And Onto the Story!
A certain familiar blonde could be seen tied up as he body swayed a bit to the movement of the room she was in. Her new favorite leather armor, the same one given to her by Natsu on Galina Island, was now nowhere in sight, as she was adorned in a pink, fancy and expensive frilly dress, that emphasized her lithe and voluptuous body.
Her pale and perfect shoulders were bare, with a pink ribbon, stitches so that it was not flat, went around the top of her dress, with dark maroon bows on each shoulder. The same pink ribbon continued down the front of the dress right down the middle of her chest which was not nearly as large, or as noticeable as usual, indicating the use of a corset.
The rest of her chest was covered completely with a magenta colored material that emphasized her slim, and attractive figure, without any cleavage showing at all. She has a two-inch wide ribbon going around her waist, frilled out over her long, ankle length skirt.
The same magenta coloured material continued on down the whole length of the skirt, but this time flaring out like two large flower petals, with one center on the outside of her thighs, that continued down to the bottom of her knee, where a new cloth, still pink though, continued down to her ankle, the colour being almost identical to that of Natsu's hair, not that Lucy could notice anyway as she was still unconscious.
The magenta petals on her skirt were outlined in a thick, black stain cloth, with more pink frilled ribbon outlining the back, making her look like the emblem of femininity, even as she was tied to a luxurious red lounge chair, that made the white, thick bow on her dress stand out, except for the fact everything about the room she was in screamed luxury and money.
On her neck was a pink frilly choker collar, that had a thin black ribbon in the middle, with a gold clasp at the back, holding it in place.
Her hands and ankles were tied to the chair she was in, so large it almost looked like a throne as the room she was in continued to gently shake, but not that it could wake her from the sleeping magic she was currently under, with a Gray magic circle present on the front of her right shoulder, literally keeping her asleep until the caster decided she should wake.
Suddenly a door on the other side of the room began to open, the handle turning as a lone man entered, and walked towards the woman, not even bothering to be silent as he closed the door, as his expensive boots clacked on the expensive, hardwood floor.
He stopped beside the woman, before raising his hand towards her face, before lowering his hand and walking towards the window, his hand having had not even reached her face as he stared out the window, his keen, trained eyes already catching sight of the train station not even half a mile away, a distance that meant nothing to a train as it had already begun to slow as it pulled into the station, a large sign becoming more and more legible the closer they got, reading 'Heartfilia Railways'...
Second Assault Group PoV
Everyone, even Laki watched in a mixture of shock and fear as everyone stared at the geyser of water that began to die down, the body that had been shot into the air was nowhere to be seen as the bloody water began to stop raining down on them, the assumptions coming to mind striking fear in their heart as they began to run forward and into the guild, with the large and bulky Elfman leading the charge, prepared to tear open any wall in order to find the other fairies, knowing that if Natsu was to lose... None of them stood a chance.
"There's no way he lost, right? He's the sixth-ranked saint, stronger than even Jose himself!" Jet said aloud as he jogged with the rest of the fairies who upon entering the guild, began to look around frantically, hoping beyond belief that Erza, Gray, and Cana had enough magic left to finish the Five S Class mages off, forgetting to even wait for Alzack who had pulled out his rifle, using the butt of the gun to smash a window as he searched the skies for any sight of their saint.
"Yeah... But those were Phantoms Five Strongest mages, one of which is a dragon slayer himself..." Droy said distantly as Elfman began running around the room, breaking anything in his path as he literally began to smash the wall, after a walk down, hoping to find any signs of their friends.
"Laki! Can you use your wood magic and maybe map the building? So we don't run around blindly?" Warren asked as he removed Elfman from the telepathic link, before attempting out towards Natsu, while Bisca and Shiko began searching the rooms Elfman opened up in his manly rage.
'Alzack, where are you?" Bisca asked worriedly across the mind link, as she risked a look back outside the hole Phantom called a door as Elfman smashed down the last door.
"I found a basement! Smashing things is manly!" Elfman yelled aloud as Jet and Droy groaned in annoyance as the white-haired man began to flex.
"Jet, Droy. the basement out, Elfman, watch the entrance," Warren ordered as he stood in the middle of the guild with his eyes closed as he attained to find any sign of Natsu mental presence, as the men began to follow his orders without question.
'I have no sign of who, or what took a flight to sky city,' Alzack mentioned in the link with a sigh as he leaned back from his rifle, too worried to even feel elated at Bisca's worry while Everyone only felt more, and more worry build in their chest.
'No sign of them in here,' Shiko said worriedly through the link, her time with Natsu making her view the man as a friend, almost a brother even due to him opening up about his past, and accepting her into his home without as much as an annoyed sigh.
'that's alright, keep-' Warren began as Laki placed her hands on the floor and pushing her magic through the whole frame of the building, as he began to map out every stud and joist, finding a few irregularities, until their minds were assaulted with cries of relief.
'I found hem!' Jet cried through the link breaking everyone out from their search as even Warren began running towards the basement, with Elfman loud thundering steps ringing out from behind him, the already sketchy structural integrity of the building becoming worse from all the battle and...Elfman.
'On our way! Alzack, over the guild, let us know of any company, but try and stay hidden!' Warren ordered as he drew his sword and followed Shiko and Bisca down the stairs, his eyes taking a few minutes to adjust to the darkness before he began to feel anger building up in the group link, everyone's own feelings being projected onto everyone else and only making it ten times worse.
"Everyone calm down! They need our help NOW! We can be angry later when we beat the rest of them down," Warren said with gritted teeth once his feet touched the basement floor, his eyes beginning to realize they did not extend the posh interior this low.
There were beer and other alcohols in one corner, with all their friends tied up in a literal cage in the other, making them aware and Droy, who was shaking and hitting the cage in an attempt to get in, as everyone was literally tossed upon the other so that they all fit, their mouths gagged, feet tied and hands cuffed behind their backs. A treatment none of as groaning could be heard from inside the cage, faint, but full of pain.
Elfman quickly began to run towards the cage, his large form and long legs making everyone jump to the side but Shiko as Elfman barreled forward, before dropped to the ground, sweeping his legs out from under him as he flew forward, and over the cage into the wall on the other side, groaning upon impact with the concrete wall as cracks seen around where he hit the wall.
"Thank you Shiko," Warren said as he walked forward, the sound of the crash waking some of the tied mages to their current situation, as they quickly saw they're armed, and confident friend standing around them, even shocking Gray and Erza at how they were working together.
"Tripping a man is not manly..." Elfman groaned as he slowly pulled himself off the wall before turning around and seeing Warren beside him.
"Hey big guy, trying to help is all fine and good, but we don't know how that cage works, or how strong the structural integrity is," Warren said as he extended his hand towards the large man making the white-haired man sigh and nod his head before shaking the telepath's hand.
"Laki, come forward, see if you can make a key for the lock, Shiko, prepare Erza, Cana, and Gray, we need fighters because Natsu is..." Warren sighed as Laki began to look at the lock while Elfman Jet and Droy searched the dark and cold basement for any blankets or to look or even hay, to make pallets for the injured to lie on.
'No sign of any movement yet,' Alzack reported as he continued to scan the skies making Warren respond with affirmation.
"They lock is melted, I can't pick it," Laki said as Warren sighed and rubbed his head before turning to Elfman. Warren co tinged to stare at the thick metal bars cage before taking and tapping his knuckles on the bar, feeling the solid iron that was at least an inch thick, trying to find a way to break them out safely, while the mages inside stayed silent, too tired or sore, to even attempt and moan through the gags.
"Hey Bisca, Elf, can you come here for a second?" Warren asked as he took a making everyone in the cage look at him, shocked to see all of the people who were in this group, but was even more surprising, was that he fit the role almost perfectly.
"Bisca, can you shoot through the bars around the top so we can pull it off?" Warren asked as he rubbed his chin, making a smile grow on Erza's face at seeing people who would rarely talk together, work as a strong team.
Bisca simply nodded her head as she pulled out her new rifle before taking a shot, upset to see her friends in such a state, but especially Erza, who was torn from her armor leaving her in a blouse and skirt, as Bisca remembered the woman who finally gave her a family, noticing the very present worry upon her face as she had grown used to being squished by Cana and pressed against Sherry.
Bisca quickly, and a shot in the middle bar, the shot so powerful it literally tore a hole in the bar behind it and into the concrete wall that held the building up, making Macao and Gray's eyes shoot open in shock at the sheer power.
Elfman then quickly, and carefully placed his large hands at the be ken bars and began to pull, what would have been impossible only made easy by the holes in the middle of the bars, that sent cracks through the entire bar as he began to grit his teeth, before the entire side broke off, with a loud, noise making everyone cringe as Elfman powered through, the rest of the bars almost becoming easier as his large muscles flexxed, before the entire metal top was torn off and thrown aside, as Elfman fell to his knees, holding his shoulders in pain, having had at least torn a muscle.
Shikos sighed as she watched him shake his head and stand up again, before one by one, lifting a mage out and setting them on the ground with a single arm, leaving Gray, Yukino, Erza, Cana, Sherry, Loke, Wakaba, Macao and Max on the ground as Jet and Droy quickly began to cut their binds, Jet having had given his best friend a blade.
One by one, fairies were un-gagged and their feet untied, before Jet and Droy looked at the magic cancelling cuffs, unsure how to remove them, especially since all the locks were conveniently melted with someone's finger, leaving them stumped as Gray, Erza and Cana began move allowing the others like Wakaba, Sherry and Yukino who were still unconscious to be laid on the ground With Shiko tending to Erza as they spoke.
"Where's Master! He lost his Magic!" Erza yelled the second her gag was removed from her mouth, glad to see that the secondary force was neither shocked nor worried, as they looked the Titania in the eyes as Shiko stood up before walking towards Wakaba, and tending to his lungs. What they didn't notice, was that nervous, and worried, but to maintain her hard ass attitude as she sat there, feeling defenseless without her armor as she could feel a cool breeze on her chest, a testament to how much she wore armor.
"Don't worry, Natsu put a seal on him that is giving his magic back, with Happy bringing him back to the guild as we speak, what-if" Warren began to explain, only to be cut off by Gray, who was not only worried but very annoyed that none of the secondary group realized that Lucy was no longer present.
"Guys! Where's Lucy! Aria grabbed her in the middle of the fight!" Gray said as he looked at Loke, who was sitting there dead and exhausted, only to be shocked when he saw his best friends hand begin to flicker, before shaking his head and believing it to be a flicker of light.
"Big, green suit and blindfold, right?" Bisca listed off as she began to take her rifle apart, Requipping a cloth and beginning to clean it, something that made Erza smirk, remembering when she taught the green haired woman how to do that, since Bisca had to decide what to bring when she first joined, but now, she has it all with her.
"He's here, but there's no sign of Lucy, perhaps this is a hostage situation?" Warren pondered as he stood in front of the conscious mages as Elfman sat on the floor, holding his shoulders with a smile on his face that most, of his friends, were alright and safe.
"At first, I would agree with you, but Jose knows he's at a disadvantage, and there must be a better reason to strike, especially since his guild will be disbanded," Erza explained as they all began to think before they felt the entire ground, and ceiling above them begin to shake, worrying, and confusing the fairies who were still tied up.
"Aria specifically targeted Lucy, something is going on, and I do not like it," Gray said with a sigh as Jet cut him free, letting him stretch his legs and rub his wrists.
"What was that?!" Cana yelled as both Gray and Erza got to their feet, before the ground shook once more, knocking their sore, and unfeeling bodies to the ground, their nerves having had been pinched in the cage.
'Alzack, what's going on up there? All but Lucy are down here," Warren reported to their eye in the sky as Alzack looked through his scope in shock, having had an entirely different building, so that he could keep a better eye on the S Class mages.
"Natsu... Is not happy," Alzack said shocked, his telepathic communication actually sounding shaky making Warren sigh as he opened his eyes.
"Natsu appears to be on a rampage..." Warren reported to Erza, not even attempting to add Erza to the link due to her cuffs as Gray and Cana smirked, with Jet, Droy and Elfman cheering in happiness, glad that the Saint had not descended into the depths of hell, as comfortable as he would have been there.
Erza simply rolled her eyes, before a certain glint of metal caught her eyes before they widened in shock.
"Bisca, please shoot my cuffs off?" Erza asked with a steely tone in her voice as she raised her arms up behind her back, making the gun mage simply nod her head as she walked forward, before shooting the band's on each cuff, as Gray and Cana stood up on shaky legs and walked forward, before holding their arms out for the same thing, as Erza walked to the other side of the room.
"Please don't tell me Natsu is fighting who I think he is?" Erza asked despondently with a sigh as she walked towards a shabby old table on the side of the room, glad to see her armor in front of her, before a certain, distinct scent caught her nose, making her take a step back in disgust.
"If by that, are you asking if he's currently fighting five S Class mages? Then yes," Shiko said with a to Erza, a smirk on her face as she caught the scarlet woman's eyes, before standing up, and walking towards the others, who were rubbing their sore wrists as Bisca continued to shoot off everyone's cuffs, not missing a single shot.
"Yeah, figured as much," Gray said with a roll of his eyes, his necklace jingling in his neck as he walked towards Erza, before a look of disgust enveloped his face, recognizing what she did, as she looked towards him, a look of desperation and anger oh her face, her arms becoming enveloped in a white flash, before her purgatory club was revealed in her hands as she swung it onto the table and sending a cloud of dust into the air due to the table shattering into pieces. She then turned around and angrily walked towards the stairs, leaving a disgusted Gray behind.
"What's got her panties in a twist?" Cana asked as she walked towards the beer kegs and popping the top off of one, before pulling a mug out of nowhere and serving herself a glass.
"They, uh... Did something on her armor," Gray said as he rubbed his forehead before going towards Loke, confusing the entire second Assault group on why they weren't going to help Natsu. While the girls and Warren cringed, knowing exactly what he meant by that, which completely justified her actions, before the quickly heard a scream of pain, not of Erza's, but someone else's.
"She's not going to kill them, right?" Warren asked worriedly as he rubbed his chin, hoping that Alzack would warn him of anything happening outside.
"Erza? Pfft... Nah?" Gray said, leaving nobody reassured, as they completely missed Laky creeping up the stairs, intending on joining Erza in her favorite pastime, torturing perverted men
When they felt the ground shake once more, Warren turned to Gray, a silent plea in his eye as Jet, Droy, and Elfman walked forward, standing behind their impromptu leader, waiting upon his command.
"Shouldn't we, I don't know, help Natsu? What if Jose comes by?!" Warren yells as Cana snorts into her beer, before sticking her mug back into the barrel for another glass while Gray snickered as he looked over to the orange haired man, who still had not said a word, making Gray worry about the playboy.
"Warren, come here and get a drink, you're obviously a little stressed," Cana said with a patronizing tone as the lush appeared to pull the second mug out of her bosom, making the telepath roll his eyes before turning to Gray, believing that Cana was simply drunk.
"Look, Warren, Cana's right, if anything the flame brain's holding back. Plus Jose is too arrogant to come here and fight Natsu, especially when his chances of winning are less than fifty-fifty," Gray said as he stood up before walking up the stairs, as Warren threw his hands in the air annoyed, before following the man up, with his new lackeys in tow.
"You guys really have no idea what he's capable of..." Gray muttered under his breath as he continued to tend to his best friend, honestly curious as to why Loke reacted so negatively to someone's kidnap, a person, he has been trying to avoid all this time, making him remember everything he learned on Galuna Island, because as much of an emotional roller coaster the whole ordeal was, he learned a lot, both from Erza, and Natsu himself.
Juvia's PoV
Juvia watched as Gajeel knelt on the ground, before sighing and walking forward, helping her only friend into a sitting position as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and ignoring the annoyed growl the slayer emitted from his mouth as they say there, searching the skies before Juvia sighed, standing up and heading towards the guild, looking for some metal for the slayer as they waited for the Saint's remains to rain down like a meteor, so that they had proof of Natsu's demise to show Jose.
Sol, on the other hand, had pulled his handkerchief out of his officially irreparable suit jacket before attempting to clean his monocle as he sat there, humming a creepy song to himself, as the slayer continued to watch the sky.
Juvia was quickly seen walking back, having had cut one of the lampposts outside their guild hall with a small water slicer making it fall to the ground with a large crash, before she began dragging the wrought iron pole towards the slayer, who winced at the sound of on rock, but said nothing due to his focus on the sky.
"Juvia has brought Gajeel-san some metal," the bluenette announced as she easily dropped the pole beside the man before sitting a foot beside the pole, leaving space between them as she looked to the sky, sitting beside her only friend in years, allowing him to take his eyes off the sky as he broke part of the metal off before taking a large bite.
They sat in silence as they watched the sky, as Sol continued to clean his broken monocle, as if it had never broke, cementing the earth mages insanity, but that was the last thing on the twos mind as they enjoyed each other's company.
"Juvia... Feels conflicted," the bluenette said as she turned to her best, and only friend as he continued to munch on his Iron, his magic quickly replenishing due to the purity of the metal with his eyes turning to the bluenette for a few seconds before turning back to the sky, as they ignored Sol's delusional mutterings.
Gajeel opened his mouth, a biting retort on the tip of his tongue before his memory flashed back, remembering the terrified expression on the small girls face as she waited for him to beat them, before his mind flashing to the when Fairy Tail began to retreat, the pure fear on their face as they stared at Erza, not for themselves, but for her, and for Makarov, making him sigh as he clenched his eyes shut, completely unaware of a new presence.
"You know, it's completely normal to feel guilty when doing something wrong," a cheeky voice said besides the rain woman, making her fist fly towards his face making Gajeel crack his left eye open before they both shot open in shock.
Natsu was simply lounging a foot away from Juvia, his left arm behind his back and supporting his back as his right arm was held up to the side, Juvia's fist firmly planted in his palm as to his feet. Gajeel quickly jumped to his feet, feeling re having eaten a third of the lampposts, but found himself shocked by how little damage he had done to Natsu.
Juvia quickly attempted to change back into her water body, but was shocked to find herself unable when Natsu's right hand was engulfed in a dark red, and green colored flame, and thus removing any shot Gajeel would have.
Sol, on the other hand, stealthily placed his right hand onto the floor, channeling what was left of his magic through the ground as a small sinkhole appeared under Natsu's feet, forcing him to release Juvia's hand as he fell into the two-meter pit, landing on His feet due to the hole's in his wings and armor, rendering it broken due to Gajeel's barrage of scrap metal and saliva.
Juvia was too shocked to realize she was pushed to the side as Gajeel stood in front of the rain woman, protecting her since he saw Natsu use magic on her hand as he barred his fangs down at the Saint. 'He... He dispelled Juvia's water body... Can he dispel Juvia's rain? What type of magic is this? Is this... Love?" The rain maiden thought shocked as she lay on her side, staring at the Saint in shock, a blush covering her face when she saw his defined, rock hard muscle tone.
"Woah, Woah! Calm down Black steel, I just wanna talk!" Natsu shouted as he jumped out of the hole, backflipping and landing on the other side of the hole, opposite to Gajeel as he stared at the Saint in shock, confused at the amount of damage, rather the lack of damage his roar had on the Saint.
"You... How did you survive my roar?! Even Jose can't defend or block something like that?!" Gajeel raged as he stood lowered into a fighting stance, enraged by how obvious it was now, that he had not been taking them seriously.
"Oh come on, Black Steel, Jose isn't a slayer like us, how could he ever dream of touching a dragon?" Natsu said as he held his arms out, showing the amount of damage Gajeel has truly done.
Natsu's Dragon Armor was totally ruined, with leather and scales hanging off of his body, his entire chest plate reduced to nothing but scrap leather and garbage as his muscles were shown, with blood still running down his chest, multiple gashes and lacerations across his entire torso and arms, sealed only by fire, as he was left practically shirtless.
Silence enveloped the area, as Gajeel mulled over what Natsu said, while Juvia just stared at Natsu, her eyes becoming hearts as she daydreamed of all the ways Natsu could make Juvia his, dispelling her rain and showing her what happiness and love truly felt like. A smirk quickly began growing on Gajeel's face when he came to a conclusion, turning back to look at Juvia for a mere moment before his mind was made up.
"There's only enough room for one dragon in the sky..." Gajeel said with a smirk that made a smile grow on Natsu's own face as a new challenge was set in front of them. A competition, to declare who is truly the strongest slayer. 'Fuck Jose, Fuck his rules and Fuck his demands... It seems that all it took was for Salamander to remind me of what I am, and to find my backbone, and a dragon never gets pushed around.' Gajeel thought as he walked away from Juvia, wanting her to be safe from the upcoming fight.
"You know, you aren't the first dragon slayer I've fought... Or dragon for that matter," Natsu mentioned off-handedly as he sent a wink towards Juvia before slamming his foot on the ground, creating a small crack in the ground right under Sol's body, sending him deep into the earth as Natsu and Gajeel began circling eachother, far away from all the injured and unconscious S-Class mages.
"Yeah, I heard, you failed to do the one thing your magic was made to do..." Gajeel taunted as he cracked his buckles before lunging at Natsu, who only smirked before meeting his courage, the two slayers becoming mere blurs as they traded blows, creating shockwaves and shaking the ground as the dragons clashed.
"Dude, I was like ten, fighting the false king of dragons... Like you could do better," Natsu argued as he threw a jab towards Gajeel's sternum which was easily blocked by Gajeel's hand, before dropping to the ground and throwing a leg sweep, something Gajeel simply stepped back to avoid before throwing a roundhouse kick at Natsu's face.
"You weren't trying at all earlier, were you," Gajeel asked with a sigh as he watched Natsu easily bend his back towards the ground, letting Gajeel's leg fly right over him before Natsu placed his hands on the ground, throwing himself into a backflip with his left clawed foot flying towards Gajeel's pelvis, making the Iron Dragon Slayer panic as he rolled to the side.
They both landed on their feet at approximately the same time, as Gajeel looked at Natsu, before his body began to be covered by dense, strong iron Dragon Scales, making Natsu simply smirk as he lowered his stance and held his right hand forward, gesturing Gajeel to attack without calling upon any of his own magic.
Gajeel only squinted his eyes as he lunged forward, moving at least two times faster than he had earlier, all his physical traits being enhanced by his scales as he struggled to control his anger, the fact he had taken Aria out in a single attack was a testament to the man's strength as he threw his right hand forward, their fists impacting and sending a large shockwave through the area, throwing Totomaru and Aria further away from the fight as they struggled for dominance.
Juvia watched with a smile on her face at what should have been a fight to the death, wasn't. She saw the expression on their faces, and the emotions in their eyes as they traded blows, noticing little to no hostility at all. 'they're... Friends? Juvia does not understand this Natsu Dragneel. A man with the power of a dragon at his fingertips... To be able to match Gajeel's irons scales so easily, He's perfect...' Juvia fantasized as her heart-shaped eyes continued to watch the growing friendship before her.
"You've gotten better over the years... I remember a time when you struggled to use those scales..." Natsu said offhandedly with a smirk making Gajeel's eyes widen before a low growl emitted from his mouth, his anger only strengthening his resolve to win as he realized that he had been watched, confirming a few of his suspicions, which meant Natsu knew a lot more about his attacks than Gajeel could ever hope to know of his.
Gajeel began to throw a confusing barrage of Jabs, Crosses and kicks, the force behind his attacks creating small gusts of winds as all his attack were simply redirected away from Natsu's body with a single palm or knee, infuriating Gajeel further as Natsu only smiled in his face as he continued to dodge and redirect Gajeel's every, single, attack.
"Come on! Stop holding back!" Gajeel yelled as he took a step forward and threw a punch towards Natsu's face, only to watch as the man title his head to the side, making Gajeel smirk as he threw his knee forward into Natsu's gut.
Instead of seeing pain cover Natsu's entire face, he just watched as his knee penetrated the Fire Dragon's abdomen, making Gajeel grit his teeth as his knee was assaulted by a heat he had never experienced before, realizing that Natsu was using his own form of Fire Body as he quickly pulled his knee out, shocked to see that the metal on his knee was charred and warped.
"You want me to go all out?" Natsu said as he looked at the ground, his hair beginning to cover his face, and creating a shadow over his eyes as Gajeel stared at the Fire Dragon Slayer in a mixture of worry and shock.
"Do you even have control over Dragon Force?" Natsu asked as he looked back up at the iron dragon slayer, revealing his evil red glowing eyes, with a black slit running right through the middle making Gajeel's eyes shoot open in shock, feeling a type of fear not even Jose could spark within his soul.
"I'll even be benevolent... You have two minutes to summon your dragon force, or you'll end up worse than Aria over there," Natsu said as he flashed towards the fortress-like guild hall, tearing the opposite iron street lamp out of the ground before throwing it like a spear towards Gajeel, who only barely caught it, as his body was pushed back three feet, his heels digging trenches into the ground as he had one hand on each side of the pole, that was clasped a mere inch in front of his nose.
Gajeel felt worry build up in his chest, of the likes he has never experienced as he began scarfing down the iron pole, praying to any God that could hear his pleas to allow him to summon Dragon force, something he never even knew was possible to summon on command. As he finally began to realize that Natsu was on an entirely different level, and realize just how fucked he truly was.
Natsu's PoV
"Hiya! My name's Natsu, Natsu Dragneel, what's yours?" The pink haired saint asked suddenly, as he appeared right beside Juvia, making her jump in shock, her mouth shooting open to scream, only to be covered by Natsu's hand as he dampened her shout.
"Hey! He needs to focus," Natsu said offhandedly as he looked Juvia in the eyes, confused as to how wide her pupils were, before he saw her nod her head, prompting him to slowly remove his hand from her mouth.
'He's touched Juvia! What should Juvia say! What should Juvia do?!" Juvia as she looked into Natsu slitted eyes, surprised by the lack of fear she felt in her chest as her heart rate skyrocketed, unaware that her rain was now only spitting.
"Ju-... Juvia's name is Juvia," the bluenette bit out as she continued to look into Natsu's eyes, feeling the power, and warmth he gave off even from a foot away, feeling an entirely alien feeling blossom in her chest as she saw the sincerity in his eyes, unlike anyone but Gajeel had ever treated her with.
"Juvia... What a pretty name... Can I call you Juv?" Natsu asked suddenly, completely unaware that she had heard his mutterings as he turned to look her in the eyes, utterly confused by the blush that quickly began to envelop her entire face, even crawling down her neck.
"Th-thannk you," Juvia said softly as she looked to the ground, her movement causing Natsu's eyes to be drawn towards the glistening black button on her Teru Teru Bozu doll's face, making a small smile grow on his face, remembering the first Christmas he had spent with Gildarts, Laxus, and Makarov, and remembering the look on Laxus' face as he practically shoved something in his face before walking away embarrassed.
"What's its name? I call mine pyro!" Natsu said childishly as his left hand was engulfed by a flash of white light, before a maroon red Bozu Bozu doll appeared in his hand, making Juvia look at him in shock before her eyes shot open, a small smile growing on her face as her rain began to build up again.
"Juvia... Juvia calls him Pyua Yūjin," Juvia said softly as her hands slowly climbed towards her shall, he fingers fiddling with a clasp as she slowly removed her Doll from her lapel, before holding it in front of Natsu. Natsu only felt sadness build in his chest as he quickly translated the name, 'Pure Friend...' Natsu thought as he looked to the sky, having had already recognized that Gajeel and Juvia were close but other than that...
"You know... I always loved the rain. Growing up with my dad, he would always let me go all out when training in a forest, knowing that the rain would stop a forest fire... Those were some of the best fights I've ever had..." Natsu said as he looked up at the sky, missing Juvia's shocked look as she stared at the Saint.
"You... Don't you hate Juvia's rain? Isn't it cold?" Juvia asked curiously, but almost hopefully as she stared at the man, as even sometimes Gajeel would grow tired of her rain, murdering about joint problems.
"Juvia, I'm the prince of Fire Dragons... if I ever got cold I'd have to give up the throne," Natsu said with a smirk as he tilted his head, glancing at Juvia only to be confused by her blushing, euphoric look on her face before his keen nose picked up the scent of salt, and with the tear tracks on her face...
"Oh no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Natsu panicked quietly as he reached over and placing his hands on her shoulders, feeling even more worried when he felt he shoulders begin to shake just the smallest amount, and with her head down he could only assume she was now sobbing, and it was all because of him.
'Way to go Natsu! You just discovered a new way to win a fight, breaking their friggin hearts,' Natsu thought sardonically as his chest was enveloped in guilt before his ears began to pick up on something entirely different... Laughter.
"Ne... Natsu-sama, Juvia is not upset, Juvia is happy... Nobody has ever been this nice to Juvia before..." The bluenette said as she lifted her head up, only to gasp when she felt her hat come in contact with Natsu's chin and push his head back as she lifted her head, before she began laughing even harder at the confused look on his face as he began to rub his chin a bit, a small smile growing on his face as he saw the smile reach her eyes for the first time.
But when his head was back, his eyes picked up on something shocking, but good, as he saw the storm clouds clearing out, with much-needed sunshine raining down and basking everyone in a comfortable warmth.
"Well, would you look at that..." Natsu said as he looked Juvia in the eyes, before gesturing her to look upwards by moving his head. "Looks like the rain has gone away," He said as Juvia's entire body locked up, her eyes staring into his in shock, not wanting to look up and ruin the moment with her new... Friend.
Natsu mouth slightly tilted into a frown when he saw her refuse to look up, before a smile grew on his face, making Juvia look up at him adoringly, finding him to be one of the most attractive men she has ever met. The warm, comfortable warmth that made you feel safe, his childish nature that let you laugh your worries away, and that smile...
He slowly lifted his hand to her chin, making her stop shocked still, before he gently, but firmly began tilting her head back, making her gasp when she realized he was right, and that the rain that had been following her ever since her parents had died... Was now gone. 'Juvia... Juvia has found Juvia's beloved, Juvia's one and only that will make Juvia happy, and give Juvia thirteen babies!' Juvia thought happily as she experienced sunlight for what felt like the first time in too long.
'She's so cute!' Natsu thought internally as he watched her wide, innocent eyes stare up at the sun, almost as if she was amazed. These were the moments he lived for, to be able to completely change someone's life for the better, and open their eyes to something breathtaking and life-changing.
Their moment was quickly and brutally broken when they felt a large burst of magic from where Gajeel stood, making them turn their heads, a smile growing on Natsu's face when he saw the dark, grayish aura surrounding his body, before turning back to Juvia, finding it hard not to smile at the cute expression on her face.
"It was really nice talking to you Juv, and I really hope after all of this is said and done... That we can continue to be friends," Natsu said with a hopeful smile on his face as he held his arms out to Juvia, a silent request for a hug, smiling even harder when he saw the large smile on her own face.
"Juvia would really like that... Natsu-kun," Juvia said as she quickly glimpsed the pin haired slayer and laid her head on his shoulder, basking in his warmth and kindness, plans of leaving Phantom Lord already being made in her mind as she finally found her purpose in life... Him.
"Now, how about we see if Gajeel can put the pedal to the metal," Natsu said with a smirk on his face, as Juvia slowly let go, already promising herself to see him again as she watched him flash away from her and appear ten feet away from Gajeel, with his back to the city as he sent a wink to Juvia, who simply watched contently as they prepared to Duke it out.
"What... What is this?" Gajeel asked shocked, as he could feel his own magic at two times its regular strength, not recognizing, or have ever heard of a form of magic like this as he looked up at Natsu, too shocked to notice the lack of rain.
"That, would be your Iron Drive, Black Steel, not quite Dragon Force, but it should work," Natsu said with a smile on his face as he requipped away the last bits of his armor, before he raised his hand to his chin, thinking for a second.
"Gajeel, can you eat more than just iron?" Natsu asked curiously as an idea sparked in his mind making the Iron dragon slayer look at him confused, wanting to believe that Natsu was now scared of his new form, but knew better, especially since he can smell fear.
"What do you want now Salamander, are we going to fight or not?" Gajeel growled as he crossed his arms over his chest, making Natsu roll his eyes as he literally waved the dragon slayer off.
"This is more important, yes, or no," Natsu asked as he glared at the Iron Dragonslayer, as his fire began to swirl around his body as he lowered into a fighting stance, making Juvia confused as she waited for her Natsu-kun to attack Gajeel-san.
"Yes... Can we fight now?" Gajeel said through gritted teeth as he had to hold himself back from shaking in excitement as he stared at the dragon slayer, excited and curious of this dark red flame that was used earlier, the prospect of a good fight only amplified by his dragon instincts.
"Here, eat this..." Natsu said as his right hand was enveloped in a white flash of light, indicating a requip as he threw a metal dagger towards Gajeel, who simply slapped his hands over the blade, stopping it from adding a new piercing to his nose as he held in a growl, before taking a bite of the metal, only to be shocked when they all felt his magic shift a bit, as his body became covered with a silver colour of metal, so very different from his Dark Gray, Iron dragon scales.
"What... What did you do to me?!" Gajeel asked as he almost felt fear, unsure as to what the fire dragon had done to him before he felt his anger spike at the look on Natsu's face. 'I don't feel weaker... but my body feels heavier... And it didn't taste like it had lead in it either...' Gajeel thought worriedly as he stared up at the Saint, hoping that the man hadn't tricked him into weakening himself.
"I won't tell you, I'll show you!" Natsu yelled as he disappeared from the spot he stood, the only thing saving moving faster than Gajeel could hear, his footsteps almost sounding like a single nose as he took an uppercut to the gut that created a large gust of wind flying behind the metal man, his reflexes hindered by this new metal form.
But what shocked everyone, was that Gajeel wasn't even moved from his spot and that he didn't even feel a third of the pain he should have, the punch feeling more like a tap than a punch, making a smile grow on Gajeel's face as well.
"Yes! Just what I wanted!" Natsu yelled as he flashed away, this time appearing above Gajeel's head, as he put his hands together, almost as if he was praying, before slamming them down upon Gajeel's head, who struggled to block in time, as Natsu's hands smashed into Gajeel's head, shaking the entire ground, and sending a huge plume of dust into the air as both slayers were hidden from sight.
Juvia watched, worried for Gajeel as she watched his magic shift, only forming to become slower, and a punching bag for the saint, as she stared on in a mixture of worry and confusion, as she prayed Natsu was doing this for Gajeel, and that he was the man that Juvia knew he was, and that he wasn't taking advantage of the antisocial slayer, to defeat him.
A clap was heard, so strong and loud it sent a literal shockwave through the air, just loud enough to dispel all the dust in the air, revealing Natsu standing on the edge of a huge, eight-foot-wide crater, of which a perfectly unharmed Gajeel was revealed to be standing in the middle, just where he had stood earlier.
"I'm gonna give you ten seconds to explain what the hell this is," Gajeel growled out in anger as he crossed his heavy arms over his chest, only now realizing not just how heavy his body was, but how little magic he had as well. Whatever this form of Magic was, it quickly drained his contained.
"Let's start at the beginning, What you just ate... Was Adamantine." Natsu explained making both Gajeel and Juvia's eyes shoot open in shock, as that was the strongest metal in Earthland. Gajeel's minds quickly began to put together the dots, his jaw dropping as he realized what everything meant.
"Is this Adamantine Dragon Slaying Magic?" Gajeel asked shocked as he continued to stand in the middle of the crater, holding his arms out in front of his body and ignoring how exhausted he felt as he looked at the Saint, who sighed before stepping into the crater, landing perfectly balanced on the uneven ground.
"That... I doubt. It's probably more like an Adamantine Dragon's armor... But to actually use it in attacks? No. That's the effect of your Iron Drive, you can consume and assimilate any form of metal... But the trickiest part is summoning it on command," Natsu said as he walked towards Gajeel, before flicking the man's forehead, and sending him to the ground.
Gajeel looked up at Natsu in shocked and angry before he was consumed by exhaustion, catching sight of the shiny silver armor flaking off of his skin, every little scale falling off as the mode wore out, his magical container completely drained as he laid there, unconscious but mostly unharmed.
Natsu simply smirked as he bent over, grabbing Gajeel's arm and throwing the unconscious dragonslayer over his shoulder before adjusting the man's large frame so that he wouldn't fall, before he jumped out, his feet leaving an indent on the outside of the crater as he landed, before walking towards Juvia, but not stopping in front of her.
"C'mon Juv, there are some people I would like you to meet," Natsu said as he held his left arm down for the waiter maiden, his right hand too occupied with holding the Iron dragon on his shoulder to do anything else.
Juvia continued to stare at Natsu, her eyes locked on his shirtless, scarred chest, her eyes trailing over his abs, shoulders, and arms as she took in the marks that littered his body, especially the new, raw pink skin covering the entirety of his torso, proof of Gajeel's metal, if Natsu didn't completely outmatch the Iron Dragon.
Natsu just sighed as he snapped his finger in front of her face, intending on snapping her out of her stupor, and succeeding as she shook her head, dazed, before hesitantly reaching up and grabbing his hand, the semblance completely unknown to Natsu as he gently pulled her to her feet before leading her towards the back of the guild hall, intending on walking through the build, rather than around as they completely forgot about the unconscious, or immobile forms of Sol, Totomaru, and Aria.
Warren's PoV
'Could Natsu really defeat all of them on his own?' Warren pondered as he watches Gray attempt coax Loke out of his rut, the orange haired playboy only staring into a blank space, not to mention guilt literally radiated off of him like Natsu radiates heat.
'Alzack, how is that Pink haired saint doing anyway?' Warren asked through the link as he turned around from the entrance to the stairs, and turning to watch the Fairies lounging in the Phantoms den, not a care in the world as they simply waited for Natsu to finish.
'the fight almost seems to be over, but there is no sign of any magic or people leaving the area, this could be a trap, so don't approach," Alzack reported as he looked through his scope across the Phantom's guild hall, sensing no magic output either, worrying him.
'Thanks, keep me posted...' Warren asked as he walked towards the bar, taking care not to step on any debris or holes in the floor as he scanned the room.
Elfman was sitting at a booth near the wall, as Shiko finished applying a solve on his shoulders, not wanting to waste any more magic, as there was no telling what condition Natsu was in. Especially with Lucy missing and no sign of their master anywhere.
Erza was sitting at the counter, eating a slice of strawberry cheesecake, in an attempt to calm down, angry at the phantoms for soiling her armor. Cana was holding a mug of beer in her hands as she sorted her cards, taking a sip every so often as she prepared for what comes next.
Gray was trying to get Loke to do anything as they sat at a table beside the bar, even going as far as to looking for a pin-up magazine in an attempt to sex the man out of his stupor.
Jet and Droy were arguing by the door, trying to prove who took out more phantoms, and thus, who defended Levy's honor the best, as if it had any real impact on their relationship with the bookworm.
Bisca was sitting at the last standing table, with a euphoric Laki sitting across from her, a creepy smile on her face as she stared into space, making Bisca worried as to what the woman was thinking about as she began to clean her new gun, treating it as if it was her only child.
Wakaba, Sherry, and Yukino were all still unconscious, most likely from magical exhaustion since Shiko gave them the 'ok'. They were all lying on the floor beside the door, a folded up blanket being their only comfort, courtesy of Erza's requip space as everyone simply waited for Natsu to return, hoping he'll bring back someone for questioning.
And so that sat, small talk being exchanged as they recovered and rested, making plans and discussing small things as they waited, trying to ignore their anxiety at the silence outside, before the whole Guildhall shook, along with the ground, making people jump out of their seats, magic, and weapons ready as they watched the exits.
'i Can't see what's happening! There a huge cloud of dust," Alzack reported quickly making Warren frown as he turned to the Fairies around him, before sighing, hoping that Erza will take lead. And so he turned to the scarlet-haired knight, only for his jaw to drop when he saw she was still sitting at the bar, and eating her cheesecake. And as he turned around in shock, curious and worried to see what everyone else was doing, he was surprised to see Shiko, Cana, and Gray staying where they were, as if there were no threat whatsoever.
"Erza! What are you doing! Guys, Come on!" Warren said as he looked around, making Erza sigh as she set her fork down, bringing attention to her completely clean plate as she stood up, before walking towards Warren and setting her hand on his shoulder, making his panicked eyes turn to hers, as they locked onto eachother.
"You've done well leading them up until this point, even with having no experience leading before. And Master would be proud of you... But there is one thing you still have to learn as a leader... You have to trust people to fight their own fights, and believe in their strength." Erza said with a smile towards Warren making him smile before his mouth clothed along with his eyes, before his chest began to swell, before emptying, signifying he took a deep breath to calm down.
"Thanks... I just..." Warren said before cutting off, as Erza patted her hand on his shoulder, while everyone else lowered their weapons and sighed, before returning to their seats, waiting to see the outcome of the fight outside, and taking note to check the doors every few minutes, their hands no further than a foot away from their respective weapons as they waited in a nervous silence, until it happened.
*Crash!*
"OK! Can we seriously go check that out?!" Warren yelled as he jumped out of his seat, having had it with the anxious silence as they waited for the winner to walk through the door, what was actually only two minutes seeming longer than three hours as they could now hear the sounds of thumping coming down the hallway just off of the main hall.
Warren stood there, watching as Cana finished her mug of beer before she carefully set her mug of beer down onto counter before standing up, swaying ever so slightly as She was joined by Erza and Gray as they stood in front of the door, all of them having their respective magics at the ready as everyone else filled in behind the stronger mages, including Macao, who was standing with the others, without any proof or sign of the hole in his thigh as they all watched the large wooden door in worry, now hearing mumbling from behind the door, as the thumping was now revealed to be footsteps, approaching the door. Until they heard the handle shake...
But the door did not open.
"Oh come on... What is up with your guild locking soo many doors!" The muffled voice of Natsu could be heard, making everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, as they returned to their seats and put their weapons away as they watched in amusement as Natsu struggled to open the door, before the door, and the entire frame itself was completely torn off the wall, and set gently on the ground, revealing Natsu, and a too familiar stunning bluenette standing side by side, with an unconscious man resting on Natsu's shoulder.
"That's one of the women who attacked us!" Gray said as he jumped back into an offensive stance, with the rest of the first assault ground joining behind him, as they all readied their magic's, confusing Natsu, who stepped in front of Juvia, the man still on his shoulders as he blocked them off from Juvia.
"Woah, Woah Woah. Why are you attacking Juvia?" Natsu asked curiously as he stepped in front of the blond, knowing that the woman's water body would fall to the sea empress eventually.
"Dude! What do you mean?! She's part of the reason we were captured in the first place! I cannot believe you sometimes..." Gray said, trailing off, in the end, his tone becoming even more annoyed as he slammed his hand on the table beside him, while Cana turned around, throwing her hands in the air in annoyance.
"Right... somehow you forgot to mention this to me," Natsu said as he turned around, unaware that Juvia had to duck to avoid Gajeel's unconscious, flying legs as Natsu turned to face her. "Well, she apologized, all is well, right?" Natsu asked hopefully as he turned back to his guildmates, making even Jet and Droy sigh in annoyance, as Juvia ducked in avoidance to Gajeel's legs swinging back around.
"Is this a habit of yours? To constantly consort with the enemy, especially the women?" Erza asked with a bemused smile on her face as she looked at the bluenette, who still had not risen from her bow.
"Juvia, how about a deal for your forgiveness... How about you tell us where Aria took Lucy, and we forget this ever happened?" Cana asked with a smile on her face, making Juvia look up from her bow, before slowly rising.
"Juvia does not know much, and Juvia is sorry," Juvia replied as she looked to the mages before her in a hopeful attempt, hoping to find a way to make it up to the fairies.
"Wait, Wait, Wait! What do you mean Lucy is missing, what the hell happened?" Natsu asked, worriedly as he set his burden down upon the nearest table with little care, making Laki wince as the table almost snapped and broke under the pressure while Natsu looked around the room, and realized that the buxom blonde was in fact missing, making worry fill his chest cavity as he realized that this whole war may be due to more than simple jealousy.
"During the assault on Phantom, Aria swept in and kidnapped Lucy, while everyone was too busy trying to fend off their lackeys... We couldn't make it in time, especially with Master being injured, It was so foolish of me to assume this was just about pity, and not recognize what was truly at hand," Erza explained as she clenched her fist in anger, mostly at herself, since she was their leader, and this was her responsibility.
"Hey, Juv... Mind telling us what you do know? Please? Do you at least know where Jose is now?" Natsu asked honestly as he looked her in the eyes, unaware that she would do anything for him, even if he didn't beg, or ask. All he would have to do is simply look her in the eyes.
"Should Juvia tell you why we attacked? Or do you just want to know where Joe is, Natsu-sama?" Juvia asked as she looked him in the eyes, and clasping her hands in front of her face, trying to do her best to appease her new, best friend, and love interest, while Gray and Shiko rolled their eyes, confused as to how Natsu seemed to always get himself in these situations.
"Please tell us everything, that way we can react to the situation properly..." Natsu said with a sigh as he sat down at the nearest table, with Juvia following close behind him and practically ending up in his lap, as Erza, Cana, and Gray filled in the bench opposite to them at the table, as Warren sat to Juvia's right.
"Okay, before we go over that... What the hell happened out there... and why does he not seem injured?" Warren asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as he looked over his shoulder to the unconscious Gajeel, making Natsu smirk as he looked at the telepath.
"Oh, I taught him a new move," Natsu said with a wink in the telepaths direction making Gray slam his head on the table top, now one hundred percent sure the man simply did not understand the concept of teams, and battle, even though he was so good at the latter.
"What about the others?" Cana asked worriedly, knowing at heart that if they were all at full before the fight, she could have probably taken Sol out on her own... And Natsu was probably ten times as strong as her.
"Let's just say... that Makarov will be Aria's last, and final victim. And the others? Won't wake up for a very, long time." Natsu said, his voice dead serious making everyone's face pale, the tone in his voice sounding absolutely deadly as even Juvia stared at the saint in shock, surprised that he had killed the air mage.
And onto the Reviews!
Guest 35/3- I can't make any promises with Ur yet. A few good suggestions, along with my own ideas will make sure she doesn't wake for the next three chapters or so, but that should be enough time to wrap up the Phantom Lord Arc. I just hope you all like the twist I put on it myself, as this is only going up from here on out.
Piddle 35/4- Thanks! I put lots of time and effort into each and every chapter, even if it doesn't seem like it,
Ridix 35/6- It is too long, and I completely agree. No, Galuna should NOT have taken so long to write, but, if you think about it, if every chapter were to be at my new standard of 10k, it would only be about fourteen chapters or so? Which is still to long, yes, I get it. That was an interesting phase for me, the first arc I had ever written on my own, I was still learning, and developing as a writer, and I am so very thankful for those who have been on this crazy train since I started in February of this year (?)