10. Freedom

"Erza! What are you doing here?" Lucy asked, puzzled.

Erza gave them a small smile. "Master wanted me to check on you. We're going to escape and get these people arrested." She pulled out a sward and pointed it at the people of 'Azerath.

Natsu grinned. "Don't worry, Luce. We'll get out for sure. I won't let you die."

Lucy laughed. "I wouldn't want you to die either, Natsu."

Azerath wasn't giving up without a fight… but neither was Erza.

Happy looked straight ahead. "We can't let Erza do this all by herself. We have to fight with her."

Lucy nodded determinedly and Natsu had that devious grin on his face. They rushed forward and started fighting Azerath.

Natsu did a fire attack and a man dodged it. The two continued to fight to a standstill.

Lucy called out Aries who did a wool bomb attack and two girls got caught up it, then collapsed.

Erza took on three people at once and it looked like she was winning.

Even though Lucy, Natsu, and Happy were all beaten up, that didn't stop them. They had to get out of there. And they had to stop Azerath.

Natsu knocked out the man with one last punch and two more people came springing forward. But it was no use. Natsu took them down in no time.

Lucy smiled. They were doing great!

Until he came. They all heard it. The drone of a helicopter. Lucy shuddered at the memory. She knew that sound. The guild master was here.

Erza seemed to know it too. "Master Tenzo…" she whispered.

A man with a long black beard stepped through the doors. "What's all this ruckus about?" he asked, looking annoyed.

A girl stepped forward. "Wizards from Fairy Tail are trying to get us arrested, Master!"

Tenzo only chuckled. "And?"

"Well…" the girl continued, running a hand through her brown hair. "It's just that… they're strong."

Tenzo narrowed his eyebrows. "What did you just say?"

The girl stepped back. "I…"

"You just said they're strong. You know the rules, Hazuki. That is a crime in this guild. It means you're weak. You never admit that the enemy is strong."

Hazuki got down on her knees and bowed. "I know. F-forgive me, Master!"

But it was too late. Tenzo reached out his arm and dark magic energy swirled around. "Repent for your sins, Hazuki. You are no longer allowed in my sight. Be gone!"

The magic came towards her at an incredible speed. Her scream could be heard from miles away. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut as a drop of blood hit the ground.

When Hazuki's body was drained, Tenzo snapped and the girl's body vanished.

It was too much for Lucy to take. Hazuki was an enemy to them, but no one deserved that.

Natsu, Erza, and Happy seemed to feel the same way. But it wasn't just them.

Another girl from Azerath stepped forward. She resembled Hazuki a lot. "No!" she screamed, tears dripping from her face. "Hazuki! My sister!"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "How could you do that, you heartless bastard?" her fist clenched and she switched armor.

Lucy pulled out her keys. "That's right! She didn't do anything wrong! This is ridiculous!"

Tenzo glared at them. "You want to be next, you brats?"

Natsu just slanted his eyes. "I don't care! I'll never forgive you for treating people this way. It's just not right."

This seemed to make Tenzo angrier. "Then come! If Hazuki wasn't enough to show you that I'm undefeatable, then I'll kill each one of you until you get the message. Starting with Blondie."

Lucy gasped and backed away. Suddenly, she was in a sort of bubble and was floating towards Tenzo. "No!" she tried to scream, but she couldn't find her voice. She felt sleepy. She felt weak.

As her head slumped down, she heard Natsu scream, "Lucy!" This seemed to wake her up. Her eyes snapped open and she scrambled around, trying to find a way to get out of the bubble.

All of a sudden, it disappeared and Lucy fell to the floor. When she looked up, she realized it was because Natsu was now fighting Master Tenzo. He was stronger than she had ever seen him before.

But it wasn't just Natsu. Erza sprang forward and Happy grabbed onto Natsu, flying him around when needed. Even Hazuki's sister joined in.

Lucy stood and brushed herself off. She called out Sagittarius and grabbed her whip.

This meant payback. They were going to escape. They were going to be free.

a.a.a.

After about 20 minutes, they had finally managed to defeat Master Tenzo. By the end, most of the guild was joining in. As it turned out, the members were also against his rules, but were too afraid to say anything.

Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Happy stood there panting. Natsu laughed. "We… did it."

They limped out the door and were finally outside. Lucy sighed in relief. "Ugh, it feels like forever since I've felt fresh air."

Erza nodded. "It was a tough fight today, but we did it. Now, we just have to get them arrested by the council."

As they walked further, Lucy smiled and looked over at Natsu. They won the fight, but she felt she had won something more.

*This is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue*