And Onto the Story!
"Since they've seen Deliora, we cannot allow them to live. We shall give them the gift of eternal slumber. We'll give them... Love!" Sherry declared, ending with a euphoric tone, causing Toby to growl, while Yuka scoffed in annoyance. Clearly, her accomplices were more than aware of Sherry's absurd obsession. Lucy, on the other hand, was shocked to the core. Never before has she been threatened to be killed by an enemy mage before. Sure, Eisenwald and Lullaby were both hard fights, for her at least, but at least there wasn't a curse going around. After hearing the other pinkette, Natsu only squinted his eyes in annoyance, before turning to Happy and giving him the signal. After receiving a salute, Happy was off to go cause a distraction. Not even 10 seconds later a rock was heard hitting the floor, alerting the enemy mages, and causing them to go inspect it, in hopes of finding the Fairy Tail mages. After they left, Lucy let out a sigh of relief, while Erza stood up and somehow, made her way over to the entrance of the tunnel that the mages exited through, to ensure they had left, after a minute of total silence Erza and Natsu locked eyes, both confirming the same thing.
"They're gone," Natsu said as he stood up and opened his eyes. Taking a look around, he saw Gray sitting in the same spot, but, his arms were shaking with anger while his face was planted into his knees, and he could hear faint, sharp intakes of breath, leaving him to believe that Gray is either crying, or desperately trying to prevent himself from killing the other mages. Deciding that trying to help Gray would only make things worse, he turned towards Lucy to see how the buxom was fairing and was proud to see that her left hand was clenched on her key belt, showing that even though she was a little paler than usual, she was ready to fight for what she believed in. Happy had finally returned, having had lead the mages on a chase through the cave before disappearing and returning back to his fellow teammates.
"Nice job, cat," Lucy whispers as she stands up with her long, glorious legs, before walking towards Erza to ask her fellow female mage if she needed any help.
"Deliora." Gray growled, catching the attention of his friends, "I still don't understand what anyone would want with him. How the hell were they even able to find it!" Gray snarled as he bolted to his feet, and stalked towards the encased demon, his magic growing around him with every step he took towards his demon.
"Was it hidden somewhere?" Erza inquiries from the cave entrance, still searching for any signs of the enemy mages 'Never turn your back on the enemy, plus Lucy and Gray need the experience anyway,' Erza thought as her eyes searched the dark cavern for any signs of the mages intending on killing her and her friends.
"It was sealed away, inside a glacier in the Northern Continent, after what stories lead the council to believe, that Deliora went on a rampage only to end up disappearing... Want to explain that?" Natsu interrupts as he walked towards the demon in its eternal prison, making Gray look at him in shock. 'Why... does something about Deliora feel so... familiar?' Natsu thought as he continued past Gray towards the demon, only for his feet to be encased in ice, causing him to stop moving. Lifting a brow, Natsu turned towards Gray in askance, only to come face to face with a ticked off Gray.
"How do you know so much about Deliora!? HOW!" Gray screams in fury, afraid that Natsu had known all along that he had essentially murdered his master in every way but intention.
"Did you all honestly believe that I accepted this quest before doing any research whatsoever? I looked through the council's archives, doing research on every of Zeref's demons. Granted, it wasn't easy. They wouldn't give me entrance once they saw my guild mark. I had to use the wizard saint card to even see the blacked out files." Natsu calmly replies with no hints of deceit whatsoever, causing Gray to let out a sigh while both Lucy and Erza gaped at him as if seeing him in a whole new way.
"What! is it honestly that surprising that I did research?!" Natsu yells in annoyance with a tick mark on his forehead, not at all concerned about the mages returning. Both Erza and Lucy turned around and muttered reassurances with faint blushes in their full cheeks, that didn't leave Natsu assured at all. Natsu's body temperature alone melted Gray's ice around his feet as he turned around and took a step forward towards Deliora with slitted pupils, causing Gray's eyes to widen while he summoned his magic.
"Ice-Make: Hammer" Gray said as he widened his legs and slammed his right fist into his open palm causing his magic to take the form of an intricately decorated hammer, causing Erza's eyes to widen while Lucy screamed at Gray when he grabbed the hammer and swung it horizontally towards Natsu's back, only for it to melt and shatter on impact when Natsu turned around.
"What are you doing!?" Lucy screamed in shock while Erza furiously stomped towards Gray, enraged that he would attack Natsu for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Feeling the attack, Natsu turned towards Gray only to be tackled to the ground before he could even look at the ice mage.
"If there is even the slightest chance you can melt the ice, I cannot let you anywhere near Deliora!" Gray screamed in what seemed delirium, causing Erza to stop in her tracks while Natsu let out a sigh of relief. 'Why was I walking towards Deliora? Why did it feel like I had to free him?' Natsu thought despairingly, not understanding why his body seemed to act on its own, making him glad that Gray stopped him in his tracks before he could reach the ice.
"While I do not approve of your methods, your reasoning is sound." Erza intoned while she walked towards the two men still on the cold ground. Seeing that even as she approached, Gray did not let Natsu up, she was curious to note that the pinkette's hands were shaking, and if she remembered correctly, his hair never had that much black in it before...
'"Gray, let him up," Erza ordered once she reached the two men, watching as Gray slowly raised himself off of the slightly taller male, only to blush at what the position looked like. Hearing Happy snicker at her blush she turned around to glare at the daring blue cat who had been surprisingly quiet, causing him to shut up, and disappear behind Lucy. Apparently, her fight with that thing was enough to make him believe Lucy could protect him from her, causing her lips to quirk up a bit. Turning towards the men once again, she was inwardly shocked to see Natsu hold his hand out for Gray to shake it, and was proud that he took it.
"Gray, if there is anything else you have not told us, do it now. Any information is key in the investigation." Erza stated as she stared at Gray with that cold look on her face causing him to sigh in annoyance.
"A decade ago, this immortal demon ravaged Ishvan. Countless people lost their lives. The woman who taught me my magic, my master, Ur sa-" Gray stated in a depressed tone, only to be interrupted by a surprisingly serious Natsu.
"Ur, as in Ur Milkovich, the Queen of Winter?" Natsu questioned only for everyone to stare at him in shock once more.
"For the sake of... URGH!" Natsu yelled in annoyance, not understanding why everyone always assumed he was an idiot.
"Is it the pink hair? It's the pink hair, isn't it?!" Natsu yelled as he paced in a circle causing Happy and Lucy to smile as he ranted on, while Erza and Gray smiled.
"Actually, it's-" Happy teased, only to be interrupted by Lucy.
"Why does the Queen of Winter sound so familiar..." Lucy voiced as she raised her right hand and held her chin with her left hand on her right elbow while she thought, trying to remember where she heard it from.
"Ur is the strongest ice mage to have ever lived. Legends say that when she got mad she was surrounded by a stormy, violent winter." Erza recited from memory, remembering when Rob would tell stories to her and the other slaves like a parent would to their own child.
"If your teacher was so strong, why are you so weak Gray?" Happy taunted while Lucy held him by his stomach, only for them to scream and scatter when a volley of ice arrows was flung in their direction.
"Before she died, I promised I wouldn't let her down and that I would become a mage to be proud of. This is the last thing I have to remember her by!" Gray shouted with tears in his eyes as he tore his prized silver pendant off his neck and held it out, the stone glistening in the morning light making Natsu stare in shock. 'That's the pendant?! How does he have it? The council reported that it had been destroyed, they couldn't trace the magic...'
"I'm sorry to hear that, what was the spell she used to..." Lucy quietly asked as she walked towards him and gave him a hug. Gray shook in her arms as he layed his head down onto her comforting shoulder, listening to her whipser sweet nothings into his ear as she tried to help him calm down. Natsu walked over Erza to talk about what they should do next, and just as he was about to ask her, Gray spoke up.
"I don't know if Deliora has anything to do with the curse on this island, but I do know that it doesn't belong here! This cold emperor, I might know who he is, but if he tarnishes my master's legacy, they're going to regret the day they were born!" Gray yelled as Lucy stepped back. He then turned around and stormed through the cavern after the enemy mages, trying to investigate what is going on.
"Well, let's go stop that idiot before he does something he regrets eh?" Natsu asked as he turned around and started walking through the cave as Happy flew over to his shoulder, with Lucy in tow. Erza took one last look around the cavern before quietly running after them.
And onto the reviews
rocker pirate- chapter 7- Usually I don't respond or mention reviews from a member, but I just wanted to mention the review simply because I can see where he's coming from. I just barely finished episode 11, and Galuna Island is chapter 11-18. I get that you can lose interest when I take so long to write every chapter so detailed, but, I do have certain things planned for Galuna Island to not only revive Ur, and prepare the girls for the harem. I believe I have already stated this, but, I don't really like all the harem stories where the girls see Natsu once and fall in love with him on the spot even knowing that other girls like him as well. I don't really believe in love at first sight, I think that's lust. There is no possible way that you could meet someone new and fall in love with them immediately, without knowing their preferences, beliefs, ideals or morals. Maybe its just me, but that is what I believe in. Galuna Island is an important arc to this fanfic because it not only introduces characters like Ultear, Lyon, Sherry etc, but it is also where I need to revive Ur because that's what 17 of you wanted me to do. I need this arc for character development and my own little plot twist, even if I don't like the Galuna island arc myself. I'll be the first to admit that it is one of the most boring arcs in Fairy Tail, and I doubt I can write it any better than the hundreds of people who have rewritten Fairy tail, all I ask is you consider my reasons and keep on reading. I also realized that the last few chapters were a few too much like canon, so I hope you'll appreciate the 150% effort I put into this chapter on trying to be creative, while also giving you guys somewhat of a hint on what is to come.
Guest from chapter 9 - I'm honestly not sure whether Meredy will look at Natsu as a brother or lover because I've forgotten the harem list. I think I'll post it in every chapter from here on out so we all don't forget. And about Edolas. I'm not sure if I'll have Mystogan and Natsu working together, so whether Natsu would have his powers in Edolas to make a threat. However. Natsu may be envious since the Edolas Fairy Tail accepts Natsu.
Harem List (What did I get myself into xD). Anyone underlined has been officially added to the harem!
1. Milliana
2. Kagura Mikazuchi
3. Sherry Blendy
4. Lucy Heartfilia
5. Ikaruga Ryu
6. Wendy Marvell
7. Erza Scarlet
8. Sayla
9. Kyoka
10. Sorano Agria
11. Yukino Agria
12. Meredy
13. Ultear Milkovich
14. Brandish Myu
15. Dimaria Yestia
16. Hisui E Fiore
17. Irene B
18. Juvia Loxar
19. Lisanna Strauss
20. Minerva O
21. Jenny Realight
22. Mirajane Strauss
23. Cana Alberona
24. Ur Milkovich
25. Celestial Spirits
- Aquarious.