Chapter 36...

"So how should we do this?" Lyon asked Jura. They all were forming a plan of how to deal with their enemy. So far they weren't off to a great start.

"Our priority is Oracion Seis's destruction, but now that they've taken Miss Wendy and Miss Carla, we'll have to figure out how to bring them back in the process." Jura stated.

"How do we find her? They could be anywhere." Lucy asked.

"Not to worry. Before they made off I tagged her before we headed out." Hibiki said as he stepped forth and a magic screen containing a map flashed on it. "She should be somewhere in the area beyond the forest." A red dot was flashing indicating where she was. "I can't get a clear signal, but that's where she was last transmitting." He explained.

"So I guess we need to divide our forces for this. We rescue Wendy, and go on the offense while we're at it." Lyon nodded in agreement.

"Someone's going to need to keep an eye on Erza as well." Sherry pointed out.

"I'll stay with her." Lucy said. "I'll keep her safe."

"I'll stay as well. I can relay battle information via telepathy. I'd be much more effective as a monitor for the battles." He said.

"I agree. Lets separate and take the fight to them." Gray was in accordance with the plan.

"..." Natsu was just sitting cross legged on the stump with his sword leaning against his shoulder. His eye was closed and he looked to be in thought.

"..88...89...90..91..92.." He was counting something in his head.

"What's up with you?" Lucy asked as she came over to the dragon slayer.

Natsu was still remaining motionless.

"Hey, Natsu? You awake?" Lucy asked again, snapping her finger in front of him..

"Hm?" Natsu opened his eye and looked at her.

"I guess we're going to divide forces and take offensive." She explained, just in case he didn't hear.

"I heard." Natsu said.

"Well what are you going to do?" She asked.

"...Hey Lucy could you step back about ten feet for me?" He suddenly asked.

"Huh? Uh, okay." She replied confused as ever.

"Perfect. Just stay right there." Natsu said and stood up. He then drew his and slammed it down behind him and the ground was torn up and destroyed in a straight trail. A shock wave tore through everything in it's path up to about fifty feet in the forest. When the smoke clear, there was about twelve robed men and thugs lying unconscious on the ground gawking at the sudden attack. Everyone looked in his direction and were surprised to see the men in the forest.

"Enemies?" Lyon said as they walked up.

"I thought they were just following us. Guess they had other plans." Natsu said. He whipped his sword sheathed it till it clicked. "Leave Wendy to me. You guys go after the hundred other guys spread out in the forest." He said and walked toward the cliff. "Hey Hibiki, right? You picked her signal up in the mountain right?" He turned to him.

"Y-yeah. Wait, what do you mean 'hundred other guys'?" He asked as he shook his head.

"I can smell em'. I can hear them." He said , turning to the forest below the cliff. "That was just a little scouting party. The bulk of the bad guys are down there." He pointed. "I'm guessing Oracion Seis was expecting you guys and laid a trap. Pretty impressive actually." Natsu shrugged.

"How can you tell?" Eve asked, still unsure about Natsu.

"I'm a Dragon Slayer pal." Natsu turned and smirked. "This is my specialty."

"No way." Ren was baffled.

"He's serious. He's the Azure Dragon Slayer." Lucy explained with a smile.

"Another Dragon Slayer. No wonder you made wizard saint level." Jura smiled.

"But...what element is Azure?" Hibiki asked curiously.

"Mine's fire." Natsu said while lighting a blue flame in his hand. "My magic is Dragon Slayer Magic. My flames are unique. They devour magic and destroy it when they come into contact with it." He explained.

"No wonder they stopped Brain's attack." Ren figured.

"Well, I'll head to Wendy's location. Best of luck to ya." He waved.

"Wait, what if you run into-?"

"In to what?" Natsu turned to Eve with a narrowed look. "I could have fried roadrash's ass if I wanted too. Next time I see them..." He then faced forward with a glare of determination. "..I ain't gonna be as nice." He then jumped down into the forest. They all just watched for a few moments.

"...What is with that guy?" Gray shook his head in confusion.

"Lets head out as well. We'll leave Natsu Dranigon to rescue Wendy." Jura ordered.

"Alright, lets do this!"

"Yeah!" They all gathered and cheered at once.

Elsewhere...

"Uhh..huh?" Wendy groggily woke up, not knowing where she was.

"Wendy?" Carla asked.

"Carla, where are we?" She asked, still unsure of her surroundings. They were in a dark cave of sorts. She got up and dusted herself up.

"I see you have awaken." Brain said who was sitting in a corner with the rest of the Oracion Seis's members.

"AHH!" Wendy jumped in surprise. Startled by the large man.

"Sky Maiden. We have need of your abilities." Brain said. He walked up to her with his wooden staff.

"My..abilities?" She asked.

"Yes. We need your help to bring back 'him'." He specified.

"Forget it! Wendy will not help a dark guild!" Carla said as she blocked his path.

"Oh I won't even need to force her. She'll WANT to help after seeing him." He snickered.

"What?" Wendy was just as confused as ever. Who was this person? And why would she lift a finger to help them?

"Oi, Brain." Racer asked. He turned to the bruised mage and he seemed to be sporting an annoyed look.

"Something wrong Racer?" Brain asked.

"Why'd we pull out? I run towards my enemies, not away from them." He questioned.

"I would have finished them on the spot, but that dark mage, Dranigon was with them." He said the name with detest.

"So what? We could have taken him down too." Cobra said, who was stroking his snake's head. He was equally as confused why they bolted all of a sudden.

"He is not to be underestimated. He shows almost next to no mercy for dark mages."

"That punk with the pink hair?" Angel asked who had crossed her arms.

"Do not let his appearance fool you. He may look young, but that kid is about Wizard Saint level." He emphasized.

"Huh? There's just no way." Cobra shook his head. "Then again, he did make Racer eat the dirt more than once." He chuckled at his guild member's loss.

"Say that again Cobra! I'll hit you so hard you won't even be able to tell how many times!" Racer threatened.

"Enough!" Brain said raising his staff.

"Teh."

"Kch!" The two looked away from each other.

"Anyway, I don't think it would be wise to attack him one-on-one."

"How do you know this guy's good? He could have just been lucky." Angel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, hear's what I heard what happened..." He began explaining.

Forest...

"H-He's too strong!"

"I think we should retreat!

"MY ARRM!" Around twenty of random dark guild members were lying all over, badly burnt and bruised. Courtesy of the salmon haired dragon slayer. He picked em' off so fast they were dropping like flies. He was rushing through the forest, following the scent of the Oracion Seis members. He had his sword at his side, whipping anyone's ass who was in his way.

"What a bunch of wimps. Send something bigger at me already." He sighed. His eye widened and he suddenly jumped out of the way from wooden spikes that shot at him from out of nowhere. He skidded to a stop and all was calm, apart from the moaning and groaning from the unlucky bastards that met his fury.

"...Wood Magic? I can't sense his location though." Natsu just looked around him calmly. He would strike the next time they attacked again. He scanned the surroundings and couldn't get a feel for his opponent. He knew there was someone there, he had a slightly new scent that he didn't recognize. Well, at least apart from the foul stench the dark mages gave off. He whipped his head around and he saw a tree shoot three wooden pulls out towards him. He hopped up, dodging them as the tried to strike him. after a few moments he landed on the last one and it was once again silent. He looked everywhere again.

"Where the hell is he!? I can't even sense where he's casting it from!" He didn't notice it, but a dark silhouette was silently hopping through the trees. "I'm a sittin' duck here. I got clear these trees out." He thought. "Azure Dragon's Blast Wave!" He re-quipped his sword then focused and smashed his fists together, generating a flaming blast that erupted out of his body. In the distance it looked like a blue bubble burst in the middle of the forest, leaving a swirling cloud of smoke in the air. Natsu had landed on the ground and he had made a clearing that was big enough so that he could see where his enemy attacked from.

"Maybe I took him out-No...He's still here." Natsu dismissed the idea of ending the fight so easily.

Someone was there. And the fact he hadn't even had a confirmed hit on them, concerned him.

"This opponent is good. I haven't felt this flustered since fighting Jose." He smiled a little. The thrill of a good fight was starting to set in. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He had to calm down. Venigon had taught him that getting caught up in the moment was all that your enemy needed to end it. He opened his eye and just waited to see what their next move was. The unknown person was just watching from the shadows of the trees. They bent down and just simply watched Natsu with interest.

"...Interesting. Dragon Slayer Magic as well." The person thought.

"...Nice try, but you're not invisible." Natsu suddenly spun around and punched out a fireball in the person's direction. They were surprised and jumped out of the way while the fire ball reduced the tree to ash. They laid motionless on the ground on all fours, watching Natsu. They noticed his gaze scanning in their general direction, but he didn't seem to have a bead on them yet. Still, he was getting closer. The person slowly crept back like a retreating predator from underestimated prey. Natsu cocked his head away and was listening intently. He closed his eye and just listened. He was not about to let this one get away.

"It's faint, but I can hear them moving around me. It's like they're one with the forest or something." He was getting side tracked and he knew it. They were a diversion, clearly. He then turned his back slowly and began heading back toward Wendy's location. As he got closer to the forest, the figure was following him slowly. They crawled through the bushes, barely making a sound.

Elsewhere...

"..."

"..."

"...What a load of bullshit." Racer just shook his head in disbelief.

"..Damn." Cobra whistled.

"You're making this up." Angel pinched her nose in frustration.

"It's true. That's the kind of problem we're dealing with." Brain mentioned again.

"Well if this guy is as good as you say he is, we should deal with him first." Cobra figured.

"Our focus is Nirvana. Once we have control over that, it won't matter who stands in our way. We'll be invincible." Brain said. "Beside's, I always figured at some point i'd run into him. So I took the necessary...precautions." Brain said.

"I hear you Brain. And you got balls for hirin' the "Bloody Jewel". Don't you know the rumors about that chick?" Cobra protested.

"I heard she killed her last employers. Took all their heads, and put them on display...in a slab of crystal." Angel also noted with a hint of humor.

"Her last employers tried to kill her to tie up loose ends. That backfired. As long as we pay her-"

"Speaking of which..." Cobra said, his ears perking up. "..I think she found him." He smirked. They were completely ignoring Wendy.

"What are they talking about Carla?" Wendy asked.

"I don't know child, but we need to be careful." Carla cautioned her.

"That Natsu Dranigon...he's around here?" Wendy asked.

"From the sounds of it, he is." She said with a troubled nod.

"Do you think...he did what they were saying?" She asked her with a concerned look.

"It doesn't matter now. For now, we should worry about our current predicament." Carla said while they watched the members talk among themselves.

"Racer, go bring him. It's about time we got started." Brain ordered.

"Back in a flash." Racer said and disappeared in a burst of speed.

"So close..just a bit more, and we will have Nirvana's power within our grasp!" Brain thought.

Forest...

Natsu was just walking nonchalantly through the hostile woods. He didn't seem to be particularly minding that his unknown assailant was following him. Oh yes, he knew they were following him. He decided the best way to flush them out would be to go where they'd feel most comfortable attacking. His mind was trying to anticipate where they would strike.

"How long are they gonna keep following me? I thought since i'm close to these trees, they'd use them to their advantage...unless they know that too." He was on edge, even if he didn't show it. That little girl was also a question mark. Sky Dragon Slayer kept repeating over and over in his mind. "Did Grandeeny really take a student?" He wondered. He shrugged and figured it would become clear once he found the girl. Right as he thought that, he felt a presence closing in on him. He summoned his sword and drew it at lightning speed. When he had turned his head to the person, they had a long black dagger that was close to severing his neck from his head. It was a young white skinned woman with skin tight black pants and sleeves, a green kimono that was down to her waist with black trims and a black sash tied into a knot, draping on her side. She had a purple top covering her bust and a beaded bracelet on her wrist. But her most noticeable feature was her dark green hair that was held up in a long ponytail. Her eyes however were grey, as if they had a loss of life in them.

The only thing stopping her from cutting off his head, was the same predicament. Natsu's blade was also at her neck. The two remained motionless for what seemed an eternity, but in reality was a few fleeting moments.

"..."

"..." Natsu and this girl were sporting similar looks at each other. Cold. Blank. And absolute focus. Neither of them could really do anything, one wrong move, and the other was going to lose their head.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Who are you?" The green haired girl asked him in monotone.

"..." Natsu just remained silent.

"You are part of the alliance, no?" She asked once again.

"Would you believe me if I said I was lost?" Natsu said with a hint of sarcasm.

"No." She answer bluntly.

"Worth a try." Natsu said tilting his head a little. "So what now?" He asked. "You gonna finish it? Daggers are lighter than swords." He pointed out.

"I would if I could." She said."But for some reason I am hesitant." She said which confused him.

"Should we start over?" Natsu offered.

"..I would accept that."

"Huh?" Natsu made a look of confusion.

"Were you not serious?" She asked.

"Well..uhh..really?" Natsu was just joking, but she was serious.

"If you want, we could decide who's faster in the next ten seconds." She said.

"No. Okay, lets do it." He quickly said. "I'll go first. On three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three." They said and lowered their weapons. They stood still and sheathed their respective weapons.

"Now why would you believe a word I said?" She said.

"Took the words out of my mouth." He replied.

"...I see." Treya said.

"Well I am glad you did. It would have been difficult, seeing as you were forming something that would block where my blade would have hit." Natsu noticed the shards of blue glass-like substance falling down her neck.

"I could also note that your blade would have gotten me first if you hadn't stopped." She also noticed as she eyed his sword.

"..."

"..." They both were silent for a moment.

"..Well this is awkward." Natsu deadpanned.

"This is most strange." She said. "...He has one of the Dragon Arms."

"No wonder I couldn't sense her. She barely even has a scent from afar. But now that we're close, her smell is lot more easier to pick up." He thought.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"You first." Natsu nodded.

"You do not know who I am?" She asked, resting her hands on the pommel of her daggers.

"Nope."

"Seriously?" She seemed to be a bit baffled.

"..." Natsu narrowed his eye. "..You're clearly no pushover, so far. You know how to fight, always aiming for my blind spots. You're not attacking anyone else, and you followed me this far, which means you're targeting me specifically. Your outfit indicates that you aren't worrying about defense, but rather mobility. Unless you're very conscious about outward appearance like a loose woma-" Her look darkened for a second, making him feel a bit of a chill.

She did not like his choice of words.

"W-which you clearly aren't." He sweat dropped. "You're weapon of choice, daggers. Which means you prefer close combat. And since you asked me in a way that I 'should' know you, I assume you have a reputation or a history that even a guy like me should know. If it was a mercenary, you'd have something that emphasizes it. If it was a guild, you'd have a mark. If you were a freelance dark mage however..." He slowly propped his sword on his shoulder. "..well, there's only a handful of those guys. And they don't give their names out. But you? Not ringing any bells." He shook his head.

"I am Treya Duella." She simply said.

"...Was that so hard to say?" Natsu said with annoyance in his voice.

"You clearly did not know me. I merely gave my name." She said.

"What was the point of my speculating then if you were just going to tell me?" He asked with slight demand in his tone.

"I was waiting till you finished." She shrugged.

"...(Sigh)..you're weird." He couldn't figure this dark mage out. She went from threatening his life to giving him a roundabout way of introducing herself.

"I am Treya."

"I heard you the first time." He pinched his nose.

"Now it is your turn." She said with a blank expression.

"Natsu Dranigon. Fairy Tail Mage, and wanderer." He sighed.

"You are the one that Oracion Seis has it out for?" She put her hands on her hips. "They told me i'd be facing the One-eyed Dragon." She tilted her head in confusion.

"I can't believe that name is still floating around." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Flaming Cyclops?" She addressed him differently.

"Absolutely not." He said angrily.

"Then..." She was trying to figure out what to call him.

"...Wait.." Natsu suddenly realized something. "Your name..what was it again?" He wanted to confirm.

"Treya Duella." She repeated.

"...!" His eye widened and he was frantically searching through his pockets. "Ah where is it!?" He kept digging through his pockets hoping to find that one piece of paper that Frostbite gave him. "..AH HA!" He pulled it out and unfolded it. He looked at the five names on there and he looked at one in particular. "Holy crap." He had a look of astonishment.

"You recall who I am?" She asked, thinking her name was on what she assumed was a bounty poster.

"A-are you...by any chance a...Dragon Slayer?" He asked. Her eyes suddenly became a little more life like. It had peeked her interest.

"..I am." She replied with a nod.

"..Wait no I meant uh..Lost Dragon Slayer." He clarified. Her eyes widened at this.

"..What..did you say?" She had to hear a second time to believe it.

"A Lost Dragon Slayer." He said.

"...How do you know about Lost Dragon Slayers?" She asked.

"That guy was right..." He couldn't believe it.

"I am confused. What interest do you have in Lost Dragon Slayers?" She was sounding more interested. She was still wondering what he was talking about, but she didn't drop her guard.

"..." Natsu looked back at her and sported a blank look and looked back to the list. "Cause I'm one too." He said sternly.

"..." Her eyes were wide open and she was baffled.

"I'm the Azure Dragon Slayer. My Dragon's name was Venigon."

"I am the Crystal Dragon Slayer. My Mother's name was Ravalla." Treya also said.

"Crystal huh? Weren't you just using Wood Magic?" Natsu asked.

"My affinity for Crystal Dragon Slayer Magic is not that powerful. Mother taught me how to use the forest to my advantage." She explained.

"Hmm." Natsu appeared deep in thought.

"Forgive me if I do not take your word for it." Treya began to say. "Any Dragon Slayer could claim that title."

"No. They couldn't." Natsu said with a sound of irritation in his voice. Treya noticed it offended him and just lowered her head. "I faced off against a Lost Dragon Slayer named Callan Frostbite. He's the Blizzard Dragon Slayer." He began to explain. "He told me that there were five Lost Dragon Slayers in all. That's me, him, and you." He said as he showed the list to her. She walked over and looked at it. Sure enough, her name was there.

"This..Lost Dragon Slayer, Callan Frostbite." She began to ask. "Why does he have a list with our names on it?" She asked him.

"That's what I would like to know. He's been looking for Lost Dragon Slayers and he gave me this list. Apparently, his dragon left it with him. " He finished and crossed his arms.

"Well if what you're saying is true, there must be a hidden purpose why his dragon did that." She said taking the list and looking at it. "Mero Serene...I do not believe I've heard of that name." She said. "This last name...is that truly their name?" She asked.

"Doubt it. It's probably initials or something. So what do you think? Are we all called for some higher purpose?" He said in a mocking fashion.

"It vexes me as well. However, I still have a job to do." She said suddenly.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me, I don't wanna fight you!" Natsu rolled his eye.

"I believe you, Natsu Dranigon." She assured him.

"Then why-?!"

"It is not your words you must prove to me." She said walking several paces from him. "You say that you are a Lost Dragon Slayer. Tell me through your actions. If you can last against me, I will believe you. If you prove to be lying, I will end you." She warned him.

"Is that so?" Natsu suddenly held his sword to his side. "Well then, I guess i'll have to do my best to not disappoint." He got into a quick draw stance.

"My Dragon Arms is Dorraijin." She said as she rested her hand on her daggers that were sheathed on both her sides.

"Dragon Fangs? Interesting. Mine's Dorruga."

"Dragon Sword." She translated.

"Lets get this over with." He said, narrowing his eye. She also slowly placed her hand on her dagger handles.

Elsewhere...

"Ahh good. He's here." Brain smiled. "Sky Maiden, this is who we need you to revive." He showed Wendy who was wide eyed with a look of horror and surprise.

"J-J-Jellal?" She managed to say. Indeed, it was him. He seemed to be chained to a coffin and unconscious with lacrima pumping through his veins.

"He's in a coma-like state. We've been unable to bring him back by ordinary means. But with your Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, he will lead us straight to Nirvana." Brain explained.

"This is crazy!" Carla protested. "Wendy wouldn't-"

"But..." Wendy began to say which confused Carla. She wasn't seriously thinking of helping the bad guys...was she?

"He's..my friend." She frowned sadly.

Hope this was satisfactory! Read/Review/Rate!

Laters!