal's eyes that was so deep Lucy wanted to weep. "I can read it," he answered. "I'll make sure to get you where you need to go."
"And if your magic power goes out before then?"
He winked. "We'll make sure that doesn't happen."
"You seem awfully confident for someone who has never done this before," Lucy pointed out.
Rising to his feet, Jellal helped Erza to hers. "When you've lived in the world the way it is now, you figure out a few things." He extended his hand to Erza. "Now, would you like to see the remains of Fairy Tail?"
"Of course!" Natsu answered, not thinking his answer through.
Erza and Lucy gulped, nervous. "Yes," they cautiously answered in unison.
The foursome met up with Gray and Juvia moments later, the couple walking hand-in-hand, but no longer smiling. As soon as they joined the others, Juvia said, "Juvia is pleased that Lucy is no longer her love rival."
"What? I never was!" Lucy steamed until Natsu threw his arm around her shoulder.
"Ah, chill, Luce!" he beamed at her.
"Natsu," she breathed, her cheeks darkening at their close proximity. When he didn't back up, she put her hand up. "Back up, will ya? Sheesh!"
He released her then with a huff, folding his arms across his chest while Happy floated behind them. "They liiiiiiiiiike each other!"
"It's good to see some things never change," Jellal commented quietly to Erza from the front. He was leading them toward the remains of the coliseum.
A small smile graced Erza's lips as she looked at the man she loved but could not have. "Some things never will."
Picking up on her meaning, Jellal smiled softly and averted his gaze with a nervous clearing of his throat. He never was one to beat around the bush, and that hadn't changed. "I have to warn you," he started, making sure his voice carried to all those present, "there are not many of us left. So prepare yourselves. Not everyone from Fairy Tail joined the resistance either, so this is not an accurate representation of the survivors, but it's close. A few wizards from other guilds joined up in the end as well. Those who didn't join went their separate ways for their own safety."
Despite Jellal's warning, the small group of rebel wizards that greeted them when Jellal opened a secret entrance underneath the coliseum shocked Lucy to her core; shocked her so deeply she took a startled step backwards and would have fallen if Natsu hadn't steadied her. Even so, when she looked up at him, she could see the firm set of his jaw and could all but hear him grinding his teeth. "So few," he growled, furiously blinking back tears.
"Oh Mavis," Lucy breathed, tears blurring her vision as she searched for Levy. She wasn't there.
"Wendy?" Erza choked, tears streaming down her face. Jellal's eyes lowered and he shook his head, cringing at the strangling sound that came from Erza's throat when she heard of the young sky dragon slayer's demise. "How?" she demanded.
Reaching out, Jellal squeezed her hand. "Don't torture yourself with these details. Once you go back, none of this will matter."
"You matter, Jellal!" she argued, her voice quiet and low.
The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. "That's debatable, and right now depends on whether or not I can get you home where you belong."
"How can the five of us make such a difference?" Gray asked, still not letting go of Juvia's hand.
"Makarov always said you were destined for greatness," Jellal answered with a sad smile.
"What happened to the Old Man?" Natsu ventured.
Once more, Jellal shook his head and now Natsu and Gray also found themselves swallowing thickly.
"Carla?" Happy asked. Again, Jellal shook his head.
"Levy?" Lucy asked, unable to bear not knowing.
For once, Jellal was able to nod, a soft smile gracing his lips. "She's in the infirmary tending to Gajeel. He was wounded in the same battle I was just a few days ago."
"Oh, thank Mavis," Lucy sighed, actually swaying so much in her relief that Natsu had to steady her once more.
"What about the others," Erza asked, seeing so few faces she could scarcely believe it. Only the strongest were left, and not even all of them. Laxus was alone, battered and beaten. Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow were nowhere to be seen. Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman were gone; along with Cana, Bisca, Alzack, and Asuka. Sting and Rogue sat brooding close to Laxus, their eyes holding the same lost stare. "So many are gone," she muttered.
"Enough of this. Let's get home," Natsu surprised everyone by saying. He looked at each of his team members in turn. "I'm sorry I picked up the book. But we know what will happen if we stay here, Jellal has made sure of that." He pointedly looked at the blue haired wizard, who nodded his head in gratitude. "Let's get this over with and go home."
"Aye!" Happy cheered, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Juvia wants nothing more than for Gray-sama to go home and be safe!"
"But Juvia," Gray started to argue.
"Jellal," Erza began.
"Erza," he interrupted her by touching his finger to her lips. "When you go back, tell me something about your trip here, something that I will know you could only know if I told you."
Her brow furrowed. "Why would I do that?"
"So I will stop being an idiot."
Erza blinked, not sure she heard him right. "What do you want me to say?"
He thought a moment, then reached into his pocket. "Better yet, here." Pulling out his wallet, he dug into it and pulled out a folded piece of paper that had obviously been folded many times, its crease was so defined it ran the risk of ripping. "The first and only letter I wrote you while I was in prison."
Her hand shaking, Erza reached out for the document. "I never got a letter from you."
He smirked, his cheeks darkening. "That's how I will know it's from me." He stepped forward, pulling her into the warm circle of his arms, arms that she remembered being much stronger than they were now. "Don't let me be the coward I was. Read it when you get back," he whispered into her ear.
"Jellal," she breathed, burying her face into his neck to fight back tears. "Are you sure about this? We can find another way."
He stepped back from her. "No, you can't." It clearly took effort, but he pulled his eyes away from hers. "Let me gather the others. It will be just a moment."
While Jellal gathered the others, Juvia held Gray's hand, sitting next to him as the small group sat anxiously together. They wanted to see their friends, to reassure them that they were all right, but they would also just as soon spare them the grief. Erza sat quietly, guilt beating her worse than any opponent and turning her stomach. All of this had happened because she read some book? It didn't even seem possible. How did Jellal know the book? "When we get back, we need to take the book straight to Jellal."
"Agreed," Lucy immediately acquiesced.
Jellal appeared from over her shoulder. "That is if it even survives the journey."
"What do you mean?"
"I intend to destroy it," Ultear answered, her face grave as she stepped out from behind Jellal. Her hair was cut short, so short for a moment Gray's face paled in recognition of his former master.
Ur, Gray thought, unconsciously squeezing Juvia's hand as he forcibly reminded himself that Ultear was not her mother. "Why?" he asked instead.
"The book was created with the sole intent of sowing discord, which as you can see, it clearly has."
"Can you use your Arc of Time magic to send us back without harming anyone here?" Erza asked, wondering why Jellal left her presence out.
Ultear sadly shook her head. "I cannot. Such a task would consume me and get you nowhere, sealing all our fates. But I should be able to destroy the book after its purpose is fulfilled. I can activate the spell, utilizing less power than you used to activate it initially, but the drain will be the same." She looked around the room at the wizards Jellal had gathered. "With the lack of magical power it will take all of us."
The remnants of Fairy Tail and those close to the guild formed around them in a wide circle, gripping hands. Juvia hugged Gray closely one final time, kissing him quickly before stepping back to join the circle. Gajeel had been brought up from the infirmary in a wheelchair, Levy at his side, and he smirked at Natsu. "Glad to see you aren't dead, Salamander."
"You too, Metal Mouth," he responded with his renowned smile.
"Lu-chan!" Levy called, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Levy!" Lucy called, her own tears falling, especially when she noticed the wedding bands donning Gajeel and Levy's ring fingers.
Sting and Rogue, ever the stoic twins, looked at Natsu with straight faces, but relief was clear in their eyes. "I'm relieved you didn't run away, Natsu," Sting finally admitted.
"I would never do that!"
"I know that now." Sting extended his hand, and Natsu was surprised to see a white Fairy Tail emblem had replaced his former Sabertooth mark. "I'm proud to call myself a member of Fairy Tail now."
While Natsu struggled to recover from Sting's words, Rogue took his place. "It is an honor to help you go back and fix the messed up world we live in, Natsu. Please accept my apologies for our errors in the past." He smiled wanly. "Although I cannot say we won't make the same ones again."
His smile widening, Natsu pumped Rogue's hand before releasing them. "I'll make sure to beat the lessons into ya!" The twin dragons only smiled in response.
"Hey, Kid!" Laxus called, limping up to the fire dragon slayer. His eyes moved between Natsu and Lucy before traveling over the small group of them. "Come here," he commanded, throwing a heavy arm around Natsu's shoulder and pulling him after him. Natsu had no choice but to comply with the still burly man. "Listen," Laxus began, speaking low and quietly into Natsu's ear so that only he and perhaps the other dragon slayers could hear. "Don't make the same mistakes I did." Natsu looked at him with a furrowed brow, confused. "You don't have to be alone, Kid." Natsu's heart rate picked up and Laxus could hear it. "Don't wait until it's too late, Natsu. You'll never get over it if you do." His eyes were dark and serious, the depth of his pain and torture evident in his weary gaze. "Trust me."
"Okay," Natsu answered uneasily, pulling away.
"Good! Now get back there so we can get you home!" Laxus shouted, booting Natsu forward with a heel to his rear. Natsu's anger flared momentarily but immediately went out at Laxus's soft smile, and his nod at the celestial spirit wizard at Natsu's side. Did the man miss nothing?!
"Are we ready?" Jellal finally asked, taking the final spot of the circle next to Ultear. He held onto her shoulder as she held the book in her hands. Everyone nodded. "I will keep the rest of us from getting sent back." His eyes traveled to each wizard he had come to fight alongside for five years, wizards he had come to love as family, wizards he would gladly die for. In his gaze, he made sure they understood the gravity of his words before stating them. "This will slowly drain our magical power, but I will make sure it is painless." Several of the wizards swallowed and squeezed each other's hands tighter, but none of them balked. They were brave. "My friends, it has been an honor."
Tears spilled from many eyes at his words, as they suddenly echoed through the room. "My family," Erza interrupted, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Words cannot express my sorrow at your suffering, but I swear to you, we will make sure this future does not come to pass!" She looked at each of them in turn before looking at the four behind her, gazing into each of their eyes until they nodded their agreement.
"Are we ready?" Jellal asked one final time.
"We are!" the resistance responded.
The five time travelers nodded their heads, gripping each other's hands tightly. "We are," they answered, and Ultear began reading from the book.
When Natsu became aware of himself once more with a start, the first thing he became aware of was Lucy. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her protectively to his chest while she hugged Happy between them. Before he even opened his eyes, he could smell the flowers of Crocus, hear the carts and people of the market shouting outside their window. Relief flooded through him as he opened his eyes, squeezing Lucy one final time before releasing her. "We're back!"
"We are?" Gray asked, opening his eyes and releasing Erza. He had been shielding her just as Natsu had been shielding Lucy.
"It worked?" Erza asked at the same time, her eyes wide in disbelief. "That was so much less," she paused, "violent."
Lucy immediately ran to the window. "Look!" she called, her voice high and happy in relief as she pointed. The others quickly joined her, laughing for sheer joy at the sight of the coliseum whole, the flags of the competing guilds still adorning the tops of the columns. The palace was intact and brightly lit and the people of the city and market were present and going about their daily lives. "We made it!" Lucy cried, jumping into Natsu's arms without thinking. Her face immediately turned red, especially once he refused to put her down.
"Wendy!" Erza immediately shouted, turning on her heel and darting for the door. The others quickly followed.
They burst into the infirmary a moment later, Erza startling Porlyusica so much the healer threw a beaker at her. "How do you expect anyone to get any rest when you come barging in here like that?!" she verbally lashed her.
Ignoring the healer, Erza ran to Wendy's bed, followed immediately by the others, and threw herself onto the small sky dragon slayer, enveloping her in her arms and showering her with kisses as happy tears fell. "Wendy!" Erza cried out of relief.
"Erza?" Wendy choked, scarcely able to breathe.
"Are you trying to kill the child?" Carla reprimanded.
"Carla!" Happy cried, pouncing on the white Exceed until she threw him off.
"What's gotten into you guys?" Wendy asked once they finally finished hugging her.
"Can you keep it down? Some people need their rest," Evergreen chastised, pushing her glasses up on her nose from her place at Elfman's side. He was still sleeping.
"Sorry!"
"It's a long story," Lucy admitted before turning to Erza and Gray. "Which I can tell you, but I think these two have somewhere to be."
Their cheeks immediately warming, Erza and Gray quickly bowed and left the room in search of something they had found in the future, and were hoping to find again in the present.
Disclaimer: The usual... I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. If I did, there would be more romance involved, obviously. LoL. They all belong to Hiro Mashima.