This is a little late but this is a birthday present for HappyisaHabit! Thanks for staying with the story, hon, and dealing with my horrible updating schedule! (Honestly thank you all for putting up with my shit schedule. You guys rock).

Enjoy!

Of course, things were rarely so simple, especially for Fairy Tail. The blast had indeed opened the castle door, allowing them access.

Though if Natsu was going to be completely honest, he'd practically destroyed the entire front of the place. Oh, well. It was nothing Ivan didn't deserve.

No, what threw a wrench into the plan was the rapidly descending Laxus.

And the crashing Raijuu. It feel just beyond the blood field, carving a fresh scar into the earth. Laxus landed without an issue, having turned into a lightning bolt. He looked a little rough, but Natsu couldn't see anything serious. But the Raijuu didn't look injured either, but it was hard to tell since the thing was made of lightning.

"You okay?" Bixlow called over to Laxus. Laxus titled his head over his shoulder, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"Fine," Laxus said. His smirk faded. "But it seems I can't eat this thing's lightning."

Natsu gaped at him. How couldn't he? Had Ivan seriously managed to control the Raijuu that he'd used on Laxus? That had been centuries ago. Raijuu were forces of nature. They were unpredictable, chaotic things. And by the same token, it was impossible that Ivan had caught another one.

"Shit," Bixlow muttered. Natsu watched the Raijuu rise. Its form kept shifting, from wolf to badger, to bear and others. Yet its eyes were always brighter than the rest of it, and its teeth seemed to be the only solid part of it.

Great, Natsu thought, they got to fight freakin' Zapdos.

The second he thought it, he cursed Lucy and her obsession with Pokemon. She'd brainwashed him without even trying.

He'd have to get her back for that later.

He could feel the electricity in the air, and he felt his hair stand up on end. As it was still longer than he normally kept it, it couldn't go straight up, but it sure was trying. Eyeing the Raijuu, Natsu wondered how he could help. This thing needed to go down. Laxus was handling it well, but since he couldn't eat the Raijuu's lightning and his attacks weren't having much effect, it was a slow battle.

The earth shook, and the Raijuu let out another scream. Electricity arced off it, in all directions. Laxus couldn't block them all, though he tried. Thankfully, the rest of Fairy Tail hadn't yet caught up, though they had to be close. A bolt shot past Laxus's guard, and headed straight for Natsu. Bixlow shouted, and Natsu reacted on instinct.

He swallowed the bolt.

He was blinded in an instant, and pain shot through him. He knew he hit the ground, but everything was scrambled. It was heat and light, power and pain.

Something odd happened. Heat melded to heat. Fire and lightning connected. The pain faded, and the unnaturalness that made his stomach roll calmed as well.

"Natsu?" Bixlow's voice broke through the buzzing in his head. He grinned without thought.

Oh, this was gonna be good.

He blinked, and was glad he was able to see again. Sitting up, he looked at Bixlow.

"I love being me." He said, as electricity sparked off him. Bixlow's tongue snapped back into his mouth, only to loll out again when the Seith mage grinned.

"You didn't."

"I did."

Natsu was well known for eating things he shouldn't. While he could eat his own element and regain power, it didn't work well for other things. He'd taken a chunk out of pure etherion once, during a fight with one of Tartaros' lesser demons. He'd been younger at the time, and it was the first of many demons he'd had to face as his brother had slowly spiralled into insanity. He'd slept for three days after that one, but he should've been dead, so it was a win-win to Natsu. They both looked over to see Laxus send the Raijuu flying, and he looked to be enjoying himself far too much.

"I think you might be able to save that for another time," Bixlow said. "Laxus has this handled."

"Too bad," Natsu frowned. He pushed the lightning down. Now this was something he could pull out to kick Ivan's ass. The old bastard wouldn't expect it. His gaze was drawn bakc to Laxus. "What is he doing?"

The Raijuu reared, sending lightning crashing around Laxus. Unaffected, Laxus shot towards the beast as a lightning bolt, aiming straight for its heart. When he connected, the light was far too blinding for anyone to see. After a few seconds, the light died, and Natsu tried to comprehend the scene before him, while blinking spots from his eyes yet again. Laxus stood, power flickering off him, his back to the Raijuu. The Raijuu was still. Before it had been a mass of moving light, thousands of sparks flickering to life and fizzing out, in constant motion.

Now, it was utterly still, and silent. There was no hum of electricity. Nothing.

Had Laxus killed it?

It was impossible, but no more so than the Raijuu being there at all was. Fairy Rail, as always, seemed to thrive on the impossibilities of the world. Constantly testing new boundaries, and setting new standards of what was possible.

Still nothing moved, until slowly, the Raijuu dissolved, particle by particle, spark by spark. What was left-its life force, the residue electricity-drifted towards Laxus. He flexed his back, muscles straining, as he and the Raijuu became one.

This had been Ivan's goal when Laxus was a child. To make him powerful via the Raijuu. Now, it seemed, Ivan had his wish, but his son would never help him, would never become Ivan's weapon. Instead, Ivan had created something he could never control.

Lightning sparked along Laxus's skin, but it was brighter than before, and held a slight blue tint. The Raijuu was nearly gone, and Laxus was glowing now with power. Natsu heard the rest of Fairy Tail heading over. They'd probably seen the lightning sparking and stayed back until they thought it was safe to come by. No one wanted to get nailed by a stray bolt.

Laxus titled his head towards the sky, as the last of the Raijuu vanished. Over Laxus's form, lightning sparked out, creating the hollow figure of the Raijuu, this time in the form of a dragon, surrounding Laxus. Natsu grinned.

"Show off," He heard Mira mutter.

The mirage faded, and the lightning died out, until it was just Laxus standing on scarred rock. The silence had collapsed in again, and it was like nothing breathed.

Until the ground beneath Bixlow and Natsu's feet glowed with a magick circle, and the spirits around them began to pull at their sleeves, whispering incoherent words in their ears.

It seemed another one of Ivan's traps had sprung.

There was nothing but the sound of the generators, and all they could do was feel the clashing magicks from above, and hope that their friends were safe.

Gajeel had warmed considerably, which Lucy figured was a good sign. She may not have been able to tell what was going on above her, but at least here things didn't seem as dire as they had. His fever hadn't faded, but at least the rest of his body was finally at the right temperature. It would help him fight off the infection that ate at him.

With nothing to do but wait, Lucy found that boredom settled in quickly. The adrenaline had faded, and her fear had diminished. She was restless, she realized. She wanted some action, even if it was the last thing they needed right now. She only had her whip, and Gajeel was a dead weight they couldn't exactly run away with.

While she was sure Levy had plenty of fight left in her, it wasn't the best place to get into a battle, and certainly not the right time. They needed to stay off Ivan's radar, and hope Wendy could patch Gajeel up better than they when they finally reconnected with the main group.

Still, despite the logic of it all, Lucy wanted to kick some ass. She was angry, at Ivan, at Jose, at this whole place. She wanted to release her frustration, in a way that broke noses and cracked her whip across a face.

Man, Natsu really was rubbing off on her.

Good. She'd use it to get what she wanted, and she wanted her keys back.

"The others will be here soon," Levy assured and Lucy caught the light of battle in Levy's eyes. Seeing Gajeel like this must've kindled anger in the small fae. The need for revenge boiled along the skin, but neither had an outlet.

The castle shook again, as it had a little while ago. She could almost hear Natsu cackling. They were storming the castle, she was sure. Ivan would soon regret invoking a war.

"I know." Lucy said. She watched the slow movement of Levy's thumb over Gajeel's large hand. She hadn't stopped holding his hand since they'd gotten him bandaged. Her small hand was dwarfed by his, and yet when their fingers linked it was like it was a perfect match. "We're gonna make it out of this. All of us."

"I know." Yet her grip tightened on Gajeel's hand. Lucy was pleasantly surprised when he squeezed back, and her eyes shot to his face. His face was swollen and bruised, but his eyes were open, and his eyes were clear. "Gajeel," Levy whispered.

"Hey, Lev." He muttered. "Where are we?"

"Still In Ivan's fortress," Levy said. "In his generator room."

The way they were looking at each other made Lucy feel like an intruder, but it wasn't like she could go anywhere. They needed to stay together. She watched Gajeel's eyes shift around, and she suddenly realized they were surrounded by metal. She stood quickly, waved off Levy's startled questions. Scanning the ground and machines, she soon found an old pile of metal. She picked a few the were relatively unrusted, and carted them over to Gajeel.

"I know you can make some Levy," Lucy said. "But let's save that for when we really need it."

"I know," Levy said and Lucy realized she'd been contemplating it. "There may not be alarms down here, but someone could still sense my magick if I use it too much. Sorry Gajeel, I know mine tastes better."

The girls helped Gajeel sit up, and he picked through the metal Lucy had grabbed, snapping off bits with the same ease one bit into a steak. She'd never been this close when he was scarfing down metal, and it hit her, as it always did, just how utterly unnatural it seemed. After he'd eaten a few pieces, Lucy noticed his magick levels rising, and his eyes didn't seem as tired as they had. It wouldn't heal him per se, it would simply give him more magick to work with, and magick could help heal the body it was contained in.

"Glutton." Levy muttered as Gajeel bit into a gear. He grinned at her, and Lucy was relieved to see him so lucid. He'd always been one step off his game since she'd woken to find him in her cell.

"Nice find, bunny girl." Gajeel complemented. He was still beat to hell, but the fever had faded a little, his skin had warmed, and the shit-eating grin once again adorned his face.

"Thanks." Lucy said. Thank god he's not human. Gajeel grimaced and looked up. The hairs on his arm were standing on end.

"Lightnin' Rod's goin' at it." He said. It took a second for Lucy to equate the nickname to Laxus. She supposed since Gajeel's nature was metal, he was more sensitive to such things. Lucy looked up too, wondering just how much distance was between her and the rest of the guild. Hopefully not much.

"We're gonna tear this place down." Gajeel laughed, and it dawned on Lucy that his laugh was like metal plates rubbing together, and she wondered if that was how his father, the metal dragon Metalicana, had laughed.

"Natsu alone could do that," Lucy said, thinking about her destructive friend. She'd heard stories of the things he'd destroyed in his overzealousness, and while she hadn't seen Natsu go all out, it wasn't a far stretch of the imagination to envision such a thing.

"Yeah, but there ain't no point in lettin' Salamander do it alone." Gajeel countered.

"You're in no shape to tear anything apart." Levy scolded. Lucy winced. Don't dare him Levy.

"Watch me." Lucy rolled her eyes. Men. Whether they were dragons, demons, or human, they couldn't resist a challenge.

"Don't you dare." Levy said pointing a slim finger in Gajeel's face. "Stop this nonsense right now."

"Make me."

Lucy had been effectively pushed out of the conversation and could only watch as Levy's eyes flashed at the dare and their faces leaned towards each other. Gajeel's hand cupped Levy's check and she grabbed what was left of his shirt and kissed him deeply. Lucy blushed and looked away.

Really, weren't they at war?

"Aw, we made her blush." Gajeel teased several moments later. She looked back over at Gajeel's amused face, his face dusted with his own blush. Levy was red, but smiling sweetly. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Shush," Lucy said. Her heart warmed though, for despite the embarrassment they were so cute together.

"We should get moving," Levy said clearing her throat. "If they're starting to storm this place, we don't want to get in the way. After all, if we're still in here, they can't tear the place down."

"Always gotta be right, don'cha?" Gajeel teased. The girls rolled their eyes and started to help Gajeel up. "Get off, I got this." He brushed their hands aside, and stood slowly, as if testing the motions. She could only be grateful he wasn't stupid enough to spring up and risk ripping open his wounds.

When he stood fully, Lucy grinned up at him. Finally, Gajeel was at his full height and looking good for a man who was beat near to death. He rolled his shoulders slowly, and nodded to himself.

"Yeah, I can kick some ass." He declared.

"Good." Levy said, gathering their supplies. They headed for the door, moving much faster than before. Gajeel's gait was rough but it was better than carrying him. Levy cracked the door open, looking for guards. She slipped out the door, signaling for the others. Lucy was halfway through the door when she realized Gajeel was eyeing up the machinery in the room, a manic light in his eyes. Before she could even ask, his arm shot out, in the form of an iron rod, and machinery crashed and groaned. Electrical sparked and smoke billowed from something that looked important. Gajeel's arm returned to normal after a few more strikes and he grinned at her.

"Move it, Bunny Girl, somethin's gonna blow." They left, closing the door behind them. Levy simply shook her head, and Lucy suspected Levy had figured he'd pull something like that.

They made it around the corner when something exploded, and the lights in the halls when from dim to pitch black. The fortress shook, and Lucy stumbled into a wall.

"Brilliant idea Gajeel." Levy deadpanned.

"Hey, we crippled 'im from the inside." Gajeel retorted.

"Stealth means nothing to you."

"Nope."

"Levy, some light please?" Lucy asked wondering why the hall was still shaking. Levy said 'light' and the hall glowed brighter than it had before. Stones danced on the ground, and smoke started to thicken in the air.

"Why is everything still shaking?" Levy asked. It got worse, until it was like an earthquake.

"Wasn't the explosion." Gajeel said his voice a growl. "Somethin's happenin' topside." The air chilled, and magick crashed into the air, black as Ivan's soul. Lucy found herself pressed into Gajeel's chest, squeezed next to Levy as he kept them up. Fingers skittered along her skin, and a sickness curled in her gut. The walls pulsed with magick, and she watched as the dark fingers of it slid up the walls like a black stain. The air pulsed with power and the sheer magnitude of the spell chilled Lucy to the bone.

What was Ivan pulling?

A little shorter than normal but I hope you liked it nonetheless!

Oh, and I got my grades! My GPA was a 3.13 and I got mostly Bs! (One A and one C as well, lol). Whoo! The work paid off. I hope the rest of you did well on your finals, if you had them. ^^

So I've got ideas for this fic, and I think it may be winding down? Possibly. Or I could pull another Arc out of my ass somehow, we'll see. (Let me know what you guys want to see). But we're hitting the climax here, I believe. Hopefully I can make it epic. That being said, I don't think this'll be wrapped up in like, three more chapters. I don't know how many more I've got yet. But I'll probably break thirty chapters.

GUEST REVIEWS:

TigerArrowGirl: I hope you enjoyed this one! I saw spoilers for 467 and I'm preparing to scream, and 466 was insane too. Things are just going crazy, and I don't know how it handle it. I haven't been quite right since 465 either. Thanks for the luck and I hope yours went well!

Guest: I feel that. 465 was meant to tear the fandom apart and drown us. Mashima-sensei wields incredible power over us.

Animallover: Welcomee! Its GOOD TO BE BACK. Yessss. Go Lighting Boy. And yes, yes it probably would. I love it when he fights. Haha, I love their antics. Its so fun to write 'em. Yeahhhhh. Fairy Tail isn't much on stealth to begin with, ya know? Yeah, I can't wait for her to crack it across some asshole's face. I feel that. Poor Bix. It can't feel good. I COULDN'T RESIST. IT WAS PURE BADASSERY. HAhaha, doesn't everyone? And thanks! It seems to have helped. Yeahhh, but either would be terrifying. And yep! The more you know, right? Welcome. Feel free to ask me whatever ya want.

Dammn: Your name is amusing. Thank you. XD Haha, hey girl. I'm glad you like it!

Miri: YES. I LIVEEEEE. HAVE THE GALE. HAVE THE KISSES.