Author's Note: I'm back with another update! I intended for the Magic Coalition to be two chapters with lengths of 8K and 10K words respectively, but I feel more comfortable spreading it out over a third chapter that has around the same word count as this one. When the Magic Coalition is done, it'll hopefully consist of three chapters with 8K words each.
As for this update, A LOT goes down in it, so please read it carefully as it's really important as to what's to come in the future.
I don't have much else to say other than updates might be pushing a bit later now (closer to biweekly) since I'm trying to take my academic work seriously. If you're looking for more information, I recently updated my profile page!
Like always, I check my reviews daily and read every single one of them. If you have any ideas for future chapters, let me know and I'll even give you credit if I decide to implement it.
On that note, thank you all for reading and contributing your insurmountable support. You are the reason this Fanfiction is being read by others. With that being said, I hope you enjoy.
During Those 7 Years
Chapter 11: Magic Coalition: Part Two
Silence. That was all the only thing that was able to fill the empty atmosphere. Even after Gran Doma introduced Kagura and left the stage, no one dared applaud or even speak out loud for the challenger confronting Natsu. The only thing the audience was left with were their individual thoughts.
Sayuki's eyes bulged open as she began to scream in her mind. "Does this chick have a death wish or something?! She can't seriously be thinking about challenging Master Natsu with a Katana." She paused to examine the magical item inside of the scabbard that Kagura was holding. "It doesn't even look like a good Katana! The crossguard of the hilt has a freaking bandage wrapped around it for crying out loud! Did she even see what Master Natsu did to that Magic Power Finder?"
Romeo and Kinana were both equally shocked atop Fairy Tail's booth. They both looked at each other before the young boy whispered to the bar maid. "That purple haired girl doesn't stand a chance." He deadpanned.
Kinana sulked and began to pout at Romeo's response. "What do you have against purple hair? She's really pretty you know?" She joked with him while referring to her own hair.
The duo continued to watch the stage in anticipation of what was to happen next.
Back with Natsu and Kagura, they were unknowingly to one another examining the other from their separate sides. Even though neither dare move from their position in anticipation the other opponent could use this opportunity to strike, the two mages were silently gauging their magical potential, intimidation, as well as who would dare make the first strike come time.
Although most of the audience was agreeing that this match would be a blowout for the Guild Master, Natsu knew well enough that this wasn't the case. "So her name is Kagura… I can tell she's been practicing with that sword ever since I bought it for her. She's only had it for a week and she even told me she doesn't use Sword Magic like Erza. If that's the case, why is there so much magic coming from her Katana? Even though she hasn't drawn it yet, I can practically feel its aura from all the way over there. It's almost like its true power is hidden."
Natsu momentarily paused out of frustration before recollecting his thoughts and continuing. "I may be a shitty Guild Master, but even then, I've been using my strengths to my advantage this whole time: training, sparring, and improving my magical potential. Hell, I've been using magic ever since Igneel taught me. Battling is my thing! Either I still have a lot to learn, or I just found a new opponent who could very well be as strong as Jellal. I just hope it isn't both. But what I can say for certain is that I'm not just going to try my best… I'm going to win. Nothing ever stops me from kicking ass."
Natsu began to deny the fear about his opponent before furiously shaking his head in an apologetic manner. Even though a duel was taking place between and the challenger, he dumbly began to speak to his opponent while smiling. "It's nice to see you again! So I heard your name is Kagura? I see you're still using that Kata-"
Before he could continue, Kagura darted towards the Dragon Slayer at a speed that rivaled his own. Natsu had absolutely no time to react as his opponent drew her scabbard resting against her hip and slashed upwards towards Natsu's cheek.
The silent atmosphere was shattered by the entire audience gasping at the sudden change in events
Natsu reflexively rolled backwards in order to avoid a possible fatal blow. When he reeled back to his feet, his enhanced hearing picked up a slow pattering against the wooden stage. He rubbed his cheek only to feel a trickle of blood rolling down his skin.
Even though this laceration surprised the audience, Natsu remained unfazed by it. Instead, he was startled by something more surprising. When he looked back towards Kagura who backpedaled slightly to increase their distance, he noticed that she had not even drawn her Katana when she attacked him. It was still in her scabbard.
Natsu knew this was bad. He knew that he needed to counter and end this duel as fast as possible. Just as he was about to make his move, the beautiful yet cold girl began speaking to him a couple feet away. "So you're the Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild hall?"
Natsu was so shocked the girl actually said something that he couldn't even muster an appropriate response. "What of it?" He stuttered.
"Natsu Dragneel…? I assume you know by now I'm serious about this duel. If I win, you must tell me everything you know about Jellal Fernandez." The girl stated nonchalantly.
"A wager?! What's wrong with this chick?! She charges me and wants to make a wager all of a sudden?! How the hell am I able to think straight when she was able to cut me without even drawing her sword?! It's only an exhibition match! So much for having no emotion. Hell, so much for fight now talk later." Natsu muttered in his mind as his enhanced eyesight allowed him to confirm that Kagura had not unsheathed her weapon. He then began to speak out out loud. "No offense, but you don't seem like the type of person to make a bet."
"Your assumption is correct. I have little value for something so trivial as a wager. This time, however, I will make an exception."
"What are you going on about?" The Guild Master responded in confusion.
"I recognize your name, Natsu Dragneel. When you told me a week ago that you knew Erza Scarlet, I didn't realize you were the person who were with her during the Tower of Heaven until Gran Doma announced your name for the duel. If I win, you must tell me everything you know of Jellal Fernandez."
"Umm… Sure?" Natsu stuttered completely confused. "And if I win, you've gotta tell me why you want to know about Jellal all of a sudden!"
Kagura nodded in response before Natsu was once again left to his thoughts. "If she's fighting to know about Jellal, then this match just got more intense."
The audience had completely mixed reactions. For the more powerful mages, they could sense the magical potential coming from Kagura. Others wanted to know why Kagura wanted to know about the man who betrayed the Magic Council. Most of the males mages were shocked that a girl as attractive as her has never been heard of up until this point.
Jura was the first to comment about this to Master Ooba. "Once they get their 'introductions' out of the way, I'm sure that this will be an amazing match. I never would have thought that independent mages such as her could possess this level of power! I for one wish to find out why the young lady wants to know about Jellal Fernandez."
One of his guild mates, Lyon Vista, responded to him. "Jura, What are you talking about? Master Natsu's opponent got a lucky hit off. So what? As much as I hate to say it, when it comes to brute strength, Master Natsu's going to win without a doubt. I unfortunately had to face that first hand on Galuna Island."
"I wouldn't call her move 'lucky.' Master Natsu's opponent actually has the upper hand here. The speed she used to execute her strike was nearly to the point where I wasn't able to keep up with her. Her potential is undeniable and could easily rival Natsu or me for that matter since you overlooked a rather glaring fact." Jura mentored.
"Which is?" Lyon pressed wanting to know what he missed.
"Look at her Katana. What do you see?"
"It's still in her scabbard. She probably drew it for a quick second and put it back inside its sleeve when we couldn't see. She can move fast, after all. I wouldn't be surprised at all if that were the case."
"While you're correct in that she can move fast nearly beyond the human eye can see, my sight was able to keep up with her. I can assure you that she did not draw her sword during her attack."
"You're joking. How is that even possible?" Lyon Gasped.
"Unfortunately, even I don't have the answer to that question. She is a very mysterious mage after all. None of us have ever heard of her before the Magic Coalition which is why I am just as surprised about her magical potential as much as you are. I can say with certainty that she's not only on par with Master Natsu, but she ultimately has the upper hand: the element of surprise. With all that being considered, if Master Natsu counterattacks first… The probability that he will lose this battle is high."
"I never thought I would hear someone use the words 'Natsu' and 'Lose' in the same sentence together. This has to be some kind of screwed up nightmare for him."
Jura chuckled at Lyon before continuing. "I never said he would lose. He would just be fighting an uphill battle if he chooses to counterattack first. You never want to try attacking a mage who you know so little about. Master Natsu is one of the most versatile fighters in Fiore and I had the honor of fighting by his side. He probably already saw right through this by now though."
"And if he isn't able to see through this?"
"There's the one flaw is my argument. Master Natsu's loud, brash, and overconfident nature could very well be his downfall during this match. His brute force coupled with his will personality will encourage him to counterattack at the first opportunity. It's up to him to see if he's able to predict this."
"So if he attacks first… Well… He doesn't want to attack first or else. What are you suggesting his opponent will do to take advantage of that?"
"Yes. If Master Natsu attacks first, he will be in serious trouble. I still don't know how his opponent could utilize this to her advantage. After all, his opponent wouldn't have surprises up her sleeve if we knew what they were." Jura finished by smiling.
Lyon was then momentary left to his thoughts. "You better not lose Natsu Dragneel. I won't accept it. There's only one person that's going to beat you, and that's me. I'll do it for Gray if I have to." He finished by reminiscing about his childhood friend that passed away.
The Fairy Tail Guild members were still off to the side. Instead of being interested in the direction Natsu's battle was heading, they were all stunned about the events that unfolded.
Macao was the only one worried about Natu's chance at victory. He began to whisper to the Fairy Tail members grouped up with him. "Shit, this isn't good."
"What's wrong Macao?" Vijeeter blankly questioned because he couldn't understand what the advisor was talking about.
"You're telling me no one else can see it?"
After blank stares were plastered on his guild mates faces, Vijeeter began to whisper in response. "C'mon Macao. Give us a break. We're not as smart as you."
Macao groaned before continuing. "Look at her Katana. It's still sheathed in its scabbard."
"And? She probably drew it to attack and sheathed it again when we couldn't see her."
"That wouldn't make any sense though. She should have been expecting a counterattack and ready to use her sword in case Natsu executed one. I know this sounds crazy, but I don't think she drew her sword when she attacked Natsu."
"Macao, how was she able to cut Master Natsu's cheek with just a scabbard?"
"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't be this confused. She had the advantage with her first attack and it's obvious she has more surprises under her sleeve. Her speed alone suggests her power could very well rival Master Natsu's."
"Are you suggesting that Master Natsu's… Going to lose?" Vijeeter began to shiver slightly.
"Vijeeter, this is Natsu Dragneel here. We've talked about this a million times before. All bets are off when it comes to him fighting. The outcome is just too unpredictable."
Bisca then reluctantly responded to Macao. "How do you think Romeo is holding up from all of this?"
"Kinana's probably restraining him from screaming to counterattack. This is Natsu's fight, after all. All we can do is watch and see how he chooses to play out this battle of his. What you should be worrying about is why that chick wants to know about Jellal." Macao contemplated while stroking his stubble in even more confusion.
Back on the stage, Natsu was able to pick up on the conversation the rest of Fairy Tail was having. He wasn't able to pick up on what Jura stated to Lyon and Master Ooba, because they were too far away. This caused him to panic at the opponent in front of him. He had never felt so cornered and surprised in his life. Not against Jellal, not against Zero, but for once, he felt fear that his opponent could actually beat him. "Macao is right about Romeo. If this girl is as powerful as I think she is, I need to counterattack right now." He recited in his mind.
This was a mistake that Natsu would come to regret. Natsu kept his eye on his target and was ready to track her movements if she tried to avoid his next attack. The Dragon Slayer inhaled deeply while planting his right foot behind him for support. At the apex of his breath, he only filled his lungs partially to preserve some of his true potential. He then cupped his hands in the shape of a funnel against his mouth. A red magic circle formed at the end of his hands before he activated the spell. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He boomed while exhaling.
Immediately, a constant stream of blistering flames left his mouth and propagated through his hands. The training he went through the past month improved the spell's power so much that the audience could feel the heat looming over them at full intensity: causing some to have trouble breathing. The audience continued to go wide eyed as they realized that the girl did not move from her position. Most of them assumed it was because of the sheer intensity of the attack did Kagura finally realize the true potential of her opponent and that she stood no chance.
The torrent of flames completely encased the beautiful mage standing a few feet away from him and continued to erupt into a pillar of fire upon hitting her: completely scorching the surroundings. The flames formed into the vortex to make sure that his opponent had no chance of using her agility to dodge Natsu's spell. After a few seconds, the torrent of flames began to dissipate and gravitate towards where the girl was struck.
Natsu and the audience thought he had won the duel, so only one though crossed his mind. "You've got a lot to learn if you think that you can handle a direct hit from one of my most powerful basic spells."
Natsu's attack continued to dissipate at a fast pace towards where Kagura was standing. He began to think to himself again when he realized his flames appeared to be getting sucked up by her. "That's weird… I don't remember the vortex of flames I added going away that fast. Who am I kidding, it's not like she's a Dragon Slayer or anything and can just eat my flames. Maybe I should've juat add more power behind it." Natsu shrugged to himself. When the flames completely dissipated, Natsu's eyes widened in response and the smirk that was plastered across his face vanished so fast that it was comical. He then did something he had never done; take a step backwards. The audience was just as horrified as he was at the turn in events.
Kagura was standing in front of the Dragon Slayer and remained completely unfazed by his attack. Her clothes were perfectly intact and the only sign of Natsu's spell being executed other than the scorch marks was that she was holding her scabbard vertically in front of her which was molten red from the heat. She responded with one sentence before beginning her onslaught. "Honki o misete miro. Show me what you can really do, Dragon Slayer!" She translated. Kagura then swiped her scabbard in a downward motion which projected the Dragon Slayer magic absorbed by her sword back towards her opponent.
Jura was the first to respond. "I never would have predicted Master Natsu's situation would be this severe. It seems as if his opponent has the capabilities of absorbing projectile attacks and choosing to deflect them back at her opponent. What a powerful strategy! That alone can counter nearly all types of Caster magic!"
Another one of Lamia Scale's members, Sherry, began to scoff. "I guess Master Natsu really isn't that tough after all. Most of his attacks are ranged so there goes his chances at winning."
"I wouldn't speak too soon Sherry. While Master Natsu does mostly use ranged attacks, I have experienced a deflection spell once before joining Lamia Scale. The counter to a deflection spell is to overwhelm the opponent's Magical Potential. If the opponent is able to overwhelm the caster who is deflecting, the deflection spell won't be able to activate properly. In the case of Kagura's scabbard, it will fail to absorb the more powerful incoming attack."
"I'm sensing a big 'if' with what you just stated." Sherry replied.
"Yes. This is assuming Natsu is able to use an attack that can overwhelm her magical potential. Judging from her speed and conditioning, even I'm not able to make such an assumption." Jura frowned.
Lyon was able to recollect his shocked thoughts before chiming in. "There's got to be another way for him to ..."
"Other than close ranged combat, there is not. Judging from how fast Natsu's opponent is, I'm not sure that would be his best course of action right now. His only option is to use a rather powerful attack and hope for the best. And for Natsu, he doesn't even prefer to battle that way. He tries to weaken his opponent down over time." Jura stated.
Lyon staggered in utter shock again before gripping his head in frustration. Natsu was in a corner. "YOU IDIOT! YOU JUST HAD TO COUNTERATTACK!"
Fairy Tail was by far the most horrified of everyone. Macao was the first to respond. "Who… Who the hell is she and what kind of weapon does she have that allows her to deflect spells!"
Max began to stutter in response. "Deflection spells? I didn't even know that existed. If that's the case, how the hell is Natsu supposed to beat her?"
Macao was able to muster a slight smirk. "Natsu hasn't lost yet, no matter how grim this might be, that kid always has a chance. He's been training for a month with us, and I can guarantee you he has some tricks up his sleeves that we don't even know about." Macao smirked.
Bisca caught on to his sarcasm and began to skeptically speak. "Macao… What do you know? You're probably the closest to him, so you'd better tell us what Natsu plans on doing."
Macao shook his head while smirking. "Just watch and see."
Natsu was on the defensive right now. He was too occupied avoiding the barrage of arced projectiles his opponent was deflecting back at him, so he didn't have the time to pick up on Fairy Tail's conversation or even figure a way out of the mess he was in.
"There's no way that deflect of hers can be the end all of spells. There's got to be a way to overcome that." Natsu thought to himself while dodging the last of his own magic. He had an idea, but he needed to make sure it didn't seem obvious.
Once he dodged the deflected Dragon Slayer magic, he began to change up his strategy completely. Instead of ranged attacks, the Dragon Slayer began to resort to something his opponent couldn't deflect: close range combat. "Fire Dagon's Iron Fist!" He chanted. Instead of him channeling magic to only one arm, two magic circles formed around both his hands and he began to rush his opponent.
Natsu closed in and threw his punches at breakneck speed which Kagura was able to parry wither her scabbard at an even faster pace. He knew that he might not be as fast as her, but his endurance training allowed him to keep up the onslaught much longer than Kagura was able to continue parrying at her peak efficiency.
Even though the Dragon Slayer wasn't able to get a direct hit off on Kagura, he at least got the opportunity to wear her down a good bit considering his endurance outmatched hers.
"Perfect. I don't think I'll look suspicious by trying this again." Natsu ensured he was a good distance away from his opponent before activating his next spell. "Fire Dragon's Cauterizing Strike!" Natsu followed up by uppercutting the air in front of him with his right arm. A searing white projectile arched from his forearm and tracked towards the purple haired mage in front.
Kagura had no time to react or dodge due to her exhaustion other than holding her sword up again to deflect the incoming spell. She only had enough time to speak out loud to her opponent. "It doesn't matter the attack, the same is going to hold true. You should know the outcome by now." Before she could wonder why the Dragon Slayer would try another ranged attack, the wind was knocked from her body as the arched projectile completely passed through her sword and struck her abdomen. The gruesome sound of sizzling skin filled the air.
Kagura immediately began to scream in pain as she doubled back. She barely managed to stand upright before speaking out loud. "What… What the hell kind of spell was that?!" She groaned as she rolled up her white blazer. She was horrified to see a large gash that had already completely scarred. The brutal attack left her skin welded together where the cut was inflicted. Even though the wound already looked cauterized by heat, it felt like Natsu's projectile was scalding her from the inside of the incision.
Natsu was so relieved at what he realized that he didn't even bother responding to her question or ending the duel with his discovery. "So it seems you can't deflect spells stronger than your magical potential. Judging from your surprised reaction, it seems that's something YOU haven't even realized up until this point." Natsu smiled as he found something his opponent overlooked. "I guess that up until this point you must have been training against opponents who aren't as strong as you. Either that or you just underestimated that attack I threw at you and thought you could deflect it like any other spell."
He paused to let everything sink in to his opponent. "I'll just have to use all of my power in this next attack!" Natsu said while inhaling deeply to the point where his lungs were completely filled. "Fire Dragon's Roar."
Kagura only had one shot at dodging the attack. She held up her sword vertically again and braced for the seemingly endless barrage of flames. The audience began to shield their faces from the intense heat being generated. The spell once again hit Kagura, and an even more massive pillar of fire erupted from her side of the stage in response.
Natsu then staggered back and panted in exhaustion. He usually outmatched opponents with endurance and wasn't used to having to use powerful attacks chained together.
He continued to eye her figure inside the vortex which caused him to lose his composure. "No… She's actually deflecting it again." He whispered to himself as he observed her silhouette absorbing the flames. However, relief ushered over him when he realized it was to no avail. After around 10 seconds since she began to deflect the spell, a loud clunk resounded throughout the park and his flames no longer fought against Kagura's deflection. This allowed Natsu's flames to rage freely until a loud thud followed shortly after.
When the vortex of flames dissipated into cinders throughout the surrounding air, the audience realized what made the clunk and thud. Kagura's metallic scabbard was lying on the stage towards Natsu. Kagura was on her knees clutching her abdomen in pain with multiple burn marks littered across her body. Her clothes were completely tattered and she was left completely exposed to a followup attack. All she did was stare at the ground in emptiness. She lost, but barely.
Natsu continued panting heavily from using so much magic in that one attack. It was risky, but it paid off for him in the end. Natsu eventually broke the tense atmosphere by striding towards where Kagura was kneeling. He picked her scabbard from the ground and held the hilt of it in his grip.
The entire audience was waiting for Natsu to knock her out for the count, but instead of doing this, he twirled the Katana around and held the hilt towards her.
The whole time Kagura closed her eyes in anticipation for the final blow. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head to see why Natsu was hesitating to end the duel. However, she was shocked to realize that Natsu wasn't hesitating in the slightest. Instead, the Dragon Slayer was holding her Katana in front of her to accept it with pride. Kagura reluctantly removed her dominant hand from her abdomen and grasped the Katana's hilt firmly over Natsu's fingers. Natsu removed his grip from underneath before staring into her hazel eyes.
Neither of them spoke. Before either had a chance to react to one another, a thunderous applause broke out and snapped both their attentions from one another. Even though Natsu won the duel, many of the mages in the audience were congratulating the mysterious mage for putting up a fight. Others were still surprised that an independent mage could be that powerful.
Before everyone could begin discussing the outcome of the duel, Gran Doma quickly took the stage to regain control over the situation. He stood behind the podium before speaking into the mic aloud. "I think we can all agree that this exhibition match set's a scene for the rest of the events tomorrow?"
The resounding hoots and cheers from the audience were enough for the elderly man to regain faith in the event that Natsu suggested. "I realize that we would all like to continue congratulating these two on their performance this evening, but the first day of the Magic Coalition has unfortunately come to an end. With that, I must request that all mages and participants leave Magnolia South Gate Park at this time."
"Awww..." The audience sighed depressingly.
This encouraged Gran Doma to continue. "I assure you that the event will begin promptly at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Until then, I encourage all of you to be well rested and ready for what awaits you the second day." He finished by taking a small bow while leaving stage.
Before Jura or any of the other participants could begin remarking on the duel, they had to make their ways to the entrance of the park to leave the event.
Natsu took a seat next to Kagura, who was now sitting Indian Style, and let a comfortable silence wash over them. Neither of them wanted to get caught in the exiting crowd, so they enjoyed each others company. Just as Natsu was about to speak to the purple haired mage, she began to rise to her feet to inspect her wounds. Right as she began to straighten up, she moaned in agony before collapsing. Natsu grabbed Kagura by her arm to support her as he helped her sit back down.
"Does it still burn?" Natsu said as he winced looking at the wound he inflicted on her abdomen. It was a powerful attack, after all. The pain in her eyes was all that he needed to help her. Natsu used his free arm to snap his fingers together which ended the spell.
This caused Kagura to sigh in relief. "I don't think you realize how good that feels right now." She attempted to joke at him while Natsu released his grip from her arm. Before she could ask him what spell he used on her, the duo turned their heads to the sound of stampeding feet running across the stage to them.
The noise was caused by Sayuki and the rest Fairy Tail arriving to where they were sitting. Sayuki was the first to start cheering for the two. "Mater Natsu? That was amazing!" She then turned her head to congratulate Kagura. "You did great to! I had doubts to begin with when I saw your weapon, but I definitely stand corrected!"
Kagura also meekly smiled to her before speaking. "Thank you for your kindness."
Natsu stood up to instruct the rest of his guild. "Alright guys. You know the schedule. Go home and rest up. Tomorrow, we'll be able to meet up again and continue the evens that are planned. Oh, and tell Romeo and Kinana that I won this for them!" He finished with a grin.
All the Fairy Tail members, including Sayuki, beamed and chanted together. "AYE SIR!"
Before they left to pick up Romeo and Kinana, all the Fairy Tail members gave their individual congratulations to the duo especially Natsu who was able to utilize a new move in his duel.
Sayuki was one of the last in line and Natsu was the only Fairy Tail member to speak to her. "So we can expect to see you here tomorrow?" He smirked.
"You bet Master Natsu! I still have to get my Fairy Tail Guild Mark! I hope you have a good night!" She bowed before sprinting off towards the entrance to fantasize about today.
"Same goes to you." Natsu smiled before diverting his to Bisca who was the last one behind Sayuki. "You have a good night also Bisca."
Bisca grinned at Kagura who was sitting beside Natsu before responding to him. "You did really great today Master Natsu. I'll see you tomorrow, but I hope I'm not the only one who's going to enjoy my night." She finished by subtly winking towards Kagura before leaving the stage.
Although Kagura didn't pick up on her wink as she was staring off into the distance, Natsu was left utterly confused. "There she goes again acting weird around Kagura! I swear, it's the same way she acts when Macao and his wife speak. But Macao's wife only does that because..." Natsu instantly shook his thoughts away in denial. "No way. That would be stupid."
Natsu nudged Kagura to get her attention after he was done thinking. "So, you have a hotel that you're staying at?"
"Yes. I'm staying at one near your guild hall for the rest of the Magic Coalition."
"Well, we probably have a lot to talk about. How about I take you over there?"
Kagura stoichally responded. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation on why I wanted to know of Jellal Fernandez." She spat Jellal's name which went unnoticed by Natsu.
The duo then rose to their feet and exited the park. Natsu inhaled the night's air before he began to bring up their wager. "So why'd you want to know about Jellal?"
Kagura sighed before responding. "Do you know Simon by any chance and what happened to him? Simon was with you in the Tower of Heaven."
Natsu grew gloomy before responding. "Yes. I don't really like to remember what happened to him. Are you his friend or something?"
Kagura gritted her teeth thinking about her deceased brother before responding. "His full name is Simon Mikazuchi. You're looking at his sister."
Natsu stopped walking as his eyes widened. Kagura also stopped to see how Natsu was going to react. After a few seconds of utter shock, he was able to piece two and two together before taking a step back from her. "Kagura, I don't know what to say… But you can't mean that you plan to..."
"Why do you think I didn't draw my sword in our duel? When I created this sword, I vowed that I would only unsheathe it to kill Jellal. The sword's name is Archenemy. I was hoping that once you heard of what happened to Simon, you would be willing to help me seek vengeance on Jellal. You and Erza faced his wrath firsthand, so I assumed you would feel the same way."
Natsu sighed in relief when he realized where Jellal was. "Even if I wanted to help you, Jellal is currently serving a life sentence in an unknown maximum security prison. I'm pretty sure the only people who see him nowadays are the guards to his cell."
Kagura immediately spoke when he finished. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"How are you able to stay so calm considering everything he's done?"
Natsu smiled. "Even though it's no excuse for his actions, Jellal was being controlled by dark magic to carry out Zeref's orders. But the reason I'm not sad about Simon's death, is because he didn't die in vain. He died protecting not only Erza, but me. Because, I don't know what I would have done if I lost my best friend." He finished by referring to Erza.
Kagura was able to muster a meek smile in response. "Is… Is that really what happened?"
"Kagura, I wouldn't lie about someone's death. Simon might have died from Jellal's spell, but he did so only to protect Erza."
"But… Now Titania is also dead… So Simon really did die for nothing." She frowned as her hatred began to stem towards Jellal again.
"And that's why the moment I found out she died I promised to slaughter the bastard that killed her." Natsu maniacally muttered.
"So someone, or something killed Titania? Then why are you here instead of seeking vengeance? You sound just like how I'm trying to kill Jellal." Kagura wondered.
Natsu sighed before responding. "When I say it's a long story, it's a month long story. I've learned things that helped me move past that promise. Anyways, I wouldn't have time to avenge her even if I wanted to. And let's just say that Erza was the same person to help me overcome her death even though she's no longer by my side."
"How was she able to do that? Do you think the same could apply for me overcoming my brother's death?"
"I have no doubt in my mind it will. Erza told me that everything in life happens for a reason. I'm pretty sure you remember my speech I gave before our duel, but around a month ago, I lost my best friends on their S-Class exam. That includes her. I used what she said to move past that. Even though I still have whatever family Fairy Tail has left, not a day goes by where I miss Erza and the rest of my friends who died. In this case, you might be able to move past your brother's death, but you'll probably never forgive the person who killed him."
"So do I just FORCE myself to forgive Jellal?" Kagura scoffed at the ridiculous idea.
"I never said you had to do that. I can tell you that before Jellal was imprisoned, HE wouldn't forgive himself for his actions. Hell, I'm pretty sure he thought suicide would be too easy for him and that he deserved prison instead. I'm never going to forgive the thing responsible for my Nakama's death, and there's no way in hell I'm going to stop missing them, but there are more important things right now that matter. For you, that might be cherishing the moments you had with your brother considering he obviously meant a lot to you. For me? It's the Nakama I'm left with."
Kagura was speechless at what Natsu had said. As much as she hated to admit it, killing Jellal wasn't going to help her overcome her brother's death. The thing that would help her was being able to move past her hatred, just like Natsu was moving on from his most recent loss.
"So how does this help me move what's past my eyes?" Kagura stated while they began walking again.
Natsu smiled again as he realized this was exactly what he told Erza. "That's for you to decide. It might take days, months, or even years."
"So it's fine if I don't forgive Jellal yet?"
"It's fine if you NEVER forgive Jellal. Just try to realize where I'm coming from."
Kagura stopped looking at Natsu and instead stared into the distance where the Fairy Tail Guild hall was residing. "When you put it like that, perhaps you have a point."
Another comfortable silence fell between them before Natsu began to speak. "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but why do you talk so formal? The first time I met you, I couldn't sense any emotion coming." He reluctantly asked.
Kagura continued to stare into the distance before responding. "I owe you this much as an apology for yelling at you a week ago, but did losing Erza change you in ways you could never see yourself? The same applies with me."
Natsu smiled before responding. "You have a point. I had to completely rework Fairy Tail's structure just to continue keeping our title as guild. But this was probably for the better of our guild hall, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The thing is, I'm confident in my decisions now that I listened to what Erza told me. Are you able to feel the same way?"
Kagura continued staring as she never thought this deep about what someone told her before.
Natsu then continued to clarify. "I had to change in some ways to fully understand what Erza meant when she told me to embrace the path I'm on. But I'm glad I changed in some ways since I know it will help my Nakama and me in the future. The thing is, are you proud of the ways you've changed? Was it worth changing the aspects of your personality just to avenge your brother and gain this unfathomable power of yours? Erza made me realize you can find light in the darkest of places by broadening your view on certain situations and embracing the path you're led on, but does your personality help you go towards the path of light? Or fall into the path darkness? Kagura, what are you embracing?"
Another comfortable silence dawned upon the duo while Kagura gathered her thoughts. "I've always contemplated that the path I've been led down was the one that would help me in my future; this is the path that would help me embrace what I can be proud of." Kagura stated.
"There's nothing wrong with accepting that you were led down the wrong path. You've probably never heard of him before, but one of my Nakama who vanished on Fairy Tail's S-Class exam was Gajeel Redfox. Long story short, he was originally part of a rival guild called Phantom Lord. Gajeel was responsible for destroying Fairy Tail's Guild hall and assaulting three of my other guild members: two of which are still alive today. He realized that if he sucked up his pride, maybe Fairy Tail could help him make a quick buck or two in the future! Gajeel ended up joining and embraced a new path that he could be proud of!"
Kagura stopped walking and looked at Natsu. "Fairy Tail… I've never heard of your guild up until now since I always traveled. Are all your mages strong?"
"We wouldn't be the number one guild for nothing!" Natsu beamed.
Kagura began to think again and come to a resolution "Perhaps the reason I came to the Magic Coalition was to join Fairy Tail. Could it be that this is the path I'm led down? Is it even be possible for me to learn to overcome what Jellal did to Simon considering I invested so much time and training into killing him? I'll ask him one more question… The answer to that will decide my faith." She then began to speak out loud. "You said my magical potential is unfathomable… Is that true?"
"Of course! You nearly deflected my Fire Dragon's Roar at full power!"
"Let me ask you this, do you think I would be as powerful as I am today if it weren't for my hatred towards Jellal?"
A couple of seconds passed between the duo before Natsu chuckled. "Let me guess, if I say you wouldn't be as powerful as you are today if it weren't for your hatred towards Jellal, you would continue on your destiny right now. This is because you would have nothing else to use your power towards. The thing is, if I say you would still be as powerful as you are today without that hatred, you would have the conscious to use your power towards something else that would help you overcome Simon's death?"
Kagura was at a loss of words. "How- How duh- did you know?"
"You don't seem like someone to question their own potential without a good reason to. To answer your original question, I personally believe that your power stems from whatever you chose for it to. Even though you despise him, let's take Jellal for example. He spent the majority of his life and magic potential attempting to construct a device that could resurrect the deceased. When I fought him to stop him from doing this, it was by far the toughest fight I've ever had. When he finally realized his wrongdoings just before he was imprisoned, he was just as powerful as he used to be: if not stronger."
"Then with everything you just said, it sounds as if my best course of action is joining Fairy Tail." Kagura meekly smiled towards him while they began to near her hotel.
"Why's that?" Natsu pressed on wanting to know what she learned from their conversation.
"Well, if if I DID join, it would be because it would help me overcome Simon's death. I would finally be able to use my magic towards something other than hatred towards Jellal. That might have been the path I've been lead down these past few months, but it could be time to prove that joining a guild could help change my perspective by finding a reason to move past everything that has happened to me. You were able to move past Erza's death even though something was responsible for her death, but you realized there's the possibility of a better future ahead of us if we embrace another path."
"You've got it. Simon knows that you love him. What's important is that you treasure what you had with Simon, but move on from that. As much as you might deny it, killing Jellal could change your future for the worse."
Kagura hesitated before responding "I know it sounds like you want me to figure this out for myself, but where's a good starting point? I mean, you said Erza was able to help you overlook to look your other friends vanishing form her advice, so what does that mean for me?"
Natsu turned to face Kagura, smiled, and put a hand on her shoulder which caused her to turn toward him. "Come and join Fairy Tail. Simon might not be with us anymore, but that doesn't mean you won't have a family. You'll be able to prove to yourself that your power doesn't stem from your hatred towards Jellal. We can show you the correct path that will help you overcome what you're facing. As for what that path is… Well… I'm not going to give that away." He finished by smirking.
Kagura stared into his eyes at the serious advice she was just given. She treasured the times she had with her brother, but just like Natsu wanting to kill Acnologia, she didn't have to kill Jellal to feel satisfied about her accomplishment. There was another way to overcome her brother's death, and that was by joining a family that she knew she could protect and guide her down another path that could benefit her. For the first time ever since she was with Simon, Kagura genuinely smiled. "Maybe joining Fairy Tail is what I'm meant to do, but I expect a rematch one day, Master Natsu." She confirmed.
The duo began to approach the hotel while Natsu responded. "You bet your ass we will."
"Speaking of a rematch, I wanted to ask you about that spell you used in our duel. I believe it was called Cauterizing Strike. I never would have thought it would completely bypass my deflection spell."
Natsu hesitated before responding. "I actually wanted to say I was sorry for going overboard with that spell." He paused to wince at Kagura's scar on her abdomen that was still healing. "It's just a move I was able to come up with after all the training my guild mates went through this past month. It wasn't a weak spell by any means, because I had to concentrate all of my magic into that one attack momentarily. The only other person that knew about it was my advisor. He probably told the rest of my guild mates about it once I activated the spell. Now the attack itself is just an arced wave of fire that I project from my arm that tracks its target. I momentarily use all my magic to make the flames so hot that it not only creates a gash, but it instantly cauterizes it. The inside of the wound houses the projectile until it either dissipates over time or until I cancel the spell."
"I can see why everyone calls you Salamander. When I realized earlier that the person who purchased my sword for me was the Natsu Dragneel who could use lost magic, I had to jump at the opportunity to duel you. I knew what I was up against, so there's no need to apologize. After all, defeating you would mean I was one step closer to defeating Jellal." Another silence fell between the duo before Kagura spoke. "Anyways, that's not the case anymore. The day I find my new path to overcome Simon's death will be the day I unsheathe Archenemy. That will be the day we have a rematch so that I can prove to you how much I've learned form everything you told me."
"Then as Fairy Tail's Guild Master, I'll do everything to help you get to that day." Natsu finished by giving her a warm smile.
"It's getting pretty late, it would be best if I returned to my room." Kagura stoichally gestured towards the doors to the hotel.
"No problem. I'll also need my rest for tomorrow also. We can talk about you joining Fairy Tail when all the other independent mages choose their guilds they want to accompany for the event. Just sleep over what we discussed since it's a lot to take into consideration and remember what I said."
Kagura nodded in response. "Of course. And Master Natsu? Thank you again… For helping me with Simon's death. Your speech that you gave earlier made me realize that I vented some of my anger towards Jellal for the lack of attention I had when Simon died. I just denied it and still made that wager wanting to kill Jellal as my resort. I never realized that what Erza told you about viewing a situation in a different way related to any of this. From now on, I won't resort to anything as silly as a wager when I haven't seen the full perspective of a situation. You see, me and Simon didn't have much while growing up: only each other. So learning that I'll one day overcome all of this means a lot right now as conformation from you. I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Anytime Kagura. That's what Fairy Tail members are here for. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night." Natsu smiled towards her before turning around and heading back to the guild hall to finish some late night work. When he was sure that she was out of earshot, he joked to himself out loud. "So she really does have emotion. There's no way I can allow her to kill Jellal no matter what his past was like, it's just not the right path for her to follow. But Archenemy..." He muttered to himself. "Even though it's still sheathed, I can still feel its power looming over me from all the way out here. I hate to say it, but unless I train even more than I already am, the day she unsheathes that weapon might be the day I lose a battle."
Natsu began to enter the guild's courtyard while vigorously shaking his head. "No… When have I ever lost a battle before? Besides, that's not what matters most right now. What matters most is that we're able to continue remaining a guild in our future together. I think now that Kagura is able to realize that everything I have done this past month is to support her and the rest of Fairy Tail, she might be able to use that to overcome her brother's death. It'll take years for her to realize how this relates to what she's facing, but what she needed all along since Simon passed away is the same as what I needed when the Tenrou Group vanished: giving attention to a family that she can PROTECT with her power and WON'T leave her. Who knows? Maybe she's already related that speech to how I told her that there's another way to overcome Simon's death besides killing Jellal. That's gotta be the case, because for the first time ever, I actually sensed a change in her personality." Natsu finished before walking up to the guild's doors.
He took the keys out of his coat's pocket before opening the double doors with them. He made his way into the lifeless hall while the doors closed behind him. Even though he didn't think twice about what he just told himself, for the first time ever, Natsu was truly able to reason without help from anyone.
Thank you for your time!
Author's Note: There you have it! Kagura and Sayuki are joining Fairy Tail and will hopefully become protagonists in the future. I don't know how many of you were expecting an OC and Kagura to join, but if you weren't, I hope you enjoyed the plot twist (?)