DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairytail or any of its characters. Hiro Mashima does.

A/N: The group had finally infiltrated the manor! Now, all is left is to fr ee Igneel. But will Natsu be able to accomplish his task? Or will he be caught once more?

A Little [Fireworks] Display

The group moved as silently as they could through the night, their feet taking them to the tall gates of the Dragneel manor. Natsu quickened his pace the moment he saw the high wall, his feet taking him to a run. He then jumped, his legs pushing him off the ground with enough force to land him on top of the wall. Gray followed suit, as well as Erza. Mirajane, Lucy and Juvia opted to run close to the gates, their eyes alert for any sign of movement from the surrounding bushes. They had to assume they were being watched and could be attacked any time; that was the worst case scenario that they were expecting to happen.

The pink-haired young man stared at the lawn separating the gate from the house itself. It would be quite the run; they had to make sure that there were no guards there that could expose them. Or could sound an alarm.

"Natsu, over there." Gray pointed out the direction of the main door. They saw a lone man standing guard by it. He seemed to be dozing off, for his head kept on bobbing every now and then. Natsu frowned. They had to knock that guard out—far longer than what a nap could provide. Gray must have thought the same thing, for he suddenly jumped from his spot. He immediately crouched low, his body hidden by the random bushes on the ground. Natsu stared down at him, wanting to know what the ravenhead was up to. Slowly, Gray darted here and there, covering himself with the scattered bushes. Slowly but surely, he was able to approach the sleeping guard. He quickly hit the man on the neck, making the guard fall unconscious for real. He then signalled to Natsu and Erza, who both quickly jumped down from their perch in order to open the gates. Once Mirajane and the rest of the group were inside, they quickly made their way toward the house.

"Well..." Natsu said as he stared at the giant oak doors before him.

"It's now or never." He muttered as he gently pushed open the wooden barrier before him. The corridor was dark; only a fraction of the moon's faint light shone past them, illuminating little of the lobby before them. The pink-haired young man told them to remain quiet as he tiptoed in. He knew the house very well, and so he knew where the busts were and where the vases were placed.

Or so that was what he thought.

CRAAAAAAACCCCK.

A loud crack resounded all throughout the silent house as Natsu crashed into a vase perched on top of a narrow wooden stand. It seemed like the furniture had been rearranged, there was no other explanation for it. Natsu cursed under his breath as the lights turned on one by one and as dozens of guards appeared all around them. The pink-haired young man stood beside Lucy, his eyes darting here and there, searching for the side door that led to the basement.

"I see that the young master has returned." Said one of the men surrounding them. Jeers echoed throughout the lobby as the others catcalled and taunted the group of teenagers.

"Not a minute too late, too. We're about to ask your father one last time before we kill him off. It's going to be sad if the son doesn't get to see it. Or experience the same thing." The sour-looking man stated. He then smirked, his hand reaching for a dagger hidden in his vest.

"Why don't we get started, then? ATTACK!" He ordered, his hand brandishing his dagger toward Natsu and his comrades.

"Ahh…such manners you have. Is this how you treat guests?" Erza called out as she hit the first man to reach her with her sword (yes, she brought her own sword. It's fake, though and is only meant to knock somebody out unconscious). Mirajane immediately sent the next one flying with a powerful kick of hers.

"I believe so, Erza-san. But I guess it's not too late to teach them some manners, right?" She casually said as she sent the next guy stumbling and falling flat on his back with one powerful punch to the face.

"How the he—GAHHHH!" The sour-looking man hollered in pain as Juvia kicked him in the crotch, her feet quickly following with a kick to his head. In a split-second, the man was unconscious and lying on the floor.

"Juvia will not allow such a foul man to engage with Gray-sama." She growled as she hit the next man on the head. She then moved toward Gray, who was busy engaging three guys all at the same time.

"Oi Squinty! You and Lucy go head down to the basement and free your father! We'll take care of these guys!" The ravenhead suggested. Natsu stared at him for a while, before grabbing onto Lucy's hand (who was busy whipping the sorry behinds of those who got near her) and dragging her with him.

"Thanks! I owe you guys one!" He called out as he headed for the side door that he was searching for earlier. He pushed it open with his free hand, his feet taking him down on the spiral staircase that led to the basement.

"Natsu, do you think we'll find more men downstairs?" Lucy asked as she tried to keep up with Natsu, and at the same time tried to prevent herself from tripping over her own feet. The young man grunted a response.

"I hope not." He stated as they emerged on the landing. Unfortunately for them, there were six men awaiting for their arrival downstairs.

"This is as far as you can go, Dragneel!" Said one of the man, his whole body charging toward the young male. But Lucy would not allow the guy to reach him.

"I don't think so!" She yelled as she pulled back her whip, the leather slicing through the air and hitting the charging man's face.

"AARRRGGH!" He shouted in pain, his whole body crouching on the ground. At that moment, the other five men charged toward Natsu, intending to take him down in one go. But he was ready.

"Take this!" He shouted, his hand pulling out small, black balls from his pocket. He then hurled them toward the men, the balls exploding all around them. They frantically tried to remove themselves from the small explosions—but not before their clothes caught some fire. They had no choice but to dance their way out of the basement in order to put out the flames. Grinning triumphantly, Natsu raised his hand, which Lucy happily high-fived. They then turned their gaze toward the door before them.

The door that led to Natsu's father, Igneel.

Steeling himself for whatever lay beyond those doors, Natsu began walking forward. He reached out—and opened the wooden barrier before him.

"DAD!" He could not help but shout as he ran toward his chained-up father. Igneel was sitting on a chair, his hands and feet chained to his seat. He looked older than his real age, his body seemingly to have gotten a bit smaller. It seemed like he was being slowly starved into submission. There were no wounds on his body; apparently the head of Grimoire hadn't decided on torturing him yet. Though from what he had heard earlier, it seemed like they were going to kill him straight away.

"Dad, I'm gonna get you outta here." He said through gritted teeth as he tried to figure out how he'd free his father. But before he could even start picking at the locks holding the chains, he heard Lucy call out to him.

"N-natsu!" The blonde stammered. Natsu turned around—and saw the man behind Grimoire holding Lucy hostage, a knife pointed toward her neck.

"Hold him." He ordered, his voice echoing in the cold basement. Two men appeared from the shadows and held Natsu's arms. A third one walked right in front of him, his face contorted into a manic look.

"Show the brat why he shouldn't have returned to this place." The man ordered once more. The person in front of Natsu need not to be told twice. He sent a punch straight toward the pink-haired young man's face, then stomach. One after another, Natsu received heavy punches from the man, as his arms remained useless by his sides.

"S-stop that!" Lucy whimpered as she tried to wriggle away from her captor. But the man did not budge. Instead, he traced the dagger's point on Lucy's neck, before forcing it down on her skin. The tip drew blood. Blood that frightened the blonde into silence.

"D-don't you dare…hurt her." Natsu weakly threatened as the man punching him took a short breather. Lucy's captor only chuckled in amusement.

"Aww…is this woman that important to you? Why…that would only make killing her more satisfying!" The man spat out as he slashed down on Lucy's exposed arm, causing the female to shriek in pain.

"STOP THAT!" Natsu yelled as he tried free himself from the grips of the two men beside him. But it was all in vain. The man—the president of Grimoire—laughed coldly at Natsu, his harsh laughter echoing in the cold chamber.

"Ahh…such is the power of love in youth! Release him." He stated. The two men followed and pushed Natsu toward the one holding Lucy. The president then pushed Lucy toward Natsu, his amused look not leaving his face.

"Don't worry. I, Purihito, shall grant you a couple seconds to say goodbye to each other—before I have you all killed." He taunted, his fake mercy disgusting Natsu to his core. But he had no time to get mad at Purihito. Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"I'm sorry." He said as he wrapped a handkerchief around Lucy's arm to stem the blood flow. The blonde shook her head.

"You don't have to apologize. I chose this path; I am prepared for anything." She calmly and kindly said. She then gave Natsu a quick kiss on the lips. The pink-haired young man grinned, before glancing on the floor. He found a hole right between them, something that Purihito or his men had failed to see.

"I believe it's time." Purihito said, seemingly bored at the lack of dramatic farewells and whatnot. Natsu and Lucy grinned.

"Yeah, I guess so. Now!" Natsu and Lucy yelled as the young man dropped a black ball down into the hole. An eternity seemed to pass by and then—

"What on earth did you do?!" Purihito yelled as dozens of fireworks set off in the distance, igniting the dark sky. The president saw the display through the small basement windows, his and his cronies' eyes transfixed on it. At the same time, Gray came crashing toward them, his hand holding a ring with keys.

"I found it! Here!" The ravenhead yelled as he threw the keys toward his friend. Natsu caught it with his hand, before turning in his place. Lucy then sent quick attacks on the men that had held and hurt Natsu, her whip finding their faces with ease. As they crouched on the floor in pain, the pink-haired young man dashed to his father, his hands fumbling with the locks.

"What do you think you're doing? Freeing your father when you could have just attacked me!" Purihito shouted as he sent a heavy punch toward Gray's face. The young man was able to evade it, but he was not able to avoid the kick that came flying next. Gray hit the wall with a sickening thud, his body sliding down onto the floor. He groaned; seemed like he was still conscious.

"Oh…I really don't think I should be the one kicking your behind." He said as the chains dropped to the floor. Igneel Dragneel then stirred, his head slowly lifting as Natsu passed some strong powder he had with him under his nose. The older Dragneel's eyes flared when he saw Purihito, his whole body trembling as he stood up. He then glanced at Natsu and then at Lucy, his lips cracking into a kind smile.

"Nice to see you again, son. I guess your girlfriend can wait. For now…" Igneel said as he quickly bowed toward Lucy, whose face had gone red. He then cast an angry look toward Purihito, who had taken a step back. He was strong, he knew that. But Igneel was a seven-foot tall man, who was known to possess a fiery fighting spirit. Stories about him included how he could still knock down several men—even if he had been beat up already. Or, in this case, even if he had minimal food intakes. Natsu grinned at his father as he helped Lucy to stand up. The older Dragneel cracked his knuckles as he charged toward Purihito.

"I have some urgent business to attend to."