Third chapter of the "Prince of Fire" In this chapter you'll be able to see a small taste of Natsu's powers as well as his relations with some other members of Fairy Tail. Anyway make sure to read, enjoy and definitely review!
Lucy just watched in confusion as everyone in the guild was running around in panic and fear. Gray especially was running in fear, desperately searching for his clothes. They were all shouting at once that the busty blonde couldn't make out a single word that they were saying whatsoever and she had a feeling they were mostly saying gibberish. The only people who weren't running around like headless chickens were Natsu and Lisanna, the latter once again having to get out of the way or risk being trampled by the carnage. Happy also appeared to be calm but he did show some signs of concern.
Wanting to know what was going on Lucy turned around to face Lisanna. "Uh Lisanna why is everyone acting so scared?" Lucy asked.
Lisanna sighed as she put an empty glass away. "This always happens when Erza comes back from a long job. She's one of the two strongest female mages in the guild and is sometimes called the Titania." Lisanna explained before going behind the bar into the storage room to get something.
"Wait you mean as Erza the Titania?" Lucy asked. "I've heard of her when I was looking into this guild but why is everyone so scared of her?" She asked looking at Lisanna.
"Well as I said Erza is very strong and sometimes tends to deal out physical punishment. And as such everyone is scared of her since she might beat them up." Lisanna pointed out. "I'm just hope that she doesn't get in a fight with Mira-nee."
"Mira-nee?" Lucy repeated. Lisanna pointed towards the corner of a bar where sitting at a table by herself was a girl who appeared a year or two older then Lucy. The girl had white hair like Lisanna but looked a lot older. She also wore gothic-like clothing that did well to show off her voluptuous figure, including her large breast. Said clothing consisted of a dark skimpy sleeveless shirt that showed off her smooth, well-toned stomach and belly button, a pair of leather shorts held by a black belt with a demonic-looking buckle and thigh-high black leather boots with stiletto heels. Attached to her belt and leaning against her right thigh was a chain. Over her shirt she wore a long black leather jacket with purple at the end of the cuffs and neck collar, and was purple on the inside too. The coat was unzipped, revealing her shirt and upper part of her cleavage. Her long white hair was let free down her back, with a portion up in a high, large ponytail with a purple ribbon holding it. On her right wrist and right middle finger were a bracelet and ring respectively shaped like a demonic heads and dark nail polish. She currently had her legs lying on the table and unlike the rest of the guild, appeared completely calm. In fact, she looked rather bored but still gave off a rather intimidating aura.
"Mirajane Strauss, my big sister." Lisanna said.
"Wait as in the Mirajane Strauss? She looks nothing like that in the Sorcerer Weekly!" Lucy exclaimed as she got a better a look at the Goth-like teen.
"Well that's for different reasons…" Lisanna chuckled nervously.
"Well anyway Natsu doesn't look like he's afraid." Lucy said as she looked at the pink haired young man. Said person was talking to Happy about something.
"Well Natsu is stronger then Erza so it's no surprise that he isn't scared her. In fact when we were younger neither Erza or Mira-nee could beat him, even if they had declared him their 'New Rival'" Lisanna said while going around the counter and putting away some clean glasses.
"Eh really?" Lucy asked as she looked back at Natsu. "How strong is he?" Lucy asked Lisanna.
Lisanna tapped her chin with a finger before she laid her elbows against the counter, supporting her head with her left hand under her chin as she responded to Lucy's question. "Well its not official but a lot of people agree that Natsu is the third strongest mage in Fairy Tail right now, underneath Gildarts Clive our Guild's Ace and of course the Master. Those are the only two that Natsu could never defeat though Natsu has been able to give Gildarts a run for his money. The only people that have made Natsu sweat have been Mystogan and Laxus but they could never beat him. And Erza and Mira-nee always lost to Natsu though they slowly made progress but nowhere close to defeating him." Lisanna explained.
"W-wow…" Lucy stammered in amazement. True she had never seen any of these people mentioned but she had heard a lot about Erza, Laxus and Mystogan and word was that they were very strong but apparently according to Lisanna none of them ever defeated Natsu.
A few seconds later the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the guild and everyone was soon silently sitting, standing or anything that wouldn't earn them Erza's wrath. Well minus Natsu and Lisanna, the former still eating and drinking while the other was busy at the bar counter.
"Those are Erza's footsteps…" Wakaba whispered in fear as he chewed on his pipe. He looked at his best friend Macao Conbolt. "I bet she heard what happened Mt. Hakobe. You know when Natsu saved your ass." Wakaba told his friend who now cringed at the reminder.
Two months ago before Lucy joined Fairy Tail Macao Conbolt had been missing for about a week during a mission at Mt. Hakobe to deal with several Vulcan that were spotted. It hadn't been really noticed until Macao's son Romeo arrived upset and concern since his father had promised he would return in three days not a week. While Makarov dropped the issue and got a punch in the face from Romeo in the process, Natsu decided to check it out and find Macao. He managed to find Macao and return five hours later after leaving. Apparently the older man had been attacked by a pack of Vulcan and he managed to beat nineteen of them until the twentieth overpowered him and nearly took over his body before Natsu saved him. Natsu returned Macao to a grateful and happy Romeo who since then referred Natsu and 'Natsu-nii', something that the Dragon Slayer seemed to like. A lot of people figured Natsu was doing it as a person saving a fellow guild member but a few such as Lisanna and Makarov knew that it was because Natsu didn't want another child to lose a parent like he did.
Finally the front door of the guild slammed open causing everyone to jump slightly. Standing there was a young attractive red hair busty woman AKA Erza Scarlet, wearing her custom made Heart Kreuz armor with a blue skirt and black boots. As she walked inside she was carrying what appeared to be the tooth of a giant monster. When she had fully brought it inside she dropped it on the floor with a loud banging that shook the entire floor.
"I'm back." Erza said before taking a quick look around the room before speaking again, "Where is Master Makarov?"
"Welcome back Erza." Lisanna said kindly as she just walked out of the storage room. "The Master left a few hours ago for the regular meeting. He should be back by tomorrow evening if nothing happens." The barmaid replied.
"I see." She said before turning to face the rest of the guild. The others all flinched fearfully, knowing what was to come next.
"Now listen up!" The Titania shouted, causing everyone to straighten at the sound of her voice. "During my time on the road coming back, I've been hearing that Fairy Tail has been causing trouble again." The others winced at her words as she continued. "While the Master might not care, I however do!"
Lucy watched as the scarlet haired mage started to scold the majority of the others about their behavior or actions. She told Cana not to drink in an inappropriate posture, Vjiteer to dance outside instead inside the guild, Nab to pick a job rather then stare at the request board all day, Elfman to stop picking fights just to protect his pride as a 'man' and so on. Lucy had never seen someone act so commanding before and it didn't really look like anyone was going to talk back less they want to take a beating from Erza.
"Is she always like this?" Lucy whispered towards Lisanna.
"More or less." Lisanna said as she continued watching Erza berate everyone.
"By the way where's Gray?" Erza suddenly asked as she finished scolding Laki about leaving her stuff lying around outside. At the mention of the name almost all the mages pointed towards the Ice-Make mage who at this time was wearing his pants now. He was slightly trembling when Erza's gazed moved towards him.
"H-hey Erza what ya need?" Gray asked shakily.
Staring at him for a few seconds Erza finally spoke. "I heard some troubling things on my last job. Now I would normally consult the master about this before doing anything but seeing that he isn't here I'll have to do things my own way. So I might need your help with this."
That caught Gray by surprise. "What…?" He wasn't the only one surprise. The rest of the guild looked up at Erza in surprise too. Though she was underneath those like Mystogan and Laxus and definitely underneath Natsu, Gildarts and Makarov, Erza was still one of the strongest mages. So the thought of whatever it was bad enough that she needed help with was a scary thought.
"Anyway we'll be leaving in the morning tomorrow. We'll meet at the train station and I'll fill you in on the details when we get moving." Erza said and with that she walked towards the counter.
"Wait a second! I didn't even-" Gray tried to say but Erza had already ignored him and faced Mira.
"The usual please" Erza said to her former rival as she sat down.
"Of course Erza one strawberry cake coming up." Lisanna said as she set off to finish it, which what she had been doing before Erza arrived. During that moment Erza turned her gaze towards Natsu, something that everyone caught and soon the entire guild went silent. Whenever Erza had that gaze on someone it meant that she had something to tell the person and usually got what she wanted. However this was Natsu and everyone that knew him for a long time knew that he was rebellious and wouldn't answer her questions, something that really irked the scarlet hair girl. Erza knew that Natsu was stronger then her, though she would never admit it, but it was her more authority like attitude that made people more scared of her all the time. And while Natsu could still be intimidating to nearly anyone when he wanted to be, he chose not to do it all the time unless he had to. There were also some other variables between the two, which will be explained later on.
Erza eventually moved her gaze away from Natsu, focusing on the cake that Lisanna had finally brought out for her, along with a fork too. The next few minutes were tense silence as everyone watched Erza eat her cake while Natsu ate his meat, both ignoring one another for the time being. Soon the rest of the guild began to calm down and converse normally with one another though some were still keeping weary eyes on the two S-class mages, ready to bolt when the storm came.
Lucy noticed the changing in the atmosphere had become tense and turned to face Lisanna. "Is there some kind of history between them?" Lucy asked.
"Sort of…" Lisanna said with a sigh. "It's better if you just watch, though I advise you watch from a distance. The last time those two got into an argument things got a little…messy." The short white haired girl said.
'From what I've seen so far of this guild that's saying something.' Lucy thought to herself as she watched the Titania finish her cake. The moment she put down her silverware she turned to look at Natsu again, causing the whole guild to freeze while Lisanna looked at the two anxiously. If Natsu registered the look Erza was giving him, then he showed no signs of it as he was taking a chug of his drink. Happy, who was sitting beside Natsu, had long since finished his fish and was now looking worriedly between the two.
Finally after putting his mug down Natsu cast a look towards Erza using his left hand to support his head against the counter. "Erza if there is something you want to say to me then say it. Otherwise stop it or I'll leave." Natsu said bored. He knew what the scarlet haired girl was going to do, it may be different situations but the reasons were always the same and personally Natsu was getting pretty tired of it.
The Titania sighed. "Yes I was wondering if you would be able to come with me tomorrow along with Gray? I would be a lot happier knowing that I had another person with me beside Gray, especially another S-class mage such as yourself." Erza told Natsu.
Everyone else listened intently to the conversation…well everyone minus Gray. The Ice Mage was sulking in the corner with a depress aurora hanging over him due to Erza openly declaring that he was weaker then Natsu. It was a serious dent in his pride that the Titania wanted another mage, especially Natsu, to come as well.
Natsu was silent for a moment before quickly saying. "I'll think about it. No promises though." He said before returning to his drink.
Erza was sort of surprise by the response, as were some of the others. She didn't really seem to like that answer though and looked like she wanted to say more about it. But she just let out a sigh and nodded her head. "Fine, just remember to meet us at the train station in the morning if you decide to come. And you should probably consider anyway; it would be good for you to go on a mission with others then just by yourself." Erza said.
"Hey! He doesn't go on them by himself! I'm with him Erza!" Happy yelled feeling offended that Erza left him out.
However Erza ignored the blue cat as she walked away towards the front door. But she briefly stopped for a moment to say something to Gray. "And remember Gray, at the train station in the morning…and you better be fully dressed!" Erza barked at the Ice Mage.
"Yes ma'am!" Gray yelled frightfully as the infamous Erza Glare looked right at him and maybe even through his soul.
She just nodded and was about to leave when suddenly a figure appeared before her. And quicker then Erza could react, said girl was punched right in the face and crashed into the wall opposite the entrance. Everyone paled when they looked from where Erza crashed towards Mira, the one responsible.
"What no hi for me tin can?" Mira asked mockingly. Erza got out of the hole in the wall she made, glaring at the white hair girl.
"Well I don't see any reason to say hi to someone as rude and sluttish as you." Erza snapped back with fire in her eyes.
Mira's brow twitched at the comment but she quickly countered with, "Really? I thought it was because you were too scared to acknowledge me…Ginger Head!"
That set Erza off for she soon launched herself at her rival, swords in both hands as Mirajane began to transform. It didn't take long for the two strongest females in Fairy Tail to begin another brawl. Everyone began to flip over tables, taking cover or hiding behind anything else for protection.
"Well that went better then I thought." Lisanna said with a sigh of relief. "The last time Erza brought that up to Natsu, half the guild had to be renovated in the aftermath of their fight." She added, oblivious to the carnage between the two S-class female mages. "At least with Mira-nee we won't have to worry about fires starting."
"Do you mean when she said about Natsu to take missions with others?" Lucy asked, as she quickly got behind the bar counter again.
Lisanna nodded and spoke low enough so that Natsu hopefully wouldn't hear their discussion (kind of hard to do since Dragon Slayers have good hearing but since a fight was going on he didn't hear). "Yeah the truth is that Natsu has never gone a mission with anyone else excluding Happy. He always does solo missions where it's just himself and Happy most of the time. There were a few exceptions but those are usually overlooked from the rest of his missions on his record." Lisanna explained.
"Eh, why is that? Does he not get along with the other members?" Lucy asked confused as she stole a glance at Natsu who was now laying his head on the table, a thinking look on his face. Either that or he was bored with Happy picking his teeth with a fish bone beside him. She also found it hard to believe of how calm he remained while Erza and Mirajane were still fighting.
"On the contrary, Natsu get's along well with the majority of the guild." Lisanna said. "True he doesn't talks all the time when he comes, but he interacts with everyone well enough. You can have a decent conversation with him for a healthy amount of time too it's just he seems to rather prefer to do solo missions. I think the only reason why he always has Happy with him is because Natsu basically raised him when he was just a baby even though I helped too. However those two have a very close bond and it's very rare to see one without the other." Lisanna explained before sighing. "Unfortunately Erza finds it very annoying and disrespectful towards the guild. She has constantly tried to get Natsu to go on missions with other people. And though everyone, including Natsu, knows that she means well, but due to her being a little…socially awkward as well as short tempered and impatient, most of her efforts have backfired. The last time she tried, Erza had accidentally brought up Hikari-san and she soon found herself on the defensive from a very, very angry Natsu. It took a good two hours for him to calm down and with almost the entire guild including the Master to hold him. And while Natsu forgave her for that knowing Erza didn't mean to say it, things have still been tense between them." Lisanna added.
"Oh" Lucy said as she took a look at Natsu before speaking again. "You think it has something to do with his mother?" Lucy asked.
"Maybe" Lisanna replied. "It's a strong possibility though like I said before Natsu doesn't really talk about it."
"That's too bad, he seems like a nice guy." Lucy said offhandedly, not noticing Natsu's body twitch at the compliment.
Lisanna heard Lucy's words and then took a moment to glance at Natsu and while he was in the same position he was in before, the youngest Strauss was surprise to see Natsu look at Lucy, a curious look in his eyes. But he quickly looked the other way, probably felt Lisanna's eyes on him while he was looking at the blonde. Lisanna had a thoughtful look on her face, taking in what she just saw. Soon she had a small innocent yet at the same time demonic smile form on her face that would've made Mirajane proud. This went unnoticed by Lucy who was contemplating something else however
"Hey Lucy." Lisanna said in a singsong voice that for some reason sent a chill down Lucy's spine. "This is just a thought but why don't you go on the mission with Erza and Gray?" Lisanna suggested.
Lucy blinked, surprise by the random suggestion. "Y-you think I should?" Lucy asked unsure.
"Sure, this can be good experience for you to see what being part of a guild is like, learn more about some of the other members and maybe even try out your new Spirit Key. And I'm sure Erza wouldn't mind the extra help." Lisanna said. She took a quick peek and was pleased to see Natsu's eyes were back on Lucy as the blonde was contemplating the idea.
After a moment of contemplation Lucy finally spoke. "I guess I could give it a try. It might be fun too." She said before looking up at the clock and realized how late it was. "Ah I forgot I have to look for an apartment!" Lucy exclaimed in panic.
However she was saved when Lisanna giggled. "Oh don't worry we have plenty of guest rooms here in the guild. You can stay in one of them for the time being. If you want I can look for some apartments that you might be interested while you're with Erza and Gray." The barmaid offered.
"Really! You would do that Lisanna?" Lucy asked as she looked at the white hair girl.
"Sure I know more about the residential buildings in this town better then anyone in the guild. Also it's the least I can do for a new member." Lisanna said cheerfully.
"Thank you." Lucy said happily as she went off towards where the guest rooms were, pulling her wheeled suitcase behind her. She somehow managed to avoid the carnage between Erza and Mirajane. Lisanna just smiled as she watched the blonde walk off while cleaning some dishes. She also took a quick peek at Natsu and saw, to her inner delight, that the pink haired young man had a thinking look in his eyes as he watched Lucy walked off. A minute or two later Natsu got up, said goodbye, and left the guild with Happy flying beside him. A smile formed on Lisanna's face again as she focused back on cleaning the dishes, already imagining Natsu and Lucy going out together.
Back with Natsu and Happy the two were walking home. For a brief second Natsu felt a shiver go up his spine. 'Why do I feel like someone is using me for some crazy scheme?' Natsu thought to himself as he kept walking trying to push away the feeling. However with Happy, the flying talking blue cat noticed the thinking look on his friend's face. "Natsu, are you okay?" Happy asked the pink hair mage.
Hearing Happy's voice snapped Natsu out of his thoughts. "Hmm, yeah I'm fine Happy." Natsu said to his best friend. "I'm just thinking that's all."
Though he wasn't convinced Happy dropped the subject and the two continued walking through the night. The only lights being on right now were the streetlights, the stars and the moon. The two walked/fly in comfortable silence for a while before Happy spoke. "That new girl, Lucy, seems really nice. I'm glad she joined, I think she'll be very fun to be with." Happy said.
"She smells nice too…" Natsu said but murmured out loud without realizing it. Dragons and Dragon Slayers had very good senses, especially their noses. Their noses sometimes helped them distinguish between trustworthy and untrustworthy people not just finding objects and creatures too.
Unfortunately Happy had good hearing and heard the comment Natsu mumbled to himself. A mischievous smile appeared on the cat's face. "You liiike her…" Happy purred teasingly.
A small tinge of pink matching his hair formed on Natsu's cheeks as the young mage glared at his feline friend. "W-what!? No I don't! W-w-why would you say that Happy?" Natsu exclaimed as he began chasing the snickering blue cat all the way home. However both were careful not to wake the town as they headed all the way home.
(Next Day, Magnolia Train Station)
"So…why are you here again?" Gray asked Lucy as the two were waiting for Erza at the entrance to the train station.
"Lisanna suggested that I come on the job." Lucy replied as she kept an eye out for the scarlet hair S-class mage.
A few minutes later Erza Scarlet could be seen walking up towards the station. What surprised Lucy was that she was pulling a large wagon full of luggage all by herself. 'Why does she have so much luggage?' Lucy asked herself as Erza approached them.
"Ah Gray good you made it." Erza said nodding to the Ice Mage. Then she noticed Lucy besides Gray. "You were at the guild yesterday correct? A new member?" Erza asked Lucy.
"Y-yes. My name is Lucy. Lisanna suggested I should come in case you guys needed more help." Lucy replied as the Titania looked at her. 'I'm surprise she remembered after that hour long fight with Mira.' The blonde thought.
"I appreciate it. I could use all the help for this job." Erza said as she looked around, as if hoping for one more person. However when she didn't see anyone else she let out a disappointed sigh.
"Something wrong?" Gray asked.
"Yes I was hoping that-" Whatever Erza was going to say was cut off when an explosion from inside the station was heard.
"Did you just call my mom the ugliest whore in the world!?" A voice yelled, pure anger in it. The voice was familiar to Erza, Lucy and Gray and the three couldn't help but shiver at the malice in it.
"No! I didn't say it like that…I mean, wait, wait I'm sorry-AIEEE!" The second and scared voice tried to explain before it was cut off by another explosion and the sounds of flesh being hit.
"Hey isn't that…" Lucy murmured.
Walking out of the station carrying the form of a charred man was Natsu with Happy flying right behind him. It was hard to tell if the man he was carrying was still alive but it was confirmed with the occasional twitching. With a mighty kick, Natsu sent the man flying away from the station. Soon afterwards Natsu walked over towards Erza, Gray and Lucy, the first two watching him with neutral faces while the third was looking at him in disbelief at what he just did.
"Natsu…I'm surprise you came." Erza said as she watched her fellow S-class Mage approach her and the group.
"Eh, I didn't really have anything else to do so I figure I see what you were doing." Natsu said boringly trying his best not to move his gaze towards Lucy. He couldn't figure out why he kept feeling weird around the blonde especially since he had only met her a few days ago.
Erza just nodded, not believing that being 'bored' was Natsu's excuse but let it be for now. "Anyway we should get on the train before it leaves without us." Erza said before adding, "And Gray put your clothes!" She snarled at Gray who was now only in his boxers.
Gray whimpered pathetically as he tried to gather his scattered clothes. Thankfully they weren't to far away from where he had been sitting, saving him from Erza's wrath. The four humans plus cat soon made their way towards the train with Natsu at the front of the group. Gray took the chance to look up at Happy who was merely flying idly. "Oi Happy." Gray said, catching the cat's attention. "That guy that Natsu sent flying…did he, you know, say…?"
"Aye that idiot said the taboo." Happy said darkly. That caused Gray and even Erza to gulp, both couldn't help feeling a little bit sorry for the bastard.
"Uh what taboo?" Lucy asked, the only one out of the loop.
Erza sighed. "Well along with him being one of the strongest members of the guild, Natsu is also a major Mama's boy." The scarlet hair girl said.
"A-a Mama's boy?" Lucy repeated with a sweat drop.
"Yeah and he tends to get a little…extreme whenever someone says anything offensive about Hikari-san, no matter how small it is. The guild learned that five years ago when some idiot from the Twilight Ogre guild made an off-hand comment about her and well…let's just say the word beating doesn't suit what Natsu did to the guy." Gray added with a shiver the image still fresh in his mind.
After the 'show' the four mages and cat were soon on the train heading towards Oshibana Town. Gray and Erza sat beside one another with the scarlet hair girl sitting next to the window. Across from them were Natsu, Happy and Lucy with Natsu leaning against the window looking out of it while Happy sat in between him and Lucy. There was a moment of silence between the five, with Natsu having fallen asleep with his scarf over his head. Getting a little bit uncomfortable with the ongoing silence Lucy decided to start a conversation.
"So, um, Erza, what kind of magic do you use?" Lucy asked the scarlet haired mage across from her.
"That seems to be a rather random question Lucy." Erza said as she turned her focus from the window to the blonde.
"Well I just joined yesterday and I don't really know that much about the other guild members besides from what I read about and from what Lisanna told me." Lucy replied. "I mean I know that Natsu here uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and I think Lisanna said that Gray uses Ice Magic. So I was just curious what you use since the Sorcerer's Weekly didn't say much besides a photo shoot of you with Mira-san." The blonde finished.
"That was really a one time thing honestly, I only did it since Mirajane was out sick that day." Erza said with a small blush on her cheeks. But also couldn't help but feel pride that the reviews she got were more then her rival. "I feel awkward doing that kind of stuff so I rather not do it again." The Knight replied.
"Oh, that's a shame you're really beautiful." Lucy complimented on her.
Erza seemed really surprise by those words and started look make the impression similar to a fish gasping for air. Happy suddenly decided to speak while Erza was currently unable to find her voice. "Aye! Erza's magic is really beautiful. It makes enemies bleed a lot." The cat said.
Lucy sweat dropped at the description but pushed it out as Erza, having finally found her voice, spoke. "W-well yes thank you for the compliment Lucy. But I think Gray's Ice-Make is more beautiful then mine." The Titania said.
Gray blinked at the sudden compliment from Erza. "Uh thanks?" He said quizzically.
"What's Ice-Make?" Lucy asked, though she had a sure guess it had to do with Ice.
"It's a type of molding magic. By slamming my hands together I can create objects made out of ice." Gray explained as he performed a small demonstration. After quickly slamming his hands, he released them and showed a small star made of ice floating in the palm of his left hand.
"Whoa…" Lucy said in awe as she gazed at the ice creation before it vanished. "Do you have to use both hands?" She asked Gray.
"It's possible to do it with just one hand. But I've been taught that the creations are weaker when doing that. So using both hands makes the creations stronger." Gray replied.
"Still didn't do you any good all those times when you fought Natsu and lost." Happy said mockingly.
"Why you…" Gray growled, his left eyebrow twitching in anger as he glared at the snickering cat. However a strong glare from Erza made both of them shut up but it didn't stop Gray from glaring at Happy every second.
"Lisanna told me how strong Natsu is." Lucy said as she stared at the sleeping pink head. "Is it really true?" She asked Erza and Gray.
"As much as I hate to admit it Natsu is stronger then me. I've seen him in action many times before and even then I feel like he's holding back most of the time." Erza commented.
"Yeah whenever Erza and Natsu fought their spars took about half an hour before Natsu defeated her." Gray said. "I've seen some of his techniques and I wonder sometimes if it's because of that dragon of his or because he's related to the Dragneel family? I read about them including Hikari-san and those people are crazy strong."
"I would do anything to see Hikari-san in action…" Erza said excitedly as she had a far away look in her eyes.
"You seem to really admire her Erza." Lucy said as she saw the sparkles in the girl's eyes.
"Of course." Erza said as she came back down to reality. "Hikari-san was the physical representation of how all female mages should be like. She was also known for having a great sense of honor and compassion for her friends and loved ones, becoming enraged at anyone who hurt them. Because of that she was called 'the Dark Extinguisher' too." Erza commented.
"Why was she given that title?" Lucy asked while Natsu stirred in his sleep beside her.
"According to the stories were heard from Master, along from other sources, Hikari-san once destroyed an entire Dark Guild of 500 Dark Mages all on her own merely because they threatened members of our guild at the time." Gray explained.
Lucy's eyes widened with a disbelief look on her face. "A-an entire Dark Guild? All on her own? J-just because they threatened the guild?" She asked incredulously.
"It's really not that surprising." Gray commented. "I mean she was the 3rd strongest member of the Ten Wizard Saints. And the top four are considered deities by many people. They're called the 4 Gods of Ishigar, the strongest mages in the entire continent. Hell not even the master can be compared to them."
"It also shows how much Hikari-san loved the guild and cared for her precious people." Erza said with a voice of respect and eyes sparkling, causing Gray and Lucy to sweat dropped. "It's my dream to surpass her as the strongest female mage in Fiore one day."
"That's quite the goal." Lucy said before taking a glance at the still sleeping Natsu. Her attention was then drawn towards his golden armband with the red gem on his right arm. "Speaking of which, do any of you know what the deal is with the armband and the gem? Natsu doesn't really seem like the kind of guy to wear jewelry." Lucy said. Now that she took a better look at it, the gem looked like it was glowing every five seconds and at the same time radiating a great amount of magical power that felt like the flames of the sun.
"From what I know the gem is called the Enkon (Flame Soul) a prized Dragneel Family Heirloom dating all the way back too the first Dragneel." Erza answered as she too took a quick glimpse of the artifact. "I'm not sure what kind of powers it possesses but Natsu treasures it very highly…he never goes without it along with his scarf."
"What's so special about the scarf?" Lucy asked.
"It was given to be my father, Igneel." Natsu said as he woke up startling Lucy.
"Natsu! You're up!" Happy said as said person rubbed his eyes before adjusting his scarf back around his neck.
"I just woke up because I could smell the food…" Natsu replied causing Lucy to blink at him.
"Huh?" She said.
"Natsu has enhanced smelling and hearing. Along with incredible lungs too." Gray answered. "Part of having learned Dragon Slayer Magic."
And sure enough the food did indeed arrived, pushed by a young waitress in her late teens. Surprisingly the group got a discount on the food but it was soon revealed why. Sticking from underneath the plate of Natsu's hamburger was a piece of a paper with an address written on it. Combined with the fact that the waitress was blushing while looking at Natsu left little doubt that it was hers.
'Wow, Lisanna wasn't kidding when she said that Natsu was the number one Bachelor in Fiore.' Lucy thought in disbelief as the waitress gave a wink towards Natsu before sauntering off.
"God damn it! Why can't I get girls to do that for me?" Gray asked mostly to himself with a depress haze over him. But that quickly vanished when he suddenly shivered as an image of water appeared in his head for some reason.
Natsu merely shrugged and emotionlessly burned the paper with his hand before eating his hamburger. Gray, Erza and Happy paid it no mind but Lucy seemed kind of shocked by the action but said nothing of it as she ate her food. After a few minutes of eating at the same time the train left another stop Erza finally began explaining the reason for this job.
"The force we're facing is the dark guild Eisenwald." Erza explained as she took another bite of her strawberry cake. "On my way back from my job I had stopped at a bar to grab a drink when I heard several men talking, rather loudly I might add, and though I didn't get much I did overhear a name…Erigor." Erza finished. Natsu and Gray looked at in surprise.
"Erigor?" Natsu asked. "As in Shinigami Erigor?"
"The very same." Erza replied.
"Shi-Shi-Shinigami?" Lucy asked, stuttering and shaking in fear. Happy was also appearing a bit nervous too.
"A name given to the man because he always took assassination missions. However the Magic Council forbids mages from taking on such jobs, but Erigor disobeyed the rules to make money." Erza told Lucy. "So in response, the Magic Council kicked them out of the magical guild and supposedly had them disbanded. However the guild is still around…but now as a dark guild."
"So why the hell are we going after them? Has to be something big to catch your attention." Gray said in a curious tone.
"I overheard them talking about some magical item called Lullaby and that they were having trouble getting it because it was sealed. I didn't think much of it at first but when Erigor was mentioned I realized we should strike fast before they cause irreparable harm."
"So that's why you needed more help? I figured that you could take down a guild like Eisenwald by yourself but if this Lullaby thing is as bad as you say it is then you'll need more help." Gray summarized.
Erza nodded. "Yes, so basically the plan is to find Eisenwald, defeat anyone that get's in our way and take this Lullaby before they can use it. Hopefully the master will know what to do with it."
"I'm starting to think I shouldn't have come…" Lucy muttered, shivering a little due to her fear.
"Aye…" Happy said in agreement.
Natsu however was silent during the rest of the discussion. He was more focused on something that caught his nose's attention…and it wasn't the hamburger he was eating. 'Why do I smell something demonic on board this train?' Natsu asked himself.
The train soon reached the next station and stopped. "We'll get off here and get info of where the guild is. Once we do we can plan out our attack." Erza said as she got off the train followed by Natsu, Lucy and Happy. Gray unfortunately realized that his clothing had disappeared again, leaving him only in his boxers. He began looking for them while the train began pulling out of the station. It wasn't only until a few minutes when the train left did Lucy finally noticed.
"Hey where's Gray?" She asked the others.
"He must still be on the train!" Erza exclaimed while Natsu face palmed in annoyance of the Ice Mage's stripping habits.
(Back with Gray on the Train Station)
"God damn it…" Gray cursed to himself as he put on his shirt but leaving it unbuttoned. He had finally located all his clothing but had been too late to get off the train. With little choice left Gray decided to just wait for the train to stop at the next station.
He finally found an empty seat with only one person. Said person was a young adult male with black hair tied in a ponytail and had pale skin. "Excuse me but is this seat taken?" Gray asked the man as he pointed to the seat across from him.
"Huh? No you can sit there." The man said with a bored voice. Gray nodded in thanks before sitting down across from the man. That was when the person noticed Gray's guild mark on his chest. "You're from Fairy Tail?" The man asked the Ice Mage.
"Yeah…" Gray said as the man looked at him before smirking.
"Heh, I pity you, being part of a normal guild." The man said with a smirk.
"Huh…?" Gray asked quizzically with a raised eyebrow.
(Back at the Train Station)
"…And that's why you have to stop the train!" Erza explained to an employee.
The group of four including a cat had made their way towards the control room of the train station. Once there, Erza began to explain the situation to an employee while Lucy, Natsu and Happy looked on.
"Is everyone at Fairy Tail like this?" Lucy asked in disbelief as she watched Erza talking to the employee.
Natsu shrugged. "Pretty much, you get use to it after time." The Dragon Slayer responded.
"Aye, this is what makes a Fairy Tail mage." Happy added.
"So please you have to do this! Its for our friend!" Erza said to the employee in a demanding tone.
"What are you crazy!?" The employee yelled back Erza. "We can't stop the train just for one person, no matter who it is!" He finished before getting back to work.
Erza made a "tch" noise while glaring at the man's back. That's when she noticed a lever that said "Emergency Stop" behind the man. An idea quickly formulated itself into Erza's head and soon.
*WHAM*
And then it happened in an instant, before the employee knew what hit him Erza had slammed her fist, armored and all, right into the back of the man's head. He was knocked out quickly, his unconscious form falling all onto the ground. Acting quickly Erza then pulled on the lever and an alarm began to ring throughout the station, alerting all those who were in it.
"What was that?"
"An emergency alarm!?"
"Did something happen?"
Natsu sighed in annoyance of Erza's usual antics while Happy and Lucy were gaping, horrified at what Erza just did. Happy decided to hide behind Natsu's head just in case Erza decided to bring her wrath upon him.
"Good now let's get moving!" Erza shouted as she ran out of the room, followed by Natsu, Lucy and Happy, the blonde and cat still fearful of the scarlet haired girl.
(Train, with Gray)
"You know, now that I think about it…Mirajane is famous right? She's the one in the magazine correct? She really is beautiful." The man said to Gray, much to the latter's annoyance. 'I can't believe I'm listening to this pervert's chatter.' Gray thought to himself as the man continued rambling.
"She really is quite the looker." The man said. "You guys are lucky to have a beautiful woman in your guild that's both strong and young…along with that other female mage of yours; Erza was it? She's pretty hot too from what I hear."
Gray was clenching the sleeves of his shirt tightly, his teeth grinding as he listened to this man rambling about the girls of Fairy Tail perversely. He was having a hard time from decking the bastard right in the face…and maybe the crotch.
"I swear I really envy your guild, none of the women in our guild are not as attractive as the ones in your guild." The man said as he leaned towards Gray with a creepy smile on his face. "Can you lend some of them to us? My guildmates and I will treat them nicely I promise."
*POW*
Gray was soon sent back by an upper kick from the man. "Don't think you can act all high and mighty just because you're part of a damn legal guild. You guys are nothing compared to us, Eisenwald." The man said as he got up to face Gray. The Ice Mage had already recovered from the attack…and quickly tore his shirt off.
This caught the man by surprise and Gray used the momentarily opening for Fullbuster to slam a right hook into the man's stomach. The man gasped for air before falling backwards. Acting quickly his shadow began to twist and turn oddly before dozens of shadowy hands arose all around the man like a wall.
Gray raised an eyebrow but clearly look unimpressed. "Shadow Magic huh? Something I expect from a guy whose part of a sleazy dark guild like Eisenwald." Gray commented.
Apparently that seemed to have ticked the man off as a small twitch of the eyebrow could be seen. "Oh really? Then let's see how sleazy you think this is! Knuckle Shadow!" He yelled.
His shadow soon fired multiple fists of shadow towards Gray who clasped his hands together and shouted, "Ice Make: Shield!" And suddenly a shield of ice sprang out of nowhere between Gray and the shadow knuckles, blocking the fists completely.
Before either could make another move, a third voice shouted, "Fire Dragon's Hunting Jaws!" And soon flames could be seen going around the train in the center of Gray and his opponent. While the man was shocked at this Gray seemed unfazed though he did smirk. "About time they showed up…" He murmured.
Within seconds, the train was torn in two revealing Natsu, his hands covered in flames that looked like two giant claws. He was floating above the train with flames shooting out of his feet like jets, being caused by his Fire Dragon's Flight technique. The man's eyes widened in disbelief and a bit of fear when he recognized the person. "That's…" The man whispered.
"Well for once you're stripping fetish turned out to be useful." Natsu said to Gray mockingly.
Gray just glared at his fellow Fairy Tail mage before feeling a disturbance in the wind. "Oi, look out Natsu!" Gray shouted.
But the warning came to late as a force of wind hit Natsu from behind. The Fire Mage was able to deflect it and was simple pushed back instead of taking any actual damage. However his grip on the severed train disappeared as the forward part ran off. The man looked at both of them, smirking. "Well see ya bastards! Erigor-sama has come to pick me up!" He finished with a laugh.
"I'm going after them!" Natsu shouted as he managed to get himself back into the air. He looked at Gray. "The others are on their way!" He said to the Ice Mage before flying off.
Gray watched Natsu fly away before spotting a green vehicle approaching from the side towards the now slowing part of the train. "Tch, I'll catch up to those bastards later." He mumbled before jumping off the train into the car. What followed soon after were a girlish shriek and then a loud slap that cut through the air like a knife does to butter. In short Gray's epic jump into the vehicle had resulted him landing straight into Lucy's chest.
So what do you all think of this chapter? The rest of the Lullaby Arc will be concluded next chapter. Also I'll be doing a list of the fanon spells used in the chapters just to make people understand.
Fire Dragon's Hunting Jaws: A spell that allows the user to engulf their hands with flames and shoot them out to look like large jaw-shaped hands. While the hands can burn things on contact, the user mainly uses them to grab hold of things, with the hands giving the user extra strength too.
Fire Dragon's Propulsion: Basically the user channels fire magic out of their feet, emitting flames like a jet does. This allows the user to capabilities of flight and increasing the strength of the flames allows the user to move even faster in the air. While mainly a supportive spell, the flames can also be used as blades almost, capable of cutting through nearly any object.
Anyway review!
Wacko12