A/N: Yay! 23 favs and 6 reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We left off at the phoenix right? Just making sure! Oh yeah, and I changed the summary a bit so it makes more sense XD

Enjoy :D ~

Chapter Twelve

Kesshō's POV (i'll have POV's for Natsu, Lucy, Kesshō, and Suzuki, sorry Happy XD)

"Lucy!" Kesshō gasped. Suzuki, Natsu, and Happy were also yelling at her to hold on.

The fire bird just laughed. "HOW CAN YOU SAVE HER NOW, HUMANS? THE LAVA IS GOING TO RISE."

"No!" Natsu roared. "Let her go, you bastard!"

"SHE'S THE SACRIFICE, ISN'T SHE?" The phoenix sneered. He pretended to drop her, which made Lucy scream even louder. "Help!"

"She's no sacrifice!" Kesshō yelled at the phoenix. He was pure evil! And to think he had peace on the world... They needed a plan, fast.

"Give me the feather." Kesshō demanded, holding out her hand. "At once."

The phoenix looled amused. "A MAGICAL OBJECT FOR YOUR FRIEND? HA..."

A feather then appeared out of midair next to Kesshō. It was the same color as the bird's feathers, but this one seemed more enchanting and powerful. She took it.

"AS I EXPECTED FROM YOU." The phoenix mused. "YOU CARE MORE ABOUT A MAGIC FEATHER."

Everyone was staring at her now, but Kesshō wasn't finished talking yet.

"I don't." Kesshō then said. "I'm going to get Lucy back too! Guys, NOW!"

Fortunately, they seemed to get the message. All three of them lurched forward and launched magic attacks at the phoenix.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu bellowed, sending red hot flames towards the phoenix, who staggered backwards.

"MAX SPEED!" Happy said next, speeding so fast at the phoenix and whacking him with a piece of fish. Classic.

"Light God Slayer's Bright Sphere!" Suzuki shouted, sending a flurry of spheres filled with dark light towards the phoenix.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!" The bird screeched in pain, almost sending Lucy plummeting towards the lava. She shrieked in terror.

"My turn." Kesshō said loudly. The three mages were in midair now, somehow managing to "fly."

Kesshō willed all her force into her heart and suddenly felt herself grow larger, bigger, and stronger. She had wings and was soaring inside the volcano, catching Natsu, Suzuki, and Happy. She threw them on the ledge they were standing before and turned towards the phoenix.

"Kesshō..." The fire bird growled. "Are you a traitor, helping these humans?" For once he wasn't actually shouting.

"I'm not a traitor." Kesshō grumbled, flexing her talons.

Lucy screamed again. The phoenix was now loosening his grip on Lucy. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lucy was yelling, trying to kick the phoenix.

"LET HER GO NOW!" Kesshō roared. She flew towards the phoenix and blew sharp crystals at him.

Then, the phoenix, blinded, dropped Lucy. Lucy was screaming, crying, and yelling at the same time, falling towards the lava.

"NO!" Kesshō, Natsu, Suzuki, and Happy yelled. Kesshō then saw Natsu jump off the ledge towards the lava as well.

Kesshō soon was flying beside him as he was falling, trying to grab Lucy.

Natsu had reached her first and was now hugging her tightly, eyes closed. They seemed to be talking about something, but Kesshō had to save them now!

Quick as a flash, Kesshō grabbed both Natsu and Lucy before they fell in the lava themselves.

The phoenix recoiled violently. "YOU MAY HAVE WON THIS TIME. IN THE MEANTIME, ENJOY THE VOLCANIC EXPLOSION!" Then he dove straight into the lava.

Kesshō, still in dragon form, carried the rest of the group on her back. "NOW! Hold on tight!" She blasted upwards at full speed, hearing Suzuki and Lucy screaming and holding on tightly. She also felt the magma coming closer... Closer... And...

BAM!

The volcano erupted, throwing Suzuki, Happy, Kesshō, Natsu, and Lucy onto the grassy hills. It was not a soft landing.

When Kesshō could focus again, she held up her hand and found it was smoking, but back to human. Her clothes were all charred and smoking. It was the same situation for the others as well.

"Ouch..." Suzuki mumbled. Her white hair was dirty and messed up now.

Lucy didn't look any better. She was missing a boot, and her rubberbands on her hair were missing.

Natsu was messed up too. His hair was almost all covered in soot. His scarf also was dirty, and his clothing was smoking. Otherwise, he looked okay.

Happy seemed to have received the least impact on the eruption. Only his body and face were covered in dirt.

Kesshō sighed. "Well, that was a disaster." She then pulled out the phoenix's feather. Steangely, it still seemed in great condition. It was glowing, and a piece of paper dropped from it.

She picked it up. It read:

"The phoenix, dove, unicorn, serpent, and the owl face difficulties each to share. Those who try to seek them, and their treasures, beware."

"Is that another prophecy line?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"The dragon's fury will crash in all the world, being the only cure the strength of a maiden's heart. The phoenix, dove, unicorn, serpent, and the owl face difficulties each to share. Those who try to seek them, and their treasures, beware."

"Looks like it," Suzuki remarked. "It's part of the prophecy lines!"

"Two out of five," Kesshō added. "Three lines to go!"

"Should we go get new clothes or something?" Lucy piped up. "I feel uncomfortable."

"I think I know a spell to repair things back." Suzuki said. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Recover."

A white flash of light made Kesshō close her eyes almost at once. When she opened them again, she saw her clothes were repared and perfect as new.

"Oh thank goodness." Kesshō said.

Suzuki smiled. "No problem!"

Natsu also looked happy. "I like it! Thanks Suzuki, it helped."

Lucy looked at her left arm which was still wrapped in bandages and still in a cast. She sighed. "I want to have two arms again..."

"But you do," Happy said, clearly confused.

"You don't get it," Lucy said. "Never mind then. So, where next? Someone can choose a place each time."

"Erm..." Natsu said, in deep thought. "Shouldn't Kesshō decide? I mean she saved us in the volcano. We would have been worse than having charred clothes if it wasn't for her."

Everyone seemed to agree with that.

"Oh, sure," Kesshō remarked. "How about the serpent's corridor?"

"Wasn't it a snake's?" said Happy.

"Same thing," Lucy answered. "Serpents I think are more stronger."

"And more violent too," Suzuki added. "Where is it located anyway?"

Kesshō closed her eyes and thought of the possible location. Somehow, a vivid image of the sea gave her an idea. Serpents... Aren't they usually at sea or something? "Let's try the ocean," Kesshō finally said.

"How do we know if it is a sea or land serpent?" Lucy asked. That was a good question, because Kesshō didn't know how to answer.

"There are different kinds of serpents?!" Natsu said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Why is this so difficult?!" Kesshō agreed with Natsu silently.

"We have no choice. Serpents actually can be anywhere, sadly." Kesshō grumbled. "I hate going on freakishly long journeys."

"Think of the term 'serpent's corridor,'" Lucy reminded them all. "A corridor is some kind of room right? So the serpent should be found in a room."

"But where? Ocean or land?" Happy asked.

"Possibly ocean. There should be one feather for each element right?" Lucy reasoned. "Phoenix was fire, dove was air, and it can be possible that the unicorn and owl's could be of something else, like wisdom or magic. This also can mean that the serpent's feather is the element of water."

Damn, Lucy was smart, but Kesshō had a question to ask.

"Well, wisdom isn't an element, right?" Kesshō asked. "So in short, the feather stands for different items or things."

"I can agree with that," Suzuki spoke up.

Natsu and Happy were the only ones that were confused. "Um... Sorry, what?" Natsu asked, scratching his head.

Boys. Kesshō, Lucy, and Suzuki exchanged expressions and burst out laughing.

"What?" Happy and Natsu demanded. "We really don't get it!"

"I'll explain again later," Lucy said, still grinning. "Now is not the time."

"Ocean?" Kesshō suggested. "I could dive us down there, but we'll need a supply of air to have us breathe normally."

"And I'm still really tired, despite having burst out of a volcano earlier," Suzuki agreed.

"Let's rest!" Natsu declared, already sitting down.

"Maybe we can take a short nap or something..." Lucy said too. "Since its still morning, we'll have plenty of time left to find the corridor."

Everyone agreed and started unpacking their supplies again. Kesshō sat on top of her sleeping bag and watched how everyone, except Natsu and Lucy, cuddled up in their sleeping bags. Suzuki and Happy were the first ones to fall asleep, and a few moments later, Natsu and Lucy were asleep too.

Kesshō stared at the grassy ground, and picked up a stick not far from her.

With magic, she summoned a clipboard with paper and transformed the stick into a quill.

She started to draw what Ryu-za looked like. That was his dragon name. Kesshō remembered that he preferred Draco as his human name instead.

I don't know why but whenever I write about the Draco here, I think about Draco Malfoy, in Harry Potter... He's not going to be related to HP Draco though, this is mah OC, XD

Draco meant dragon in Latin. That's what Kesshō had remembered from what he had told her before leaving. Yes, he was kind of a serpent. A dragon, to be exact, a dragon who can transform into a human like Kesshō.

Thinking of him made Kesshō's heart ache. In pain. Draco was her best friend, a long, long time ago.

That's mainly why she chose the serpent's corridor. She had a suspicion that Draco could be there. After all, he had told her he needed to guard something important before he had left.

Kesshō wasn't sure if she liked him more than a friend, though. She knew very well that they were best friends though.

Kesshō finished up her drawing, and stared at it.

She remembered that Draco had dark brown hair that was always messy, but Kesshō found that hilarious of him. He had green eyes, the color of dark grass. Draco also had a hoodie that was gray, and he had black jeans with black sneakers. He really looked nothing like a dragon, mostly like a teenager in some ways.

Kesshō felt that she wanted to replay the last scene that she had with him though. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.


*FLASHBACK*

Kesshō's POV :D

"Wait up!" Kesshō panted, running after the dark haired teen, who was ahead of her.

"You've gotta run to catch me, Crystal!" The boy called in a teasing tone, but Kesshō flinched.

"Don't call me that," Kesshō grimaced and stopped running abruptly.

The boy stopped too, and started running towards her instead. Then he stopped, and Kesshō could see confusion in those dark green eyes of his.

"I'm Kesshō, Ryu-za." Kesshō repeated for the millionth time, but Ryu-za rolled his eyes playfully and nudged her.

"We're in our human forms, silly," Ryu-za confirmed. "So my name is Draco, not Ryu-za. Besides, it sounds weird for someone to call me Ryu-za, right? It fits for dragon mode."

"But that's what Igneel called us," Kesshō argued.

"It's a free country." Draco said. He was making Kesshō confused now.

"What?" Kesshō asked. "Since when?"

"Since they built the Statue of Liberty. Whatever, I didn't want to talk about that, Crystal." Draco mused.

"I like Kesshō better," Kesshō told him. "And if you call me Crystal again, I will call you Ryu-za forever, even as a human."

Draco grinned. "As you wish, Kesshō." This made Kesshō smile and punch his arm.

"What was that for?" Draco whined, but Kesshō could see the laughter in his eyes as he pulled her away.

"What did you need to talk about anyway?" Kesshō asked him, sitting down on the grass.

Draco joined her. "Stuff, you know?"

"What kind of stuff?" Kesshō asked again, and Draco looked away from her, towards the horizon.

"I'm leaving," Draco said.

"Leaving?" Kesshō said, surprised. "Where are you going to?"

"I want to tell you so much, Kesshō, but I can't. Igneel's orders." Draco replied.

"You're coming back, right?" Kesshō said.

"I... Don't know." Draco muttered. "I have to protect something important, but I swear I will come back to you soon. Promise?"

Kesshō wanted to burst into tears. Draco was leaving! It couldn't be happening... Draco was her only friend.

"I'm sorry, Kesshō," Draco said, turning towards her again. "But I will be back. Mark my words."

"Y-You promise?" Kesshō asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Promise," Draco said, smiling at her sadly. Kesshō then felt more tears come from her eyes as Draco wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

They sat there, just the two of them together, for a long time. Only then it ended when Draco stood.

"You're leaving now?" Kesshō sniffled.

"I have to, Kesshō." Draco smiled weakly at her.

"You need to come back." Kesshō pleaded.

"Alright, I will," Draco said. He pulled out something from his hoodie pocket and put it in Kesshō's hands.

"Something for you to remember me by." Draco grinned. "I'll be back, don't you worry."

He then disappeared in a swirl of wind.

Kesshō cried. Then she stared at the object that Draco left for her. She opened her hand, and she almost burst into tears again.

It was a photo of both her and Draco, smiling at the camera happily.

Kesshō then folded the piece of paper and placed it in the sweater she was wearing.

After that, Kesshō morphed into a dragon and flew away, leaving the spot where Draco last stood.


Kesshō then fully focused back and saw that her drawing had wet marks on it. Was she crying again? It was still late morning though.

"Uh... Kesshō? Are you okay?" That was Lucy's voice. It seemed that everyone was awake already and waiting for her.

Oh shit, that meant they saw her crying.

"I'm fine." Kesshō said, wiping a tear from her eye and pretended it never happened. She stuffed the picture of Draco inside her backpack hastily.

No one said anything, which was a good thing, since Kesshō was not in the mood for a conversation.

"Right," Suzuki said uncomfortably. "To the ocean, right?"

"Great, now we're going to be soaking wet by the time we get out." Lucy grumbled, but she motioned she was just joking.

Happy was thrilled, though. "If we're going to the ocean, we'll see lots and lots of fish! Yipee!"

Natsu smiled, but Kesshō sensed distraction and worry from him. Kesshō narrowed her eyes, she didn't need someone's pity! She marched off.

"I think the serpent's corridor could be at Dragon's Point. It's deep inside the water." Kesshō instructed.

"Dragon's Point is some kind of rock, right?" Suzuki recalled.

"Yeah, and its a good thing it's under the sea." Kesshō agreed. Then, she turned to the group members with a sly expression on her face.

"So," she said. "Who's ready to take a swim?"

A/N: Yay, chapter twelve is finished! Thought I could include some of Kesshō's past in here, cause she's an OC and all. So, who should I do a POV of next? I was wondering either Suzuki, Lucy, or Natsu. Not really Happy, cause I don't feel like having him tell the story. You can leave suggestions in reviews if you want!

There were new followers, so here are their names:

gege1212, auliaaa, crayontesla (thanks!)

The sixth reviewer is:

ahaurats-FT (thank you :D)

:D That's all! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, cause I enjoyed writing it!

Oh, here's the definition for Ryu-za, it's Draco in Japanese :)

Maybe I'll include Draco's dragon form later in the story... Hmm... XD

Well, bye! I made sure that no one will interrupt the author's note (coughFairy Tailcoughcough) this time, lol.

They'll talk next chapter X3

Bye! :)