I do not own Fairy Tail

"BURN 'ER TO A CRISP!"

"He doesn't have fire magic, Magma-Mole."

"It's a figure of speech, Surfer-sap!"

"It wasn't the last time I checked."

"...asshole," Nashi grumbled. Usually, she would've let the insult train go on for at least another three or four hours, but because of the situation everyone was in, she let it die. She heard Winter mutter something about it being a weak insult, but didn't respond.

The trio had gotten there a couple of minutes earlier, only to find the demon child resting in-between Onyx and Lutz's unconscious bodies. She spotted them and tried to run away, but Ryos planted her to the ground with his melted steel and was now preparing to attack.

Nashi was annoyed that she couldn't do anything but watch. It made her feel utterly embarrassed that she couldn't help, much less move. She was so used to fighting her own battles that now she felt so...useless. The pinkette sighed shakily and rested her head on Winter's shoulder, ready to see the battle unfold.

Ryos cracked his knuckles as he approached the girl," Don't try and act innocent. I know what you're capable of, and I'm not one to fall for façades."

The youngster shook violently and squeezed her eyes shut," Y-You can d-do whatever you w-want to m-me, but.." She clenched her fists and stared defiantly up at the intimidating boy," don't hurt my heroes!"

The iron dragon slayer did a double-take, but recovered by grabbing her shirt and forming his hand into a steel pole," I'm not falling for it," Everything next happened in a blur; Ryos went to give the child an uppercut, but out of nowhere, Lutz jumped up from behind her and stopped his fist mid-punch," Get out of the way, blondie."

"No."

Nashi's eyes popped right out of her head," WHAT-Oh," she unhooked one of her hands from around his neck to rub his hair," sorry for yelling Winter."

"What do you mean, no?"

Lutz tightened his hold on the dark haired boy's fist/rod," She's not going to do anyone any harm."

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course it will!"

"She's not an it, she's a little girl that was possessed," Oynx mumbled. He still hadn't recovered fully from the paralysis, and was currently laying in the same position the childhood placed him in," What happened to that snake-thing anyways? Last thing I remember was it coming at me."

The small girl tensed," I sh-shot Matelija away with m-my dragon r-roar."

Once again, Ryos's jaw dropped in shock," Dragon what?"

"Let her go and we'll explain," Lutz commanded. The 19 year old narrowed his eyes but followed the blonde's orders. As soon as she was released, the coral haired girl bolted behind a nearby tree. Ryos grunted and tilted his head in her direction, as if to say she's your problem now. Lutz carefully got to his feet, clutching his stomach as he did so. Damn, he really hit himself hard. He took a few steps before stumbling and falling on his face.

Nashi gasped," Lutz, are you alright?"

"He's fine," Winter snapped," He's just weak."

"Can you go two minutes without being a complete asshole?! He could be hurt!"

While the pair continued to trade insults, Lutz watched as the coral haired girl slipped away from her hiding spot and helped the blonde sit up. As soon as he was comfortable, she ran back behind the tree," No wait! No one will hurt you!"

"Y-you promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," She shuffled hesitantly, but was eventually coaxed out of her small nook. He smiled warmly and patted the spot next to him," Are you okay, kid?"

"Y-yes sir."

He chuckled and tilted her chin up so that they were eye to eye," I'm not a sir. My name is Lutz, and the guy over there is Onyx. The one who was bullying you is Ryos, but don't worry, he usually introduces himself with threats. After that he becomes slightly tolerable. What's your name?"

"A-Alida. My name is Alida."

Nashi frowned as she saw the others converse," Why didn't he introduce us?"

"They probably forgot we were here. The less I have to talk to them, the better," The water mage answered as he repositioned her. Without knowing it, he accidentally tightened his grip on her thigh, sending white, hot pain throughout her body.

She cringed before she could stop herself," Winter, my leg!"

He loosened his grip as soon as he could and frowned at the ground," Sorry."

Ryos flicked his attention towards the Fairy Tail wizards, already bored of the small talk the (former?) demon child and annoying blonde were having. Winter was avoiding eye contact, his face a shade of red that could rival Erza's hair. Nashi, on the other hand, was acting incredibly flustered," Gah! You don't need to apologize! It didn't hurt that much-OUCH! Why the hell did you pinch me?!"

"To see if you were lying, which you were. I'm very disappointed in you, Flame-brain," He teased, his cheeks returning to normal.

"Ryos-san!"

Said boy relaxed and turned to the two healing mages as the rushed towards him," About time you two got here-"

March flung herself onto him before he could finish," Ryos-san, I'm so glad you're okay! We had to fight this hound-like thing and-" she paused," I remember everything now."

Nashi sucked in a breath; so it wasn't just her," You did?"

Like usual, Winter was the only one to respond to her," Did what? You need to stop mumbling, it makes you sound unintelligent."

The 13 year old flipped around and gasped," Winter-san? You're here!" She jumped off of Ryos, only to launch herself onto the other Fairy Tail mage," I missed you!"

The dark haired boy struggled to keep his balance," Watch it! I've got an injured idiot who thought it would be a good idea to fight a dragon on my back!"

Suddenly, everything went quiet. March slowly pulled away, her eyes already filling up with tears," She fought the dragon?"

Nashi shrank behind Winter the best she could, trying to avoid their worried stares. She had compromised everything, and having them fuss over her would only make matters worse. Detox was the first to speak up," That's why you needed is to come as quickly as we could."

Ryos nodded solemnly," Yes," Like earlier, no one answered. He took this as a sign to take control over the situation," Sabertooth slayers, I take it you trust the little girl?"

Lutz shook his head in agreement," I have no shred of doubt that she is innocent."

"Good, then she's on our side. Do you three need any medical attention?"

"I think I'm still paralysed," Onyx stated," I might need some help to get out of it, but if there is anyone in need a doctor more than I, they should take priority."

The steel dragon slayer crossed his arms," I don't think that it necessary. March, will you go heal him?"

"It would be my pleasure, Ryos-san!" She smiled, rushing over to get started immediately.

"Thank you. Detox, that means that you're going to have to help Nashi to the best of your ability. Some of her wounds are very serious, so make sure to be careful with her."

The violet haired boy gave him a thumbs up," Got it, chief."

"Lutz, you and Alida go find some wood so that we can start a fire and make camp here. Winter and I will get some food. Once we have all finished our tasks, we will assemble back here and discuss our future plans. Any objections? No? Good. Let's go."

Everyone set out to do their tasks except Winter, who was eyeing the healing mage wearily. Detox sighed and held out his hands," Don't worry, I can take it from here. I'm very experienced, and will make sure that she doesn't encounter any more harm."

He frowned," You promise?"

"I will protect her with my life and heal her until I have no more magic energy to produce," This seemed to be just good enough, because Winter finally handed Nashi over to the purple haired boy. He waved slightly at his rival before lazily trailing after Ryos," Who was that?"

The brown eyed girl sighed as her friend placed her down on one of the blankets from his backpack and started healing her," Oh, him? That's just Winter."

Detox looked incredibly confused before snapping his fingers," Oh yeah, now I remember! He's your soul mate!"

"My what?!"

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It was dark by the time everyone returned. Thanks to March, Onyx had recovered from being paralysed and was now moving freely. Nashi was not as fortunate; as much as Detox tried, he could not heal her leg properly. Once he figured out how the injury had come to be, he regretfully informed her that dragon saliva was heavily anti magic. There was no way he'd be able to heal her injuries, and there was a slim chance she'd be able to walk on it. Even if it did heal itself, Nashi would probably have a limp for the rest of her life.

As soon as Detox left her to get some rest, she cried. How could she live without walking? She didn't care much about her other injuries because they'd eventually cooperate with his healing magic and get back to normal. Her leg, though, was out of the question. What would her parents say when they found out? What would the guild think? They'd baby her for the rest of her life and never let her go on another mission.

Winter eventually showed up to bring her to Ryos's meeting. By that time, her tears were long gone. She was only left with a hollow feeling and self pity. Nashi was so disappointed in herself that she barely acknowledged him when he spoke to her," You alright?"

"No."

"I figured. I should've known that asshole couldn't heal you properly."

She frowned deeply," He did the best he could, Winter. The only thing he couldn't heal was my...It's not his fault that the dragon bit me, it's mine."

He stared down at the bandages wrapped around her leg quietly. He seemed guilty about something, but she couldn't put her finger on what it could be. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the dark haired boy tucked his hands under her knees and scooped her up," Don't blame yourself for getting hurt. You did what you thought was best and that took guts."

"Yeah, but was it worth it?"

"Worth it? Of course it was, dumbass! If you hadn't taken out its wings, it'd probably be flying around and destroying everything! I know that it doesn't sound like much of a trade off right now, but it'll be worth it in the end," He grinned," Besides, you've got men bowing at your feet. It shouldn't be too hard to find one that'll carry you around until you're back to normal."

Nashi smiled for the first time in hours and poked his nose," Are you volunteering?"

"I can drop you, ya know," He grumbled as he carried her to the fireplace. Lutz and Onyx were sitting together with Alida nestled comfortably between them. March sat to the left of the shadow dragon slayer, trying to have an overly animated conversation with Detox. The support mage was incredibly downcast, seeing that he couldn't heal Nashi's leg. Ryos was positioned next to him, watching carefully as Winter brought the pink haired girl in. The boy carefully placed her next to Ryos and pulled his jacket off, tucking in behind her head as a makeshift pillow. He ignored the shocked stares everyone was sending him and plopped down on the other side of her, crossing his arms irritably," We're back now, so can we get this shit over with?"

Ryos nodded and faced Alida with a serious expression," Who are you and why were you possessed?"

The coral haired girl seemed a bit taken aback," Umm, I'm a fourth gemeranation (generation) Aether dragon slayer. I don't know where my mommy and daddy are. All I know is that a year ago, a dark guild, Ebony Ring, attacked them. Matelija, the big evil snake, crawled in my mouth and made it so that he control me," Her tiny hands clutched the fabric of her skirt," I-I think I was a bad person when Matelija was in me. H-He used me for m-my magic," She looked up hopefully at Lutz, the one she had warmed up the most to," Will you help me find my mommy and daddy if I help defeat Black Soul?"

March furrowed her eyebrows," Who is Black Soul?"

"The dragon Yoshi-"

"Nashi," Winter corrected bluntly.

"Oh, my bad! Black Soul is the dragon that Noshi fought. I heard Matelija say that Black Soul is master Pravum's pet."

The pinkette slapped a hand over his mouth before he could interrupt again; there were more important matters at hand than getting her name right," Who is Master Pravum? Is he the leader of Ebony Ring?"

Alida shook her head," No, he's the leader of everything."

"That's not true," Ryos murmured," I don't recall a Pravum being in charge of the magic council-"

"That's 'cause he's not. He's the master of Clone Wyvern."

Ryos, Detox, and March paled at that name," You're working with Clone Wyvern?!"

"No! Matelija was controlling me, and he was in Ebony Ring. Ebony Ring is a smaller guild that is part of the Duobligi alliance. Clone Wyvern is the strongest guild in the alliance, which makes it the leader of the other guilds. Master Pravum is the one that makes the choices, so I asouped (assumed) that he was the leader."

The steel dragon slayer combed his hair with his hands," Damn. I didn't think that Clone Wyvern had so many connections."

Lutz blinked," Wait, why do you know what Clone Wyvern is? I've never heard of it, have you Onyx?" His friend shook his head no," Nashi?"

"I haven't. Is it some sort of a dark guild?"

Alida shuddered," It's one of the worst. I-I went there once, and there w-were hostages hanging from the ceiling. T-then they k-killed someone for f-fun. It was...it was...," The memory suddenly overwhelmed her and stopped her from finishing.

Sensing the oncoming tears, Onyx scooped the child up and placed her on his lap. She buried her head in his chest and started sobbing. The dark green haired boy sighed and started stroking her hair, trying to calm her down," I think that's all we should question her about tonight."

Winter tensed; why were all these girls crying? First it was Aqua, then Nashi, and now this random miniature dragon slayer was bawling. He desperately needed a change of subject," You said something about discussing future plans?"

Ryos darkened," Tomorrow at daybreak, we're going to fight the dragon-"

"What?!" Nashi shrieked," You can't fight the dragon! It's too strong! If it wasn't for Winter, I would've been killed! I'm sorry to say this, but we have no chance at defeating Black Soul! We need to get help!"

"You were fighting it alone, and since there will be at least three of us fighting-"

"I know what you're implying," March interrupted," I'm not going to stay back and watch this fight. My forte is attacking, and I'd be much more help if I were fighting by your side. This is my choice."

Ryos frowned deeply; he had just gotten her back, and now he was going to risk her life again," Fine, but if it gets too dangerous, I want you to fall back."

"I'm not weak-"

"Neither was Nashi, and now look at her!"

The fire dragon slayer winced and tried to say something. Anything. Instead, she sat gaping like a fish out of water. Maybe it was because there was nothing she could do about it. As much as she may have denied it, she knew the reason his statement had such a heavy impact on her; he was right.

Winter, on the other hand, was lucid. Before he could second guess himself, he rocketed to his feet and dragged Ryos up by his collar," What the hell are you implying?"

Lutz couldn't help himself; Ever since he had met Winter, the two were constantly at each other's throats. He jumped up and yanked his rival away," Since when are you so protective of her? Oh, I know! It's because you think she's too weak to take care of herself now that she's injured!"

The water mage spun around and punched the blonde in the jaw," That is not true and you know it!"

"No, now that she can't fight back, you're going to gain her trust just so that you can walk all over her in the future! I've seen your type do-"

"What the hell do you mean by my type?"

Lutz shrugged and rubbed his jaw," To put it simply, you're an asshole. I don't know why you came here, but I am pretty damn positive that it wasn't to save Nashi. How do I know, you may ask? You have always hated her. Well guess what? No one likes you! You're such a dick that no one wants to hang out with you! You just mope around, expecting people to talk to you just so that you can scare them off. You're a self-centered jerk that only cares about himself, and while some people may choose to look it over, I won't! Since the moment I saw you today, I've been waiting for you to leave. Everyone has."

"Lutz-san!" March gasped.

Winter glanced down Nashi, but didn't get a response. He rolled his eyes and glared at them," Fine! Go and kill yourselves for all I care! I don't need to put up with this shit! Good riddance!" He flipped them all off before spinning around and exiting the campsite.

There was at least five minutes where nobody spoke, as if they were waiting for the grumpy mage to return and await their apologies. He never did. Nashi's eyes welled up, anger consuming her," Lutz...WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! He just saved my life, and that's the thanks he gets?"

The blonde shrank back," I was only trying to help."

There it was again. That fish out of water feeling that she despised. The fact that she couldn't do or say anything if she wanted to. Was it because Lutz was right about the Fullbuster boy? A few days ago, she would've said yes," I...I know."

Onyx coughed uncomfortably," Uh, I think it's time to get some rest. Come on, Lutz," He led the blonde, Alida, and March (the sky dragon slayer refused to leave until she hugged Nashi and told her that she was the strongest mage in Fairy Tail) away to get some shut eye. Detox asked Nashi if she needed anything before he went to bed, but she only grunted. The violet haired boy sighed dejectedly and followed the others, leaving her alone with Ryos.

The iron dragon slayer, however, refused to move," I wasn't implying that you were weak."

"What were you implying, then?" She snapped grouchily.

"Watch it, Dragneel, I'm trying to make you feel better. What I meant was that you can't walk, and I don't want March to have the same fate. If that means your weak, then fine, but you should know that you're anything but weak in my book," He stated.

"Thanks Ryos," Nashi blushed and began to fiddle with her hands," I've missed you. You're a really good guy, and it's not as fun without you around. I know that we had a somewhat rocky reunion, but..."

His eyes widened," But what?"

"...can you come back to Fairy Tail when this is all over?"

The dark haired boy sighed and stared into the fire. His face was almost emotionless as he pondered her suggestion. He didn't know if he was ready for that big of a step yet. Sure, he could finally talk to Nashi and March without seeing them bleeding and crying in the back of his head, but facing the guild? The only thing as intimidating as that would be...fighting a dragon," If I survive this battle, I will."

She seemed satisfied with his answer, because she leaned onto his shoulder and began to doze off," Good, you'll love what we've done with the place."

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When Nashi woke up the next morning, everyone was gone.

It didn't take long to realize where they went. They thought that they could fight the dragon. They thought that it'd be easy. She growled and clutched her forehead in annoyance. They didn't know what they were up against.

The pinkette sighed hopefully," Maybe they didn't go to battle it. They probably didn't. I mean, Alida is just a kid, and they wouldn't want a kid fighting a dragon...right? Anyways, they wouldn't leave me to fend for myself, right? Right? Why do I keep saying right?" Her denial quickly faded into anger," I swear, if they don't kill themselves, I'm going to tie them to a fucking firework and shoot it into the sky! That's what they deserve! Death!" Nashi sighed and lazily rolled onto her stomach," Maybe I shouldn't have fought the dragon in the first place. Ryos was right, it was a stupid idea. Hell, if I hadn't had my chocolate cravings, we wouldn't be in this mess. Well, we might be in a bigger mess...or a smaller mess...huh," Realization hit her like a brick," This is all my fault. If I hadn't wanted some fucking chocolate, we'd all be safe at the guild and...and then our parents would have to fight the dragon, and if my dad had gotten bit by that thing instead of me..."

Nashi clenched her fists," My dad would've give up just because of a stupid leg injury. He'd fight even if every bone in his body was broken," The brown eyed girl buried her fear deep down in the pit of her stomach and gripped the tree next to her. Winter's jacket fell out from behind her head, and without a second though, she slipped it on," I'm gonna need you-I mean, your help, whether you're here or not."

She took a deep breath and tightened her hold on the tree. It was now or never. Here goes nothing. Nashi pulled herself onto her feet, stumbling slightly as she did so. It was probably natural to be a bit clumsy after not walking for a day, right? Right. There I go with the "rights" again. Stop getting off subject, your friends are waiting for you!

The fire dragon slayer squeezed her eyes shut and took a step.

That turned out to be a horrible idea, because she was headed straight back onto the ground," Shit!"

After three (maybe four) more tries, Nashi had managed to steady herself and was now limping her way towards the canyon. Sure, every time her bad leg so much as brushed against a branch, she would practically pass out from the pain. There was also the fact that black spots would occasionally blur her version. She was pretty hungry too. Oh, and her hair kept flying into her face. But other than that, she was fine.

Suddenly, her foot caught on something. Before she could stop herself, she was hurtling back down onto the dart for the fifth (sixth?) time. Pain shot through her leg like a thousand tiny knives, and it took all of her willpower to keep from passing out," Dammit all!" She went to push herself back up, but froze at the sound of a twig snapping; she wasn't alone.

"I go out for one night, and when I come back," She felt someone snake their hand under her chin and tilt it up," you're doing something stupid again."

Ugh. Winter. Despite having a slightly bitter taste in her mouth from seeing him, she couldn't help but feel relieved that it wasn't a bandit. Nashi grabbed onto his shoulders, using them to sit herself up," Mind helping me to my feet?"

"Don't tell me you're trying to walk," She sent him a pointed glare that made him clear his throat," Okay, I guess you are. I can carry you again, if you like. It'd probably be-now you're walking, okay," He started to trail behind her," Where are you going?"

"To fight Black Soul again," Much to her surprise, she was met with silence. It was almost unnerving; she expected him to get angry or dismissive or even overprotective. Frankly, Nashi expected him to at least show some emotion, but the fact that he wasn't reacting at all was almost...upsetting? She wasn't used to Winter being unpredictable. It had always been the two of them rough housing and arguing.

That was when it hit her; whether she liked it or not, their relationship had changed drastically over the past two days. At first, he didn't set out to find her because he cared for her welfare. But she was pretty damn sure that he cared now.

That meant a lot to her.

She gently reached out and took his hand," Thank you. For everything," Then she turned around and ran (cough, cough, hobbled) away before he could try and change her mind.

The moment was ruined when she fell flat on her face. She growled in annoyance, but felt an odd absence of something. Could it be...pain?

This chapter was way longer than I originally planned, but the next chapter is the dragon fight, and I didn't want to put the last part of this chapter in the first part of the next. A lot of information involving what this story will revolve around was given out in here as well. Chapter 12 will be the last chapter in the Dragon Slayer Arc, and after that I will introduce a majority of the guild! Thanks for reading!

-uprisingdragon