DISCLAIMER APPLIES

Ch 10: Comprehension

'I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.' –Confucius

Immediately hands rose to the occasion, launching from Makarov's body to pin the slender female against the wall. Makarov furious, clenched his fist and gathered the girl into a tight grip to pull her forward.

At the same time, the orb once tight in the woman's hand had slipped from her grasp. She showed little sign of attachment to the object as it rolled off to the side, nestling between the railing of the 2nd floor. Her face was only that of pure amusement at the events before her.

"Where is Yoric? What have you done with him?" Makarov growled, threatening to crush the woman right then and there.

" You, Makarov one of the Wizard Saints, shouldn't worry about a simple mage like Yoric... Instead, you should worry about the ones around you." She chortled, stopping abruptly as pressure increased on her midsection. She flinched, arching inward at the twinge of pain.

"They are in no danger in this guild."

"A-are you sure about that?" She mumbled. Her vision shifted from Makarov to something behind him.

Makarov narrowed his eyes at the woman in his grasp, noticing the flicker of movement in her cruel orbs. Glancing aside, he realized something was floating.

The voices of the guild members below him drifted up to the second floor discussing the strange object.

"Hey look! What's that?"

"Mira-chan…did you leave the closet to the enchanted objects open again?

"No no, Bisca I'm sure I closed it…now where's that key?"

"Charle! It's floating!"

"Wendy aren't you use to this already? Didn't you see what happened last week?"

"Mou…but…"

"Levy—"

"I'm not finding anything about this in my books…"

"Woah! It's getting bigger…!"

"….pfft!"

"Seriously Jet? That thing ain't as big as—"

"Don't. Don't even think of finishing that sentence."

The woman broke out into hysterical giggles. "Your guild? These are your mages? How pitiful!" She cackled, her voice dropping to a lower key.

"Let's see the look on their faces when that pretty little ball explodes."

Makarov paled realizing what she intended to do with the object. He also realized it wasn't just any orb, but it was a type of explosive lacrima. Immediately his hands, tightened around the woman, slacked and his form turned to lunge off the balcony, reaching to force the orb out of the air.

'NO!'

The woman behind him now with much more freedom, grasped for the air, her orb in sight, and clenched her fist.

"Bye-bye sweetheart."

It felt like hours passed as a change occurred in the faces who were so amused at the supposedly innocent sight. They had dropped so quickly into expressions of horror as glass rained from the sky, along with their guild leader falling from the second floor.

Screams then echoed throughout the mess hall, people scrambling out of the way, others dropping to the floor writhing. A few lucky ones tried to help those who were caught in the downpour.

Mirajane scrambled from behind the bar counter, rushing to Makarov's aid, his chest pierced with several of the dagger-like shards from trying to prevent the lacrima from hurting everyone. With shaky hands, she reached out to pull the less dangerous ones, only to find herself hit with foreign magic radiating from the glass. She hissed, clutching her hand in pain.

Others found themselves hit by the same force as they tried to remove the shards from themselves and each other.

"M-master! Master! Everyone's hurt—w-we must get Porlyuisca! " Mirajane cried, noticing many of the guild members either hiding or trying their hardest to pull the shards despite their destructive attributes. As she was about to leave, Makarov's hand clutched at her skirt, his other pointing weakly at the balcony he had fallen from.

Mira looked up, realizing there was someone up there who didn't belong. Her eyes looked on warily at the woman who suddenly curled her lips in a proud sneer. Mira recalled that Yoric was up there recently…where had he gone? Why was that woman up there?

More tugging on her skirt made her realize there was something off with the lady smiling eerily above them. Looking down, she saw Makarov mouthing something she tried her hardest to understand. His breath was airy, yet the sound was loud enough for her to hear.

"Grimoire..."

Finally understanding, something snapped inside her. Her head shot up immediately her eyes glaring down the known Grimoire Heart member.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Wendy cried, shaking Charle who had gone unconscious after blocking a few shards after the explosion. Much like the others Wendy had tried the more straightforward approach and attempted to pull the shards with no luck. Her hands burned immediately on contact.

Wiping the tears out of her face, she concentrated and placed her hand once more onto the shard on Charle's shoulder.

'Please! Charle…'

Dark magic sparked, licking against the girl's arm. Yet, the young Dragon Slayer persisted in tugging the thing out. Finally the shard had come out, its chaotic magic dying as it left Charle's shoulder. The cat's face was calmer than previously, her pained expression lessened by the one fewer shard.

Wendy sighed; a bit more at ease seeing that it was possible to get them out at all. Once more did she concentrate, trying to remove the last of Charle's shards.

Around her, other mages were trying their hardest to remove any of the shards in their friends. Gajeel being more frustrated than a few others growled as he forcefully pried the shard out of his side. He then pushed Jet and Droy away to get to the unconscious Levy they were tending to horribly.

Others were more cautious as they tried to approach the other problem: the foreign woman on the balcony and Mirajane.

Her form was rabid as she shot across the hall, launching into the second floor balcony. In her demon form she swiped at the raven haired woman.

"Ah ha! So there are the claws! Come, come faeries!" She mused, sidestepping the swipe. The slightest touch of her fingers against wood, as she retaliated, shattered objects her due to lost magic.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Mira roared. Her mind was clouded by nothing but anger for her friends as she ricocheted through the guildhall. Close enough to who she thought as a threat, her fist crashed into the wooden banister causing debris to fly.

Wendy ducked, her hair rustling at the speed of the wood crashing against the wall. Looking afar, she realized where everything stemmed from.

Makarov was wheezing angrily, his eyes focused and yet fogged as he tried his hardest to watch the commotion around him. His form shook terribly as he tried lifting himself up.

Wendy gasped, her hands immediately going to her lips in a shocked awe before stumbling to her feet dodging the mess and chaos of what was Mira.

"Master, please…don't get up!" She yelled over as she skid too her knees, her hand pressuring him to lean against a fallen barrel.

He could only blink in recognition, his lips mouthing 'Porlyusica', something the girl could only nod at, despite her not knowing what he was even saying. The only thing that mattered to her was trying to heal him.

She sweated, noticing the tremendous amount of shards piercing his hands and chest. She quickly put two and two together after recalling him lunge mid-air for the large wrecking-ball sized orb right before hit exploded.

'He tried to protect us!' Her mind racked. Her eyes racing to the image of disaster around her. She shook her head, trying to focus on the person in front of her. She knew her magic could help him…only if these jagged glass rods were removed.

Gulping, she tapped at the closet shard, it reacting violently making the Guild Master shudder at the shock.

"M-master…I —I don't know what to do!" She cried, afraid her attempt to pull one out could cause more pain to the elder.

Again the mouthed name fell from his lips, she paled.

'W-what is he saying?'

Suddenly a shadow cast over her.

"Poh…lee…err…see...ca?" A rough voice above answered. Looking up Wendy realized the hunched form of the Metal Dragon Slayer had succeeded in reading Makarov's lips.

The faint smile on Makarov's face told them everything.

Gajeel frowned, leaning over Makarov as he plucked the few spears he could see without causing the guild master to bleed out. He responded little to the slight moans of pain as the chaotic glass sparked angrily.

Wendy could only frown deeply, wondering when it was appropriate to intervene and treat the wounds.

Gajeel hissed, finally realizing the young girl hadn't moved at all.

"Girl! Didn't you hear me? Get this Pohlersecah person over here! The old man's going to die!"

She shrunk back, her eyes wide in fear.

"But—the shards—"

"I got them handled, either way the pain or blood loss will kill him first! You're still too young to handle healing all this shit!" He growled, his hand sweeping across the hall and pointing back at her. "Go get that person!"

Shoes hit cobblestone, leaving loud clacking noises in their wake. The door behind her left ajar as she launched herself out of it into another world different from the inner hall.

The sky was aglow as the sun began to set over the horizon, the day leading to an end, and the night began to engulf the world to let the stars shine.

There was always a slight difference in the town, in how the sun cast its light and how the shadows formed upon the rocks. Time had done its job changing the town of Magnolia.

Wendy bit her lip as she continued to run, the sky above her forever changing into hues of cool blues and purples.

'Wendy…time hasn't done much for you has it? They still think you're too young to do anything.'

She ran, tripping occasionally through the streets of Magnolia, calling out the strange name. People around her looked at her in curiosity and others in shock at the roughed up girl. In her ragged dress and loosened hair bows, she looked unscathed compared to the inner guildhall. The place was a battlefield full of holes.

'What kind of person is named Polyur—whats it?' She questioned, as her eyes darted to and fro for anyone who responded to the name.

Many shook their heads saying they had no idea who that person was. Her heart sunk as she slowed to a jog, wondering if she'd find anyone at all who knew Porlyusica.

"This—this is—ugh!" She choked, her hands pressing against her knees as she finally stopped to catch a breath. Her feet felt heavy, as she slowed to a stop. She wondered if this really was the right thing to do. Was this going to be enough to help the guild?

Breathing in a large gulp of air, she pushed herself forward heading down the street. In her mind, the task seemed never ending. Risking her own life to save them all seemed much easier to do. It was something she didn't mind doing after all the things the guild had done for her.

She couldn't doubt herself. It had to work. Or else.

Makarov was on the verge of falling into a coma or even to the eternal abyss, Mirajane had snapped and many others were scrambling to get rid of the witch of a woman who had caused the mess.

Looking around, Wendy noticed there were less people on the streets. She turned around hastily searching for anyone.

This Porlyusica person….

Was nowhere to be found.

Wendy's heart sank into her stomach.

The guild members waiting for her would be waiting for nothing. Makarov would die and who the hell knows what Mira would do to the guild.

She hissed as she tried to motivate herself. Her legs continued to increase in weight as she continued to run. She didn't care. She had to find someone. She had to try. Master's hopes were on her.

'I can't fail him here….please…give me the ability to do something!'

On instinct, she turned the corner. Everything was a blur when she gasped sharply at hitting a hard object. She stumbled, her legs tangling with each other before she felt herself victim to gravity. All she could do was snap her eyes shut and wait to greet the cold floor.

"Hey! Watch it—" A familiar voice snapped as a hand caught Wendy's wrist. Opening her eyes, she could only gape at who she had bumped into.

Ultear scoffed, tumbling smoothly to the side as a blur shot past her. Springing back up, she dusted herself off. A short glance toward the human bullet had her readying for the next attack. The raised fist made it all too easy for her to expect it.

'They're faeries after all… shimmering wings and their vibrancy is quite hard to miss.'

"…as much as I'd love to stay and play with you faeries…" Ultear trailed off, tilting her head enough to miss a fist to the face. Her pleased eyes met with another pair hell-bent on destroying her.

"I simply do not have the time." With a toothy grin, her hands tapped against the wall behind her.

Immediately the wall behind her shattered, stunning the anger-driven barmaid. Ultear took advantage of the short few seconds; quickly tapping several parts of the attacking mage starting on her sternum and ending on her forehead.

Mirajane's eyes suddenly went blank and her arms dropped to her sides. Soon enough her whole body fell like a rock to the ground, her eyes blank as if she was held in a trance.

Ultear peered down at the hypnotized female before picking at her nails. "Hmph. Annoying gnat." Seeing the disturbance was taking care of, her eyes shifted over to the injured guild master tended by a heavily pierced man. He was staring back at her intensely. She couldn't help but feel the urge to pluck his eyes out. Her mocking smile soon elicited a growl from the male.

'My my…so defensive.'

With a sigh, she ignored the mage and calling him a 'beast' under her breath. Seeing his form tense, she decided it was fair enough to stay her distance. She did have a few scratches here and there from the previous skirmish. Getting into another one too soon would be…unfortunate.

"Makarov, look at this," she announced, her hand sweeping across the room. "You were here and were unable to do anything." She smiled, her teeth gleaming. "Old man….if this happens while you're here…what can you do for those not in your sight?" She questioned in a falsetto tone, before giving him a short glance.

His eyes were wide and his face pale. She couldn't tell if it was from either the injury or the realization, but she took it as the latter.

"Your little spy in Grimorie is taken well care of...but he won't be the only one. The one who wields the lullaby…Lucy yes? She'll be fun to play with." She hummed in delight before phasing towards the wooden door.

"And that little girl that scampered out of here…." She whispered, noticing the pierced man had finally gotten up. He was surely tense at the mentioning of young one.

"I'll KILL you."

Ultear raised an eyebrow. Turning her head, she snorted. Her eyes lidded in disgust. "I'd like to see you try. Even time can rust the strongest of metals….or is this more about that little airy one?"

Gajeel flinched, taken aback at her choice of words. How much did she know about Fairy Tail? Did she know Wendy knew wind magic? Gajeel furrowed his brow. She couldn't leave here with all that information.

A small tapping at his knee made him look down; Makarov was shaking his head.

'Too much has happened to our home. Stop.'

Gajeel hissed. "She'll get away old man! What about Wendy?"

His head shook again, his eyes tired.

"….S-she won't hurt her."

"Hey Wendy! Where you goin'?"

Natsu raised his eyebrows. The string of words the younger Dragon Slayer was telling him made no sense what-so-ever. Even Erza was having difficulty with Wendy's word vomit.

"Wendy please slow down."

"Natsu! Erza! …help! Master…."

That got their attention.

"What happened to Gramps?" Natsu questioned, raising an eyebrow. He must've gotten stuck in the toilet again or something…

"He—Porlyusica?" She wheezed, finally stopping to take large gulps of air. Her moments were cut short as Erza took her by the shoulders.

"Why does he need Porlyusica?"

Wendy widened her eyes, quickly telling what had happened at the guild. Erza then had let go of her in that amount of time, dashing into the forest. She knew where Porlyusica was, and it was going to take a crap load of begging to get her out of that tree hut of hers.

Natsu was frozen before her, his hands clenched in a fist. Finally, his eyes stared Wendy down blazing with a fury for the woman who had caused the damage in their guild.

"Wendy, let's go."

..

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"…That won't be necessary."

The two looked aside, finding a figure standing on a rooftop. The sunset gave her a glowing outline, but the light behind her was not enough to cast away her sinister aura.

Wendy gasped.

"That's her! That woman who—"

"It's Ultear little girl…," She sighed glancing over to the angry male. "and you," She raised an eyebrow. The males were always so tense it annoyed her. "Your appearance just made my life a tad bit more difficult—and here I was going to get rid of a loose end."

Natsu blinked. Straightening up for a second as something rang in his head. "Your name sounds really familiar…." He trailed off. Didn't that blood mage say her name before? He cursed mentally, trying to recall the whispered conversation.

Ultear deadpanned. "I would've expected you would know who I am—as you did kill one of my associates…Natsu Dragneel, Fire Dragon Slayer."

Wendy's head spun, to look at Natsu. He seemed smug at the achievement, even smugger at the fact she knew his name. Snorting, he moved forward, lightly pushing Wendy behind him. His wild grin gave her the hint to stay away from whatever was going to happen.

"He didn't seem that hard to kill."

Her eyes flashed. Quickly her form became a blur as she phased from the roof tops to a distance away from the two Fairy Tail mages.

Natsu chuckled, cracking his knuckles. Their previous mission had barely little fighting, just a mere delivery mission. Getting attacked by rabid Hyena-jaguars didn't compute in his mind as fighting. Just a warm up. Maybe it would be interesting to fight the woman? He for sure was rearing to do so.

"Well then….if you think it that way, your friends were much easier to wipe out."

Natsu scowled. Now he really wanted to deck her one.

Ultear yawned, deciding to turn her back on the two. Lifting her hand in the air, she waved. "I guess I could deal with your blonde friend…" She tilted her head, satisfied at the horrified look upon Natsu's face. "After all, she wasn't there when I paid a visit."

Wendy shook her head in agreement when the pink haired male gave her a glance. Lucy wasn't there when everything had occurred, actually she had just left right before the chaos occurred. However she was worried by what Ultear was concocting. Looking at how Natsu was tensing, he seemed to have the same idea.

"Well then….I guess my job here is done, I did meet your master…and we did have complications, but in the end, we compromised…heh."

Her eyes widened at a sudden spark of fire grazing the front of her dress, stepping back she cringed at the burn marks. Natsu growled, at the female threatening her to say another word. Urtear glowered before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to hold her temper. With a curt smile, she waved them off, her form fading away as she teleported away from another grazing trail of fire.

"Ta-ta~"

He thought of the guild as a safe haven, full of happy faces and occasional bar fights meant as jokes, games. Walking into the guild to a mess he didn't even make was something he had little intention of doing.

Yet he did.

He took little care in noticing the upturned tables and shattered glass. It was as if he could see through the broken hall and just at the people. He frowned deeply at the people who looked back at him in wonder, some wondering why he wasn't at the guild he loved the most.

'I should've….damn it! Why didn't I get here sooner?'

He hissed angrily, clenching his fists tighter as he walked into the minefield. Looking around once more, his eyes finally locked on a figure, or a set of figures. He blocked out everything else as he walked forward uncertainly, like an infant first placed on its feet. He ignored the pained look on Wendy's face and the nod of solemn greeting from Gajeel. Natsu only focused on what looked like his guild leader, the man who was a second father to him.

Makarov looked at the pink haired male, and couldn't help but give him a small smile. It was returned with a look of scrutiny. Those eyes then quickly shut closed.

"D-don't smile at me like that…old man." Natsu mumbled, crouching down to Makarov. "…why did you let her do this to you! You're stronger than that….damn it!"

Makarov shook his head. "T-this guild comes first."

Gajeel, deciding to break the silence, scoffed. "Gramps will be alright...we just have to wait for that person he's been mumbling about—you did get her right munchkin?" Gajeel questioned, his eyes shifting to the uneasy girl behind Natsu.

Wendy let out a breath before nodding. "Erza should be here any minute with her—"

On cue the door, slammed open, an angry old woman paraded into the guild hall scanning the mess before her.

"Hmph. Humans…of all things you do the one thing I get called for is a war? Erza, child this is not—"

"Please—Makarov is—"

"Fine. Where is the geezer?" Porlyusica huffed, her eyes looking over the hall once more before she realized she had missed the guild master. She paled before hurrying over to him, shoving the two males who hovered over him.

Her hands glowed immediately as she continued to rattle on about how healing the whole guild would be a job compared to replacing an eye or treating a nightmarish sleep.

Natsu looked on in wonder as the wounds stitched up partially along with the tender care Porlyusica had with placing the salve upon his chest.

"Goodness...Makarov, you cannot keep doing this to yourself! I won't live forever you know and neither will you! Damn idiot…" Porlyusica continued to scold before finally commanding the two male Dragon Slayers over.

"You two! Get him to his bed! I will not have him lying on the floor like a drunken baboon!" She watched angrily as the two quickly took him up and ran away. She could only shake her head at the small glimpse of a smile he had.

'Thank me later you old coot. I'm guessing this is a scratch compared to what is to come.'

With that, she then took Erza and Wendy along with her as nurses. As she began healing another of the wounds, she realized it was taking much less energy than it was supposed to. Looking aside she discovered Wendy was helping her. Porlyusica looked on strangely until Wendy sighed in relief.

Erza who had just returned with some bandages looked at the two, and took in Porlyusica's interested gaze. She had never seen the woman so engrossed with their kind, specifically the people in general. Porlyusica had such a hatred for the humans. Yet, she was surely amused with the child beside her.

"Maybe we can do something about your magic, young one...?" She trailed off, her eyes sharp.

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry ma'am I don't know what—"

"You're a Dragon Slayer correct?"

Wendy nodded stiffly at the abrupt question. She had no idea how she knew such information.

"Hmph. A female, unlike those two males Makarov had revered about. You're of those children raised by dragons and meant to kill their own kin. Yet you can heal. Strange magic I must say—hear me child. How skilled are you in these arts?"

Wendy tilted her head before a pale blush appeared on her cheeks.

"I'm assuming you are weak in the skill." She spoke harshly.

Wendy slumped.

"Expected of an infant who isn't told what to do. You learned little before your 'master'," Porlyusica rolled her eyes. "Had the chance to fully engross you in the art?"

"Y-yes…I suppose."

"Well then," Porlyusica stood up and pointed back down at a sleeping form: Mirajane. "Heal her."

"What?" Wendy gaped. Just healing one person took a lot out of her and she already had given some of her magic to heal a few other people. "B-but I can't!"

"Girl, do not tell me such drivel. I will see how well you are in the skill of healing after you do this. If you are adequate enough…I may decide to return to this wretched hall and teach you a skill."

Three days passed after the scarring incident and interior decorating was currently the project of the faeries.

Erza sighed and lifted her hand to wipe sweat off her brow. The hammer in her hand dropped to the floor as she eased herself onto the bar counter. Her along with a few others were in the process of fixing the mess hall. The explosive lacrima shards were removed a while back and the holes in the guild were their only reminder.

Erza mumbled a thanks to Mirajane who was, back on her feet with a few scratches, passing around lemonade. She too seemed a bit at peace after her break down.

"…Is Master okay?" Mirajane questioned, placing the tray of lemonade down onto the bar counter. She hadn't seen him for quite some time after the accident. She also felt a bit guilty for the mess in the hall, normally being the one to stand in the fight rather than be in the fight.

Erza nodded. "Natsu's been at his beck and call for the past few days. The idiot's back to his normal self now, seeing Master's going to pull through."

As the two continued with their small talk, a figure eased himself through a door before shutting it quietly.

Heads rose and Natsu, Makarov and a frustrated Porlyusica were greeted with an apologetic Grey. He seemed upset that no one had told him what had occurred in the guild as well, having his own moment that day spending time with Jubia. The water mage hadn't appeared in the guild yet as she herself was wallowing at the boarding house.

"Master…I'm s—"

"Don't even start with the apology crap Grey. Even if you were there, nothing would've changed." Makarov waved off, getting sharp glances from Natsu and Porlyusica.

"Meh…you'd still be that suicidal idiot I have to heal." Porlyusica snorted before heading to a cabinet to retrieve more salve.

Makarov chuckled. "Ignore the old hag—" he began, before a jar of green salve flew past his head. "Grey even someone like you would've lost control in that situation. The woman, Ultear from what Natsu's been telling me, seems to be familiar to you…from what I understand."

Grey flinched before nodding, explaining the relation of the woman to Ur, his past mentor. The name of Ur's daughter was taboo during their training, Grey never knew she was alive of all things.

"I see…" He frowned, deciding to fling off the covers despite the protesting Natsu. "Get off me Natsu!
I may be old but I still can walk!" He growled before lifting himself out of bed. "Now then, I cannot see any of you hurt again. This—this attack left us open and as much as I'd love to beat the crap out of Grimoire, not many of us know where it is….except one person and I worry for him."

Natsu and Grey blinked. "Who?"

"One of my spies…who it seems Ultear got to first. Yoric Lombardi." With a sigh he shook his head before heading to a nearby communications lacrima. "I guess I should warn the others—"

"Others? I thought everyone was here…besides the few who weren't." Grey commented from his spot against the wall. He glanced aside trying not to catch the look on Natsu face.

"Well Gildarts is obviously not here, being on another one of those missions of his…along with the Raijinshuu on their own little escapades. Oh and Lucy, she wasn't here as well, I saw her leave that day actually—" Makarov recalled, scratching his head as he tapped the lacrima.

Natsu perked at Lucy's name. He paused, moving over to Makarov placing his hand onto the Guild Master's shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Ultear said the same thing! She knew Luce was gone…I thought it was pretty weird."

Makarov paused as he caught Gildarts onto the Lacrima. Telling Gildarts he'd get back to him in a second, the connection died. "You didn't tell me this before…and I thought what she had said were just bluffs…" Makarov mumbled, as he pulled at his mustache.

"Wait what's going on?" Grey blinked, finding himself out of the loop.

"Ultear knows how we find the Lullaby, through Layla's book. She also knows how many of them we've found, most of them already kept away except for one—"

"Lucy's?"

Makarov nodded before smacking his head. He let out a dry laugh. "How can I be so stupid?" Limping over to a shelf, he reached for a scroll. Taking it into hand, he limped back towards Natsu and Grey, before shoving it into Natsu's chest. The pink haired mage raised an eyebrow at the action.

"What's this?" Natsu questioned as he unraveled the scroll looking at its contents.

"It's a map you dolt."

"I mean—" Natsu flustered, scowling at Grey who was smirking behind him. "—what's the damn thing for?"

"Get a team together. From what I know and what you aren't telling me," Makarov pointed to the scowling Natsu. "Lucy has something Grimoire wants. And they're finally going after it."

Fin~ Ch. 10

A/N: Uh...I don't really have much to say. lol.

Review and leave little questions if need be! :)