Chapter IV

Hello all and welcome to the newest chapter of Embodiment of Flame! I do hope that you enjoyed the previous chapter, some of you did at the very least. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Post a review if you do. Or if you are confused or unsure on anything. Or even if you simply did not enjoy it. That aside, I would like to thank my coauthor Bakuto Masaki for his previous and continued help with this story. Well, nothing else to add, so on to the reviewer responses.

Jalis: Eh, to each his own I suppose. The only female character I strictly dislike in Fairy Tail is Kyouka. Well he needed a boost of power to beat Erigor and I felt it was the best way to unveil his knowledge of Flame God Slayer Magic. Otherwise it would be a long time before that chance arises.

FanFictionHunter: It's Kaiju Big Battle!

TheWhiteTitan: It being a surprise is generally the idea. Well I cannot really reveal that just yet, can I? Do not worry, it will be made apparent later. Thank you, I shall do what I can.

treeofsakuras: I would like to see Natsu x most of them, but that is unlikely to happen in the realm we call canon, so FanFiction will have to suffice.

Mexican ninja1996: Do not worry, she is in.

Well, that about sums up the reviewer responses, so time to move on to the chapter itself, shall we?

ATTENTION: I have made a change to a section of Chapter II. So be sure to make yourself aware of that.

In a tall, dark room, a group of people stood suspended over a large Magic Circle.

As they discussed different topics, one voice spoke up. "Are you not concerned with the recent rise in the number of Dark Guilds as of late?"

Another voice added, "Naturally, Michello."

Michello answered, "I would say not, as you have not put forth many ideas on how to solve the issue, Belno."

Soon it descended into arguments until one member, a young man with short blue hair, a red, tribal tattoo encompassing his right eye, wearing a long white tunic with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of his arms, a decorated collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles, and matching pants and shoes, spoke up in a calm voice. "Now, now. I think we all should take in to consideration one group that has been effective with dealing with the Dark Guilds, Fairy Tail."

Another member, a tall, grey-haired, elderly man with a considerably long beard and a mustache, pointed ears, and thin dark eyes, one of which he kept closed, who wore multiple layers of intricate robes and a bat-like adornment on his head, snapped at the other. "Siegrain, don't give such good will to those destructive fools! There is no point in taking down Dark Guilds if they cause just as much, if not more, damage than the Dark Guilds themselves!"

The now named Siegrain folded his arms with a confident smirk. "Now, now, Org, I think even you can agree that as… reckless, as they may be, Fairy Tail is an invaluable asset in dealing with the Dark Guilds."

Org narrowed his one open eye at Siegrain. "I'd be careful with your words, Siegrain. You are a newcomer to the Council, so not keeping yourself from showing too many dissenting opinions could land you excised, not that I would find such a case painful."

"I think Siegrain has a point, actually," a pale-skinned woman with long purple hair that reached her waist and brown eyes wearing a short, white kimono with long sleeves, an orange obi, and simple black sandals responded, supporting Siegrain's words.

"Ultear, you should also watch your words," Org responded shortly.

Another council member, a very broad man with a large bushy beard knotted into a bun on either side, a snub nose, drowsy eyes, and a small bun of hair atop his head, who wore a robe he kept tightly shut over a black undershirt, a dark-cuffed coat with a diamond pattern over that, and a dark cape of sorts over his shoulders with a spade-pattern, spoke to Org. "Now, I think that's enough arguing, Org, Siegrain. While I do understand the reasoning for them dealing with Dark Guilds so… 'effectively,' Siegrain, I must agree with Org that they cause quite a bit of damage."

Org smirked lightly while Siegrain frowned in annoyance.

"However, Org, I think that you hold some resentment towards them, as they are not a true threat to us."

This time it was Siegrain who smirked as Org frowned.

Siegrain then added, "To prove my point, look at this recent Eisenwald incident. What if we had our way and Fairy Tail had not been present? True, there would have been less property damage but the Guildmasters would have been killed, and that would put the blame on our heads."

Org snarled back, "That does not change the fact that there was property damage, to an excessive extent!"

Belno sighed in frustration and then offered, "In that case, why not give them some form of punishment? We must still keep our power in balance."

Siegrain thought for a moment and then nodded. "I accept that."

The large man nodded and asked, "All in favor?"

There was a collective response in the affirmative, although one member gave a troubled expression.

As Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Minerva, Flare, Juvia, Makarov, Happy, and Gray made their way back into Magnolia, Natsu took in a large breath and then sighed happily.

"It's great to be back!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Yes it is Natsu-Sama!" Juvia added with an excited smile.

"I swear, you kids have too much energy," Makarov remarked.

However, as the group continued on their path to the guildhall, a horn sounding interrupted their trek. They all turned and saw a humanoid frog in noble robes.

Lucy gaped in disbelief. "Wh – what the…?"

The frog looked amongst the group and then announced, "Fairy Tail has caused severe amounts of damage to the lands of Fiore in their jobs, causing over seven hundred thousand Jewel in damages in the past month alone. The Council has determined that instead of punishing the entire guild, one member shall be selected and reprimanded in its place."

Natsu folded his arms in annoyance. "Great, bet it's me."

"The fact that you have enough insight to see that is disturbing," Lucy remarked.

To the shock and confusion of all, however, the humanoid frog placed shackles on Erza's wrists. "That member shall be Erza Scarlet."

The other women paled slightly as Natsu twitched, ready to attack.

"As such, you, Erza Scarlet, are hereby under arrest and shall be taken to the Magic Council for trial."

Black flames began sparking around Natsu, sparked with flecks of blue.

"That is enough Natsu," Erza interjected, "no need to cause a scene."

"What's going on!?" Lisanna shouted as she and Elfman ran up to the others.

The frog-man tugged on a chain attached to Erza's shackles. "Come along now, the Council doesn't have all day."

Natsu narrowed his eyes in a scowl. "He dares chain her…"

As they left, Makarov narrowed his eyes and then turned to Elfman. "Make sure Natsu doesn't leave."

Elfman nodded and, just as Natsu began to jump up in order to leave, Elfman reached up and grabbed him by the legs and pulled him back. "Sorry Natsu, but we can't let you go causing trouble like that."

"What?!" Natsu shouted indignantly. "But they arrested Erza for no reason! You guys aren't just gunna let'em get away with it, are ya?!"

"Stay calm, Natsu," Makarov urged. "It's only a show of force on the Council's part. Chances are they'll just give her a slap on the wrist and that'll be it."

Natsu growled angrily. "Then they shouldn't do it in such a degrading way!"

Erza was being led through the halls of the Fiore branch of the Council's building, when she spotted someone that made her blood run cold.

Standing next to one of the pillars in the hallway was Councilor Siegrain, his arms folded as Erza and her escort approached.

The escort bowed to him. "Councilor."

Siegrain turned and smiled slyly to Erza. "It's good to see you again, Erza."

The Fairy Princess kept silent.

After a moment the Councilor sighed and then walked up to Erza, placing a hand on her chin. "You know, it's not good to ignore a Councilor."

Erza trembled mildly in revulsion and then narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that a threat?"

Siegrain backed up and chuckled. "Not at all. Just a suggestion. Also, I'd suggest it best to keep the past behind us, so I'll overlook this little event." He then walked off with his hands in his pockets.

Erza bit her lip as he walked away. 'He is a very dangerous man.'

Erza was then led to the court where the other Councilors were waiting to put her on trial.

Back at the Fairy Tail guildhall, Makarov and the others stood in the main room of the building, somber over Erza's arrest.

"Will… will Erza be alright?" Juvia asked with concern.

"I don't know…" Flare responded lowly.

On the counter, however, was a small jar with a red salamander inside with a single tuft of pink hair. "Hey! Lemme outta here dammit!"

Lisanna frowned and rebutted, "If we do that you'll go out and do something reckless."

Mirajane turned to him and remarked, "Just stay calm for a little while longer. She'll be back soon."

Back at the court, Erza stood in front of the Council as a series of witnesses, including civilians and property owners in the different areas that had been involved in the fight against Eisenwald, attested to Fairy Tail, and more specifically Erza's, destructive capabilities and tendencies.

Erza sighed as the witnesses were paraded in front of her, she herself getting nary a word in rebuke.

Lucy looked at Natsu inside the jar and then added her own opinion to the matter. "You know, for once, I actually agree with Natsu."

Natsu, who was as puzzled as the others, blinked curiously.

"We should go, leave immediately to go rescue Erza."

Makarov shook his head. "No, it'd be useless to go, even if we left now. We'd arrive too late."

"Let! Me! Out!" Natsu demanded as he rammed the jar, attempting to knock it down.

Makarov narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you really want to go out there and attack the Council, and risk endangering the rest of us?"

Natsu flinched before lowering his head and quieting down.

Makarov narrowed his eyes further and then knocked the jar off the table with his staff.

The jar hit the ground and shattered, causing smoke to burst into the air. The others gaped as the smoke cleared to reveal Macao rather than Natsu.

"S – sorry…" Macao apologized weakly. "I owed Natsu one after the stuff on Mt. Hakobe. He left a while ago."

The others gulped in worry.

Makarov sighed heavily. "Well, there's nothing we can do now but patiently wait for the results. And pray I don't get more paperwork…"

As the last witness stepped down, Erza merely standing calmly, Org looked down at her and announced, "Erza Scarlet, for the crimes of severe property damage, civil unrest, and civilian endangerment, this court finds you guilty. You are hereby sentenced to –"

A strange sound began to reverberate through the room.

"What's that noise?" Ultear asked in confusion.

As if on cue, the doors to the room suddenly blasted open, shattering into pieces, shocking all those inside as Natsu walked into the room.

Org snarled angrily and shouted, "What is the meaning of this?! Who are you and why are you interrupting this trial?!"

"N – Natsu?!" Erza exclaimed in surprise before raising both eyebrows in thought as she looked at him, noticing his eyes had a slight golden sheen to them and his hair seemed to be more unkempt and have a dark tint to it.

Natsu snarled and charged, "What do you think you're doing, blaming everything on Erza!?"

"Who do you think you are barreling in here?!" Org demanded again.

"A pissed off Dragon Slayer!"

Siegrain narrowed his eyes in thought.

Ultear watched Natsu curiously as a smirk grew on her lips.

"Natsu!" Erza interjected. "What are you doing?!"

"Sticking up for you that's what!" Natsu retorted. "I heard that Lullaby was sealed by the Council and they didn't thank us for destroying it!"

"You nearly destroyed a town when you did it!" Michello accused.

Natsu hissed before biting back, "And if we hadn't, Lullaby would have done much worse!"

"There was no reason to cause that much damage!" Leiji, a tall, middle-aged man with tan skin, and short black hair with large sideburns, wearing small, rounded, black sunglasses, wearing a brown shirt under a white and blue cloak, the hood up, along with green pants and black shoes argued.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever actually fought a Dark Mage? Or a monster? Or a demon?"

Erza blinked in thought as he spoke. 'Natsu… he seems… different…'

Natsu folded his arms. "I'm waiting."

The large, bearded man, Crawford, raised a hand to quiet the other Councilors as they began squabbling. "No, we have not fought such creatures before."

Natsu nodded. "Then how do you know it's not necessary to use a lot of power against them? Hm? Or that most of the damage was caused by the creature itself? Hm?"

Belno sighed and replied, "Alright, let's say we see your point. What would you suggest we do about the people whose homes you destroyed in your battle?"

"Fix them. Wood magic is cheap."

Org narrowed his eyes and growled before shouting, "That's enough of this nonsense! Guards! Arrest them both! Throw them in a cell!"

"For what? Talking? I didn't know that was against the law. Or that saving lives was. Or tha…" Natsu began to sweat and shiver as his eyes slowly flickered between gold and brown, "that…" After a moment his hair and eyes returned to their normal shade and he collapsed, unconscious.

Everyone in the room merely stared in confusion.

Sometime later, Natsu groaned as he slowly woke up. He looked around and saw that he was lying on a hard, stone bench inside of a rough, rocky room with bars on the only opening, a prison cell. "Urgh… what happened…? My head hurts…" He turned slowly to the side and saw Erza sitting opposite him on a similar stone bench. "Oh, hey Erza…" He then immediately sat up energetically. "Erza!" He then looked around more curiously. "Wait, what the… where are we…?"

Erza frowned in thought. "Do you not remember?"

Natsu folded his arms in thought. "Hhmm… well I remember that stupid frog guy took you… then I got really mad… and now I'm here. Actually, where is here?"

"One of the Council's prison cells."

"… What!?"

Erza knocked him on the head. "Do not get riled up again. All the Council was going to do was give me a fine to pay and I would have been on my way. But because you barged in and started acting strange we are both now stuck here."

Natsu rubbed his head in pain. "Acting stra – fine?! What for!?"

"For some of the damage we cause during our jobs. The Council was planning on just making an example out of me to the other guilds to try and lessen the amount of destruction that's caused, so hitting me with a fine would be the most efficient way. That would have been the end of it too."

Natsu huffed in annoyance. "Well that's dumb."

"Be that as it may, it would have ended with me simply getting a fine and going home, instead of us both ending up in a cell like this." After a pause, she smiled, "But… thank you."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For coming. It was an unnecessary act but it means a lot that you were so worried." She chuckled lightly before adding, "Though in the end it muddled matters even more. Now, how about you try not breaking any rules long enough for us to get out of here?"

Natsu nodded. "Okay."

Later that day, a guard walked up to the cell and opened the door. "Alright you two, you're free to go."

"Finally!" Natsu cheered excitedly before Erza slammed him to the ground.

"Calm down," she urged. "You should not break anything more than you have already."

Once they were upstairs, Erza turned to a clock and sighed. "They certainly took their sweet time, it is already noon."

"Urgh…" Natsu groaned. "I'm so hungry…"

As the two walked down the hallway, they saw Ultear walk towards them.

Erza nodded politely to the woman.

Ultear glanced at Natsu in thought and then smirked before turning to Erza. "You wouldn't mind if I borrowed your friend here for a moment, would you?"

"That is his decision," Erza answered.

Natsu shrugged. "I don't mind."

"Then I will see you at the guild," she replied before walking away.

Ultear put a hand on his shoulder. "Follow me for a moment."

Natsu raised an eyebrow but nodded.

Inside of Ultear's tall and rather extravagant office, which had a large, stained-glass window on the wall opposite the door, two winding staircases up to a second floor and multiple bookshelves on both floors filled with books.

"Man, Levy would love it in here," Natsu muttered. He then turned to Ultear and asked, "So, what do you want?"

"Not much," Ultear answered as she leaned against her desk. "First, I want to commend you on an impressive performance in front of the others."

Natsu frowned in confusion. "Really? I don't remember it that well…"

Ultear raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Natsu sighed in frustration. "Erza said I was acting weird too but I don't remember. I wonder why."

"Interesting," she muttered with a smirk before narrowing her eyes in thought. "Your name is Natsu, correct?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. Natsu Dragneel."

She stepped toward him with a playful smirk and put a hand on his chin. "Well, Natsu, would you be willing to do me a little favor? I'll pay you of course."

"Favor? What kind?"

Ultear walked back to her desk and picked up a small, wide, flat yellow box with a black bow tied around it. "I have a… friend who needs what's in this box. Unfortunately she needs it immediately and the Council couriers simply aren't fast enough. If you'll deliver this to her, swiftly, I'll pay you."

"Really?" Natsu asked as he took the box. "Okay," he answered with a nod, "I'll get it to her right away!"

Ultear smiled happily. "Thank you."

In one of Fiore's many forests, a short young girl with short pink hair and green eyes wearing gold, wing-like headgear on her head, a tight, purple and black leotard, brown, thigh-high boots with white stripes on top, and a red cape with a golden border stood next to a tree.

Suddenly, Natsu dropped to the ground next to her, surprising her.

"H – huh?" she muttered as she stepped back.

Natsu saluted lightly with a smile. "Yo. Are you Meldy?"

"Y – yes…" she answered timidly at the man's energetic demeanor.

He then handed her the box. "Here, Ultear told me to deliver this to you."

"Oh… thank you," she responded plainly as she took it.

Natsu looked around curiously. "Are you out here by yourself?"

Meldy nodded. "Yes."

"That's pretty dangerous, don't you think?"

Meldy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It's dangerous for you to be out here on your own."

"I'm fine. I can handle myself," she answered simply.

Natsu folded his arms. "You sure? At least let me get you back home."

"That is not necessary," she answered before turning around and walking away.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What a weird kid." After a moment he sighed. "Well, guess I might as well head back to Ultear."

"I'm back," Natsu announced as he walked into Ultear's office as she sat, looking out the window behind her.

"Did you get her the package?" Ultear asked as she turned to him.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. You didn't mention that she'd be just a kid. A cute kid. What if some creep attacks her?"

Ultear blinked and then laughed. "You don't need to worry about Meldy. She's stronger than most adults. So even if someone tried they would fail."

Natsu frowned, unconvinced.

"Alright, if you're so worried about her, I have to send deliveries like this once every couple weeks. You can use those as an opportunity to check on her, how's that?"

Natsu nodded in acceptance.

"Good." She then walked over to him and handed him a small, flat object. "This is a communication lacrima. I'll let you know when I have another delivery, you come and get it and then take it to Meldy." She blinked in thought. "Oh, right." She then handed him a small bag. "There, that's about seventy thousand Jewel. I'll pay you that every time you make a delivery."

Natsu grinned. "Thanks!"

"Glad to hear it. You should probably return to your guild now. Oh, and if you wouldn't mind, keep our little exchanges a secret. The other Councilors don't like it when one of their members circumvents normal channels."

Natsu raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Okay."

"Good," Ultear responded simply with a smile.

"Aahh, home again!" Natsu said happily as he walked into the guildhall.

"Welcome back," Lucy welcomed before asking, "What took you so long?"

"Huh? Oh, one of the Councilors needed a favor."

"Ah…"

Natsu glanced to the side and saw a petite, slender young woman with shoulder-length blue hair tied back with a colorful bandana, leaving a few locks hanging down, framing her face and dark hazel eyes wearing a dark blue, skintight vest that was open around her chest, allowing her bright yellow bra to be seen around her generously-sized bust, along with white pants that reached her knees and brown sandals reading a book with complex symbols on the front. "Hey, Levy, what'cha readin'?" he asked.

The bluenette, Levy turned to him after a moment, engrossed in the book. "Huh? Oh, it's a book on a form of magic I heard about called alchemy. It's from way to the east."

"Alcamy?"

Levy chuckled lightly before shaking her head. "No, no, alchemy. Here, let me show you." She then grabbed a wooden spoon from nearby and snapped it in two. She placed the two halves of the broken spoon on the table and then drew a complex circle around them with chalk. She then placed her hands on the circle, causing it to light up bright blue before bursting with smoke. After the smoke cleared it revealed the wooden spoon, now repaired.

"Whoa! So cool!" Natsu exclaimed right before the spoon crumbled.

Levy laughed in embarrassment. "Unfortunately it's really complex, and requires a lot of knowledge of chemistry."

"Think you could show me?"

Levy's face turned red before she answered, "U – uh… yeah, sure… if… you… want…" However, she soon trailed off and fell asleep.

Natsu then noticed everyone else in the guild was put under the same effect.

Even Makarov showed the effects of whatever was causing the strange turn of events.

"Mystogan…" Gray growled before he finally fell asleep along with the rest of the guild.

Natsu, barely managing to stay awake, shook his head with a growl.

Makarov turned to the side as a man wearing a dark blue cloak, a dark blue bandana with a forehead protector, a green mask that covered most of his face, a blue and grey outfit that left his arms and lower legs exposed, those being covered with bandages, as well as dark blue gloves, entered the building through the main door.

Makarov grunted as the man walked by him. "Mystogan… release them…"

Mystogan made only a cursory glance at Makarov before turning to see Natsu, who was still somewhat conscious like Makarov himself, and tilted his head.

Natsu clenched a fist, straining to remain conscious.

Mystogan looked down some and then walked to the request board. "The spell will lift in three…" he grabbed a flier and turned around to leave, "… two…" he walked towards the door, "… one…" and then walked out the door and vanished.

As the spell lifted and the others awoke, Natsu snarled and remarked, "I hate being drowsy."

As the others woke up, Gray rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. "Geez, I know Mystogan's obsessed with hiding what he looks like, but does he really need to put everyone to sleep like that?"

"Whoa… what was that…?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"Mystogan," Macao answered. "He's a shady guy who has a habit of putting everyone to sleep when he comes to get a job."

Erza nodded and responded, "Yes. He shows up, puts everyone to sleep with a spell, takes a job, and then leaves. Only the Master knows what he actually looks like."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Huh? You mean the old man saw him without the cloak?"

"Cloak… wait, you actually saw him this time?" Gray asked.

Natsu scratched his head. "Not really… it took all I had just to stay awake, but I saw he had a weird cloak on."

A new, condescending, voice then interjected, "Don't forget about me you weaklings. I know what that fool looks like too."

Everyone turned and looked up to the second level of the guildhall to see a very tall and muscular man with blue-grey eyes, slicked back, spiky blonde hair, a lightning-shaped scar on the right side of his face, wearing a pair of spiked headphones over his ears, a dark orange tunic with leopard spots on it, a black cape with fur on the edges, loose, baggy red pants, and black shoes sat in a chair on the upper level of the guildhall.

Lucy frowned and asked, "Whoa… who's that jerk…?"

"Laxus," Erza answered.

Gray nodded. "Yeah. He, like Erza and Mystogan, are known as one of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards."

"Laxus!" Natsu shouted up at him.

Laxus smirked. "Don't beat around the bush, I'm not one of the strongest, I am the strongest. There's no way I'd lose to anyone else, Erza or Mystogan included."

Natsu narrowed his eyes before leaping up towards Laxus. "Why y –!"

The last of his sentence was cut off as Makarov's fist suddenly enlarged and slammed Natsu down on the ground. "No, Natsu. You know that only a select few are allowed on the second floor."

"He insulted Erza!" Natsu shouted back, "She can kick his sparking ass! And Gildarts could obliterate him!"

"That's not your problem, Natsu. Now stand down."

Natsu growled. "Then have him come down here so I can beat him up!"

"That is enough, Natsu," Erza interjected. "I can advocate for my own power. Now," she stopped as she grabbed him by the collar, "I have something I want to try out, and so you will be coming with me."

"Huh?" Natsu mumbled before Erza dragged him out the door.

"Poor kid," Macao lamented, "he's probably in for a real beating."

Mirajane giggled in amusement. "Oh I think he'll be okay."

"Huh?" Lucy mumbled in thought.

"Don't worry," Mirajane smiled.

"Right… hey, can I ask you something?"

Mirajane raised an eyebrow but then nodded. "Sure."

"Why is the upper level off limits?"

"That's where we keep the jobs that are S-Class and higher," Lisanna explained. "Only S-Class mages are permitted to take them since they're so dangerous."

"Huh…" Lucy muttered in thought.

Sometime later, Lucy sat at one of the many tables in the guildhall when she watched Natsu walk in with a wide grin. Moments after he did, Erza made her way into the guild with a slight limp before shivering as she sat.

Lucy flattened her brow and turned to Mirajane before asking, "Do I even –?"

"No," Mirajane interrupted with a smile before walking away.

A slim young woman with long, mid-back length purple hair with two bangs framing her face and short bangs covering her forehead and brown eyes wearing a red ribbon atop her head, round, frameless glasses, a light blue dress with dark blue stripes on it that reached just below her waist, a red cravat tie around the folded collar of her coat, dark brown, tight pants that were tucked into white boots, and a brown satchel on her waist sat quietly, a small frown on her face as she watched the two walk in.

Macao raised an eyebrow as Natsu sat down, still grinning. "Well you look happy. Did you actually beat Erza?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow in thought before his grin reappeared. "I guess you could say that."

Erza merely coughed into her hand.

Lucy sighed and then turned and saw the purple-haired girl sitting next to her, glaring angrily. "U – uh… are you okay…?"

The girl suddenly flinched and turned to her. "H – huh…?"

"You look… kinda mad…"

The girl shook her head vigorously. "N – no, I'm fine!"

"Right… say, I don't think I've met you before."

The purplette nodded and answered, "I'm Laki. Laki Olietta. You're the newest member of the guild, Lucy, right?"

Lucy nodded. "Yep, that's me." With a sigh she stood and turned to the door. "Well, I think I'm going to go home. I've seen enough crazy for one day."

"Have a good day," Lisanna said happily as the blonde left.

Laki sighed heavily and then slumped her shoulders. "I need something… some way to one-up Erza… but how…?" She then glanced to the side and saw a piece of paper on the floor. She picked it up and read it before smirking. "Perfect."

Lucy sighed in relief after getting out of her shower. "Man… that's refreshing."

"Yo, Lucy," Natsu greeted as he stood next to her.

"Kya!" Lucy shrieked as she kicked him away. "What the hell are you doing in here?!"

"Ow…"

"What do you mean?" Happy asked.

"Why did you break into my apartment, again!?" Lucy demanded.

Natsu stood up with a groan. "I found us a job," he said with a grin.

"H – huh…?"

Natsu then pointed to Laki, standing next to him. "Actually, she found it for us."

"What, seriously?!"

Laki nodded with a smile. "Yup."

Happy then showed the job request to Lucy.

Lucy looked at it curiously and then paled. "Wait… this is one of the S-Class jobs, we can't take these!"

Laki tilted her head in confusion. "Why? It was just lying on the ground."

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" Lucy deadpanned.

"It's the truth! It was just lying there."

Lucy sighed. "Why?"

Laki shrugged. "Don't know. But it was. So I took it. Since it wasn't on the top floor it should be fine."

"That's some screwy logic! Look, Mira told me that those S-Class jobs can only be taken by S-Class mages, and none of us are that."

"The reward is a Zodiac key," Happy explained as he pointed to the reward.

"What are you guys waiting for, let's go!" Lucy urged, suddenly dressed in her usual outfit.

Back at the guildhall, Mirajane walked down from the upper level holding a tray of dishes. "Master, one of the S-Class Jobs is missing."

Makarov sat silently for a moment before suddenly spitting his coffee. "What!?"

"Yeah, I can't find it."

"Uh-oh," Lisanna interjected. "Who could've taken it?"

Juvia walked around the guildhall in consternation. "Oh… where could Natsu-Sama have gone?" She then glared angrily. "Did fire crotch take him when Juvia wasn't looking?"

Makarov gaped. "Wonderful… since he took it without permission he'll have to be expelled when he returns. If he returns that is."

Levy then asked in confusion, "Hey, have you guys seen Laki?"

Lisanna shook her head. "No clue, I saw her walking out with a… job… earlier… Oh boy."

The others sighed in exasperation.

Cana sighed and then remarked, "It's no secret that purple-haired sadist has a crush on Natsu. I wouldn't be surprised if she did something stupid like this to get his attention."

Makarov growled angrily. "Ggrr… Laxus! Bring them back!"

Laxus sneered in derision. "Huh? No way. I don't give a damn what those idiots do. Besides, I've got a job to do."

Makarov groaned. "We need someone strong enough to bring them back safely…"

As Natsu and the others prepared to leave the city, Natsu turned to them and explained, "Hey, I wanna stop by my house and grab something before we go."

Laki's eyes immediately lit up.

Lucy sighed. "Fine."

Shortly later, the three walked up to a small, poorly built house on the edge of Magnolia.

Lucy twitched an eyebrow. "Th – this… shack is… your house…?" She then glanced to the side and noticed a sign pointing to the house with the names Natsu, Happy, Holo, Chizuru, and Himari on it. After a moment of thought she asked, "Hey, Natsu, who are these people?"

"Huh? Oh, friends of mine."

"Well you certainly took your sweet time coming back, Natsu," a new voice chimed in slyly.

Lucy flinched and looked ahead as a girl with long, knee-length, golden blonde hair, with bangs that hung just above her bright purple eyes, two long locks framing her face and falling just above her large bust, and, most strikingly, a pair of foxlike ears and a foxlike tail with a white tip just above her round bottom wearing a black kimono with flower patterns on it walked out the door with a thin grin.

Natsu grinned happily. "Yo, Chizuru!" he greeted.

"Welcome back," a young woman with knee-length dark blue hair, with full bangs just above her violet eyes, two chin-length locks framing her face, and a set of white catlike ears atop her head and a matching catlike tail above her rump, wearing a simple white kimono with a red obi, fallen partially open, exposing much of her full bosom, said calmly as she popped up over Chizuru's shoulder.

Natsu waved to the blue-haired woman. "Hey, Himari."

"You know, you've got some nerve keeping us waiting so long," a sultry voice said as a young woman with long, waist-length brown hair, with straight-cut bangs just above her bright red eyes, two long locks hanging down just above her moderate bust, as well as two pointed wolf-like ears and a matching tail, both with white tips, wearing a pink blouse with long sleeves that had purple cuffs, a red sash around her waist, dark brown pants that stopped in the middle of her calves, two blue rings around her ankles, and brown slippers jumped down from a tree.

Lucy gaped in confusion as the three gathered in front of her. "HHHUUUHHH!? Who are these women?! What are these women?!"

Natsu blinked in thought. "Oh, right, you haven't met them yet." Pointing to the woman with fox ears, he said, "This is Chizuru, she's a Kitsune."

Chizuru bowed with a smile, her bust swaying.

Pointing to the woman with cat ears, he added, "This is Himari, she's a Nekomata."

Himari bowed respectfully.

"And this is Holo, she's a Werewolf."

Holo pouted slightly. "I prefer the term Inukami, but I suppose Werewolf is acceptable."

Lucy's eyes widened. "S – seriously?! Y - you LIVE with Youkai?!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why?"

"You didn't know?" Laki asked.

"How would I!?" Lucy retorted in irritation.

Chizuru walked up to Natsu and pressed against, her chest flattening against his side as she did. "Come on, Natsu, give me some of that mana. I haven't had any for days…"

Natsu frowned and remarked, "But I've got a job that needs doing, Chizuru."

Chizuru pouted in dismay.

Holo raised an eyebrow as her tail swayed behind her. "Then what'd you come all the way out here for?"

"I came to get Dekaforce," Natsu replied, "I'll probably need it on this job."

Chizuru pouted. "Aaww, why not stay a while and make kits with me?"

Lucy blinked in thought and then turned red. "K – kits?! As in… b – babies!?"

"Of course!" Chizuru said with a smile.

Natsu patted the golden-haired Kitsune on the head. "Sorry, I have to go. Maybe when I get back." He then made his way inside the small house.

"So are you his newest mate?"

Lucy turned to her in shock. "H – huh!?"

Holo whacked Chizuru on the back of the head. "She's asking if you're one of Natsu's new lovers."

Lucy's face turned bright red. "No!"

Chizuru frowned slightly. "Aaww, you're really missing out."

Before Lucy could answer, Natsu made his way back out of the house with a large, double-edged sword with a triangle shaped guard near the base that had an intricate gold and black pattern on it, and a cross-shaped slot just above the guard slung on his back.

"Wow that's a big sword!" Lucy suddenly shouted, partially in surprise and partially to redirect attention.

Chizuru huffed in annoyance.

Natsu nodded with a smirk as he grabbed the handle. "Yup! It's called the Dekaforce Sword. An old man named Shiva Roses gave it to me. He told me some stuff about something called a Rave Stone but I don't really get it. All I know is that this sword packs a wallop." He then grinned confidently. "Plus I'm the only one who can use it."

"Yeah right," Lucy rebutted dismissively.

"He really is," Laki interjected. "Erza, Gray, Master, and even Elfman all tried to lift it and none of them could." With a snicker, Laki added, "He even left Laxus embarrassed since he couldn't lift it either."

Lucy folded her arms in obstinate disbelief.

Natsu pulled the sword from his back with one hand and handed it toward Lucy. "Here. Try it."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and wrapped her hands around the hilt of the sword.

Natsu then released the blade from his grip and, immediately upon doing so, Lucy felt the sword become immensely heavy, causing it to drop to the ground, pulling her with it.

She flopped down swiftly, her skirt flew up.

Holo blinked curiously as she looked at the blonde's now visible undergarments. "Pink? Really?"

Lucy swiftly and immediately sat up, pushing her skirt down. "D – don't look! Geez… that thing really is heavy…"

Natsu then picked the sword up with one hand and slung it over his back.

Lucy twitched an eyebrow.

"Do you really have to go so soon?" Chizuru asked as she grabbed onto Natsu's arm.

Natsu smiled and patted her head again. "Yes, but don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"We ready to go?" Laki asked.

Natsu nodded as he, Lucy, Laki, and Happy walked away from the small house, Chizuru, Himari, and Holo waving as they left.

As the group made their way down a road towards the location of the job, Lucy hummed in thought. "You know… even though I agreed to go on this job… I don't know the details…"

"There's a place called Galuna Island that's cursed. The job is to lift the curse," Happy explained.

"What!?"

"Shouldn't be too hard," Natsu muttered.

Lucy looked at the job flyer in thought. "Well if this map is right, the island's located near Hargeon Town… oh great…"

"What?" Laki asked.

"Well… we had a little… incident in Hargeon."

"Yeah, that Bora guy tried to kidnap Lucy!" Happy added.

Lucy nodded as a shiver worked its way up her spine. "Yeah, there was this creep named Bora who tried to take me and a bunch of other girls to Bosco as slaves."

"Did you torture them?" Laki asked plainly.

"Huh? No. Natsu nearly blew up half the town and we had to leg it."

"Oh."

Soon, the group made their way to Hargeon's port and began looking around.

"So… How do we get there?" Lucy wonder aloud.

"Let's ask the sailors," Laki suggested. "Maybe one of them will take us."

"Why do we have to take a boat?" Natsu asked. "We can just ride on Ophi! And I won't get sick!"

However, Gray, whom had arrived with Flare, suddenly interjected, "You're not going anywhere."

The three shouted in shock.

"G – Gray!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"You're giving up this mission and we're heading back to the guild," Gray asserted.

"Not a chance, stripper," Natsu argued.

"Yes you will, you idiot! If you don't you'll all be expelled from the guild!"

"E – expelled!?" Lucy exclaimed in fear.

Natsu raised his fists which alit with bright orange flames. "Just try me!"

"Why you –!" Gray began to shout before Flare hit him over the head with a large rock.

Flare sighed as she threw the stone aside. "The conversation was boring anyway."

Lucy gaped and paled. "Isn't that excessive!?"

Flare turned to her with a plain expression. "What? Natsu wants to go on this mission. I'm not going to let the ice-brain stop him." Flare's hair extended outward and wrapped around Gray to bind him before Flare cut it and tied a knot with the hair coiled around the unconscious mage. She then turned to Natsu. "How are we getting there?"

Natsu grinned and pulled out Ophiuchus' key. "Open, Gate of the Snake Charmer: Ophiuchus!"

Later, Natsu, Lucy, Laki, Flare, Happy, and the unconscious Gray rode on the back of the large mechanical snake as it swam through the waters.

Holding tightly and with trepidation, Lucy asked, "Uhm… why are we going through the water instead of the air…?"

Natsu turned back to her in thought. "Huh? Oh. It's easier on Ophi to move through the air instead of the sky."

"Ophi?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. Her full name's hard to remember, so I call her Ophi."

"Ah… wait, HER?! This thing's female?!"

Natsu frowned crossly. "Hey! She's not a thing! She's a friend!"

Lucy flinched at his biting shout. "O – oh… right."

Laki turned to look at Gray but then gaped in shock. "Behind us! Huge wave! Fly! Fly!"

Natsu's eyes widened. "Crap! She can't move that fast! Ophi! Get out of the water!"

The large snake attempted to maneuver out of the water only to be hit and nearly crushed under the wave.

Sometime later, Natsu groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. After opening his eyes, however, he blinked in confusion. "… Pink…?"

Lucy groaned as she awoke and then sat up before looking around. "Ooowww… Huh… where'd everybody go…?"

"Where am I?" Natsu asked, his voice muffled.

Lucy immediately turned red as she felt unexpected movement. "KYA!" She shrieked before immediately standing and stomping Natsu' face into the ground.

"Gah!" the pink-haired teen shouted in pain.

The commotion caused the others to awake.

Flare grumbled as she sat up. "What the… where are we…?"

"No clue…" Laki replied.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Happy asked as he pointed across the nearby waters to a wide stretch of land in the distance.

Lucy paled in disbelief. "Th – that's… Hargeon… I… guess we're… on the island now…"

"Great!" Natsu cheered as he stood.

"Not great!" Gray rebuked as he sat up, still bound. "Now untie me!"

"Nope," Natsu rebutted plainly.

Gray sighed in frustration. "Look, I obviously can't take you back now. So I'll help you with the job, so just untie me."

Natsu folded his arms in amused thought. "Hhmm…"

Lucy sighed. "Come on, Natsu, he agreed to help."

Natsu furrowed his brow in annoyance. "Tch, fine."

Flare then snapped her fingers, causing the hair around Gray to break and slacken.

Gray stood up and flexed his stiff muscles. "Okay, so the base for the job is the village on this island, right? So let's find it."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu dismissed.

"Also, if we do complete the mission, Makarov'll have to at least acknowledge us enough not to expel is."

Natsu grinned confidently. "Then let's get started!"

Soon enough, as the sun began to fall over the horizon, they found their way to the small village in the middle of the island where the job request had initially come from.

"This is the place?" Lucy asked uncomfortably.

"It looks abandoned," Flare mentioned as they looked into the village, its many huts dark and not a soul in the village itself.

"Yeah…" Laki muttered as she stepped toward Natsu timidly.

Natsu then took in a heavy breath and shouted, "Hhheeellllllooo! Is anybody there!?"

Lucy slammed his head into the ground. "You moron!"

It was then that the villagers began coming out of their homes and towards the village square where Natsu and the others were.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "Uhm… why are they all wearing cloaks?"

"Are you the village chief?" Gray asked to a short, old man with tan skin, long silver sideburns running from the length of his face down to his hips, small dark eyes, and wearing a necklace made of what appeared to be large animal teeth centered with a skull, a dark blue cape that draped down from his shoulders to the back of his knees, a white, tribal kilt with two green lines at the bottom and a red dot circled by a red circle, a series of golden rings on his wrists and legs as he walked up to the group, his long wooden staff with a crescent moon-shaped head helping him stand.

The old man nodded. "I am Moka, the village chief. Are you the wizards who have come to lift our curse?"

"Maybe you should tell us a little more about this curse of yours first," Lucy interjected.

Moka nodded and told them, "It started some time ago, though I do not remember exactly, when the moon turned a deep purple color in the sky. Whenever the moon shines down directly on us our bodies morph into that of demons."

"H – huh…?"

The villagers, including Moka, all dropped the cloaks they wore, exposing various mutated limbs or other extraneous deformities on their bodies, Moka's in particular being his right forearm, which resembled a large blue claw.

Natsu raised an eyebrow curiously.

Moka went on to explain, "As you can see, it's mutated us into horrible beasts."

Lucy was about to ask a question when the clouds in the sky, which had been hiding the moon from view, moved aside and allowed the light to shine down directly onto the tribe, all of them morphing fully into demonic forms.

Lucy and the others were taken aback at the sight.

Moka sighed heavily and then continued, "Normally, by morning we transform back into our human forms. But sometimes the transformation is complete and permanent, the victim losing their mind entirely." Tears then began to flow from the old man's eyes. "And when this happens, we have no choice but to kill that person before they harm the rest of us. Such was the case with my son, Bobo."

"How do we lift it?" Lucy asked.

"There is only one way to resolve this curse."

"What is it?" Laki asked.

"You must destroy the moon!" Moka shouted frantically.

"WHAT!?" they all shouted in shock.

"Destroy the moon?!" Lucy blurted in disbelief.

"Even I think that's absurd," Flare noted.

Lucy chuckled weakly. "Well… doing something like that will take time to plan out, so do you mind if we stay a night or two?"

Moka shook his head. "No, it is quite alright, we have a spare house you may use."

Flare immediately wrapped her arms around one of Natsu's and asserted, "We'll take it!"

Lucy sighed.

Laki puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

Inside the hut, Natsu, Gray, and Happy stayed in one room while Lucy, Flare, and Laki stayed in the other, separate room.

In the girls' room, Flare turned to the other two and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Huh?" Lucy mumbled in confusion as she looked over the job in thought.

"Why are you both here?" Flare reiterated.

"I'm here to get the Zodiac key!" Lucy answered instantly. But after a short pause to think of how her sudden words sounded, she added, "A – and to help the villagers of course…"

"I've got my own reasons," Laki answered roughly, "none of which are your concern."

Flare narrowed her eyes.

Lucy then turned the questioning on Flare. "What about you?"

With no compunction, Flare answered, "I volunteered to come with the stripper so I could join up with Natsu. Simple as that. And I was hoping that this hut had private rooms."

Laki sighed and pouted in frustration before muttering, "Lucky bitch."

Natsu laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling in boredom before yawning heavily. "Man… why couldn't there be private rooms in this thing?"

Gray glanced at him in confusion before turning back over in his bed. "What for? These rooms are just fine."

"No they aren't…" Natsu pouted.

"Just go to sleep. That's what bedrooms are for."

Natsu shot him a deadpan look of disbelief.

Gray twitched an eyebrow, feeling the stare on his back, before sitting up and turning to the fire-breathing teen. "What? You got a problem?"

"Clueless," Natsu muttered plainly.

Gray hissed in derision. "Oh that's rich, coming from a blockhead like you."

"Ssstttuuupppiiiddd," Natsu sneered.

Gray snarled. "Cram it flame-breath! You're too stupid to be calling me stupid!"

"The hell does that even mean?!" Natsu argued as he sat up, irritated.

"That you're stupid!"

"Obviously not if as much as you can't figure out why private rooms would –!"

Natsu was interrupted as Lucy banged on the wall and shouted through it, "SHUT UP!"

Gray banged on the wall right back. "Make me!"

As if on cue, a giant fist made of red hair slammed through the wall and hit Gray hard, knocking him unconscious.

Natsu sat silently in thought before suggesting, "Hey Flare! Help me throw Gray out of the room!"

The giant fist made of hair grabbed Gray and threw at and through the door to the room.

Flare then immediately walked into the room, close the cracked door, and used her hair to prop up Gray's now vacated mattress against the hole she had made in the wall.

The next morning, Lucy stood in the doorway into Flare and Natsu's room in disbelief as she saw Flare, nude and her abdomen engorged, lying on the bed. "J – just… what the hell did you two do last night…?"

"Sex," Natsu answered plainly.

"Eh!?"

Laki twitched an eyebrow before she walked angrily over to Flare and pressed her hands down on the unconscious redhead's abdomen, causing something to spill out onto the bed.

"EEEHHH!?" Lucy shrieked in shock and confusion as Flare moaned.

After a moment, the redhead roused from her sleep and sat up, noting that her abdomen was flat, causing a small frown to work its way onto her lips. "All gone…"

"Get up," Laki demanded in annoyance.

Gray then unexpectedly hit Natsu on the back of the head with a scowl. "What's the deal, jackass?!"

"What the hell was that for!?" Natsu retaliated, confused and angry.

"Knockin' me out and then throwin' me into the hallway! I should knock your block –!"

Gray's tirade was ended as another giant fist of hair punched him against the wall, knocking him out.

Flare sighed as she stood up before her hair coiled and covered her body, forming her usual red dress.

"Huh!?" Lucy blurted in surprise.

"What now blondie?" Flare asked in irritation.

"Y – your clothes…!"

"What about them?" Flare asked in confusion.

Laki huffed in annoyance. "Come on, let's explore the island and see if we can find the source of this curse."

"Right!" Natsu cheered excitedly.

The group began their investigation, looking through section of forest after section of forest, finding nothing but traps, all of which Natsu activated, usually getting Gray hurt, or finding a whole lot of nothing.

"Man this is boring," Natsu grumbled as he walked down one of the paths, an annoyed Gray pulling needles from his skin behind him.

After a moment, Laki grinned mischievously. "Hey, how about we split into two-man teams and look? I'll go with Natsu and Lucy and Flare can be a team."

"What about me?" Gray asked, hissing as he pulled a piece of wood from his side.

"That looks like a nice cliff there," Laki said simply.

"Screw you! I'm not jumping off that!" Gray retorted right before Laki kicked him, sending him flying off the ledge. "YYYOOOUUU BBBIIITTTCCCHHH!"

And there you have it, folks! This concludes chapter the fourth chapter of Embodiment of Flame. Hope everyone, or at least most of you, enjoyed it. If you did, be sure to post a review saying so, I always appreciate it. If you were confused or unsure about anything, do not forget to post a review as well and I will do what I can to address your questions. If you did not like it, feel free to post a review as well, though you would be better served going and doing something else you actually enjoy. I have nothing else to add, so until next time, buh-bye!