Hey Guys! I'm back and ready to rock! I have to admit that I've been losing my motivation to write some-what, but now I'm back and ready to kick some butt! I also have a new idea for a small story! Like, it might be a one-shot. It'll be a GraLu, something I've never done before and I probably won't have time to write it soon. But any way, here we go! Chapter 14: The Curtain Falls

Recap:

Once the scream cut off in a sharp, high pitched choke a voice boomed inside the area blocked off by the Black Barrier.

"Damn you! How were you able to defeat him so easily!?" She screamed out in frustration as the zombie's body disappeared in burning black fire. Most likely the same fire was consuming the two cards she had used right now as well. However, Laxus continued his irritatingly calm facial expression and didn't reply. This just upset the woman more than anything. "Oh, so you think you're so great for being able to destroy those Screams?! Well let me tell you that those two are nothing compared to what I have in store! NOTHING!"

A big, black cloud formed overhead and it began pouring. Hard. With each drop that struck Laxus's skin it was like a he had been poked with a needle. What the hell was going on with this damn rain? The woman's evil laughter once again filled the black area, only thing time she sounded less like a sophisticated fighter and more like an insane killer who escaped from her padded cell.

"I bet you're wondering what's going on right now, aren't you!?" She said in a sickly joyful tone. The rain now struck down on Laxus like miniature knives. No, they were knives that were slowly growing in size with each second the rain fell. Dodging, the lightning mage couldn't help but begin to panic. How was he supposed to win this? "This is 'Hells Strom' one of my deadliest R Screams!" The woman screamed out, her voice growing horse. Now sweating from such intense dogging, Laxus couldn't help but smirk. So, she was creating a storm? Well, so was Laxus, only his forecast called for a little more lightning…

Chapter 14: The Curtain Falls

With Wendy in Lucy's living room…

The bluenett woke a high pitched scream ringing in here years. Sitting up abruptly, her head throbbing and ears ringing she let out a ragged breath. She had heard everything Mira and Lisanna has said, and she felt tears streaming down her face. She knew what she had to do, and she knew she needed to do it before time ran out. Sliding off the comfortable couch, she ran to the broken window and looked up the raging sky. Its dying….She thought as she looked at it. She could see that all the black magic that was surly being used right now was killing the sky, and there for weakening her. A loud boom of thundered roared. As it did so, it shook the house.

"I know. I'm coming." Wendy simply spoke, her head held high in determination. Then, knowing exactly what she needed to do, she jumped out the broken window and began to run full sprint into the woods.

Don't worry Lucy. I'm coming!

With Gray and Lucy…

The world was glowing with a sick brown color as Gray stood in shock at what had just transpired. As he stood there like a tree rooted to its spot, the light quickly approaching, all he could think of was his failure. He was about to die as he tried to save his fellow team mate from a horrible future that would destroy the world. He was about to die and fail his quest. He was about to die at the hands of his fallen friend.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. I know you are strong enough to beat this. I just wish I could see you when that happens." He spoke in his soft, deep voice as the light drew nearer bringing his death. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was to come. Nothing was going to stop this, not even one of his ice shields. It was too late to dodge, and there wasn't another person for miles now. The heat of the Earth Blast sent burning tingles up Gray's skin and his nose smelt a foul mixture of smoke and rotting life. As the heat grew more intense Gray knew he was toast. Literally.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ICE PRINCESS!?"

Gray snapped his eyes open as the loud, anger filled voice registered over the roar of Earths Attack, only to snap them closed as something heavy landed on top of him, shoving him into the ground. He could hear an explosion as the light struck through the forest behind where he used to stand, engulfing everything in a brown, rotting fire. Lucy's laughter could now be heard now that the blast was finished, the high pitched choking noise bleeding out painfully and psychotically. Trees echoed through the emptiness as they fell sick or dead, the wind howled wildly like a pack of wild wolves, and Gay became aware of a sudden wetness of rain. Either it had just started or he had just noticed it, but either way it sure was coming down heavy now. Shifting his weight so he was on his back he found himself staring into the eyes of the one and only hot headed fire dragon slayer.

"NATSU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" He screamed out of rage and shock. The pink idiot should be back at the house with the others getting treated. Instead he was here on top of the fuming ice mage. Natsu's fist connected with Grays jaw in a matter of milliseconds as the fire mage glared down at his friends.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU YELLING AT ME!?" He yelled back quite ironically. Probing his jaw with his left hand Gray's own right fist landed a direct hit in the center of Natsu's face, making his nose bleed.

"BECAUSE YOU SHOULDEN'T BE HERE!" Gray screamed back as he threw his deadly punch. The force of the blow sent Natsu flying off him and into the newly created debris the blast had created. Landing harshly on an unorganized pile of fallen trees, the pink haired fire mage let out a loud roar of anger as he crashed into the lumber. Standing up, Gray found that his wounds were still semi-healed and that he had a new, large gash across his left arm. He noticed it when he accidentally smeared blood on his face while he was rubbing his jaw. Even in the most serious and dangerous situations he and Natsu could still engage in a fight over something stupid. "AND YOU FREAKING BLED ON ME FLAIM BRAIN!" Gray added as he began stomping over to where Natsu had crash landed. As he approached the large pile of timber he saw the wood suddenly burst into an inferno of raging flames.

"SO WHAT!?" Natsu roared as his shadowy figure rose from inside the blaze. His voice was full of anger which made Gray smirk. He wants to fight? I'll give him a fight. He thought to himself with sinister amusement. It was during these stupid and often fights that Gray's evil side came out. The ice mage continued stalking up to the inferno, stopping just a few feet in front of it as he waited for Natsu to emerge out of the blaze. It wasn't long until the flamingly angered dragon slayer stomped up to his friend, his fist alight with deadly rage. "You really wanna go right now?" He sneered through his evil grin. Natsu, too, had an evil side that often made an appearance during one of his and Gray's fights. This fight was no exception. Butting their heads together light fighting dear, they stared each other down, daring the other to make the first move. Being more similar that they would willingly admit, the two young men raised their first at the same time as the first punches were about to be thrown. However, they were both knocked onto their backs before either could take a swing. Lucy was till laughing, and so she was still bleeding. The playfully dangerous tension between Gray and Natsu instantly vanished as they were engaged back into the original fight. Lucy's form half dragged half floated through the fading fog as she approached them, her hands once again by her sides and a wicked smile plastered bloodily across her scratched face. Yet she was still as beautiful as she was a kind person.

"Who's your little friend?" She crooned in a sickly amused voice. Natsu's eyes widened as he heard the vile man's voice projecting from Lucy's lips as blood flew from her mouth. Gray's eyes widened as well, but now for the same reason. His eyes drank in Lucy's image as the new, tiny cuts bled. They covered her arms in millions of splinters. It was as if they were scales made of blood, painfully multiplying with each of her movements. In fact, that might be true. Lucy's puppet master's voice sounded shriller and less full as his question hung in the air. So, whenever he used Lucy's magic he hurts himself. Gray thought silently to himself in horror. This is not good. He's also hurting Lucy each time he uses her magic! He continued. He knew Lucy would be one banged up woman by the time this battle was over. She had already lost so much blood as it was, and now with these new cuts…She's not going to last long…

"I'm Natsu Dragneel! What the hell are you doing to Lucy!?" Natsu roared back as he stood up, swaying slightly due to the intensity of the wind. However, he soon regained his balance and he stared his best friend down.

"I'm simply doing my job in Jason brilliant plan!" Lucy laughed back. Natsu's anger began to skyrocket as he saw the blood fly from Lucy's lips. Gray, however, just stayed on the dead forest floor. He looked deep in thought. Natsu didn't have time to ask him what about though. All he knew was that he needed to kill the jerk who was hurting Lucy. His fist caught fire making Lucy's laughter stop in an awful choke. "And what do we have here?" She asked, still floating creepily above the ground from invisible strings. Her blazing rainbow eyes scanned Natsu over with a look of partly amusement and confusion on her face. "A dragon slayer?" Natsu just stood there, continuing to stare into Lucy's eyes. Suddenly he flew forward, his fist raised high to deliver a painful blow. Lucy just stood there though, her evil smile still on her lips. Watching blankly, it suddenly clicked in Gray's mind what was happening, and he all but managed to tackle Natsu to the ground before the idiot's fist connected with Lucy's stomach.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING ICE PRICK!?" Natsu roared as Gray sat on his chest, immobilizing the pink haired mage.

"DON'T YOU GET IT YOU IDIOT!?" Gray screamed back, Lucy's presence making him uneasy behind him. However, he needed Natsu to understand what was really happening. "With each blow the puppet master takes, Lucy's body is harmed! Every time he uses Lucy's magical energy he hurts himself and Lucy!" He screaming at Natsu. However, Natsu just began struggling even more against Gray. Everything Gray said clearly didn't sink into his head, his pink hair acting as a helmet.

"Yeah! So we need to kill this son of a-'' Natsu began. Gray's punch cut him off thought.

"NATSU! IF WE HURT HIM WE HURT LUCY!" Gray screamed violently. As if he had flicked a switch, Natsu immediately quit squirming under his best friend's weight, and stared blankly up at him. He didn't need to say anything though because the look on his face told Gray that the fire mage had understood everything that had just been screamed at him. It was quit between the two then. Gray still sat on Natsu's chest as he panted for breath after he had screamed. Natsu just laid on the ground, numbingly letting everything sink in. Finally, the fiery life blazed back in his eyes as his flaming fist connected with Gray's chest, making said ice mage fly backwards and into the very surprised Lucy.

"Why the hell are you still sitting on top of me!?" He asked as he hopped back onto his feet. His face suddenly showed just how much of a kid he was. "Y-you ARE gay!" He screamed. Gray instantly shot to his feet, somehow losing his pants along the way, and sputtered out his reply.

"We've been over this! I AM NOT GAY!" He boomed, ice flying from his fingertips towards Natsu. Stepping quickly to the left though, he avoided the deadly projectiles and let loose with a blast of fire. With Lucy still behind him, not sure what was going on, Gray quickly ducked so the blast hit Lucy square in the chest (which was rather a large target…) and sending her to the ground once again. However, the two friends/enemies were too absorbed in their own little fight to notice.

"Ice Floor!" Gray casted out in his deep voice. Suddenly the forest floor was covered with a solid three inch sheet of ice. Lucy, who was just now trying to get back to her feet, crashed back down to the ground.

"Eh?!"

That was all Natsu could manage to get out before her had to dodge to the slip ice dagger flying toward his head, making him slip in the process. Watching the pink haired boy sprawled out on the icy ground, Gray began clutching his sides as he began to laugh uncontrollably. There was no way Natsu was going to take that.

"Fire Dragons Claws!" He screamed out in his commanding voice. Gray suddenly became aware of the wall of fire flying towards him and instantly tried to move out of the way. However, still on the ice he had created, the blast hit him strait in the stomach. Flying backwards he took the very confused Lucy with him as he crashed into a big rock that he wind had brought in from the spell Lucy casted. Lucy was the first to hit the rock with Gray flying into to the back of her, shoving her against the rough surface of the rock even more.

"You're going to pay for that!" Gray screamed as he began charging at Natsu leaving the moaning Lucy behind. "Ice make: Bazooka!" He screamed out as Natsu began running towards him as well, his fists raised to his lips as he began a fire dragons roar. Squeezing the trigger the second he saw flames, Gray dug his heals into the dead earth in order to stop himself from being caught up in the explosion that played out before him. The ice blast had hit Natsu right in his fists, therefor plugging up his fire dragon's roar, and there for making an amazing explosion. Smirking, Gray stared at the fiery inferno with satisfaction. There's no way he could have made it out of that!

Hey, since when was he flying through the air?

Natsu stood where Gray used to with his fist thrust out in front of him. Gray was indeed flying through the air with the familiar painful burning feeling that came when Natsu punched him, only this time it was ten times as intense. He hadn't even seen Natsu emerge from the flames! What was going on!? Gray's back connected painfully with a partially blazing tree. He made a sort of wheezing sound as all the air in his lungs was forced out of his body. The wind was now gone, but that didn't make catching his breath any easier. Since when does he hit me that hard in a fight?! Gray thought sharply as he slowly slid down the tree. Hitting the ground, he sat up against the tree and slowly raised his head so he could see what was going on. His eyes widened at what he saw. Lucy was slowly drifting around Natsu with the puppet master's evil laughter bubbling out of her in the form of blood. Natsu just stood there, frozen with a look of shock on his face.

"So, how do you like act three?" Lucy asked as she faced Gray's direction. He didn't reply though, a glare replacing his look of shock. This act of defiance didn't go unnoticed by his opponent. Thrusting her left hand out, she pointed at Gray with an angry scowl on her face. Her right arm hung limply at her side. Instantly, Natsu flew towards the ice mage with his hands ablaze. Unable to move due to a new series of injuries inflicted by the harsh stop, Gray just sat there helplessly as he prepared for what was about to come. Natsu crashed strait into him, setting the whole tree on fire with both of them trapped in the inferno.

"I repeat. How are you liking act three so far?" Lucy asked, pulling her arm back. Natsu jumped from the flames with Gray slung limply over his back like a sack of flour. The pink haired boy rushed over to Lucy, and dropped the newly wounded ice mage at her feet. As he landed on the ground he let out a harsh cough, blood flying from his mouth and onto his bottom lip and chin. Lucy nodded. "That's answer enough for now." She spoke with a board look on her face. Letting out a deep breath, Natsu suddenly flew back and against the same boulder he had shoved Gray and herself into. He landed with a satisfyingly sick crunch as his back hit the harsh rock.

"And how are you liking the show so far, Dragon Slayer?" She asked as Natsu fell from the rock and onto the ground. He had a few scratches, but nothing major like his friend who was still lying on the forest floor and coughing up blood. Natsu got to his feet quickly and stared at his bleeding friend.

"This is the crappiest show I've ever seen!" He hissed. Memories of the crazy mission he had embarked on with the old Team Natsu flashed in his head. Erza with her stage fright, Lucy in her dress, Gray and himself wrecking the entire building. He shivered at the memories. Even with his experience in theater, he could honestly say that this puppet master's show seriously sucked. However, that was clearly the wrong answer to his question. Suddenly Lucy had one of her soft, blood soaked hands wrapped around his neck and pinning him up against the rock. Her cold, bright eyes stared into his deep onyx ones with such intensity Natsu could feel the pressure of her stare weighing against his brain.

"What did you say?" Lucy hissed between her teeth. When Natsu gave no action to respond the grip she had on his throat tightened. He gave out a short gasp as his lungs began to scream for air. However, he would be damned if he played into this evil man's game. Then, as suddenly as the grip had tightened it was no longer there as Lucy was thrown back by an unknown force. Falling to the ground he began sucking in as much air his lungs would hold. A hand was suddenly shoved in his face.

"Natsu, come on! Get up!"

Natsu's head snapped up as the silky voice registered in his ears. His eyes widened in shock. Lisanna was standing over him, her arm stretched out in front of her. Lifting his own, Natsu firmly grasped her soft hand. Pulling him to his feet, Lisanna smiled at him and threw her arms around him in a hug. Her soft voice whispered lowly in his ear.

"Gray's figured out how to kill him." She began. Natsu immediately stiffened in her arms, but she kept talking as fast as her body would allow her to. "I've been watching this whole time, and told him you and I would serve as a distraction. All we have to do is keep Lucy in the middle of the clearing. Then, Gray will give us the signal. When that happened, use your strongest Fire Dragon Roar you've ever done." She continued.

"But if I do that then I'll hurt Luce." Natsu hissed back, his voice low and quit as well. Lisanna just hugged him tighter.

"Trust me. It'll be all right. Lucy will be fine." And with that she pulled away from the confused pink haired mage and began running full speed towards Lucy. The blond mage was currently lying on the forest floor. She began pushing herself up so she could stand once again. She used her left hand to push herself up, and then moved her right leg so that her foot was firmly on the ground. However, her right arm and left leg just at limply on the muddy ground. With the intense rain still falling, the dead ground was beginning to turn into mud. In the beginning it was absorbing all the rain due to the blast, but now that it was rehydrated all the rain was creating a sea of mud. Now standing unsteadily Lucy glared at Lisanna who was now transformed into her Tiger Empress. She had her claws out and leapt high into the air. Raising her left hand above her head, Lucy closed her eyes and ducked her head slightly as a bright ball of black fire burst from her palm. It flew strait into Lisanna's stomach and made her fly backwards into a tree. Natsu watched the whole thing, and finally realized something. He's getting weaker the longer he control Lucy! That's why her left arm and right leg aren't working anymore! Now with a wide smile on his lips, he charged at Lucy's back, his fist raised. However, with all the mud his footstep made loud obnoxious noises as he ran, alerting his target. Spinning around as fast as she could on one leg, said blond pulled her arm down from above her head and thrust it out in front of her. A harsh blast of wind hit Natsu head on, but he wasn't going to be blown back without landing a blow on his friend. Yes, it would hurt her, but with her attackers hold on her slipping it would sure hurt a lot less than if he were to hit her with a fiery fist when he first joined the fight. Letting a blast of fire free from his fist, he let himself be taken back by the intense wind and be smashed into a tree while Lucy was smashed with a blast of fire. Before she could fly back to far though Lisanna was behind her and delivered a hard kick to her back. Now flying forward Lucy landed a few steps in front of where she originally stood. Her golden hair was now streaked with dark mud and blood. Her fair skin was covered with small cuts and large bruises, all of which were bleeding to some extent. Her luscious lips were covered with blood as they parted slightly to let out a low moan. Picking her head up slightly, her rainbow eyes began to fade until they were empty black sockets. The rain suddenly turned into ice and began pelting Natsu harshly, annoying him.

"Damn it Gray! Why ya gotta turn the rain into ice!?" He screamed as he began running towards the fallen Lucy, his hands to his lips as he began forming what was going to be one of his most impressive Fire Dragon Roars ever. Lisanna was sprinting as well, her claws shining dangerously in the moon light. Even though he hadn't used much magic, Natsu felt fatigued and weak. He knew it was because of the Earths Attack Lucy had unleashed when he had saved Gray's behind. The attack was bubbling with black magic. Black magic causes the person who is it with its magical energy to drop almost to half of what it would normally be. So, with that and the injuries from Lucy's first, uncontrolled blast he was running on pure physical determination now. Gray and Lisanna must be feeling the same thing as well. This roar better to the job because it's the last thing I'm going to be able to do in this fight. Natsu thought as he felt the flames in the back of his throat aching to break free. Gray, Lisanna, and he were now surround a terrified looking Lucy. Even though her eyes were black holes there was still an obvious feeling of fear in them. At the three leapt to attack, the blonds lips pulled back into an evil sneer as her voice shrieked out something unexpected.

"Enjoy act four!" She snarled. What the hell!? Natsu thought. A painful scream filled the air as soon as the sentence was finished but it would have to wait. Letting to eager flames burst from his throat, Natsu performed one of his best Dragon Roars he had even achieved. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be though. All he thought about was holding Lucy in his arms. Safe, free, and protected. Lisanna let out a warriors scream as she brought her glimmering claws down. They shone purple with magic, leaving a trail of light in the air. An explosion like no other followed as soon as the attacks were delivered, blowing the two back with such force when they landed against the muddy ground Natsu felt something crack in his lower back. Lisanna let out a sharp scream of pain as she splashed into the mud, her hands flying to her right hip. Smoke engulfed them then, but it wasn't enough to hide the blinding rainbow light shining from Lucy. Forcing himself to sit up, Natsu stared in amazement at what was happening in the center of the clearing. Lisanna was watching as well, though she was still lying on her left side. Gray must be somewhere around there watching as well.

Lucy's body shone bright green and pulsed with all the colors in the rainbow. She was lifted high into the air, her blond hair floating eerily around her like she was floating in some sort of liquid. She was facing Natsu and Lisanna's direction so they could witness the gruesome sight. As she rose higher and higher into the air the pulsing became faster and brighter until it was almost blinding to look at her. About to look away due to the intensity of the light, Natsu's face froze with horror as Lucy's eyes snapped open. They shone with Black light streaked with Golden light, and the green surrounding her began to burn away at the hands of a blackness eating away at it. Her jaw abruptly fell all the way open, showing her blood stained teeth, as an ear splitting scream rag through the air. Her arms flung out to her sides like she was waiting to accept a hug. The black had now eaten away almost all of the bright green and pulses of color, and Natsu knew that somewhere the Puppet Master was dying. The only trace of green left was in the center of Lucy's chest. Still screaming, Lucy was no longer rising into the air and her hair was now floating aggressively around her. It was wrapping around tendrils of black magic and weaving itself through the black aura. Suddenly, the pain filled scream cut off with a gruesome choking noise, and then everything was silent. Lucy's jaw snapped shut once again, and there was no longer the green in the center of her chest. No. Instead there was a great big hole the blackness had created. Natsu stared in horror as Lucy hung in the air like an enraged empress, bringing punishment and judgment on her people.

"Lucy…" He called out quietly as he forced himself onto his feet. As soon as the words left his mouth the light in Lucy's eyes turned into pure gold, blowing away all the darkness. Natsu had to cover his eyes at the intensity of the light. He heard a thundering boom and risked pulling his hand away from his eyes. They widened at what he saw.

There Lucy hung in the air, only she was no longer surrounded by black magic. No. Her skin now radiated a mixture of white and gold light. Her hear was no longer caressing the darkness, but now sat around her shoulders in a graceful silk curtain. She was still drenched in blood, but somehow it only added to her sheet beauty. She was still wearing the same clothing, and she was still beat up, but somehow she looked like the queen of the world.

"Lucy…" Natsu said again, only this time in a soft whisper of amazement. Then, as suddenly as the light had appeared there was a white flash as Lucy fell to the ground. Unable to run, Natsu hobbled as fast as he could to her side. Lisanna was still on the ground unmoving. Finally at Lucy's side, Natsu fell to his knees beside his friend and he pulled her into his arms and against his chest. She made a small noise as he did this, and then slowly began to pull out of his embrace. However, he refused to let her go. Not after all this.

"N-Natsu…" She said in a horse whisper. Natsu nodded his head quickly, happy to see his Lucy awake. Something wet suddenly landed on her cheek, and the two looked into each other's eyes. Reaching her hand out slowly, Lucy rubbed away to silent tears Natsu was crying.

"Shhh, it's okay…" She began, but then she erupted into a horrific coughing fit. Blood flew from her mouth and she suddenly looked paler than water under the moonlight.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled out in concern, stretching his hand out in front of him. He suddenly stopped though when a sharp pain shot through his lower back and throughout his entire body.

"Natsu! T-that others! T-they're dying!" Lucy managed to scream though her coughs. She threw herself out of Natsu's arms and onto the ground. "Go f-find them." She whispered, her hands flying to her chest. However, she was lying on her stomach so Natsu couldn't see how bad she was wounded. Instead Natsu stood up as fast as he dared, but then fell into the mud helplessly. He tried to stand again, but found his attempt to be in vain as he once again crashed into the soft earth. He could barely manage to turn his head as he looked for his friends. After searching the best he could through the darkness he finally saw what must be Gray a few yard away, and Lisanna hadn't moved since the explosion. Well, what now? I can't move and we're all dying. Natsu thought bitterly. Looks like we won't be the hero's today…

"NATSU!? LUCY?! GRAY?! LISANNA!?" Erza's voice rang out in Natsu's ears and he couldn't help but feel his heart leap for joy.

"Over here!" He spoke as loudly as he could. She must have been close though because Erza came rushing towards his at full speed. She was wearing a beat up looking suit of black and gray armor and clutching a thing, deadly looking sword Natsu never wanted to know the purpose of. She ran up to him and then knelt by his side.

"Natsu, what happened!?" She asked as she scooped his head into her lap. It would have been a lot more comfortable if she hadn't been wearing armor, but Natsu was just glad she was there.

"A lot! But right now we need to get Gray and Lisanna over here too! Lucy says they're dying and she didn't look to good herself." Natsu replied with his trade mark grin. Erza nodded, accepting his brief explanation and jumped to her feet. Natsu expected her to run off to where Lisanna and Gray were, but instead she turned her head to her right and shouted.

"Mira, you get Lisanna and Laxus will take Gray! I have Natsu and will go check on Lucy!" She yelled, surprising Natsu. So they're here too? He thought in his head. He knew they had been running after him and Lisanna when he had jumped out the window, but he had just assumed they had turned back when they didn't show up during the fight. Erza then look down at Natsu and smiled, a sign to Natsu that something not so pleasant was going to happen. He was right. Erza dipped down and gathered him (rather uncomfortably…) into her arms. Then, she began to walk over to where she knew Lucy must be. In the few steps it took to reach Lucy the scarlet haired woman (again, not so gently…) down beside the blond and knelt beside her. Then, with as much care as she could muster, Erza stretched her arms out and gently flipped the lightly coughing stellar mage onto her back. Both Natsu and she gasped at what they saw. In the center of Lucy's chest was a dark, bloody hole of black magic. There were little veins connecting to it that were visibly snaking through Lucy's skin, connecting with the blackness at her calf the team had discovered back at the house.

"Oh my Earth Land." Erza said in a hushed, unbelieving voice.

"E-Erza?" Lucy asked, opening her eyes as she finished yet another small coughing fit. Erza smiled down at her and nodded. Lucy then looked over to Natsu in surprise. Using the last bit of strength he had, the pink haired mage sat up and looked at his friend.

"Didn't I tell you to get Gray and Lisanna?" Lucy asked with a teasing smile. Natsu laughed while Erza mumbled something about her being important to when two people walked up to the small group. The first to sit next to Erza was Mira who was clutching a whimpering Lisanna in her arms.

"Guys, this isn't good." The silver haired woman stated as she gently set her little sister down next to a wincing Lucy. "Lisanna is seriously injured. I think she has a broken hip and is suffering from internal bleeding." Natsu's eyes widened as he heard this. He was about ask how Mira could tell when Laxus's voice interrupted him.

"Gray is so banged up I'm surprised he's eyen still alive." He announced as he set an unconscious Gray next to the even more surprised Natsu. He could see the wound from Lucy's table in his best friend's leg and noticed an even larger wound in his shoulder. He was completely drenched in blood that was most likely his and was looking as pale as Lucy.

"We need to get them to Wendy as soon as possible!" Erza declared as she assessed the damage, her voice firm and strong even though she was pan icing on the inside. Even though her team was strong, there were still limits to how much a single person could take.

"How the hell are we going to get them back to the house!? We don't even know where we are!" Laxus shouted as Erza scooped Lucy into her arms. Laxus's sudden outburst made every one freeze. He never raised his voice like that. Never. Taking a closer look at him, Natsu saw that the lightning mage was bleeding from several large gashes and he was no longer wearing his cloak. Was he in some sort of battle too? Natsu mentally asked himself. He hadn't seen anything as he ran to save Lucy, but then again he focusing on Lucy's sent as he ran so he wouldn't put it past himself to have missed something. With this in mind, the pink haired boy turned his head so that he could see a silently crying Mira. She had dark circles under her eyes and a few small cuts that would have gone unnoticed unless you looked for them, and once you found them you would notice them everywhere on her fair skin. There must have been another battle going on while Gray and I were fighting. Natsu concluded in his tired brain. He was suddenly aware of how tired he was, and how a nice nap would feel really good right now.

"Besides! We all know she can't heal every single one of them! Hell! She wouldn't even make it through one of them without passing out!" Laxus continued to yell, his voice rising with his anger. Mira tried to comfort him.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Laxus. And I can always treat someone while Wendy is healing someone." She offered in her soft, motherly voice. Laxus just glared at her though.

"Yeah? So you're saying you can heal someone as hurt as Gray and Lucy without magic?" He sneered. Mira began to stutter out an answer but Laxus wasn't done yet. "We don't even know if Wendy is awake yet! And how are we going to get them all back to the house?! Even if we did know the way the three of us who can even walk can't carry them all the way back! There's no way we can get them to Wendy!" He continued, now pacing. Natsu just stared up at him, letting the words sink in. He was right. No matter what they tried, not all of them were going to make it out alive.

"Or I could come to you." A small voice offered. At this everyone's eyes searched the area until they all rested on the small dragon slayer standing in front of them. She was out of breath and panting, and looked to have tripped in the mud a couple of times. But it was how pale she was that worried everyone.

"Wendy! What are you doing out here!?" Mira exclaimed as she ran up to the shaking little girl. Wendy just gave a weak smile. "I needed to get here before time ran out." She replied, and then she looked up at the still stormy sky. "You see? I made it!" She exclaimed. The rest of the group just watched as this took place, not questioning the little girl even though they did find here behavior to be…um…odd…

"Wendy, we need to you to heal them!" Natsu declared in his loud voice. Wendy's head dropped then as she stared at the ground, the rain drumming softly on her head. After what seemed like an eternity of silence the small dragon slayer finally spoke.

"I can't."

"W-what?" Erza asked. She had set Lucy back on the ground as soon as Wendy had appeared, thinking that the small girl could heal their friends.

"I don't have enough magic energy to heal everyone." Wendy clarified, still looking at the ground. "But I know someone who does."

Ooohhhh! Cliff hanger! I didn't want to do this but it looks like I'm going to have to split this idea into two chapters…again. I originally wanted to be here about two chapters ago but oh well! =D I'm just happy I got this chapter done, and that it's the longest one I've ever written! So, as always, please review and ask any questions you may have or feel free to PM me! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Love ya!

~VampireFluteChick~

Now...a preview!

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock

Do you hear the breathing clock?

Seconds vanish, minutes gone

The ticking is an ominous song.

Singing low, pitch off key

Time ticking for every one to see.

Ticking faster, boarder line

The question remains, the answer to find.

What happens to clocks when they run out of time?

~VampireFluteChick~