lenartmusa123: She's definitely suspicious, and with how head strong she is she won't stop until she gets and answer
Kazuka746: Talk about perfect timing then, I hope you enjoy it and I will work as quickly yet efficiently as possible to update it soon.
Barbatos lupus: Thanks, I hope you like this one too
nbuns1: It's alright, even if you don't review, as long as you like it I'm happy.
Angryhenry: Thanks, but what do you mean by staff?
LordAzrael1: Thank you, I'm trying to write these as fast as possible, but with this, school, and life, it can be very stressful
Kazuka746: Thanks, I'm trying to make it as surprising and engaging as possible. I have a way for him to remember, but I don't want to spoil it yet. Also, after I killed Sol I remembered how he 'helped' Elfman regain his powers. I'm scrambling to think up a good way for him to get his powers back without Sol. For the last part of your comment, they will absolutely react but I have a plan to deal with them. We'll have a battle of philosophies when that happens, so look forward to it.
PhantasmagoricalAsshole: I'm glad you like the chapter, and I don't like Sol, but unfortunately I now need to figure out what to do about Elfman
Lone Warrior of Darkness: I'm glad you like Etherious, I wanted him to be a bit of a prick at times, but still be human and care about others. I don't want him to be the absolute monster everyone sees him as. I'm also happy that you like the pairings, I feel like they're coming along nicely. Psst, I have a secret to tell you, the Lucy and Mystogan pairing was a complete accident. I was just writing early on and all of a sudden I thought, hey these two have been through similar problems, they would naturally be drawn towards each other if they spent enough time together. And so the MyLu pairing was born, also just completely made that ship name up right now. I'm glad you love the story so much, and I promise you, I will update as soon as possible.
Lucy's eyes flickered open, taking in a bark like roof. As her vision came into focus, she realized it was a bark roof.
'Where am I?' She wondered, sitting up and looking to her right. She seemed to be in a room built into a tree, with enough room for the bed she was resting on, a bookcase, and a table for herbs. Sunlight was streaming through a small window on the far wall, with a door near her feet letting in another trickle of light. Next to the door was a single staff, one of the ones Mystogan used.
'If his staff is here, then where's Mystogan?' She wondered. Looking to her left, she almost screamed as she realized that Mystogan was sleeping right next to her.
'Why is he in bed with me?' She mentally screamed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Suddenly she remembered how Natsu had promised to take her to Mystogan, right before she had run straight into Phantom Lord's arms.
'Natsu must have thought that I needed to be looked at too.' She realized, turning back to the masked mage. Even though he was asleep he still had a cap and mask on, though the mask was a dark gray instead of the usual blue that he wore. It still did the job though, hiding everything but his eyes. She frowned as she noticed a scar stretching over his left eye, obviously from his fight with Gajeel.
'He was hurt because of me.' She thought guiltily. After a few moments, she tore her gaze from the wound, looking at his other eye. Studying it, she noticed a red mark just underneath it, continuing down his face.
'I've never seen this before.' She started reaching for his mask but she stopped herself. 'No, he wouldn't like me to remove his mask.' She chastised herself. 'But what if it's blood, what if his wounds reopened.'
Lucy hesitated for a couple seconds before slowly reaching out and lowering the mask. She sighed in relief when she realized that it wasn't blood, but a tattoo.
'At least he's alright.' She thought. Looking at him without his mask on, she realized that he was quite handsome, with his blue hair and tattoo running down his face. She froze as his suddenly eye flickered open, sleepily taking in his surroundings.
"Lucy, what are you doing here?" He asked, looking at her.
"P-Phantom Lord tried to kidnap me but Natsu rescued me, I guess he brought me here." She explained, earning a concerned look from the masked mage.
"Are you alright?" He asked, checking her for any injuries.
"I'm fine, but what about you?" She demanded, staring at his injury. He smiled at her in reassurance.
"It's nothing to worry about Luc-" He began but she cut him off.
"I can't help but worry! The only reason you were in that fight was because of me, and look at you now, you can't even open one of your eyes because of me! You told me that there would be a war with Phantom Lord and that our guild mates, our friends would be hurt, but I never thought it would be this awful. If I had then I would have left as soon as I had found out about what my father wanted." She exclaimed, tears threatening to spill down her face. Mystogan gently reached over and wiped a single tear away, cupping her face in his hand.
"Do you remember what else I said? I told you to always remember, that no matter what happens, it is never your fault. I chose to fight Gajeel, just as he chose to fight me. Phantom Lord started this fight Lucy, not you, and we are more than happy to end it, to protect you. And as for this scar, I earned this protecting my family." He said, feeling the jagged line. As he traced down, he paused, his eyes widening in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. He didn't seem to hear her, desperately looking around for something. Glancing down, he sighed in relief as he found his mask, lifting it over his face. Finished with his search, he turned back to the blonde, who gulped nervously.
"Why did you take my mask off?" He asked sternly.
"I-I'm sorry but I saw your red mark and I thought it was blood!" Lucy apologized. He stared at her for a few moments before sighing in resignation, running a hand across his face.
"Do you recognize it, my face?" He asked. Lucy thought it was a strange question, until she remembered their conversation on Galuna Island.
"It looked sort of familiar, but I don't know where it's from." She admitted. The masked mage slightly relaxed, though he still looked disturbed that she had seen his face.
"Please, don't tell anyone what you saw." He asked, taking her hands and looking into her eyes, almost pleadingly.
"I won't I promise," She assured him. "But do you have to wear your mask now? The scar makes you different now, you don't look like the other person anymore."
"I don't look exactly like him now, but the similarity is enough that there would be problems if someone were to recognize me. It's better if I just leave the mask on." He said, letting go of her hands. Lucy nodded in understanding, though she seemed to have something on her mind.
"What's wrong?" Mystogan asked, making her jump. She looked at him for a second before glancing away, poking her fingers together nervously.
"Um, when it's just us, can you take your mask off? I like it when I can see your face." She asked, a slight blush on her cheeks. He look startled by the request, his eyes widening in surprise.
"You could recognise my face though, and that could put you in danger." He protested but she shook her head.
"I don't care if I know who you look like, all I care about is that I know what you look like. I feel like you're always hiding behind your mask, so it's nice to see you without it, it's like your emotions are open when you take it off." She argued. He hesitated for a moment before nodding in acceptance, slowly reaching up and pulling his mask down. Now that he was awake, she could see that the red tattoo was a good contrast with the color of his eyes. The part above his eye was mainly covered by his hair, but she could see that it curved inwards. The other half below his eye shot straight down, with two smaller lines curving upwards from the line.
"Um, Lucy?" Mystogan's voice made her focus back on him. His face was a brilliant scarlet, and she began blushing as well as she realized that she was only a few inches away from him. She must of unknowingly leaned forward while she had been looking at his tattoo.
"Sorry, I didn't notice." She apologized, but she didn't lean back. Mystogan too, didn't move away from her. They stayed that way for a few moments, Lucy leaning over him, their faces inches from each other as they stared into each other eyes.
"Hey guys, you awake yet?" Natsu asked, running in. He flew back a second later as a pillow smacked him in the face.
"Ow, what was that for?" He demanded, standing back up.
"For being such an idiot!" Lucy exclaimed, stomping past him outside.
-Natsu's POV-
"What's up with her?" He asked, turning to Mystogan. He froze as he saw that the usually masked mage was bare faced. The S-class mage seemed to realize it because he pulled the mask over his face. "What did I miss?" The dragon slayer asked, walking over to his friend.
"Lucy thought I was hurt so she took my mask off and accidentally saw my face." He explained, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Okay, but what does that have to do with how close she was to you?" Natsu asked. The masked mage coughed, looking to the side nervously.
"Nothing really, it just sort of happened." He admitted. Before the dragon slayer could ask why, he heard Etherious sigh.
'You're an idiot.' He said, shaking his head in disbelief.
'What? I just want to know what I missed?' Natsu protested.
'And if you weren't so oblivious you would know what you just interrupted.' His companion retorted.
'I'm not oblivious! I just don't understand what happened!'
'And that right there just proves my point that you're an idiot.'
Natsu gave up on him, focusing back on Mystogan.
"Did she recognize you?" He asked seriously but the masked mage shook his head.
"She could recognize me at any moment, it's impossible that she hasn't seen his face before." He said somberly. The dragon slayer nodded in agreement, motioning to his friend's scar.
"It'll probably be harder for her to recognize you because of your new 'tattoo'." He pointed out.
"A 'tattoo' that Lucy blames herself for." Mystogan countered. Natsu frowned worriedly, remembering how she ran away earlier.
'I wonder if she'll blame herself for Sol too.' Etherious pondered.
'What?! That wasn't her fault!' The dragon slayer protested. The voice hummed in consideration.
'I wonder if she'll see it that way.' He said before going quiet. Natsu sighed, he was growing too used to his companion's mood swings, and how he was usually right. Lucy would probably blame herself for what he had done to Sol, even more than she blamed herself already.
"Natsu, are you okay?" Mystogan asked, drawing the pinkette out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Natsu assured him. "Why?"
"You were spacing out, just like before you left." The masked mage explained, looking at his friend in concern. The dragon slayer cursed himself for letting his friend notice his lapse in attention.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about what's next." He said, trying to smile reassuringly. Mystogan seemed dubious but before he could say anything, Porlyusica walked in.
"How are you feeling Mystogan?" She asked, walking over and checking the masked mage's wound.
"Perfect, though it's hard to see you right now, I must have something in my eye." He joked, sitting patiently as she performed her examination. She sighed, finishing her examination and putting her hands on her hips.
"You've spent too much time with Natsu if you're making jokes about something like this." She said, ignoring the shout of protest from the dragon slayer. The masked mage shrugged, feeling the scar over his eye.
"It's not the first wound I've had, though this is one of the most visible one. I'm just glad I'm alive." He said, smiling at her. She frowned at him, moving his hand and surveying the damage.
"I can't help the scar, it's permanent, but I may be able to create a new eye for you." She said, making him look at her in shock. She smirked at him. "Don't look so surprised Mystogan. I've made an artificial eye for Erza before, it'll be quicker this time now that I have the blueprint. I can have it ready for you in a few days."
"Thank you Porlyusica, I don't know how to repay you." Mystogan said, staring at her.
"You can repay me by scramming!" She said suddenly, pushing them towards the door.
"Hey, what's the rush?" Natsu asked as she herded them out.
"Jet is right outside with Makky, I need to start treating him right away." She explained, pushing them outside where Jet was waiting, the master in his arms. Lucy was next to him, looking at the old man worriedly.
"What happened to him?" She asked. Jet looked shell shocked, but he still managed to talk.
"We were attacking Phantom Lord, and we were winning, when all of a sudden the master came crashing down from the ceiling. He couldn't even move! Erza gave him to me and told me to take him here. After that I ran as fast as I could." He explained, gasping for breath.
"What about Erza and the others?" Natsu demanded.
"I don't know, the last I saw was them pouring out of Phantom Lord. They might have headed back to Fairy Tail." Jet answered, making the dragon slayer sigh in relief. He knew that it would probably happen, but with all of the changes, he wanted to make sure that no one else had been hurt.
"Bring him inside so I can take a look at him." Porlyusica said and Jet quickly complied, walking inside the hut. She followed him in, turning to the others at the doorway.
"You three should head back, the others will be needing you." She said before slamming the door shut.
"Should we stay and see if we can help?" Lucy asked. Mystogan shook his head as Natsu turned towards Magnolia.
"Porlyusica can take care of the old man, we need to help the rest of the guild." The dragon slayer said as he walked into the woods. A moment later the other two joined him, silently beginning the trek back to Fairy Tail
-Back at the Guild-
"Damnit, they kicked our asses!" Wakaba shouted, slamming a fist on the table in front of him.
"We need to set up a defense. These should help." Macao said, dropping a pile of lacrimas on the table. Nearby Cana threw her cards down in frustration.
"What the hell? I can't find Natsu anywhere, it's like he's being shielded by something!" She exclaimed, running her hands through her hair. Next to her Mira was looking at a communication lacrima, frowning worriedly.
"Please Laxus, you have to help us." She pleaded. Through she lacrima she could see his disinterest.
"And why should I? In case you don't remember, Gramps kicked me out of the guild." He sneered, cleaning an ear with his finger.
"He didn't kick you out though, he simply told you to take a break until you learn the meaning of family! If you come back now and help us defeat Phantom Lord, he'll let you come back. Don't you want to come back to Fairy Tail?" She asked. His expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered to her in consideration. Mira held her breath, hoping for him to take it. They honestly could use his help, as much as she hated to admit it. With Mystogan and the Master hurt, and Natsu who knows where, they needed as many mages as possible.
"Forget it." Laxus said, scowling in annoyance.
"But-" Mira began but he cut her off.
"I don't care about Gramp's deal, I'm not running back to Fairy Tail just because you wimps are crying for help." He scoffed, crossing his arms.
"But the Master is hurt, he may not make it!" She protested. His eyes flickered with surprise, and a hint of pain, but it only lasted an instant and Mira wasn't sure if she really saw it.
"Oh, Gramps is kicking the bucket? Then maybe you should make me the new Master when he's gone?" He asked, smirking cockily. His reply was a fist, smashing the lacrima and sending the pieces flying everywhere. Cana looked over at Mira worriedly.
"Laxus isn't coming I take it?" She asked quietly.
"No, and we're better off without him." Mira said coldly, glaring at the lacrima like she could vaporise the asshole on the other side of it. After a few moments she sighed and turned to Cana.
"Where's Erza right now?" She asked, looking around the basement.
"She's taking a break right now, something everything could use right now." The card mage said, pointing a thumb at the showers. Mira nodded in agreement, sitting down tiredly.
"We could use some good news right now." She said, glancing over at the shattered remains of the lacrima.
"Hey, you guys down here?" Natsu's voice carried down the stairs, making everyone in the basement look over as he came down the steps, followed by Lucy and Mystogan. Mira walked over to them, smiling in relief.
"I'm glad you're alright, we were worried about you." She said, hugging them each in turn. Mystogan stiffened in surprise, and pain, when she hugged him. When she let go of him, she took a look at him at arm's length, cupping his cheek as she examined his eye. "Could Porlyusica not save the eye?"
"She says she can make an artificial eye, but it'll take a few days though." He explained, blinking in surprise as she smiled in relief.
"I'm glad you're okay Mystogan, we could use your help right now." She said, bringing them into the basement.
"What's going on?" Lucy asked, looking around.
"We're trying to figure out our next plan. Phantom Lord could hit us at any moment and we're trying to up as much of our strength as we can before they get here." She explained. Natsu glanced over at Lucy, seeing her eyes flicker with pain. Before the blonde could say anything, Happy flew over, hugging the dragon slayer.
"Waaaah, where were you? You didn't come with us to Phantom Lord and the Master was hurt!" He cried, gripping the pinkette's clothes tightly. Natsu looked at him apologetically, patting his friend's head affectionately.
"I'm sorry bud, I had to help Lucy with something important." He explained, bringing the exceed into a hug.
"What was so important that you had to ditch us?" Gray asked as he walked over to them. The dragon slayer paused, glancing questioningly at Lucy. She caught his glance, looking worried for a moment before nodding in understanding. She spent the next couple of minutes explaining to everyone why Phantom Lord was attacking them, and how her father wanted her back. When she finished, the basement was silent as they digested her words.
"I'm so sorry that your father is trying to take you back." Mira finally said. The blonde stared at her in shock.
"You should be mad at me, Phantom Lord is attacking because of me!" She exclaimed. Levy walked over to her, wrapping her up in a hug.
"We don't blame you for anything Luce. Phantom Lord is attacking us because they want to, plain and simple, you don't have anything to do with it." She assured her friend. The rest of the guild shouted in agreement. Lucy's eyes brimmed with tears and she buried herself in Levy's shoulder, crying in relief and happiness.
'Somethings never change.' Natsu thought as he watched the others comfort the blonde.
'Unfortunately it's not always the good things that stay the same.' Etherious commented.
'Zeref won't kill my friends this time, I would rather die than let that happen.' The dragon slayer said sternly. His companion laughed sardonically at his statement.
'As heroic as you sound right now, I doubt your friends would see it that way.' He pointed out, moving on before Natsu had a chance to respond. 'And I wasn't talking about the dark mage. I was talking about the upcoming attack, and other events that you can't stop, or in some cases, you won't stop.'
Natsu winced as he thought about the Tower of Heaven. He could easily avoid it, telling Loki that Lucy might like going to a different resort. But the dragon slayer wasn't going to avoid it, he was going to go in fists blazing. He wanted to save Jellal from himself, as well as save Simon, but more importantly he wanted to help Erza confront her past.
'And then you two can stand on the beach and confess your feelings to each other and live happily ever after.' Etherious said, giving a mock sigh of bliss. Natsu scowled in annoyance, but before he could respond he heard a quiet, distant, thud. Turning towards the sound, he heard a second one, but this one was slightly closer than the other.
"We've got company!" He called, turning and running up the stairs. He could hear his guild mates murmur in confusion, trying to figure out what he meant. Mystogan caught on right away though, following him up the stairs. By the time the two had reached the top, the noise had become loud enough that everyone could hear it, as well as feel it.
"You forgot to mention this." Mystogan said as he and Natsu looked out at the sea behind the guild. The dragon slayer shrugged nonchalantly.
"I didn't think it was that much of a problem." He said as the rest of the guild poured out of the basement. They gaped as they saw a massive fortress walking towards them, stomping through the water on six giant legs.
"Phantom Lord's guild can move?!" Droy exclaimed, voicing everyone's thought. Before anyone could reply, Jose's voice echoed over Magnolia.
"Hello Fairy Flies, I'm so glad that you're all here. Especially you Miss Heartfilia, this job has been a tax on my resources and I am looking forward to delivering you to your father." He said. Lucy flinched at his words, but Mystogan stepped next to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"She's not going anywhere. She's a Fairy Tail mage, and family!" He shouted, the rest of the guild cheering in agreement.
"Ah Mystogan. I see that you've recovered from your devastating loss to Gajeel, though it appears that you're short a few staffs." Jose taunted. "I was going to suggest a rematch between you and him, but in your condition, I don't think you're even strong enough to take on my weakest mage."
"He's stronger than all of your mages combined!" Lucy cried, glaring at the fortress. The masked mage glanced at her in surprise while Natsu grinned like a maniac.
"Oh really? Than let's see how he'll do against Jupiter!" The Phantom Lord master cried, just as the fortress began splitting in half. As it spread apart, a massive barrel emerged from inside the guild.
"You can't use the Jupiter cannon, it'll destroy half of Magnolia!" Mira cried but Jose just laughed.
"I don't care if it destroys all of Magnolia, as long as I get my hands on the Heartfilia girl and get my revenge!" He shouted.
"You won't risk hurting Lucy!" Natsu shouted. The guild master paused for a moment before his voice came back, even more twisted than before.
"I know, that's why I'm taking her." He said, just as a seal appeared under Lucy and Mystogan.
"No!" The dragon slayer shouted, lunging for them. Right before he could reach them though, they vanished. "Dammit!" He cried, punching the ground.
'I should have seen this coming!' He thought disparagingly.
'Not even a time traveler can see every outcome.' Etherious reassured him.
'But I knew about his teleporting ability, I should have kept Lucy out of sight! And now Gajeel has both her and Mystogan, who knows what he'll do!' Natsu argued.
'Oh boo hoo, you missed something, it's not like it's the first time you've messed up. Are you going to keep moping, or are you going to stand up and show Jose who the real monster is?' The voice demanded.
"Natsu, we can worry about them later! Right now we need to survive the Jupiter cannon!" Erza called, unintentionally reaffirming Etherious' point. She had been in the shower when Phantom Lord had shown up, so right now she was wearing nothing but a towel. Natsu ignored his rising blush as he stood up, nodding at her in agreement.
"Alright, it's time to blow this thing out of the water!" He exclaimed as he stepped between the guild and the cannon. It was slowly charging up, preparing to fire at any moment.
"You can't take this thing on your own Natsu!" Erza called as she followed him.
"I'm not going to, I'm just going to weaken it so you can block it with your adamantine armor!" He explained, focusing his magic. Scales spread across his cheeks and arms, while his nails grew into claws and his teeth lengthened into fangs. Erza looked like she wanted to argue but she understood that the situation didn't leave time for arguing. But it still left time to ask questions.
"Are you sure this will work?" She asked as she changed into her adamantine armor and took a stance behind him. He looked back at her, grinning nervously.
"Honestly, I don't know, but this is all we've got." He said. She shook her head but didn't say anything. He focused his power even more, exploding into his Lightning Fire Dragon Mode.
'My power would be more useful than this form.' Etherious pointed out.
'I know, but I'm saving it for a trump card.' Natsu explained, lighting his hands in fire and lightning. As Jupiter fired, splitting the water in half as it rushed towards him, he brought his hands together.
"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Edge!" Natsu shouted, creating a torrent of fire and lightning. The attack slammed into Jupiter's beam, creating an explosion of power. Mira and the others had to shield their faces from the winds whipping across the battlefield, almost powerful enough to push them back. The two magics warred against each other, each struggling to emerge the champion. Slowly though, the blast from the Jupiter cannon slowly pushed the fire back, sacrificing power in order to win the battle. With a last push, the fire exploded, throwing Natsu backwards. He skidded on the ground, sliding back into Erza. She caught him with her body, slamming her shields shut to protect them from the beam rocketing towards them.
The Jupiter cannon slammed against her shield, struggling to crush her defense. But she held firm, not giving an inch. Due to the small area between Erza and her shields, Natsu was pressed against her, forced to wait until the onslaught was finished.
'Forced is a little extreme. You are enjoying it after all.' Etherious pointed out. This time, the dragon slayer couldn't help the blush spreading across his face.
'I hate you.' He thought, trying to ignore the close proximity to Erza.
'Love you too.' His companion said, smirking.
Eventually the attack faded into nothingness, and Erza split her shields apart.
"It seemed like your plan worked." She said, panting in exertion.
"Yeah, somehow." He agreed, frowning worriedly. "I just hope Mystogan and Lucy are doing as okay as we are."
-At the Same Time-
Lucy and Mystogan blinked in surprise as the beach around them suddenly turned into a large stone room.
"What just happened?" She asked. The masked mage frowned, pulling out his staff.
"We were teleported." He explained, looking around.
"That's right, and now you're my playthings." A voice said behind them. They turned to see Gajeel, with a group of Phantom Lord mages.
"You just don't give up, do you Gajeel?" Mystogan asked, stepping between him and Lucy.
"I already had my fun with you Mysty." Gajeel said. "We were only trying to pick up blondie here, you're just an extra no one wants anymore."
"That's not true!" Lucy exclaimed. "He's important to me!"
"Oh lookie here, she likes tall dark and mysterious." One of the other mages jeered. Lucy ignored him, glaring at Gajeel.
"You'll pay for what you did to Mystogan." She declared. Mystogan held her back, shaking his head.
"Don't Lucy, it will only give him an excuse to hurt you." He warned her. Gajeel laughed in amusement.
"I don't need an excuse to hurt either of you, I'm fine doing it just for fun." He said, turning his arm into a club.
-Meanwhile-
"Congratulations Fairy Tail," Jose said, his voice echoing across the water to the mages on the beach. "You somehow managed to survive a blast from the Jupiter Cannon. But in five minutes your doom will come again. For now, enjoy my shade soldiers!"
A purple mass erupted from the top of the fortress, rushing towards the Fairy Tail mages. As it came closer, they could see that it was actually shadowy soldiers, with cloaks covering their faces.
"Everyone watch out, one touch and they'll drain your magic!" Erza called.
"We have bigger problems besides his grunts!" Gray said as he, Mira, and Elfman joined them. "We have to take care of that cannon before it can fire again!"
"And we have to save Lucy and Mystogan!" Natsu added,
"The problem is that we have too many problems." Mira said, frowning worriedly.
"Gray and I will be real men and stop Jupiter!" Elfman said, flexing his muscles. The barmaid turned to her brother in surprise.
"Elfman, you can't! Gajeel and the Element Four are in there, you aren't strong enough to take them on!" She argued.
"Gray can go with him to provide back up. Erza can hunt the others while Happy and I search for Lucy and Mystogan. The rest of the guild needs to defend against the shades." Natsu decided. Mira still looked worried but the others nodded in agreement.
Gray froze the water, allowing him and Elfman to run across the sea towards the Phantom Lord while Happy and Erza flew to it, with the former carrying Natsu. The flying ones ducked under the phantoms and into the guild while the others used the ice to climb into the cannon. Landing in the building, Natsu sniffed the air.
"Lucy and Mystogan are that way." He said, pointing to the right. "And I can smell Aria in the other direction."
"I'd rather not split up in enemy territory, but haste is of the essence. Go rescue them, I'll take care of Aria." She said, changing back to her heart kreuz armor.
"Alright." Natsu said, turning to the right. He paused for a moment before looking back at the redhead. "Hey Erza?"
"What is it Natsu?" She asked, turning to him. He hesitated for a moment before coming out with it.
"I know you can take care of Aria no problem, he's nothing but a coward and a cheat. But if you see Jose, please, don't try and fight him, just run." He begged. She stared at him for a moment, unable to comprehend what he had just said.
"You… want me to flee, like a coward?" She asked.
"No!" Natsu exclaimed, shaking his head. "I'm just saying that Jose is too powerful for us to handle, we have to try and avoid him while we take care of the rest of his people."
"And what then? What will we do when it is just him?" Erza demanded. Natsu shrugged, unable to give an acceptable answer. She sighed, turning back to where Aria was. "If I see Jose, I will fight him, no matter how powerful he is. I need to defeat him, to keep him from hurting Fairy Tail anymore than he already has. The Master isn't here to defeat him, so I need to do it in his place." She explained before walking away. The dragon slayer watched her go, unable to argue with her logic but still wanting to keep her safe.
'In war, you can't save everyone.' Etherious said quietly.
'That doesn't mean I can't try.' The pinkette retorted.
"Natsu, shouldn't we be helping Lucy and Mystogan?" Happy asked, drawing his friend out of his argument. Natsu looked at the exceed, nodding in agreement.
"Let's go bud." He said, running down the hall with Happy flying behind him.
'Hang on guys, we're on our way.'
-With the Captives-
Mystogan cried out in pain as he slammed into a wall. As Lucy ran over to him, Gajeel retracted his club, grinning.
"Come on Mysty, is that all you got?" He taunted, turning the weapon back into his hand. Lucy glared at the dragon slayer as she helped Mystogan to his feet.
"Leave him alone, he's still hurt from your last fight!" She shouted. Gajeel shrugged, unconcerned.
"I wouldn't even care if he was dying, it's not my concern. If you have such a problem with it, then why don't you do something about it blondie?" He asked, grinning. Lucy scowled at him, he knew full well that she didn't have her keys.
'But that doesn't mean that I can't fight!' She thought, clenching her fists. She started to take a step towards the dragon slayer, but she stopped as Mystogan grabbed her arm.
"Lucy, don't." He warned her. She turned to him, angry.
"You can't expect me to just stand there and watch him hurt you!" She exclaimed but e shook his head.
"What are you going to do? You don't have your keys, are you just going to punch him and hope he doesn't break your hand for trying?" He asked.
"I don't know, but you don't have to keep trying to fight him!" She argued. He smiled at her, moving his hand to hers.
"You're right, I don't have to fight him, I want to. Because if I don't then he'll simply move onto you, and I will never let that happen." He explained. Lucy could feel something stir up inside her as she looked at him. Here he was, willing to lay his life on the line, just to protect her.
"Mystogan." She whispered.
"Hey lovebirds, don't forget what's right in front of you!" Gajeel suddenly shouted, throwing a fist at Mystogan. Before he could reach him though, the floor below him suddenly exploded in fire. The Phantom Lord members flinched as the flames hungrily licked at them, wanting to burn them where they stood. On the other side of the blaze, Mystogan and Lucy basked in it's warmth.
"I knew he'd show up." He said, smiling. As the fire died, Natsu stood before them, facing the Phantom Lord mages. He glanced back, taking in Mystogan's disheveled state.
"You alright?" He asked, frowning.
"Nothing a little rest won't fix." The masked mage assured him. The dragon slayer nodded, turning back to his opponents just as Happy flew out of the hole.
"Bud, I need you to make sure that Mystogan and Lucy make it back to Fairy Tail." He commanded, lighting his hands on fire.
"Aye aye sir!" He saluted, flying over and grabbing Lucy. They flew out the door and down the hall, with Mystogan right behind them.
"Oh no, you don't!" One of the Phantom Lord mages shouted, running after them. Before he could though, he was blasted into a wall.
"You're not going anywhere." Natsu threatened, glaring at them like the Devil himself.
-In the Jupiter Cannon-
Gray and Elfman slid down the barrel, coming out in a large, circular, room. In the center was a massive lacrima, sparking with energy.
"That lacrima is powering the cannon, we need to destroy it before it can fire again." Gray said, rushing towards it.
"Let's be real men and crush it in one blow!" Elfman exclaimed, shifting his arm into a monster's. They were forced to abandon their assault as a wave of fire blocked their path.
"Natsu?" The ice mage asked, looking up. Instead of the dragon slayer, was a red clothed man.
"My name is Totomaru, the fire mage of the Element Four. Unfortunately the Salamander isn't here." He said, drawing his sword. "If he was I would gut him where he stood. As it is, I'll have to satisfy myself by claiming my revenge on the two of you."
"Revenge, what are you talking about?" Elfman asked, confusion etched across his face.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, your friend killed Sol!" The fire mage exclaimed, glaring at them. The two Fairies paused, staring at him in shock.
"One of us killed someone?" The white haired mage whispered, too surprised to process it. Gray was in a similar state, everyone in Fairy Tail was his family, even that asshole Laxus. The thought that one of them taken a life, even if it belonged to Phantom Lord, was hard to believe.
"You said one of us did it, who was it? Who killed him?" He demanded.
"Four minutes until the Jupiter Cannon fires." A voice suddenly called over an intercom. Totomaru glanced in it's direction before looking back at them.
"It doesn't matter, everyone will burn, starting with you two." He declared, lunging at the two of them.