Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail
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By Any Means
Chapter 9 - Phantom's Shadow Pt 2
Opening - V.I.P. by SID
0o0o0 Phantom Guild 0o0o0
Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Sasuke, and Happy all arrived at the cindering remains of the Jupiter Cannon. All five leapt, flew in Natu's and Happy's case, through the gigantic whole protruding from the walking guild.
"Do you really think Erza's shield was able to cause a backlash like this?" Gray asked as he looked about the destruction.
"Hn. It doesn't matter what happened. All that does is putting an end to this farce."
"Spoken like a real man! Let's hurry up and finish this for everyone back at the guild!" Elfman exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air.
"Now I'm getting fired up! YOU HEAR THAT YOU PHANTOM BASTARDS!? WE'RE GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!" Natsu screamed as loudly as he could. His fellow mages could only stare at him in pure unadulterated annoyance.
"Shut it flame-brain. Why don't you focus on the mission?"
"Hn."
"I agree with Gray and Sasuke. Although its good to see the flames of a man's soul in you Natsu!"
"Let's just get going already. We only have 9 minutes to stop Abyss Break. Not a lot of time to stand around bickering." Gray looked around the firing chamber and saw three exits. "I'll be going this way," he said pointing to the exit on the left.
"...this one's mine." Sasuke chose the middle path, Elfman not far behind him.
"Why don't I get to pick one!?"
"Natsu we don't have time! Lucy and everyone is counting on us!" Happy said attempting to pull Natsu to the last exit and prevent the pink-haired mage from fighting his own guild-mates. Again.
0o0o0 Phantom Guild - Hallway 0o0o0
Natsu was running down one of the hallways, flames jetting from his mouth as he cackled. "Come on! I'll beat all of you up! Fight me!"
"Natsu… There's no one else here," Happy interrupted, killing the mood.
"Ugh, where is everyone?!" Natsu stopped, grabbing his head with both hands, shooting flames from his mouth angrily.
"So, this is the Fairy scum that dared invade our guild?"
"Huh? What's that? Who are you calling scum?" the Dragon Slayer ranted, spinning in place and trying to locate the source of the voice.
"N-natsu, what if it's a ghost?" Happy trembled, latching onto Natsu's head.
The Fairy Tail mage punched a flaming fist forward and declared, "Ghost, schmost. Bring it on! I'll kick its ass!"
"So confident…" the voice echoed. "I wonder-"
"-how will you deal with this?" The voice was now right behind Natsu, a slight ringing sound the only warning he had. The Dragon Slayer dove forward, not quite dodging the sword.
"Agh!"
"Natsu!"
The Dragon Slayer's dodge took him right into a pillar, which he proceeded to crack on impact.
"Oh, so you managed to dodge that. Impressive." Natsu's attacker revealed himself as he sheathed his sword.
Standing at roughly the same height as Natsu, the man had his black and white hair done up in a topknot. His pink overcoat had the sleeves rolled up and was tied at the waist with a brown belt, revealing the mesh armor he wore underneath. His plain black pants were neatly tucked into a pair of dark brown boots.
"I am Totomaru, one of the Element 4. And you, Fairy trash, are the Salamander I presume?" Totomaru bowed mockingly, oozing arrogance.
Natsu meanwhile had ignored his enemy's entrance, having taken off his vest to inspect the damage. There was a large tear in the back of it where Totomaru's sword had scored along his back. The wound, while shallow, stung, enraging Natsu.
Throwing his vest back on, he spun around, spewing flames. "Bastard! How dare you rip my vest! I'll beat the crap out of ya!"
Visibly restraining himself, Totomaru chuckled to himself, crossing his arms. "Yes, I had heard you were a bit slow, but this is ridiculous." He shook himself, before setting his gaze back on the fuming Natsu. "If you wish to stop Abyss Break you must defeat me, as well as the other Element 4."
"Heh, this'll be a piece of cake then. Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu's right fist was set ablaze as he charged at the stationary Phantom mage.
"Hmph." A dark red magic circle flashed in front of Totomaru right before Natsu's flaming fist took a u-turn, socking the Fairy mage right in the face.
"Agh!" Natsu stumbled a bit, shaken from taking his own attack. "The hell was that?" Quickly shaking himself, Natsu attempted to attack the Element 4 member, only to once again have his own flame covered fist redirect back at himself.
"Natsu!" Happy called out, floating over to where the Dragon Slayer had just punched himself through the earlier pillar. "What are you doing? You should be attacking him, not yourself."
"Shut it Happy! I don't know what's going on." He wiped a trickle of blood from his cut lip. "My body's just moving all on it's own all of the sudden."
Totomaru's low chuckle cut through the discussion between Dragon Slayer and Exceed. "Oh this is just grand. Shall I explain what's going on?" Not waiting for them to respond, he continued. "It's actually quite simple. All flames are mine. Natural or magical, they are mine to control."
"Bullshit. My flames are my own. Some half ass kabuki reject can't control my flames," he taunted.
"Oh, is that right?" A vein throbbing in his forehead, Totomaru unsheathed his sword once again. "I'll make you eat those words!" he exclaimed charging towards Natsu with a sneer.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu bellowed, expelling a giant fireball at the Phantom mage.
"I already told you, it won't work!" With a swift gesture, Totomaru sent Natsu's flames flying off to the side, where they exploded on contact with the wall.
"Crap!" Natsu quickly ducked Totomaru's first slash, before jumping back out of the way.
While he was in midair, the Element 4 member placed both his hands together, a magic circle appearing. "Blue Fire!" A large blast of blue colored flames flew out, impacting Natsu right as he landed, an explosion obscuring Natsu's form. It was quickly revealed, however, as natsu ate the blue flames.
"Oh, cold! It's my first time eating fire like that." Natsu smiled, wiping his lips as he finished off the flames.
Totomaru frowned. "Hmm, so the rumors were true. You can eat fire." He sighed, before resettling in a sword stance. "This leaves us at an interesting juncture. Your flames are useless against me, and mine against you." Here he offered up a rather wicked smile. "But you see, I do have a sword, so I hold the advantage."
"Heh, so I can't hit you with my flames?" Natsu pounded his fists together. "I'll take you up on that challenge!" The pink haired mage rushed forward, surprising his opponent.
"Go Natsu!" Happy called out, perfectly content with sitting out of the way.
Not one to miss out on an advantage, Totomaru charged forward as well, leading with a horizontal swing. Natsu answered with a haymaker, aimed right at the sword. "Huh? Is he an idiot? I'll just cut his hand off!"
Right as Natsu's fist met the sword, instead of the sound and feeling of slicing flesh, Totomaru's sword was wrenched out of his hand in a brief flare of light. He quickly jumped backwards, confused.
"What was that? What did you do? Why didn't I cut you?" he asked the Fairy mage angrily.
"Heh, living in a guild like Fairy Tail, you meet all kinds of people. People with really strong magic, with really strong physical attacks, and those with weapons." Here he shuddered a bit, remembering a certain purplenette and her brunette apprentice. "After getting cut up time after time, I managed to learn how to block weapons. Heh, whoever said fire can't be used for defense was never this awesome! Gyahaha!" Natsu threw back his head laughing hysterically.
"What? Fire for defense? But I didn't… !" Totomaru thought back to their exchange. "That flash of light?! I see… Right at the moment of impact you release a burst of flame to negate the opposing momentum. Use enough of a counter force and it becomes a disarm technique. And because it's just a quick burst, I don't have time to control it." The Phantom mage lowered his head, eyes shadowed.
"So is that it? If it is, I'm gonna beat the shit of you."
"Keheh." Totomaru raised his head, a crazed gleam in his eyes. "Fine then. I'll just have to do this the old fashioned way."
Before Natsu could ask what he meant by that, Totomaru vanished from sight, reappearing right behind him.
"What the-"
A punch to the face cut Natsu off, followed by another to the gut which caused him to bend over, spittle flying from his mouth.
"I can't believe you made me resort to using my old skills as a shinobi," he muttered under his breath, Natsu hearing but not understanding.
Totomaru began to systematically beat Natsu into the ground. Fists and feet were flying at him so fast Natsu couldn't react to them all, only managing to block a few every now and then. Totomaru had a cruel grin on his face. "Time to die Fairy trash!" he yelled, pulling a concealed kunai from his jacket and thrusting it straight at Natsu's throat.
Natsu saw the weapon aiming to take his life, and realised he didn't have time to respond. The beating he had just taken had thrown his control out of whack, so he couldn't generate the Flame Burst defense. Time seemed to slow.
"Am I gonna bite it here? After everything I've been through?" His mind flashed to his friends. Happy, who was always with him. Gray and Erza, two of his best friends and fellow guild mates. Lucy, their new member who they were trying to protect. All the other guild members, and the people of Magnolia… "No. NO! I can't let it end like this! I won't! I'll never give up!"
A feeling of intense heat built up inside Natsu. His magic felt like it was boiling through his veins. Out! It wanted out! He needed to release his magic otherwise he was going to explode!
Right as the kunai touched his skin, Natsu shouted as his magic power boiled over, erupting in a pillar of fire so strong it began melting the stone beneath his feet. The explosion of magic destroyed the kunai and flung Totomaru into and through the nearby wall.
"GYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Natsu's roar was so loud it echoed through the Phantom Lord guild hall, his fiery magic taking the shape of a dragon around him.
The defeated Element 4 member managed to raise his head from the rubble, trembling at what he saw. "...a dragon, it's a dragon…" he mumbled, before the pain from multiple burns and broken bones cause him to pass out.
0o0o0 Phantom Guild - Meeting Hall 0o0o0
Sasuke and Elfman were walking along silently, on the lookout for any enemies. Surprisingly, the Hatake spoke up first.
"Elfman… how's your training been going?"
"Mm," Elfman nodded in a subdued manner. "It's been going well. I've even managed a few full Takeovers."
Sasuke nodded. "...and The Beast?"
"...Not yet."
"Hn."
"Ooh! Sasuke!" Elfman clenched his fists, eyes burning in admiration and determination. "You're such a man!"
Elfman suddenly took off, racing down the hallway, "The man, Elfman, will protect Fairy Tail with his-"
Sasuke barreled into Elfman's side, forcing the two mages to tumble to the ground. Sasuke reflexively found his balance and stood, drawing his sword. "I know you're there. It's pointless to hide."
Elfman stumbled back to his feet, confused. "Sasuke? Why-"
"Non non non. To think you'd discover me so soon. But not soon enough!" Twisting out of the ground, a green-haired mage grinned at the pair. His lower body stretched up from the ground, arms spread wide. "Salut!"
"One of the Element Four!?" Elfman questioned, throwing his jacket off.
"What did you mean I didn't discover you soon enough?" Sasuke asked, glaring at the aloof mage.
"Non non non. You'll see soon enough! My name is Sol! Please call me Monsieur Sol!"
"Perfect timing. I'm going to force you to tell me how to stop Abyss Break! Beast Arm: Black Bull!" Elfman's arm glowed and quickly changed into the arm of a black bull.
"Oh? Not the rest of you? Are you sure?" Sol teased mockingly. He then looked to Sasuke. "And you? Aren't you going to prepare your magic? Oui?"
"Hn."
"Sasuke! Go on ahead. I've got this," Elfman proclaimed, transforming his other arm into that of a rock monster.
Sasuke stared at the male Strauss sibling for a few seconds before nodding. He sheathed his sword and sprinted away in another direction.
"Non non non. Where do you think you're going?" Sol asked, speeding toward the retreating Hatake, until Elfman jumped in front of him.
"Your fight's with me, Elfman of Fairy Tail!" He thrust his right arm toward Sol, intent on pounding him into the ground.
"Non non non. That was close!" Sol dodged seamlessly, creating distance between him and Elfman. "It appears the rumors about you are true. You can only do partial Takeovers. Perhaps if you used a full-Takeover like back then, you could be fast enough to strike moi! Allow moi to show you how its done: Sable Dance!"
Elfman stared questioningly when Sol mentioned using a full-Takeover but said nothing as he was enveloped in a raging blast of dust. "Gah!" He raised his left arm to protect his face and missed seeing Sol emerge from the ground behind him.
"Roche Concerto!" Sol dramatically raised his arms and the ground beneath Elfman exploded upwards, blasting the Fairy Tail mage off his feet.
"Gwah!"
Using what little momentum he had, Elfman flipped himself out of the debris and landed in a crouch. When he looked up, Sol was gone. "Where did he go!?"
Elfman suddenly felt something quickly wrap and his leg and move up his torso before wrapping around his right arm. "Wha-!?" He was cut off when Sol's head popped up near the bottom of his fist.
"Salut!"
"Damn it, you really creep me out." Elfman reached for a portion of Sol's body and tried to wrench him off.
"Non, non, non. Three nons and you're in quite a sad state."
"Get off me Monster Sol!" Sol's eye twitched at the misinterpretation and in a flash Sol's body unstretched and changed back into that of a man's before he kicked the shocked Elfman square in the face.
"It's Monsieur!"
"This guy's way stronger than he looks! I need to find a way to land a hit!" Elfman rolled on the floor and quickly got back up.
"Non, non, non. As I said before: perhaps if you could use a full-Takeover you could be fast enough to hit moi," Sol mocked. Elfman was about to charge in, however Sol's next words rooted him in place. "But what would poor Mirajane think of you, using that awful power that took her most beloved sister from her?"
"What? How does he know any of this?" Elfman wondered, stunned.
"Oui. Poor Mirajane. What would she think if you-" Sol was cut as Elfman's entire body glowed, signifying the use of magic. Sol smirked and began to rub his thin moustache. "Non non non! That's no good! What if you made another debacle like you did with poor Lisanna?"
As Sol finished speaking a dirt clone of Lisanna formed taking on her appearance of that fateful day where he'd lost control.
It was supposed to be easy with Mira leading the charge to her first S-class request. She had confidently asked her younger siblings to accompany her in defeating the monster simply known as "The Beast" and put an end to it once and for all.
But Mira had been overconfident in her skills, and that of her siblings. "The Beast" was too powerful for the three to take on. The best they'd been able to do was lure it away from the small village it had been terrorizing. All seemed lost.
That is until Elfman realized the only way to stop it. A full-Takeover.
Mira had screamed for him not to do it. She knew he wouldn't be able to handle the magical power he would absorb. She was right.
The moment he attempted it he lost all conscious thought. He could barely remember a thing. All he felt was rage. Nothing made sense. Just the need to destroy.
He had no memory of it. But he knew. He could see it in his sister's eyes.
During his plight to tame "The Beast" he'd killed Lisanna.
There's much about that day he wished he could've changed. Taken others to provide more support, simply not gone, had a stronger will.
That day had changed him. Had changed Mirajane. He'd vowed to be the man he should've been that day, and Mira had chosen to open her heart to others and live on in their sisters place.
For the last three years he'd been afraid to attempt a full-Takeover again. Afraid of losing control. Afraid of losing someone else.
That is until Sasuke began training with him.
It had been sudden and out of the blue.
The raven-haired mage had simply stated they were training and left no room for declining. It had been grueling. Day after day, Sasuke would taunt him about how weak he was and that he was pathetic for letting the death of his sister stop him from getting stronger. Day after day, his partial Takeovers were never enough. Until, finally, he snapped. He couldn't take the taunting any longer and gave in to "The Beast." That day he'd nearly killed Sasuke.
"Go on Elfman. Do it! Kill me like you killed your sister! Prove you're nothing but a pathetic beast!"
He'd come within an inch of ending Sasuke's life. But he'd heard him. Heard what Sasuke had been trying to show him all along. He wasn't a beast. He wasn't a monster. He wasn't a murderer.
"You think this pathetic attempt to mess with my mind is going to work!? GRAWR!" Elfman smashed the clone of his sister to pieces as he once more attempted a full-Takeover.
"Beast Soul: Weretiger!" Elfman's hair grew long, like that of a lion, his legs changed to fit his new feline presence, and fur rapidly covered his body, black circles appearing throughout his back and arms. "What was that, you were saying something about using a full-Takeover?"
Sol's jaw seemed to unhinge at the sight of the monstrous cat before him. "Non, non, non! When I read your memory back when you stepped on me, it showed you should be afraid of using your full-Takeovers!"
"Heh. Then you should've looked into my memories about my training with Sasuke. You're right, I was afraid to use any full-Takeover. But I'm the man known as Elfman! And I can't let the past stop me from moving forward! And I will never forgive you for trying to use my sisters against me!" In a blinding blur Elfman was before Sol in a matter of seconds. Elfman towered over the miniscule form of the earth mage, who could only sweat in the shadow of the giant glaring down at him.
"Non, non, non! Monsieur, I was merely trying to help you. Oui, help you deal with your painful past by bringing up such a sad tragedy! You must certainly be a man among men, Elfman!"
"As you can see, I've already dealt with it."
"Ah. Well then, I shall take my leave. Good day Monsieur!" Sol began to step backwards when Elfman sent the coward flying.
Sol felt nothing but the agonizing pain of a giant cat's fist leaving its mark course through his body. Still sailing through the air he spun himself upright and launched a surprise attack. "Curse you! Plateau Sonate!" A giant stone punching glove materialized and launched itself into Elfman.
Sol landed with a smirk. "Non, non, non… You let your guard down."
The earth shattered as Elfman landed behind Sol, arm stretched back ready to pulverize the ant before him.
Sol slowly turned to look up at Elfman. "Non?"
Elfman's fist came crashing down.
0o0o0 Phantom Guild - Roof 0o0o0
Gray climbed out of a broken window, trying to discover where exactly he was in the mechanical giant. He looked up as he felt rain on his skin.
"Huh? Was it raining before?" he wondered.
"Drip, drip, drop." The voice appeared suddenly behind him, causing him to jump and turn, landing in a defensive position.
"Who's there?"
A feminine figure slowly faded into view from the mist. "Juvia is a rain woman, and one of the Element 4," she monotonously stated.
"One of the Element 4?" Gray readied himself for a fight.
"You think it will be easy to defeat us? Juvia and the rest are not to be taken lightly."
"Sorry, but it doesn't matter if you're a woman or even a child, I don't go easy on anybody who hurts my comrades."
0o0o0 Phantom Guild - Ballroom 0o0o0
Upon entering the ballroom, Sasuke immediately tensed up. "Something isn't right here…" He slowly made his way to the center of the room before stopping and drawing his sword.
"I know you're here! Show yourself!"
"Huhu…" a voice chuckled, echoing all around the room. "So you could tell I was here?"
A barely visible distortion scythed through the air at Sasuke's back, which the Fairy Mage contemptuously blocked.
"A sneak attack? Really?" he mocked as a large form shimmered out of nothingness before him.
"No, merely a greeting," he denied, one hand raised as if in prayer. He lifted his head, revealing that he was blindfolded.
"I am Aria, one of the Element Four. You could say that I'm the strongest." A mocking smile appeared on his face. "What a pity, having to cut the wings of the young hawk before it fully leaves the ground."
"Hn." The Hatake readied himself, trying to anticipate the large mage's next action. Seeing Aria's hands begin to move, he blitzed forward, slicing at his opponent's stomach.
Unfortunately, Aria's form faded out, leaving Sasuke standing alone.
"Tch. This is going to get old fast…" he murmured to himself.
A cry of "Despair!" rang out from behind him, a large wave of multiple distortions closing in. He quickly began to dodge, blocking the few he couldn't entirely avoid. Sasuke quickly retaliated, a purple magic seal flaring to life around his sword. "Soaring Strike!" The Fairy Tail mage's blade was engulfed in flame as he swung it down, launching an arc of fire into the rest of the approaching distortions, resulting in a massive explosion.
The dust cleared, revealing Aria had once again disappeared. Sasuke stayed in the center of the room, slowly expanding his senses out, trying to locate his elusive foe.
He didn't have to wait long, as the Phantom mage appeared in front of him, hand extended and magic already prepped. Sasuke managed to bring his sword up in time to block the brunt of the attack, but he was still launched back into a wall.
"Guh!" he grunted, the breath momentarily driven from his lungs.
"As you can see, I don't even have to use my full power to deal with you. Such a shame." Aria hung his head. " I thought maybe you could give me a challenge...but no matter. We'll just get on with destroying your pathetic guild."
Sasuke's blood boiled. This freak wasn't even using his full power? To be fair, neither was he… but that was a different situation. He quickly pulled himself off the wall and charged at the large mage, gritting his teeth in anger. Aria merely smiled as he didn't even dodge the swings. Instead, his body went translucent and all the sword swings passed right through him.
Jumping back, the Hatake changed tactics. A large purple magic seal appeared in front of his left hand, which had let go of his sword and was pointed at Aria. "Phoenix Bombardment!" he called out, before dozens upon dozens of miniature firebirds shot out, surrounding the large man and dive bombing him, engulfing him in a giant explosion. Sasuke kept up the flow of firebirds for a good 20-30 seconds, draining a considerable portion of his magic, but utterly obliterating the area where Aria was standing.
Panting lightly, he cut off his attack. "There...that should've taken care of him…"
"Really?"
Spinning around, he barely had time to see the Phantom mage with both hands stretched out in front of him. "Airspace: Void!"
Sasuke cried out as his remaining magic was forcibly ripped out of his body and dispersed into the air.
"Aaaaagh!"
"How sad!" Aria sobbed, tears streaming from beneath his blindfold. "No matter the mage, inside this airspace their magic power will be reduced to nothingness!"
"Agh… damnit, my magic…!"
With a final blast of golden light, Sasuke was tossed back by an explosion, the Airspace: Void spell ending.
"And thus the hawk is grounded."
0o0o0 Magnolia Town - Safehouse 0o0o0
Lucy paced back and forth, a worried look on her face. Mira watched the street outside while Reedus was checking his paints.
"Maybe I should just give myself up," Lucy offered once again. "Then no one else has to get hurt for my sake."
Mirajane shook her head, turning back toward Lucy. "This is what Fairy Tail is Lucy, we protect each other. We're family, just like the Master says."
"Oui," Reedus agreed.
"But I can't stand this!" the blonde sat down on a crate, bringing her knees up and resting her forehead against them. "Everyone… please be safe."
At that moment, the front door to the safehouse exploded.
"Ah? So this is where the pretty princess was hiding," a male phantom mage spoke up, his female partner joining him in sneering at the Fairy Tail mages.
"Lucy, Mira, you need to run!" Reedus said as he hopped in front of the startled girl, pulling his shirt up and beginning to paint on his stomach. Mira joined Lucy and began to drag her toward the back exit.
"Wait, we can't leave him to fight by himself!"
"Don't worry, I'll go help him once I know you're safe," Mira assured the flustered Lucy.
Reaching the back door, Mira threw it open, only to freeze in shock, an ominous figure blocking the path out.
"Gehehe… thanks for the delivery."
0o0o0 Phantom Guild - Ballroom 0o0o0
Aria turned from Sasuke's body, intent on heading out and dealing with the other pests that had invaded the Phantom Lord guild hall.
"...wait…"
"?! Impossible!" Aria turned in shock, to see a tired and beaten, but very much alive Sasuke struggling to his feet. "How are you standing after that? You should have no magic power!"
"You're right… I don't have any magic power left." He smirked as he felt a crawling sensation begin covering his face, expanding from his forehead.
"W-what is that? Why are there Runes appearing? What did you do?!"
"Those aren't Runes," Sasuke mocked, stretching as his body filled with energy. "It's Fuinjutsu. And my original name isn't Sasuke Hatake. It's Uchiha Sasuke."
"What? Fuin… Uchiha…! You! You're one of them, aren't you! A Shinobi!" Aria exclaimed, shocked into non-action for a moment.
"Feh, if only Kakashi hadn't placed that stupid seal," he murmured, cracking his neck. To Aria, "So, ready for round two?"
The Phantom mage immediately sobered up, his hand going to remove his blindfold. "No more holding back, then. I'll crush you where you stand, and I'll enjoy every second of your pathetic whimpering." His blindfold removed, Aria opened his eyes, revealing violet pupils which dilated then violently expanded into a quadruple triangle formation.
"Oh?" the revealed Uchiha mocked. "You have special eyes? Let me show you just how worthless they are." Feeding chakra to his eyes, the coal black irises bled into a red field with 3 tomoe in each eye.
Shaken for a second, Aria gathered his magic, wind picking up around him. "It doesn't matter what you do, nothing escapes from the airspace of death! Airspace: Zero!" A giant twister shot from his joined hands, engulfing the entire room. The whipping winds obscured his opponent, but it didn't matter. Zero would destroy everything except it's caster.
A few seconds after his attack landed, the sound of chirping birds began to grow in volume. Aria was confused, looking around ceaselessly. Where was that noise coming from?
His musings were interrupted when the world cracked. "What?! What is this?!" The cracks spread, covering the walls, the floors, the ceiling, even Aria himself. Finally, everything shattered, revealing Sasuke right in front of Aria, his whole body glowing with electricity, letting off the sound of a thousand birds.
"Chidori Nagashi," he spoke offhandedly as he buried an electrified fist deep in the Phantom mage's gut. The force of the attack caused Aria to fly back, blood spilling from his mouth and a large burn mark on his stomach.
His Sharingan swirling out of existence, the Uchiha took a knee, breathing deeply. "Damnit, using that much chakra right off the bat is tiring."
"Sasuke!" The Uchiha turned back toward the entrance and saw Gray, Elfman, Natsu and Happy running to him.
"Hn. Took you long enough."
"Oi, that ninja guy was really annoying! Trying to control my flames, the bastard. I almost hate him as much as Gray!" Natsu pointed at the shirtless ice-mage who glared at the pink-haired dragonslayer.
"Sol tried to use my memories against me, but he was nothing against the man among men Elfman!"
"My opponent more or less fainted," Gray muttered under his breath. "Though my skin is still stinging from the scalding water she used."
Hearing the ice-mage, Natsu laughed at him. "Hah! Probably from you stripping! Who would even want to see that?"
"And what of Abyss Break? Did any of you manage to stop it?" Sasuke inquired.
Suddenly the castle began to shake violently causing the four mages and one flying cat to drop to the ground. The shaking lasted for 30 seconds as light fixtures began to fall over and out of place, while part of the ceiling caved in. All five managed to dodge the falling ceiling when they began to sense a stifling magic power that sent chills down their spines.
"What is that? It's sends chills down a man's spine!" Elfman questioned, feeling nauseous as the presence grew stronger.
"I… I don't know," Gray stuttered.
"This is death." Sasuke thought before a slow clapping caught their attention.
"My, my. I'm quite impressed, little Fairy Tail mages…" Standing before them was Jose. "To think I would be able to have such fun… I never would have dreamed it. Destroying Jupiter, taking down the Element 4, and even bringing my Magic Giant to its knees!"
"Jose Porla," Sasuke said cooly.
"This guy's…" Gray lamented, realizing just how outclassed they were compared to Phantom's Guild Master.
"Now, I must thank you for the fun you've given me. But first a present!" Jose snapped his fingers and a beaten Mira appeared in front of them, falling to the ground lifelessly.
"Mira!"
"Sis!"
Sasuke said nothing as he felt his blood boil at the sight of his beaten girlfriend.
"This worm thought she could hide Lucy Heartfilia from me. We had to… correct… her foolish idea."
"You bastard! I'm going-" Natsu was cut off as Sasuke stepped in front of him.
"No. He's mine," the raven ground out, his Sharingan flaring wildly.
"Oh? No wonder you beat Aria. Hiding a power such as that, how naughty of you little Fairy."
"M-master!" a weak voice called out from the side of the room.
"Hmm? You were still alive, Aria?"
"Master! He's… he's not what you think, he's-"
"Enough." Jose waved his hand, and Aria was enveloped in an explosion of dark magic. "Phantom Lord has no place for those who lose to Fairy trash."
"Ice Make: Saucer!"
"Beast Soul: Weretiger!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"..." Sasuke's body became wrapped in lightning as he charged forward along side the others.
"Absurd!" Jose raised his right arm as a purple seal appeared before him. "Dark Beam!" Hundreds of bullet shaped shades shot forth blowing the four charging mages back. They fell with a thud as Jose waved his arm. "Dark Pulse!"
Happy, who had managed to grab the unconscious Mira and get out of the way, called out to his partner. "Natsu!"
The dust cleared to reveal Erza standing above the four mages, her Black Wing Armor already equipped and standing in a defensive stance..
"You damn fools. Why would you rush in like that?" she kept her eyes locked on Jose's form.
"Erza!" Natsu exclaimed, shocked at seeing her there.
"You. I'm pretty sure you took a direct hit from Jupiter. How is it you can stand?" Jose inquired, annoyed that yet another pathetic fairy had managed to overcome sure defeat.
"My friends strengthen my heart! For those I love, I'd throw away this body!"
"Erza, step aside," Sasuke said as he struggled to stand. "Damn it! I've wasted too much chakra. I barely have enough to keep me standing. Kuso! I have to… I have to make that bastard pay. He can't get away for what he did to Mira. I won't let him."
"You can barely stand. Leave this monster to me. I promise you I shall avenge Mira. Natsu." Erza addressed the pink-haired mage who had managed to take the least amount of damage. "You need to find Lucy. Unleash your power, Natsu. Its sleeping within you, waiting for you to call it forth. You're the only one left who can save her. Protect Lucy, protect the guild! Go, Natsu!"
Natsu nodded hurriedly, already trying to pick up Lucy's scent. Finding it he took off, Happy following close behind.
"You think that little Fairy can stop my Gajeel? Heheh, fine. Amuse me more. None of you are going to make it through this anyway."
"Erza. Move."
"No. Sasuke, take Mira, Elfman, and Gray and get them to Sakura. They need healing."
Sasuke glared at the red headed mage, grinding his teeth in frustration. "Damnit, she's right."
"...You make him pay, Titania." With that, he stiffly turned and shook Gray and Elfman awake before gathering Mira in his arms. "Let's go. Now."
Jose merely watched their interactions with a smile on his face. "Are you ready to fight me now?"
0o0o0 Top of Phantom Lord Ruins - Several Hours Later 0o0o0
"You really missed one hell of a show you know," Shikamaru said as he stared across the lake toward the ruined Fairy Tail guild, where the victorious mages were celebrating. "Thought for sure you were going to intervene when Titania started losing."
"I'd already sensed Makarov returning long before she took on Jose. I wasn't needed," Naruto stated, hood down and blond hair blowing in the breeze.
"Still not sure why you helped heal them. Personally I think they would've pulled through regardless."
"Just a bit of insurance." Naruto winked at the vexed Shikamaru. "Anyways, what was Natsu's fight like?"
"Loud and destructive. It got too troublesome to watch on the side. Surprised that Lucy girl managed to avoid getting caught in the crossfire."
"Well, she's pretty durable. And what do you expect between two dragon slayers?"
The two sat in silence as they watched the Fairies pull their party inside. "So, were you successful in securing Jose?"
"..."
"..."
"...Troublesome," the brunette muttered as he turned away from his partner.
"Damnit Shika! How hard could it have been to capture Jose after he'd been hit with Fairy Law?" Naruto complained, pulling at his hair.
"I was waiting for you to show up! After Makarov beat him, he immediately dragged him back to Fairy Tail where they've been waiting for the Rune Knights to come and haul him off to prison! You think I'm going to confront Makarov, a fully healed Makarov mind you, and demand he hand over Jose to a guy dressed in a Shadow Heart cloak? Far too troublesome."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "So, what's our next move?"
"The Rune Knights should be by anytime now to take the Phantom mages away, including Jose. We wait until they're in-transit then ambush the convoy, quickly stealing Jose and beating a hasty retreat," Shikamaru outlined.
"Sneaky… I like it."
0o0o0 Road Outside Magnolia 0o0o0
"I thought you said we were going to ambush the Rune Knights."
"I did."
"But we haven't yet, right?"
"Right."
"So then why are all the Rune Knights unconscious and/or dead?"
"No idea."
Naruto and Shikamaru had quickly traveled after the Rune Knight convoy, intent on making their strike once they had left the city. Unfortunately, it looked as if someone had beat them to it, judging by the bleeding and broken forms of the Rune Knights and the smashed detention carriages.
"Lets hope Jose is still here."
"More like let's hope he's still alive."
The two shinobi jumped from their hiding places in the trees and carefully began to inspect the detention carriages. Blood covered everything. Several Rune Knights and Phantom mages looked as if they had been crushed to death. Others, who had attempted to flee, had gaping holes in their chests.
The two split up as they began looking in the three detention carriages.
"Oi! Get a load of this!" Shikamaru called from the second carriage.
Naruto walked over and noticed Shikamaru pointing to just outside the door of the carriage. "The hell?"
"It's sand. What the hell is a pile of sand doing here?"
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Ending - In My World - Rookiez Is Punk'd
0o0o0o0o0o0
Its a cliffhanger. Deal with it.
Are you not entertained?
