I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does!

The sun was just reaching the peak of the sky when the Dragon Slayer finally decided he was far enough away from Magnolia, having wound his way deep into the forest that surrounded the city. He felt it was enough, far enough that it would keep the Dragon from attacking the town if things got out of hand quickly, and at the same time was close enough that his lovers would be able to find their way to him without much trouble. The spot he had chosen was at the very edge of the tree line, just a few trees standing between him and open fields. He could see for miles and would be able to see the Dragon before it finally attacked. A strange sense of calm came over him as he drew a void within himself, emptying his mind of thoughts other than what he had to do to summon the threat.

Sucking in a deep breath, Natsu closed his eyes and released it slowly, forcing his fears down to a manageable level. His shoulders rolled forward pulling him into a slight hunch as his eyes peeled themselves open, revealing his black irises as they expanded to cover the whites of his eyes once more, leaving bottomless pits where his eyes should have been. Air swirled around him and he bent his arms at the elbow, palms facing the dirt below him. His usual flames sprung out around his body, singing the edges of his clothes slightly before he pulled them under control so as to not completely destroy what he was wearing.

A roar sounded in Natsu's ears before he realized it was his own voice that filled the silence around him. Lips peeled back from the Dragon Slayer's fangs and he threw his head back, letting out another thundering roar erupted from his throat. At the peak of his roar, a solid column of orange fire pierced the sky, scattering the low clouds that were in the way of its ascension. He held the roar for as long as his lungs would hold and clenched his fists as it came to an end, a small crunching sound coming from his hands as the scales rubbed over one another. He fed his power to the Dragon within him, the last part of his father that he still had left.

Color drained from both of the mages that sat on a bench at the back of the guild hall. "Natsu…" Mira whispered as she felt Lucy squeeze her hand. While they couldn't see what was happening, they could feel the power emanating from the Dragon Slayer. Neither made a move to go towards it, but something in their eyes must have given it away. Erza seemingly appeared out of nowhere and put a hand on each of their shoulders, gripping gently. Even she could feel the ominous presence that threatened to overwhelm the guild. She shook slightly before steeling herself, wondering how much the Dragon Slayer had indeed grown over the past six years.

"He said he would call when he wanted you to come…" She said to the two, unsure if it was for their benefit or her own. Mira snapped her eyes to the knight mage and glared. "And what would you call this?" She snapped. Once again Lucy's hand calmed her. The blonde shuddered and had to close her eyes before she could answer though. "A beacon… He said he would become a beacon. That much we know…" Mira sighed and nodded in defeat, knowing that the woman was right. "We have to trust him for now. He will call for us… He has to…" Her words came out more as a plea rather than showing any sign of confidence.

Just as the power had suddenly attacked their wits, it disappeared. Everything about him disappeared. 'I can't feel him…' Lucy thought as her eyes widened. Her heart thundered in her chest, threatening to rip straight from her body. But it wasn't as if he was gone, but it wasn't him she could feel any longer. She didn't know how to reason it, she knew it was him, but at the same time, it wasn't. Someone, or something, had replaced his place within her. It felt wrong; nothing about it felt like the Natsu that she knew, the Natsu she loved. "It feels so…" She said quietly, not realizing she had spoken aloud.

"…Evil." Mira finished her thought for her, her free hand gripping the bench that they sat on. The two kept their eyes locked in the direction of the Dragon Slayer, but only stared at a wall. Fear slowly trickled over the two until Mira stood up and made to a move towards the door. Erza grabbed her wrist before she could make it more than a few steps. "Let me go." Mira growled, glaring daggers at the knight. Erza let go of her hand, but moved to block her way just the same.

"I don't care what he said, I can feel something wrong. We need to go to him." The take-over mage said quietly, trying to push back the other mage. Erza shoved the woman back. "He isn't going anywhere, we have to wait." Erza spat at her. "If you can't trust him enough to take what he says to heart, then how can you assist him when he needs your help?"

Mira shook with anger at the woman's words. A pair of thin arms wrapped around her shoulders before she could act upon her anger. She leaned forward against the arms, but couldn't bring herself to push them away. The woman behind her took a shaky breath, squeezing the white haired mage tighter. "This has to be what he said… 'Protect them from me.' Maybe this is what he meant…" Lucy whispered.

"And maybe this is how he said he would call to us." Mira snapped, spinning in Lucy's arms to look at the woman. She opened her mouth to continue her accusations but couldn't find the words at the sight of tears rolling down the blonde's cheeks. "He promised he wouldn't do this alone… He promised he would let us help him. For now, I believe he will really call us…"

Clenching his teeth shut, the Dragon Slayer hunched his shoulders forward again, letting the spire of fire die out around him. The blackened earth below his feet cracked at the sudden change in heat. The trees around him had turned into blackened husks of their once great existence. Fear threaded through his link and he shut them out of him mind, a low rumble emitting from his chest as he growled. Silence surrounded him, his ragged breathing the only thing he could hear. A single thump could be heard in the distance, too far for his eyes to see clearly what had made the sound.

Every fiber of his body told him to run, to get away while he still could. But he wasn't in control any longer, only a shell of his conscious thoughts remaining. The only reason his body stood there was because he knew his target was homing in on him. He wasn't running any longer. He didn't know if he would indeed die here or if he would escape the reaper's clutches, but it would be decided here.

His eyes caught the object of the sound breaking through the clouds just a few miles from where he stood. Every pump of the Dragon's wings brought it several thousand feet closer, closing the distance between the two at a frightening speed.

Squatting down, Natsu felt his muscles coil, straining to be released. As the earth below him started to rumble, Natsu released his legs with explosive strength, feeling himself rip through the air. Wind screamed past him as he shot at the Earth Dragon, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He cried out loudly, fire erupting from his mouth to close the distance between them.

Sekena tucked her wings tight to her body and dove under the attack. Without losing any of her speed she spun out of the descent, releasing her own roar at the Dragon Slayer as he fell from the sky. Rocks slammed into Natsu a half second before he brought his arms in front of himself. His scales deflected a portion of the attack, but the sheer force of the roar sent the mage flying back. Natsu spun in the air, his feet landing pushing off a tree to change the angle of his fall, dodging past another roar by mere inches.

'Give up Dragon Slayer, you cannot outlast a Dragon.' Sekena spat at him mentally.

Natsu slid on the ground, his feet digging trenches as he slid. "No wonder Igneel denied you." He called out. "He would never stoop so low as to accept someone as weak as you."

Anger flashed in the Dragon's eyes as it dove at him. Natsu ran to the side of the attack, leaping at the last moment and pulling himself into a tight ball as a large claw lashed out under him. The attack scraped over his clothes, ripping down his back sharply. No sooner that the claw was out of the way than did a spike spring from the ground up at him. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" Fire sprung out at his ankle, shattering the hardened earth before it could touch him.

Planting his feet, Natsu reached up just as the Dragon's claws speared at him. He caught the attack between his hands, but was knocked off his feet as the stabbing motion turned into a step, pushing the Dragon Slayer onto his back. The ground shattered under the force of the attack, blood shooting up from his lips. Natsu had a brief flashback of the first time he had been in this situation, fear gripped him for a moment before confidence surged through his veins.

The Dragon pulled it's claw back once again, launching it forward to stab him. "Shadow Flame Step." He whispered when he felt the claw leave his chest briefly. Claws stabbed the ground where Natsu had briefly been, her eyes trying to follow his escape.

"Shadow Flame Kick!" Sekena spun around to see black flames slam into her snout, sending her reeling a few steps. She swiped with her claws, but caught only air once again. He was fast, but his attacks didn't affect her that much. It only served to annoy her further when her attacks failed to meet their mark. The change in his flames only seemed to make him faster instead of stronger. Slowly though, she found she could read his movements, seeing the pattern he was using to move away from her. Her attacks got ever closer, claws scraping along his clothes. Her hardened spike served only to slow him down, launching up in the way of his retreat instead of trying to pierce him.

Lucy let go of Mira with a cry, both of them grabbing her mark. The two shared a look and a nod. They couldn't wait for his summons any longer; they could feel the pain in his mark. Either the Dragon had shown up, or something was wrong with his plan. They started to run towards the door, but a wall of steel stopped them briefly. Erza stood between them and the door once again, swords surrounding her, all of them pointed at the two mages. "Don't make me hurt you." The knight threatened, brandishing her blades.

"Take Over: Satan Soul!" Mira cried out, her body flashing briefly as the soul changed her appearance. She threw herself forward, spinning in the air towards Lucy. The celestial mage caught on immediately as to what she was offering and lashed out with her whip at the take-over mage. The tip wrapped tightly around Mira's wrist and she grabbed the heavy leather rope, pulling roughly, using her momentum to further force the celestial mage forward.

Erza's eyes widened as the celestial mage was thrown at her and turned the tips of her blades away so as not to hurt her. Silently thanking Natsu for pushing her so hard to learn how to fight without her spirits, Lucy grabbed the knight's wrists and fluidly spun a kick into Erza's side. The knight lost her balance and moved to counter but was met with a kick to the side of her head from Mira. Erza flew to the side, her swords faltering for a second.

Erza quickly jumped to her feet, ready to continue the fight. She jumped back as Lucy's whip licked at her face. Sucking in a deep breath, she covered her face at the sight of fire jumping off the edge of the leather tip. When her eyes opened both mages were already kicking down the doors, sending wooden splinters in every direction. She stood stunned, barely able to believe how fluid the two's attacks had been. She was sure that the two had never even fought together before. 'Just what kind of training did Natsu put them through?' She wondered to herself, deciding it better to not give chase to the two.

-Flashback 2 days-

"Faster!" Natsu screamed, deflecting Mira's attack with his forearm, grabbing her elbow with his hand to pull her past him. Lucy used the brief moment he was distracted to crack her whip at his chest. Twisting to the side, he carried Mira's momentum and threw her behind his back at the blonde.

Lucy raised her hands to catch her friend from the air, but couldn't react fast enough. The take –over mage flew past her outstretched arms. Mira however, reacted faster, grabbing the thin piece of leather hanging in the air near Lucy's fist. She clenched her teeth as the leather burned into her skin, but didn't let go. Lucy spun with the mage and had to grab the handle with both hands to keep from losing control of it.

The whip snapped taunt, almost causing Lucy to lose her footing. Grunting with effort, the mage locked her muscles, bringing her partner to a complete stop. Without giving them a chance to recover, Natsu jumped at the two, throwing a fist at Lucy. Once again, Mira's reactions were faster than the blonde's, pulling the whip roughly and in turn pulling the blonde from her feet and in her direction. The blonde screamed in surprise, but reached out towards Mira with her free hand, this time the two caught one another's wrists, spinning slightly to bring Lucy to her feet safely.

A sly smile crossed Lucy's lips as Mira once again pushed off her feet at the Dragon Slayer. "Mira!" She screamed, seeing Mira peak over her shoulder without taking her eyes off Natsu. Mira caught the smile a half second before the whip snapped in front of her eyes. She was still several feet from the Dragon Slayer, but took the chance and spun in the air, gripping the tip of the whip. She tried pulling on the whip, but it wasn't enough and it slipped from her grasp before she could get a good grip on it. Too dedicated to grabbing the whip, Mira crossed the distance to Natsu, unable to change her course.

She slammed into his chest with her shoulder and felt his arms encircle her. Dust clouded around them as the Dragon Slayer set her down. "You have the right idea. When you aren't fast enough to catch your opponent, work together. When you aren't strong enough, attack at the same time. Whittle them down, don't just try to take them down in a single attack, no one can take hits forever."

Mira sighed and slumped forward, her body crying out for a break. Natsu wasn't about to let the two rest though and jumped away from the woman. "Now that you get the idea, I won't have to hold back as much."

-Present Day-

Natsu gasped as rock hard claws dug into the scales on his side and grabbed one of them, rotating around them to throw himself at the Dragon again. "Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" He aimed his attack at the Dragon's eye hoping to momentarily blind the fearsome creature. It roared in pain and shoved off the ground, spreading it's wings to keep itself afloat.

"Fire Dragon's Claw!" He cried out as he jumped from the ground, flames shooting out from his feet to launch him at the Dragon above him. A smile spread across the Dragon's snout, showing it's razor sharp fangs. 'Foolish child.' It thought at him before roaring down at the Dragon Slayer. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He cried out, trying to deflect the attack before it reached him. The two attacks collided and a shockwave spread across the tops of the trees where the attacks fought for dominance. Time seemed to slow as Natsu's attack was overpowered and the beam threatened to overwhelm him.

A voice called out to the Dragon Slayer from the forest just beyond the clearing. "Natsu!" His eyes widened at the recognition of the combined voice crying out for him. A small smile crossed his lips and he turned his head to look at the two. He reached out a hand towards them, hoping his plan would work. He closed his eyes and braced himself as time caught up to him, the attack finally slamming into him.

Both women screamed at the sight of their Dragon Slayer crashing into the ground, blood spraying from his mouth and his flames dying out around him. Silence surrounded the clearing only the occasional thump from the Dragon's wings heard. Neither of the women moved, unable to take their eyes from the fallen Dragon Slayer. "Take Over: Satan Soul Halphas." Mira whispered, her entire appearance changing dramatically. Featherlike wings shot from her back and her ears extended, blue scales covering them entirely. Her once black tail was replaced by a blue scaling tail, gauntlets and tall boots appeared over her forearms and legs.

Fire slid down Lucy's left arm, coiling tightly over her wrist and whip that lay coiled on the ground as it hung from her clenched fist. Her right hand gripped roughly over her keys hanging at her hip. She knew Natsu had told her not to summon any of them, but the mage couldn't stand back and watch as her mate laid there. She felt her own heart stop briefly before both Mira and herself raced forward.

Lucy's speed was nothing compared to the blinding speed of Mira's demon soul. Mira threw herself in the air to block the next attack that the Dragon spat at Natsu. "Demon Blast!" A large ball of dark energy sprung from her extended hands, hitting the second Dragon's Roar as it tried to destroy what was left of Natsu's beaten body.

"Summon Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" In a puff of smoke, Virgo appeared before Lucy and took in the entire scene. "Get Natsu back." Lucy commanded. Virgo nodded and disappeared into the ground, leaving a hole where she had been standing. Something inside Natsu caused him to flinch when Virgo grabbed him by his scarf and drug him underground into her hole, only to move him just beyond the clearing.

Meanwhile, Lucy had thrown herself back into the fight, trying to back up Mira. Mira threw her hand back the same instant Lucy cracked her whip forward, once again wrapping the leather around her wrist. The fire surrounding the whip didn't cause any sort of reaction from the take-over mage as she screamed at the effort to bring the blonde's weapon around, effectively launching her further into the air at the Dragon.

As Lucy's body flew past her, Mira snapped her wings to follow her towards the Dragon. The Dragon's jaw opened to release another attack, but was snapped shut when Mira's fist connected with it's snout. Lucy snapped her whip around the Dragon's snout to hold it closed, fire singeing into the scales wherever it touched. The Dragon reeled back, tucking itself into a steep dive more out of surprise than pain from the two women's attacks.

A gasp left the celestial mage's throat quickly at the sudden closure of her gate with Virgo and her eyes darted over to where she had felt the spirit. A pink cloud surrounded the area in which she looked, but quickly dissipated when a mixture of black and orange flames erupted from the center of them. Her breath caught when she saw Natsu standing there, blood dripping down his chin and a pair of handcuffs dangling from his fist before they too evaporated into the air. There were several spots where Natsu's scales had been ripped from his body in the previous attacks he had taken, his shirt only a tattered remains of what it had been that morning.

Their eyes met for only a brief second before a gauntleted hang grabbed her shoulder to pull her back, just enough to avoid a spire of rock from the ground. The Dragon had regained it's senses and was back on the offensive. It tried to force it's jaws open, but the whip held in place with the fire strengthening the hold.

Mira jumped in front of it, catching it's attention momentarily. Spears shot from the ground at the take-over mage and she had to jump back to avoid them, her hands coming up in front of her. "Soul Extinction!" A dark orb of energy launched out from her hands like a beam through the spears of earth to attack the Head of the Dragon.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Natsu's own attack spun from behind Mira, circling around her to combine with her attack.

In a roar of pain, the Dragon was blacked out from sight with the attack. The three mages stood, breathing heavily to see what would happen, waiting to see what effect their attacks would have on the legendary being.

The light faded from where the attack had met the Dragon to show a blackened forest floor. 'Stupid humans. You can't defeat me when I am surrounded by my element.' Came a weak voice. A sudden crack rippled from the ground and the Dragon stood up, bearing it's fangs at the trio.

The Dragon stepped forward towards the three, but buckled forward as it tried to swipe at them, crashing to the ground below it. Lucy stepped beside the other two and looked over at Mira. "We don't have to kill it. We have another option." She stated quickly. "Mira, take it's soul into yours."

"Hold it down." Mira agreed, launching herself forward and onto the Dragon's snout, looking the weakened being in the eyes as she let her Demon's Soul fade from her body.

Natsu blurred to it's side, slamming his fists into the ground and spreading flames across the ground around the Dragon before they leapt over it's limbs to hold it in place. Lucy grabbed her whip from where it sat on the ground and wrapped it around it's snout once again, trying to keep it from releasing it's roar a final time.

A dark aura surrounded the take-over mage as her blue eyes drew the Dragon's towards her. A shockwave split across the ground and the Dragon turned golden, slowly evaporating into the air. Before Mira finished absorbing the Dragon, Natsu's brief surge of energy failed him, his fires dying out as he collapsed in a heap.

'You can't hope to control me, human…' The Dragon's voice whispered as the last of it disappeared into Mira's body. 'If I can't have the King, I'll take the Heir.'

Mira collapsed back into Lucy's arms with a groan, her magical energy depleted after her take-over. The two looked over at the unconscious Dragon Slayer and sighed in relief, glad it was over.

"How are we supposed to explain this to master?" Lucy asked with a laugh. "I'm not too sure he is going to be happy that you used your Halphas Soul again…"

"Let's get back to the guild… I don't want anyone worrying any longer than they have to." Mira responded, trying to force herself to her feet, only barely able to accomplish the task.

Lucy stumbled against the door to the guild, the Dragon Slayer weighing heavily on her back. She glared over at the take-over mage who was barely able to keep up on her shaky legs. Mira stepped up beside the two and pushed on the door, only to cause the blonde and pinkette to fall through when it opened. A sickening thud sounded through the guild as Natsu bounced off the ground before sliding down the steps to the main floor of the guild. "We're home everyone…" Mira said, flashing a smile from the doorway.

A rush of people ran at the trio, questions flying in from every direction. Wendy was the first to appear at their sides, Romeo a step behind her as he reached for Natsu's limp body. Lucy was just getting to her feet with Levy's help when she saw a smile spread over Natsu's lips. His eyes opened to catch hers when Romeo helped him to his feet. He wasn't able to put any weight on his limbs, but as Wendy's magic spread through him, his eyes started to regain the usual shine they had to them. The color in his cheeks stayed a pale white and he sagged once again, barely keeping his consciousness as Wendy's magic worked across his body healing the worst of the damage he had taken.

"We need to wrap his wounds; otherwise he just needs some rest for a few days." Wendy explained. "We can take him up to the infirmary until he is better, that way we can keep a close eye on him."

Wendy and Mira shook their heads to deny the offer and were about to voice their thoughts when Erza pushed to the front of the crowd. "It's for the best; you two don't look too good yourselves. Maybe you should…" Her words were cut off when the two women glared at her.

"Thank you, but no. We just came by to let you know everything is okay for now. We will explain later what happened, but for now we are headed home." Mira said, pushing away from the wall. "Help us carry him, Gray." She said commandingly to the ice mage.

"Yeah? And why wou-"His words stopped short when Lucy tried to take Natsu's weight from Romeo. She didn't look inclined to ask for any help as her arm wrapped around the Dragon Slayer's waist to hold him to her.

Natsu looked over at the ice mage and smiled wickedly. "Seems you turned out to be the weak link to the group... Lucy took on a Dragon and still has enough left to help me get home…" His words barely came out a whisper, but the implication was as plain as day. The Dragon Slayer ground his teeth in pain as he tried to walk with Lucy, his legs shaking under him all the way to the door.

The ice mage folded his arms over his chest and glared at the pink haired man leaving the guild. "At least I don't have to be carried home, flame brain."

Natsu looked back over his shoulder at Gray one last time, "You have a woman of your own, don't be jealous you can't be this close to what's mine." A smile crossed his lips as his eyes closed, the last of his strength leaving his body causing him to collapse against the two women that were trying to walk him home.

As always, R & R please!

The following chapter may take me a few extra days to get out; I am having trouble putting the right words down with it. I have already rewritten this chapter three times. Please tell me what you think of my story thus far! Yes I know, probably a pretty predictable ending to this chapter, but it's my story and this is how I wanted it to end.

And no this is not the final chapter; it is far from the last chapter.