Hello Everybody! I am back with a new chapter! But there's a surprise! This was jointly written by myself and thehappy! You know, the guy I've been hyping up for a couple of months... Anyway, this was, as stated before, jointly made with the author thehappy and is also posted in his story Shifting through Realities. It's basically about his own version of fairy tail but mixed with gears of war and Erza Mira Levy and Kagura are trapped in a loop of teleportation they can't get out of, traveling across a stupid amount of universes and this also happens to be one of them.
I should state that this chapter and the one after will not be canon. I repeat, this chapter- this collaboration- is not canon to my own story, but it is to his. We just thought it would be a great idea to mix our stories and writing styles. Honestly, if you look closely, you can see where the switches happened.
THE FOLLOWING IS NOT CANON TO SATAN SALAMANDER! IT IS BASICALLY FILLER! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!
Chapter 36: DXD Collab: More friends, More Headaches (Part One)
Universe 7834663349-DX Hyoudou Residence Midafternoon
The sun shone brightly over the neighborhood of family homes, a peaceful Friday afternoon with puffy white clouds drifting above. In the middle of a row of residential houses stood a particular two-story abode, the pleasantness emanating from the domicile mixing in with the area.
Issei's bedroom was silent and deserted for the moment as the young man was with Rias and her group for the day. Both parents were out as well, getting in some quality time together at the nearby shopping district. In fact, only Asia Argento was in the home, along with Happy, as she did some light chores for herself downstairs while humming a pleasant tune.
A flash of light in Issei's bedroom glowed and sparked, but was unnoticed by the inhabitants of the house as five estranged beings shifted into this new world. Blood dripped from their dirty and scarred armor, rivulets down their greaves and pants to the white carpeting as the watermelon clung to Levy's head.
"Ugh… dammit! I missed the co-ordinates!" the blunette shouted, her ire was palpable as a piece of gore slid down her scarred cheek and flopped to the floor.
"Where are we this time?" Mira asked as she stepped further into the room… and left bloody boot prints across the carpeting. Moving to the window near the bed, she leaned over to look outside as more droplets of red fell onto the sheets. A street greeted her eyes, subtle flow of civilian traffic on foot, and in vehicles going about their business. "It looks normal, but... so did the last universe…" Scowling as she tried to wipe some drying blood from her brow, her glove graced the familiar scar above her eye as she leaned away from the window and the city beyond.
"It looks like a bedroom… of a teenage boy if I had to guess?" Kagura simply stated as she eyed the poster of two busty women practically kissing. They were wearing thongs… and nothing else as their breasts hid the nipples against each other in a mash of flesh.
"Obviously a pervert," Erza simply stated as she studied the picture.
"You're one to talk…"
"So, Levy… where are we this time?" Mira asked her friend as she clung to her lancer. She had thought about holstering it to the magnetic plate… but who knows what kind of people this world contained. Keeping it ready, she saw the others following the same logic.
"Hmm…" Taping several keys as Normal face continued to sit on her shoulders, the scientist peered at the readout… as some blood spattered the glowing screen. "Pretty far from Earthland, I'd say. Up in the seven billion blocks. I mean, once we go past the billion marks, it pretty much becomes a crapshoot of where we end up. Earthland? Terra? Some other fucking place?"
"Well, how much time here?"
"About… ninety six hours and change. So… four days or so."
"Hopefully, we can find a place to rest and recuperate. The last two realities have been… a trial." Kagura input, the horrors still fresh in her mind.
"Then let's explore a bit. Worst case, we take this house over and use it as a base for the time being." Erza instructed as she walked toward the door. As she gripped the knob and slick blood plastered itself around it, she opened it to a deserted hallway. Clean walls of beige white loomed with shadows… but nothing sinister seemed to jump out at her.
Several more doors ran along the corridor to her left as Mira covered her back, the demon pointing the rifle toward the closed rooms as Erza stepped to the right. A small table sat at the end near a window, casting light down a concealed staircase.
Humming echoed from the stairs as soft pads of feet and flooring creaked, causing them to rush toward the corner. Kagura covered her, stacking up along the wall behind her…while leaving several streaks of drying blood along the painted walls from the press of her armor.
"Hmmm? Is somebody there?" A woman's voice called out nervously, her footsteps paused.
Swinging around the corner, Erza and Kagura moved to the source as they aimed from the top landing… at a young woman of perhaps seventeen to eighteen years old. She was shorter… maybe five feet tall with flowing blonde hair trailing down her back. Dressed in a black skirt and yellow shirt, she would be considered a little beauty as long stockings reached her calves. A pretty, innocent face that held green eyes stared wide as the weapons pointed at her, the fear growing as she took a cautionary step backward.
"Wh… what kind of weapons are those with… chainsaws? And…who are these women? And why does one look like Rias? And… and why are they covered in blood!?"
"I, uh… I…"
"Identify yourself! NOW!" Erza barked, the rifle pointed directly at the teenager as she dropped the load of laundry she had just done.
"Uh… AHHHHH!" Asia screamed out as she ran down the stairs, her fear making her feet light.
"Dammit! We need to capture her! She might be a devil in disguise or something else!" Erza warned as she stomped down the stairs with purpose. The heavy boots left prints among the floorboards, streaks of red mixed with blood as the soldiers followed.
"Maybe if your face wasn't so scary!"
"Shut up, Mira! Your just an imitation redhead!"
"Bitch"
"Hat mode deactivated. Pursuit mode activated." the watermelon bleakly said as he jumped from Levy's shoulders and landed on the first-floor landing.
"Don't go making up modes for yourself!" Levy chastised her creation as she rounded the corner with her L.M.G. raised. The hallway was clear, the girl disappearing into the house.
"Spread out and find her…unharmed. She looks like a normal teenager…but be cautious. Only use deadly force if she threatens your life." Kagura instructed her comrades as they nodded. Since they were all technically the same rank of Lieutenant, the command could easily shift depending on the situation.
Pressing the lancer rifle to her shoulder, Kagura moved into the kitchen with sure and steady steps. It was clean. The countertops devoid of dust or leftover food as the central island countertop held a few unopened articles from the mail. "At least it's a clean home… now… where would this girl hide?" the gravity mage whispered to herself as her magic stayed strong. "At least my magic is available. Ugh… I really hope this world isn't full of cannibals or rapists… or fucking monsters like the last one."
"Damn… she was fast." Erza told Mira as they swept the living room together. Droplets of blood still fell from their bodies, splattering against the wooden floors of the home as both aimed down the sights of their rifles.
"You probably scared the shit out of her? I mean… if I saw your blood-covered face at any time in the history of the world, that would horrify me. Like right now… so gross." Mira smirked as she checked a closet… and found nothing but typical home supplies.
"Just for that, the next Natsu I meet, I'm gonna fuck him and send you the video on what your missing."
"Don't you dare! I'm going through fire dragon withdrawal, and he's mine… before stupid ginger whores." The discord carried on, to the side of the house through an open window as Asia ducked below the sill near some shrubs. The girl had been fast… running out the back door of the kitchen to the enclosed yard grabbing a communication device Rias gave her a precaution. Clutching it in her hand, she stayed low as traffic continued to rumble by at a leisurely pace. The neighbor's dog barked, but she paid it no mind as her fearful eyes kept darting back and forth.
"They know Natsu!? But how? He's so nice and warm… these women have… big guns and look like they killed something!? And was that a talking watermelon! I have to call Rias!" Asia's panicking caused her to unknowing increase her grip around the small device, excreting strength she never knew she had. Activating the magical device given to her and all members of Rias's group, she raised it to her lips.
"Rias, help! I think a group of, uh… soldiers- they're in the house? They have guns and are after me!" She whispered harshly, the dread crawling up her spine at what they would do to her, "Please, hurry. I'm so scared! They came from nowhere!"
"Stay where you are. I'll be there in a moment!" Asia shut off the device, crouching down as the strangers continued to search… and unbeknownst to her, listen through the window above her head. Practically crawling on her knees, she disappeared from sight as Levy poked her head out of the window…but saw nothing.
"Dammit! We need to find her! The last thing we need is some… I dunno!? Zombie priest cows showing up or some shit!"
"I killed one of those with Krograll a month ago. Its screams were wonderful."
"Stop bragging, Normal Face!"
"What are they talking about?" Asia asked herself with worry… then a magic circle appeared a few feet to her right near the fencing of the yard. It glowed red, the ancient symbols spinning as Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima walked out. Fortunately, the street was deserted at that time as the spell dispersed.
"HEY! You ladies see that red light?" One of the voices asked as rapid footsteps approached the window.
"Quickly, Asia!" Rias commanded as the trio moved to the back of the house. Running around the corner, they were just missed as Mira looked out the window to the strange glow.
"Nothing here…" she asked herself as she looked at the fence. Keeping her rifle close, her eyes scanned for threats as her senses tingled, "Something happened… that wasn't some sun-glare…"
"We might have some company" Strauss informed Erza, who gave an assertive nod.
'BANG!'
The back door to the home crashed open, spurring the duo into action.
"HEY! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Kagura shouted from the kitchen as she ducked behind the island. Peeking her head over the lip of the counter as drips of blood fell from her dirty bangs, she glared at the blonde girl hiding behind a rather voluptuous redhead and equally busty female with flowing black hair. Wearing identical school uniforms, their figures would make many men drool as their sizable… assets gave a slight bounce against the straining fabric.
Raising her hand, it gave a soft glow of red as Rias's hair fluttered. Aiming as the three other women in the house took defensive positions… with a walking watermelon, the devil glared harshly at the gore covered females before her.
"I don't know who you are… or what you're doing here, but threatening a member of my Peerage and friends is unacceptable." The magic glowed, wrapping around the five in an instant as Levy started to gather her own magic.
"You bitch… I'll cut you up for threatening us…" She promised… just before disappearing from sight as the teleportation spell took them away in a flash of light.
"By the great satan… what kind of guns were those?" Akeno asked as she looked toward her friends.
"I don't know, but I made sure they were relieved of their firearms during transport. We will interrogate them… and why they threatened Asia."
"They just… came out of Issei's room. It made no sense since everybody is gone for the day. It's like they climbed in through the second story and- AHHH! My cleaning! They got blood everywhere!" The blonde wailed as she saw the filthy bootprints along the tile floor of the kitchen… and more along the walls as she wailed lightly.
"That will have to wait for now. Come, let us see what we can learn from these… women."
"Perhaps some light torture or beatings are in order?" Akeno giggled, a small hint of sadism leaking out as Rias shook her head at the queen of the Peerage.
"Let's save that as a final option, okay?" Opening another transportation circle, the three girls stepped through in a flash of red light.
Kuoh Academy
Rias and her two friends stepped through into the occult club headquarters, her eyes were immediately drawn to the five intruders sealed behind a bubble of forcefield magic. A relatively simple spell, she wanted to make sure they didn't escape. Stepping past the pile of weapons near the couch, she eyed the… sinister baseball bat clogged with strips of flesh among the barb wire and nails. The other guns were just as bad, the rifles had chainsaw teeth hanging onto other bits of flesh and viscera.
"Asia… please retrieve Issei and the others with. We may need their strength with these five."
"Okay, Rias… be careful." Asia prayed as she pulled open the finely decorated doors of the room and left.
Akeno walked forward to the shimmering barrier, her eyes studying the four women… and strange watermelon on two legs. Gore seemed to cover their bodies like a horrific sheen, a coating of blood that seemed to cover every exposed bit of flesh.
Two of them had visible scars marring their faces while hints of blue and white hair tried to peek from under the gore. The middle one seemed to be a natural redhead, her form leaning against a wall as she crossed her arms over her heavy armor. The final woman seemed to have black hair like herself… but was simply looking away from them all as she tried to strain blood from her bangs. It dripped… hitting the floorboards like rain as the two devils stared at their "prisoners"
"Who are you? And why did you try to kill Asia?" Rias asked with a cold voice, her anger palpable to the threat this group posed to her precious friend.
Silence. None of them spoke as the shortest sat on a chair and yawned. Scratching the area of her cheek near a four-inch scar, she leaned back while crossing her legs.
"Answer the question!" Akeno demanded in a low tone, her anger growing at their disrespect toward Rias.
"Why the fuck should we?" the short one replied as she leaned her head back against the comfortable chair.
"If you don't… I'll put you through a world of pain." Akeno promised, her sadistic side coming out to play as she stared at each in turn.
"Pffft! HAHAHAHA! Hey Erza, this bitch thinks she's actually scary! But damn… it's like being threatened by a high school girl!" Mira said with a laugh and pointed thumb, her eyes showing mirth.
"WATCH YOUR TONE OR I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER A THOUSAND TIMES OVER!" Akeno shouted at the… white-haired woman who suddenly glared her way. Marching over in the bubble prison, Mira glared daggers at the busty, black-haired woman.
"Erza? Isn't that Natsu's friend from his own world?" Rias contemplated softly as the prisoner jabbed a finger at the barrier, making it ripple from the light blow.
"You think I'm scared of some fucking school student? After I've almost been gang-raped? Or fought undead monsters? Or been under machine-gun fire as people died around me? I've killed people for being a threat… I've seen true… fucking evil. And you? You're like a child on their first day of school. Try again when you've killed a whole army of rapist men" Turning, Mira walked toward a couch and laid down in the filth of blood.
"Why you…" Akeno promised as she clenched her fist… and shook with anger.
"You're… Mirajane Strauss? I've… heard about you. And you're…Erza Scarlet, correct?" Rias asked slowly, the dots finally connecting from Natsu's many tales of the two women. "This isn't right, though… Natsu said they were very nice… while a little scary. If Mira is to be held accountable, then have they seen far worse? I need to gain their trust to answer my questions"
"Now, how the fuck do you know that?" Levy asked the redhead… just as the door opened and several people poured into the room.
Most of them were women, females with curvaceous figures and sizable busts restrained by their uniforms as they quickly moved into the room. With them were three men and one familiar blue cat. One was a high school boy with brown hair and in the same kind of uniform as the girls, just it was for males instead. The other was blonde and wore the same outfit as the one prior but seemingly held a more confident stature.
But the other… that's what made Levy and the others stand up to notice.
A familiar mess of salmon hair… the scale pattern scarf as a blue cat sat on his shoulder. The black vest with red flames and the wide shoulders… it could be only one man.
"Hey Rias! What the hell is happening!? I was about to go out with Happy to see Zechs, but Asia came crying saying you guys needed my help?" Natsu exclaimed in a hot headed fashion as he clenched his fist in his warm determination.
"Holy shit… Natsu! How the hell did you get here!?" Mira cried with a warmth to her voice as she jumped off the couch. Igniting her magic, a small ball of crackling energy flew toward the prison barrier. Breaking against the field, it shattered like glass as the spell quickly broke.
Rias gasped in awe at what she saw, the solid light shattering and fading on the wooden floor, "How did you...!" She whispered to herself knowing she wasn't going to get an answer and settled with glaring at the women… more directly toward Mira who simply ignored her.
"HELL YEAH! WAY BETTER THAN THE LAST UNIVERSE!" Levy shouted with a grin as she ran forward with Mira… and tackled Natsu to the floor. He landed hard, flinging Happy to the side as the air left his lungs from the heavy tackle.
"AHHH! I don't care if he's not ours! You're getting some love!" Mira exclaimed happily as she kissed the man on the lips… which was quickly followed by Levy as the two left smudges of blood on his cheeks and chest.
"What the hell man! Strange women just… tackle you and start kissing you! Stupid fire bastard!" Issei uttered with newfound resentment as Mira and Levy kept giving the fire mage bloody kisses.
"Mpfh! Mfphh!" Gasping for air, he finally opened his eyes as his cheeks burned red from the attention. By the grace of Igneel, Natsu found the strength to push the two women off his torso as they fell, sitting starry-eyed, on his legs.
Sitting up as quickly as possible, Natsu scanned his surroundings and took in a big whiff of the air, "Mira? Levy?" Looking past them… he saw Erza approaching in heavy and blood stained armor as Kagura did the same… with some walking watermelon? Restudying Mira and Levy who still pinned him down, his eyes grew wider as he analyzed their features.
"WHAT! WHO HURT YOU GIRLS! YOUR FACES HAVE SCARS! AND WHY ARE YOU COVERED IN BLOOD!?"
"AAAAHHHH! MIRA! IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU! NATSU DOESN'T GIVE ME ENOUGH FISH!" Happy wailed as he burst into tears and wrapped his little arms around the woman's neck.
Giggling softly, Strauss stood up as she hugged the cat with equal love and affection… despite her state of appearance.
"Natsu… do you know… these women?" Rias asked with an even glare. A hint of malice was in her tone. Not because of their escape… no, she got over that the second these highly questionable females dared to kiss him… right in front of her!
"Mira. Levy. You know he's not ours, right?" Erza asked as she tried… with all her might to not jump him herself. She had needs… and he could provide relief.
"Levy… I dunno why you just kissed me? I mean… you like Gajeel, right? Did… he give you that scar on your face? And where is everybody else? Like gramps and Lucy? Or Lisanna and Cana? Or Gildarts?" The fire mage asked as he pushed her off and stood up. Some streaks of blood had stained his shirt, but he didn't care- some of his friends were here!
And that's when it hit, "Hold up- how did you get here in the first place?"
Massaging her temples, Levy groaned as she felt something… and pulled a string piece of flesh from her blood-soaked locks. Flinging it to the floor, she tried to form words.
"This would be a lot easier if we didn't look like psychopaths…"
"Agreed. We should clean up first. I can feel it starting to dry," Erza stated calmly as she turned toward the redhead that was now standing close to Natsu. Narrowing her eyes, she studied the busty female… then turned to Natsu.
"Natsu? Who… is this… girl?"
"I'm Rias Gremory of the Gremory house and you attacked one of my Peerage members… girl." A bolt of lightning seemed to pass between the two, a universal confrontation as Erza and Rias both pointed at Natsu then each other.
"NATSU! I FORBID YOU FROM TALKING WITH THAT… HARLOT!"
Their words were completely in tune as both glared daggers at the other.
"I can't believe you just said that to me!?"
"YOU DID IT AGAIN! I'LL SHOW YOU!" Both shouted as they got close and butted heads. Eyes popped with feminine fury as they grit their teeth and snarled. This has been one of the very few occasions where Akeno has seen Rias, to put it bluntly, 'lose her shit'.
"It's like two Erza's…" Kagura simply stated as the two continued to bicker about… nonsense to be honest. The insults weren't even making sense anymore.
"MY HAIR IS WAY REDDER! THAT MEANS NATSU IS MINE!" Erza shouted in the imposter's face as Rias stared back with narrow eyes.
"You can't have him! He's part of my Peerage and a treasured friend! Besides! My breasts are fantastic! He'll love them someday!"
"Uh… shouldn't you be telling me how you got here, Erza?" Natsu subtly asked… from behind a chair with a large helping of fear. Unfortunately, he was experiencing some vivid Edolas flashbacks.
"Stay out of this Natsu… I'll deal with her." The knight simply grinned as Rias grinned back. The crackling auras seemed to grow from both their bodies as their hair started to fly…. until Akeno and Kagura punched them both on the top of their heads.
"CALM DOWN!" Both shouted at their respective friends. Crashing to the floor, they were down for the moment as they groaned from the surprise punch. Looking at each other, Kagura rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as more blood and gore dried.
"We can explain everything… just let us shower and change first. That last universe literally rained blood from the sky…"
"You don't seem to have a very well-versed sense of comedy."
"No, I'm not joking… it was a forest of flesh-eating monsters that wanted to skin us alive… and rape our eye sockets. And the trees ate the dead too… and the unicorns…" Kagura shivered, the memories still very fresh while Akeno nodded.
"Very well… there are some showers and bathrooms in the back down that hall. Don't take too long." The queen warned as Kagura started to drag Erza by the shoulders.
"Cool! A hot shower! Hey Natsu, wanna join me? We can have… some fun." Levy asked the man, her lips licking in a sultry manner as the mentioned male looked away bashfully.
"Uhhh… that's… uhh… I was told I can only take baths with Erza!" He screamed on impulse.
"Hmm, and that proves it. All Erza's train their Natsu's." She said boastfully winking towards the pink-haired teen.
"I'll join you!" Issei said gleefully, his eyes tracing the women's curves.
"Ew. No. I don't fuck weaklings. Normal face? Protect the showers from this pervert. Only Natsu or Happy are permitted." Levy commanded as she walked down the short hallway with Mira. Issei dropped with depression, the shoot down crumpling his self-esteem as Natsu lightly smirked at his suffering.
"Yes, Miss Levy!" The watermelon shouted as it ran to the hallway entrance and stood there with his arms spread wide.
"Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep." Tracing his body and head back and forth, the murderous creature locked eyes with the pervert as he continued to make random sounds.
"You're just saying Beep! You're not even doing anything!" Happy pointed at the watermelon… who continued to beep.
"This is really weird…" Natsu told the multiple women in the room as he watched the watermelon guard the hallway. Sounds of showering were already being heard by his heightened senses… along with sounds of womanly glee and pleasure. While he was sure they weren't doing anything… perverted, he had to question that. After all…Erza was with them.
"Well… there is a talking watermelon in the room…" Asia stated as she looked at the creature. Feeling a sense of kindness wash over her, she approached as Natsu spoke once more.
"No… it's not that. It's the demeanor of those four? They… they don't act like the Mira or Erza from home. And Levy would never kiss me… and she would be freaking out with all that blood on her? But it was Kagura talking about a… blood universe? This is really confusing?"
"I suppose we have to wait until they come out… Ara, ara! They were our prisoners and we just went with it." Akeno shouted as she shook her head in disbelief.
"It was amazing that Mira just broke the barrier like it was paper. It stands to reason they were just playing along to learn from us while we tried to do the same. Still, she must have a large reserve of magic to do that with hardly any effort."
"Beep. Beep. That is correct. Mirajane is one of the strongest female mages on the continent. She is only one of a handful of mages capable of defeating Miss Levy in deadly combat."
"Hey, watermelon? Levy was never able to match Mira in a fight! She likes books and… learning stuff!" Natsu shot at the creature as it looked his way… with its arms still spread out in a protective manner.
"Incorrect. Levy McGarden is one of the most dangerous battle mages of any surviving guild. Her intellect along with bloodthirst makes her a fearsome foe on the battlefield. Dark mages gave her the name 'Bloody Lev'… until she killed them all"
"WHAT!? LEVY WOULD NEVER HURT ANYBODY! SHE'S TOO NICE!" Happy pointed to the fruit as it started doing random poses. Reaching upward, it pressed its fingers together in a strange 'A' shape as it looked at the cat.
"Captain Ginyu!"
"Normal face… they won't get what you're doing" Levy instructed as she walked out in clean cargo pants, socks, and a yellow shirt that said 'Scary Terry, Bitch' in big, blue letters. Mira was behind her in black, tight pants that accentuated her hips as they swayed. Water dripped down from her bangs, flowing past the scar as she wore her favorite shirt… 'Property of Natsu' in sparkling, purple letters.
"I still don't know why you have to wear that, Mira?" Kagura asked her friend as she wore simple pants and a tan shirt. Erza's attire was the soldier standard… a tank top that hugged her breasts and black combat pants.
"Mira… what are you wearing?" Natsu asked wearily, his eyes sensing a trap of some kind. Grinning, the white-haired mage sat on a clean chair.
"Well, because you're my boyfriend! So, of course, you dominate me in the bedroom… with lots of sex!"
"NATSU! WHEN DID YOU MAKE BABIES WITH MIRA!" Happy shouted, his little mind coming to the wrong conclusion as Mira kept smiling at the man like a lioness eyeing a gazelle.
"It's not like that you furball!" Natsu roared, his face heated as he looked away from Mira in her old, demonic outfit.
"Hey… I get him first" Erza butted in, her eyes studying the male just a dozen feet away.
"Natsu. You will do no such thing. As for you four, explain yourselves before my patience wears thin." Rias commanded with a firm statement. Crossing her arms beneath her bust, she glared at the four in turn.
"Okay… so Natsu, we aren't the friends you know from your world. You're not our Natsu, and I'm not your Erza."
"But… didn't you come to take me home?"
"No. We're actually stranded in the multiverse. We shift from world to world with no destination… no idea where we end up. That's why we were chasing the blonde girl. We had to make sure she wasn't a threat… because trust me, there are some really… really fucking scary things out there… things you will never unsee." The soldier stated, her eyes becoming distant for several seconds.
"How did that happen?" Akeno asked Erza. Rubbing her tired eyes, Scarlet ran an exhausted hand through her crimson locks. Sitting down on a nearby chair, her buttocks sank into the cushion before she looked back at Akeno.
"It's a very long story… and all of it is true. Some of the things I've done… made me a monster that slays evil without mercy… but innocents have perished as well. Far too many…" Taking a deep breath, Erza sat up straight. "It all started when myself, Mira, Happy and Natsu took an S-class job when we were fourteen…"
The audience listened for hours as the sun slowly set outside in the world beyond. Their faces and demeanors going from confused and annoyed to shame… horror… disbelief… heartbreak as the four weaved a tale of hardship and blood, war and genocide, that was frankly unfathomable in their minds. Worlds burned under orbital fire… slavery and rape, cannibalism and suffering that was unseen in their lives. Battles and wars that would see thousands die in single days and monsters that the mind refused to believe… they heard it all.
"Levy… you… you had to fire on your own planet? Just for the chance to stop these locust? And Laki… Jet and Droy… Alzack…" Natsu asked softly, his face a flow of tears.
"Are fucking dead. They didn't survive the battles with the horde, but we have. Among us four, Erza has faced the locust the most. They are evil incarnate, Natsu. Do you think Acnologia is bad? Or some shitty dark mage trying to rape or cast some little bitch spell? I helped kill Acnologia with nuclear fire… because he was an annoyance. The Levy I used to be? She's dead. I strive for strength. I'll kill all my fucking enemies. I drink and spew madness! FUCK! I NEED TO DRINK! RETELLING ALL THIS SHIT PISSES ME OFF!" Levy screamed as she punched the wall, her ire growing as Mira looked at the said man.
The woman punched the wall again, cracking some plaster as her large breasts bounced against her shirt. Luckily, the damage could be quickly fixed, "Levy estimates there may be only twelve million left on our Earthland… and we have no way home just like you. The only silver lining is the four of us are together and that our other allies in the multiverse will probably have noticed now"
"And then there was an accident when you tried to go with your own Natsu to… Sera to fight the lambent?" Rias asked the women before her as her skin crawled from the horrid tale.
"Yup. And those things are even worse than the locust"
"H…how? I mean… these monsters kill pregnant women… butcher whole cities?" One of the women of the Peerage asked with a sniffle. Just because she was a devil doesn't mean she wasn't cold to suffering on a global scale.
"The lambent are parasites. If any of you got infected with it, you would mutate into one of them and try to kill anybody around you to spread it. Whatever made you a person dies… and you join their ranks as a mindless husk that was once a human"
"Trust me… I've seen a Corpser go full lambent. Sam and Dragneel collapsed a whole mountain to kill it. By the COG, I'm tired…" The redhead lamented as she yawned. "And here we are sharing fucking stories like a bunch of bitches" Erza said as she lifted herself from the chair, "Believe us or not, but in about four days, we will shift away and end up who knows where in the multiverse. Until then, I plan to relax and not have to worry about walking corpses… and rapists or skinless rabbits firing laser eyes at me"
"I'm using your couch. Natsu, you can tell us how you got here if you want, but I'm sleeping." Kagura informed the room of women as she took a couch and splayed across it. Closing her eyes, sleep quickly took her as Mira did the same nearby.
"We… will be less of a pain tomorrow. The past twenty-four hours have been… bloody and stressful. And for what it's worth Asia, sorry for… you know… the threats" Curling up on a couch, Mira was fast asleep in moments as Akeno and Rias looked at the four slowly falling asleep around the common room.
"Uhh… well… I guess they can sleep here until they leave in a few days…" Rias whispered in distress.
"Subterranean monsters? A world of sex slavery and rape? Genocide and ten-mile long worms? How are they even sane? And their Natsu… sounds like quite the king. I would hate to see that one angry" Taking a side glance to the man she had learned to trust, Rias saw the distress across his face as Happy sniffled with large beads of tears.
"Would you go to those lengths to protect? To make the horrible choices that affect worlds? Could you reach that level of strength… for me?"
"Man Natsu… I'm so sorry to hear that, but… how the hell did your double get eleven girlfriends?" Issei sneaked the inappropriate remark without remorse. Yes, he knew it was bad timing, and he could obviously have worked on the delivery, but maybe, just maybe this could lighten the heavy room. If not, then he was dead- plain and simple.
"That's what you're worried about!? They lost friends and family, Issei! You think I care about how that other Natsu is dating Bisca and Juvia!? He's buried family and your thinking like a dumb ass!? This other Earthland didn't deserve to be invaded by monsters that kill children, you idiot!" The fire mage roared with dripping anger. The gall of Issei to complain about a harem after that made him almost see red.
"Okay, okay I get it. I didn't mean for it to come out like that, I just wanted to… I don't know, make you feel less bad?" Issei trembled and tread with caution after Natsu's outburst. In the end, as he predicted, he was dead. Now, there's no way for him to know if he completely ruined their relationship but he could take a hint.
"Silence! Miss Levy is sleeping!" Normal face shouted from the foot of the chair the scientist was sleeping on. She stirred, somehow not waking from her slumber as she mumbled.
"Note to self…build a Natsu harem here…and find a different Rias for Dragneel…to fuck…" Turning over, her chest rose and fell as Erza mumbled in her sleep nearby.
"Shower…with Natsu…breast massage…"
After listening in on their dismantled thoughts, Natsu sighed and closed his eyes, collecting his own scrambled thoughts and turned to Issei with wide eyes, "You know, I shouldn't have done that. Honestly, I would have cracked my hand against your skull if that watermelon didn't tell us to shut it. I guess if I wasn't already filled with such… potent emotions I would've seen your intentions better. Issei, I'm-"
"Nope, no no no, I'm gonna say it first. I'm sorry, Natsu for being a dumbass." Issei promptly cut him off and stretched out his hand toward Natsu with a stupid grin on his face. Natsu did the same and the two shook hands until Natsu decided to move on the topic of this other Dragneel.
"Actually, I still can't believe that Levy and this other Natsu from… uh… one thirty-seven C do all that… sex stuff… with ten other women? The monsters would be safer than dealing with them mad." Natsu shivered, just imagining Erza and Mira tugging war over him as they went back to a heated rivalry, "Oh crap! If I get home, will my Mira and Erza do the same!? I'll DIE!"
"Let's just pick this up tomorrow. Perhaps I can call my brother. He might be able to help with… this quantum absorption these four endured from that dimensional accident." Turning toward the doors, Rias, Akeno, Asia and all the others started to filter out and left the war-torn travelers alone for the night…
Hyoudou Residence 2:19 a.m.
Natsu stared at the ceiling above him as the moonlight shone through the open window of the second floor. Listening to the soft breeze waft through the opening on his left, the slayer looked at Happy sleeping in his own little bed near the desk. The cat was sound asleep, snoring lightly with dreams of fish and… more fish in his mind's eye.
"Damn… that was a really awful story… they… don't deserve that kind of life. Erza and Mira… and Levy should be with the ones they love and their friends, not doing that… quanto stuff. They might never get home like me"
Clenching his fist, the Dragonslayer made a promise to help them during their stay, despite how brief it was. But then another horrifying thought entered his mind. "Ah! I hope they don't try all that kissy stuff again! Rias looked really mad! But then… Erza and Mira are almost like her and Akeno! It's like having twins of both! …Maybe I should hide out with Zechs? Yeah, I'd be safe there…"
Closing his eyes, the man finally fell asleep minutes later, unaware of the trouble in store for his morning.
Levy woke with a start and gasp, her mind filled with oceans of blood, screaming and fire. Sadly, it was typical now as she rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock on the nearby wall. It was almost three, but the nightmares… were pretty bad this time. Sighing, she rose from the piece of furniture as Normal Face stood sentinel by the door.
"Miss Levy. I'm standing guard against the pervert"
"Eh… I'm not too worried about him," Adjusting her breasts in her bra, she studied them for a moment before looking back at her sleeping friends, "They're in slumber… that's good for me."
"N.F? Was that Natsu interested in my body? Because I could really… really go for some dragon meat right now." She asked the creature as she thought of doing… very sexual things with the fire mage.
"He was Miss Levy. I'm positive about his desires. However, I am unsure about his willingness to take action." The watermelon was, in fact, very accurate on this matter.
"Can you help me find him? I obviously need to teach him sex first before the others if he's to get a harem. Plus, he was practically begging me to fuck him during storytime" McGarden smiled as she imagined him worshipping her female body and curves while Erza and the others looked on from behind the couch with fear…. and some sort of pink elephant shooting cherry wine from its trunk. Gumballs floated with neon words in mid-air, their circular forms transforming into squares as the moon sang outside. This was very, very wrong from what actually happened.
"Yeah. These bimbos don't even know how to seduce a man" Giving a light cackle at her madness, Levy slipped on some shoes and moved toward the door with the watermelon in tow.
Erza and Mira woke just as the door clicked shut, their eyes narrowing at the deceit their friend was planning. They had heard the whole thing, waking moments after Levy from the sense of movement in the finely decorated room of the club building.
"Mira… we can't let her win. If anything, the two of us should be the ones getting sex from this Natsu"
"We'll decide who goes first later" Strauss agreed as they both found some shoes and left Kagura sleeping alone by herself.
Levy and Normal-face weaved along the deserted streets, slinking along in silence as the woman promised to make the male hers. "It's not even cheating since it's technically Natsu. And dammit! I really… really need to get laid! It's been almost a year! I have needs dammit! But only Natsu… There is no way I'll ever screw Gajeel or… ugh… Romeo… I'd rather kill myself." A sigh left her lips, soft in the cool air as her companion sensed distress. Walking onto Issei's street, the two moved between streetlights.
"Is something wrong Miss Levy?"
"No… just thinking how great it would be if every universe had no Romeo Conbolt. That monster has raped too many women in too many universes to be trusted"
"I will assist your goal, creator!"
"Shh! We're here" Levy scolded as she eyed an open window on the second floor.
"He is there." the watermelon pointed as the woman eyed a pathway to climb from the garage to the dragon lair.
"Good. Guard the exterior home until morning."
"Rage melon!" Running off, it chased some squirrels that had infiltrated the yard as Levy started to climb onto the garage… unaware of her two pursuers who were eyeing with scrutiny.
Climbing into the open window a minute later, Levy smirked at the sleeping man splayed out on his bed. Snoring lightly, the woman licked her lips at his washboard abs. Sure… he didn't have the patchwork of battle scars, but… she eyed the bulge in his pants.
"That looks tasty… but he's sleeping… I know. I'll surprise him with morning sex!" Snapping her fingers, Levy quickly stripped down to some cute, blue panties and a sports bra that restrained the C-cups from flying free. Easing herself onto the bed, she crawled like a cat before nuzzling into the man's left flank near the wall.
"Yeah! I'll make sure… he's… taken… care… of." Levy fell back asleep, the natural warmth of Natsu easing her tormented mind and soul as his heartbeat thudded and warmed her own. Smiling in slumber, she didn't sense Mira and Erza climbing into the window as well.
"THAT LITTLE BITCH! She thinks she can muscle in on my territory!" The two rivals thought as the duo started leaving a pile of clothes on the floor. Pulling her favorite shirt over her head, Mira's large breasts shifted against the white bra as the moonlight hit them just right. The same could be seen of Erza's own globes, the flesh pulling in the glow of night as both approached the bed.
Erza curled up next to his chest on the right, resting her head on his shoulder as Mira draped herself over his stomach and abdominals. Both sighed… feeling the cold fear of nightmares and horrific enemies melt away in Natsu's presence as they both vowed to have sex with him in the morning with small, relaxed smiles on their beautiful faces.
That morning: 9:43 a.m.
"What the hell is taking that Pyro so long to wake up? I thought he would be doing his morning training or something?" Issei asked Rias and Akeno who stood outside Natsu's bedroom door.
"I'm sure he was just overwhelmed from yesterday. After all, it's not every day you meet some soldier versions of your childhood friends that fight subterranean monsters and other evils." Akeno thoroughly reminded him, reassuring the young man as Rias gave a light 'humph'.
"I don't like that Erza woman. She's a bad influence on Natsu. He needs a good girlfriend… not that… hussy with red hair."
"You basically described yourself…" Issei made sure to say that at the lowest possible volume. Not again will he face the wrath of one of his comrades.
"No matter. He needs to start the day." Rias told her two friends as she opened the door and stepped in with Akeno… and stared in disbelief.
Natsu was spread out on the bed…. and tangled among the lithe and shapely bodies of Mira, Erza, and Levy as they slept soundly. Their legs were against his own… and their breasts pressing against his hard muscles. It was even worse since they were all in very… very enticing lingerie that showed far too much skin.
"Of course, Natsu… I'll lick it off..." Erza whispered warmly. Her dreams were lustful… full of heavy sex as her legs squirmed and pressed together near her dampening core.
"Oh Natsu… you got it all over my face…" Mira said in a sleepy tone as she dreamed of equally dirty things.
"Mmmm… harder…" Levy mumbled as she pressed harder against the still slumbering man.
Rias and Akeno's eyes twitched. A nightmare of crackling, female fury rising from them both as Issei quickly ran from the room for his life. 'If you have a guardian angel, he sure as hell hates you Natsu!'
"NATSU!" Both screamed out as their anger rose even higher and higher from the slumber of bodies before them…
The ringing that followed in his sensitive ears promptly caused him to jolt from his heavy slumber, but the oddly shifting weights around his body slightly hindered his movements. Already familiar with a sensation, Natsu braced himself as he stared down upon the lightly dressed women sleeping and tugging along the area below his chest. Their warmth was very inviting but their erotic positions gave off a very mature-rated warning, couple that with the death glares of both Rias and Akeno.
Wait a second.
'Oh no, this is not go-' "Natsu! How could you! I know they're your friends and that you've missed them but this is excessive! Did you get tempted by that scarlet witch!" Rias yelled in an accusatory tone, muttering, "I bet you did," under her breath. Now, Natsu has been in many situations like this in the past, probably too many to count, and in each one no matter what he tried, there was no way out. Pleading that he wasn't guilty just never makes the cut. However, the most uncanny timing of cognitive arousal awoke one of the death angels from their sleep.
Unfortunately for all of them, it just so happened to be Erza who woke up, rising to the sound of Rias calling her a Scarlet witch. Name-calling was not one of the things she enjoyed most about living, but one she's become most accustomed to receiving and delivering.
"You wanna repeat that again, pompous slut." Erza never liked getting up early, and considering her past few days, sleeping in until 5 pm felt like a great idea, but now she had to wake up at such an early hour, and in such a bad mood too, caused her limits to reach maximum bitchiness. If that's what you could call it.
"Hmph, I'm certain I never stutter, but if you need me to speak louder for that thick skull of yours, gladly," Rias's voice held such strong malice that Natsu could have mistaken the direction of her insults for Azazel! Like a wise man, he would love to bolt out of this room to go for a long morning run, but the weight of both the Fairy Tail women and the surrounding atmosphere prevented him from doing so. Obviously, something big was going to go down, but not one cell in his body wanted to be there for the showdown- behind a steel door with a video camera, maybe.
"Oh ho, you really want to play it like that, huh?" Erza crept from her spot in the bed and trampled over her comrades causing them to wake up in the same terrible mood. She ignored their weak cries of pain and headed to face the other red-head toe to toe. She stood tall with her muscular body, wearing her ragged skin-tight t-shirt and pinching booty shorts against Rias' more defined outfit with long black jeans, topped with a frilly light green shirt and purple heels.
"Hey, guys, this is so unnecessary. Later on, you're both gonna be best friends and laughing talking about how silly this fight was- I mean, come on! This is funny right?" Natsu did his best to deescalate the situation but it seemed the hot-headed red-heads weren't going to take any of it.
"Shut it Natsu, this doesn't concern you," They said plainly, "This… ginger, thinks she can outdo me?" They stopped and gasped at each other, "You did it again. Stop copying me!"
"This is gonna go nowhere. Same with me apparently." Natsu said this as he had Mira gripping his arms and Levy straddling his legs. Before, they woke up due to Erza's violet moving, but now it seems they wanted to go back to sleep, however, this time he was truly going to be a body pillow.
"Ah, just ignore her, Natsu, Erza'll get over herself," Mira said with a satisfied sigh, "If not, I guess the house will be destroyed then. Oh well." Still egging on with the completely relaxed facial expression, Mira laid her head down on Natsu's broad shoulders, 'I'm glad the Natsu's stay like Natsu.'
"Yeah, that crazy woman really has a temper. But I guess I shouldn't be saying anything," Levy giggled against Natsu's chest, rubbing her nose down the middle, "Man, I really needed to smell you again."
"And, that's it for me. Can't do this anymore!" Natsu heavily pushed Levy off of him and then Mira, gasping and sweating from the intimate contact.
"Hmm, your little buddy begs to differ..." Levy hummed with her eyes leading down south to the bulge in his shorts.
"OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Natsu jumped off the bed and landed with a huge thud on the floor. He tucked and rolling off as he quickly stood up and stared at the situation from the corner of the room. Erza and Rias stopped their bickering and Levy and Mira stared at him with slight disappointment. Thinking this is a perfect time, Natsu decided to speak, "Listen, I'm just gonna say it- this is hella weird. Like, I thought Gray was the epitome of weirdness and Issei comes to a very close second, but this is some crazy bullshit."
"Ha, welcome to our world, 24/7." Mira scoffed slightly.
"Just hear me out. I know that you guys have been through a lot, way more than I could ever understand and or go through myself, but I want you guys to know that I'm still part of Fairy Tail and I'll do anything for my family. But the relationship you guys have with the other me, well… it's just not me. It doesn't feel right to have you guys when it's a situation like this. It's not normal- or morally okay with me! And Rias, I know what you must think of them, but you shouldn't try to assert yourself predominately in every situation. This one wasn't one of them. And Erza, you think that I shouldn't have to live with such a bossy girl either and that I deserve better, but- I hate to say it- you're the same way. Plus, the Princess cared for me in ways I could never repay her and her family for. Ya get it?"
Silence and blank stares, that's what he got for more than half a minute. Everyone turned their eyes down as if trying to process what he just said but the outcome wasn't what he hoped.
"You call her Princess?"
"This is definitely not normal."
"You think I'm bossy!"
"You're saying that you would have sex with us, but at a different time, right?"
"I am not the same as her!"
"What! Seriously!? That's what you got from my little speech!? And after all the thought I put in it! I've been planning to say this since last night." Natsu sorrowed after hearing the jumbled replies from his friends, a whiny tone accompanying his words. The girls in the room all laughed after hearing Natsu sulk in the corner, watching his pouting face with a sense of glee, "What's so funny, huh?"
"No, no, it's okay Natsu, we get it. I completely understand what you want me to do." Rias replied first, resting a small smile on her lips.
"Yeah, we get what you want" Erza answered as well.
"Absolutely." Mira agreed.
"Pretty much just said no sex, after that, I kinda zoned out."
"Levy! Respect Natsu's feelings!" Erza reprimanded. She glared harshly at Levy for disregarding his heartfelt speech and didn't stop until the blue-haired maniac finally succumbed to her intensity.
"Alright, alright!" She turned back to Natsu, "I'm sorry for that, I guess. I get where you're coming from. But don't take that seriously, I only said it cause this bitch made me."
"Levy!"
"Okay, fine!" She conceded bitterly.
Meanwhile, during the ruckus upstairs, Issei and Asia sat back on the couch listening to the rambling of Rias and the other women with Akeno seldom taking part. Although it appeared that relations between the two groups were mediated to a tolerable point, the atmosphere was still too tense for the two devils to go upstairs; neither one of them wanted to be berated by those vicious women. The morning was still early and the sun barely rose to its peak, so the group had time to spare- doing whatever it is Rias had planned for today. For that reason, Issei and Asia would let the bickering continue.
Finally, after an hour of hustling and fighting, Natsu and his otherworldly friends got ready to head out into the normal world. Before that, however, Akeno pointed out that they still needed more clothes if they wanted to leave the house, realizing they had only given them bed sheets at the clubhouse. But Erza, being the overly prepared and overbearing leader she was, lessened their worries by requiping outfits for all her comrades from the wrist mounted device on her left arm. Their clothes were simple- and less revealing- only being a plain t-shirt with solid colors and jean shorts not really meant for fighting. Obviously, this soldier thought ahead, but for reasons unknown.
Now, the Saturday morning could begin, allowing Rias to follow through with her plans. She called together the devils of her peerage that lived in the Hyoudou residence and had the Fairy Tail group tail behind her. Reluctantly, though, Erza reeled in her pride and accepted the help of that vile wretch with eerily the same hair color as hers. But no! She will accept her help but not this reality! Their hair colors were not the same! Far from it! If you paid close attention to each strand in high resolution, it can easily be deduced that, although they were both a relative to red, Erza's was Scarlet- as per her namesake- and Rias' was crimson!
'No doubt in my mind...' She told herself. The group took their time walking toward the school grounds on the weekend, with Mirajane asking if that was permissible. Natsu answered with a goofy grin and replied, "Does it matter? We do it all the time!" Rias ejected, correcting his reckless answer and truthfully spoke that their club had special treatment due to her and Akeno's rank in the school system.
"Wow, our ginger was right to call you a pompous bitch." Levy snickered with a high degree of mirth. It was obvious that she was still resentful about the incident in the room. Luckily, being taught to control her emotions at a young age, Rias was able to restrain herself along with some aid from Akeno's reassuring grip on her shoulder. For some reason she couldn't point out, Natsu and his friends had an uncanny ability to pluck at her deepest nerves. And even worse, they were currently meeting someone who did that the best… seeing as he is the best course of action in their predicament.
Happy was perched on Natsu's head and noticed Rias' discomfort while he walked next to her and decided against pointing out her current attitude. He deemed it best to not talk, knowing his big mouth could cause trouble. Unlike Natsu, he at least had some self-awareness.
NF, who was resting on Levy's shoulders like a small child's backpack, made the conclusion that the Devils of this world held a significant influence on its people and their prospects, and whispered this information into Levy's ears. Quickly, her face turned stern as a rock but just as fast turned back to normal. She knew for the most part that the people Natsu hung out with were pretty strong, but none of these bitch-ass teens could hold a candle to her team when they decided to work together. But what worried her was the other thing Normal face told her: apparently, during the whole time being here, he's been scanning this universe's quantum infrastructure and found that multiple other realms were coexisting at the same place and time, overlapping each other like a gyroscope.
This meant that somehow, there is a force strong enough to glue together completely different dimensions so close that it could be broken with a little magic and manipulation. She had to know how this was possible- her curiosity has never gotten herself killed, only the others who got in her way. Somehow, Levy needed to study this phenomenon as it could help her with finding out the bullshit that's been going on with her and her friends!
SNAP!
"Huh?" Levy looked around and scouted her field of vision until she saw another blue-haired girl with her hand in front of her face. She had a confused look on her face as if she was trying her hardest to probe her mind. 'Heh, good luck with that.'
"Hey, you alive in there?" She asked rhetorically. And that's when it hit her. If Levy recalled, this was the girl who slept through everything this morning like a damn log! If she could remember correctly, her name was Zon… Xan.. Sin..
"Yeah, I'm fine. Get your hand outta my face Xenovia!" At that moment, the group staggered to a stop and looked behind to watch Levy swat Xenovia's hand away. It was understandable why she did it, but her usual spunk seemed to be missing, although, this fact was only caught by her comrades.
"Uh, maybe you should have gotten a couple more minutes of sleep Levy," Natsu suggested, "You look zoned out."
"Shut it Natsu! I'm only pissed off cause you refused to have sex with me!" She hollered back, trying to disguise her previous blunder.
"Oh… really!? You denied her carnal pleasures, Natsu!?" Issei whipped toward his pink hair roommate. Natsu simply gave him an irritated glare and that quickly tamed his lust, "Yeah, I totally get why you refused her. Hehe, only makes sense not to have sex with a smoking hot girl."
"Oh, Issei-kun..." Asia sighed with disapproval.
"Wait, isn't Kagura still in the room you guys slept in?" Happy pointed out, realizing now was a great time to speak his mind. Really, he only noticed their missing member this instant, but he would never tell anyone he was in the same boat as them. He was Happy after all, "You three girls left her at the clubhouse!"
"Ara, Ara."
Once they stopped to eat at a family-owned breakfast diner and almost eating out the entire food supply, Natsu, Erza, Rias, Akeno, Mira, Levy, Issei, Asia, Xenovia, Happy, and the talking watermelon, Normal Face, eventually got to their desired destination with as few distractions as possible, which was surprising to all of them considering how they consistently treated each other the past dozen of hours. The urgency to get to Kagura quickly faded as soon as it came once Natsu's stomach growled, followed by Erza, Mira, and Levy. They denounced any concern for their fellow soldier making excuses such as, "She's fine by herself. She never wanted to come along anyway," or "Now she can ponder on whether or not she should join our Natsu's Harem." The last one was made by Erza, but who's asking?
Rias opened and locked the gates, back to their former position once everyone had gotten through and headed for the empty clubhouse located at the back of school grounds. The walk there was the most peaceful 3 minutes the group has ever experience since their meeting together, but the Fairy Tail troops were nonetheless on high alert. During their time at the diner, Levy covertly signaled to MJ and Erza to be cautious from that point on, and so, there they were, waiting for the undesirable to happen.
As they entered the empty halls of the buildings, Rias spoke up and gave her orders, "Listen, everyone, I'm going with Akeno back to the club room in order to get someone who'll be able to help us. For that, I want Issei and Asia to come with, and Natsu, you and Xenovia will lead our guests back to their room from last night to get their teammate. Once you all complete this I want us to meet in the back yard, Erza and her group will get their aide from there."
Just as Rias finished, she whipped her hair back and beckoned Issei and Asia to follow her along with Akeno. She steadily walked down the hall where her club room was located with loud clicks from her heels. The people left behind watched her leave, feeling a bit dumbfounded at her prickly attitude.
"Levy, what did you say this time?" Natsu asked accusingly turning to the petite woman.
"Seriously? I know that most of the disastrous stuff happens to be my fault, but this time it wasn't!" Levy boasted, trying to defend herself. 'Natsu's the only person who can make me feel guilty like this… it sucks.'
"Well, to be more accurate, it's approximately a chance of 83.65% that the problem is your fault, miss Levy," NF informed the group as Mira and Xenovia could be seen laughing at his monotone answer.
"Haha, wow, this Levy is more destructive than Natsu is! How much training did you have to do to beat that record, huh?" Happy snickered on top of Natsu's head, laughing along with him.
"Way to throw me under the bus, Watermelon."
"Your sarcasm means a great deal of nothing to me, Master. I feast on evil souls after all."
That's when Xenovia finally realized their objective, "Hey, Natsu, we should start heading toward where they left, uh… what's her name?" She tilted her head, trying her best to remember the last girl's name but to no avail.
"Kagura! That's right! Man, she should really get more of a personality- how many times did we forget about her?" Natsu rhetorically asked as he began his trip down the opposite hall.
"Three times, pseudo master Natsu," NF said again.
"Ya know, maybe I should deactivate your vocal communications for now."
"That seems like a terrific idea, Levy." Erza commented on the side, following Natsu to their next destination.
"Why do you even have him, Levy? It seems like a portable headache for me." Happy remarked with a shining gleam in his eyes.
"He's great at killing. Plus, he can perform a limit break and give me a battle meat suit"
The strangeness of the statement left the group in silence for the rest of the way.
The walk to the room Kagura was supposed to be in was quick and swift, luckily garnering no quips or remarks from neither Happy nor Normal Face. The trip was an unexpected straight path from the entrance hall to the third-floor room with the only twists and turns residing on the staircases. Mira watched intently while Natsu was talking to the busty blue-haired Devil she came to know as Xenovia, staring with slight envy at how he flashed her his signature grin with no reserve. It became apparent to all the Fairy Tail girls that Natsu had developed a somewhat heavy bond to the people in this universe, and that this Natsu was most similar to their own before the dastardly event that changed their lives for the worst.
Mira, in all honesty, didn't want to go through with all of these procedures Rias wanted- all she wanted was to hang out with this version of Natsu until the time came that they warped away and she could tell the same went for Erza, however, Levy had her head in the clouds, probably thinking about way more sensual topics. But none of them could get their wish if these flock of women didn't let go of him! She knew by now- as he expressed earlier- that Natsu would never touch them inappropriately because, in his mind, he would be helping them cheat on his other self and undermind his own worth as their friend. But no! That's not it at all!
Their Natsu would surely understand what they were going through and allow this type of… polygamy. They've done it before with no repercussions because having sex with different Natsu's was still having sex with Natsu! But alas, their woes could not be soothed by his strong and gentle touch as long as Rias still kept him as a lap dog. Nevertheless, despite all the drama, she did enjoy the peace of this modern world. I mean, yes, there are strange supernatural works rummaging throughout the underbelly of society's composition, but what kind of universe doesn't have its flaws.
Mira was brought back from her monologue when she heard a loud knocking coming from in front of her. Natsu had raised his hand and banged his knuckles against the wooden frame as a warning of entry. He did one last check by calling out Kagura's name from behind the closed doors but still, no response came. Feeling a bit distraught at his friend's lack of presence, Natsu finally decided to open the door, slowly but surely creeping the hinges so that his field of vision increased by the second, however, Levy got fed up with his cautionary movements and slammed the doors open with a loud bang!
Not too grateful toward the petite girl's manners, he felt a bit off barging in her privacy when he never really knew her that well, in his own or any world for that matter. If it was Lucy, he would've kicked the door down, no second thoughts or regrets, like really would've destroyed that thing with a little fire added to spice things up just to make her mad, but this invasion of Kagura's personal space was nothing like that, as she always closed herself off due to her revenge scheme against Jellal.
"Yo! Mrs. Uptight Anal! We've come to get you!" Levy announced as loudly as she could, dropping NF on the floor while she headed toward the coach.
"Really, Levy? Do you always have to tease her?" Erza asked rhetorically, sighing as she sat down next to her while Mira did the same.
"No matter how much her attitude contradicts yours, some of the remarks- although very funny-"
"Thank you"
"Are often uncalled for." Mira lifted her legs and rested them on the stagnant coffee table, looking at NF whose eyes stopped blinking a while ago, "Hey, watermelon, you find anything yet? Is she here?"
"Hmm, yes she is. Right there, in fact." Normal Face pointed out after his scan shut down, pointing toward the back of the room. Everyone's eyes moved to the corner that was being shown and there indeed was Kagura sitting neatly with a new set of clothes and a cup of tea.
Natsu and Xenovia stared in confusion while the other girls had to turn around in their seats to look behind, baffled at the behavior of their partner.
"Kagura!" Happy cried, "Why didn't you answer when we were calling you!? That's freaky!"
"Oh, it's a simple reason, really," She took a sip of her steaming tea and closed her eyes in concentration, "After I realized you all left me, probably for that man right there," She pointed at Natsu, "I decided not to approach any of you for a single day, seeing as leaving me alone was just an afterthought."
"Well, that's the pettiest shit I've ever heard!" Mira yelled at her with annoyance clearly lining her face.
"What the hell, Kagura!?" Natsu yelled back with furrowed brows, "Are you always this selfish!?"
"No, you got it wrong Natsu, she's not selfish, just acting like a crazy bitch!" Levy lashed out as well.
"Hmm, your comments ring deaf to me, I won't even listen to you. Erza?" Kagura stated while standing up, putting her tea down on the counter next to her and walking toward the couch her partners were yelling on.
Erza, who strangely stayed quiet, merely looked at her numbly, clearly not acknowledging Kagura's position, "Listen, your little temper tantrum won't get any of us anywhere. So what if we left you? You could have come if you decided to join the harem"
Kagura's blush could be seen from across the room, which it was considering Xenovia was watching from the back. Her face lit up like a flaming cherry and her muscles frowned at an angle unimaginable. "I can't believe you're gonna equate leaving me, with an invitation to Natsu's harem! Despicable!"
"Okay, okay, I get. If you just accept your feelings for him right now, I'll let you in on a threesome with me and him." Erza stated with absolutely no change in tone. At this point, both Natsu and Xenovia were feeling a bit disturbed by this conversation.
"Ya know, maybe this can be resolved later. Let's head outside now to meet up with the President. Is that fine with you guys?" Xenovia, trying her best to weasel her way out of this confrontation, introduced another more viable path for the group the tread upon. Luckily everyone, especially Kagura, got on board with it really quickly and made a point to leave this room before things could escalate any further.
Natsu and Xenovia once again led the group down the hall this time accompanied by a fuming Kagura. The quartet of girls continued to argue with each other over trivial matters as they walked down the hall, with the second trip not being as peaceful as the first. Due to them being so aggressive and overly dominant, Xenovia unconsciously walked closer side-by-side with Natsu slightly worried something terrible was going to go down if she interrupted their quarrel, but Natsu reassured nothing was going to happen to her. He smiled as he looked behind him, watching his friends bickering over nonsense, glad that despite the terrible things they've gone through that the spirit of Fairy Tail could still survive.
Somehow, by using his uncharacteristically cheerful charm, Happy stopped the females from choking each other out by quickly reasoning with each of them and eventually ended up being cradled in Mira's arms while he purred with satisfaction. Even Natsu, who was used to seeing Happy instigate fights, was shocked by his skilled sweet-talking and lightly glared at his partner, "I swear, you did not learn that from me. Lisanna..." He whispered to himself disgruntled.
The trip to the backyard was longer than it was to Kagura's room, seeing as they were on the third story in the front of the building, and they had to walk down to the back. Luckily, Natsu's nose and NF's scanners found the shortest pathway to their destination as he had smelled Rias already waiting where they were headed with somebody else's scent he recognized. It smelled like an old person with expensive alcohol, fermented candles and a pinch of dastardly intent.
Wait…
Finally, they made it to the doors leading outside as Natsu rushed to swing them open, revealing the guest Rias brought to help them with their situation. It was none other than…
"Freaking Azazel! Holy crap, why didn't I think of that!" Natsu thought out loud, screaming to himself as he slammed his hands against his head. No wonder Rias looked so flustered about heading here! He recalled when Happy notified him about her weird demeanor while walking here as he took note of it too, but now it all makes sense! Rias has always had a strong distaste for the eccentric Fallen Angel and constantly tried her best to stay poised when facing this man, but his unrivaled skill at making her lose her cool was like no one else's.
"Ah, Natsu, I'm glad you made it on time. I was worried those girls would keep you to themselves," Rias said, nodding to acknowledge the Fairy Tail soldiers, "And I suspect that you and Happy had a role to play as well, Xenovia."
"I mean, not really-" Xenovia was cut off abruptly by the blue furball who flew out of Mira's arms and into the air.
"Of course, Rias. It was my cunning that got us here without those guys destroying the place!" He said with glee.
"Hey! Watch your damn mouth, Happy! You're just lucky I listened to you 'cause I appreciate your humor, nothing more!" Levy yelled back at him, threatening to launch Normal Face at his round body. Happy only dismissed her threat as playful remarks and continued to soar in circles above everybody.
"So, this is the person you think can help us? With all due respect, we never asked for any in the first place, you just brought us here without our permission." Erza walked forward in order to get a better study of the man Rias brought. With her hands on her hips, she pouted with obvious disappointment at his lame stature.
"What makes you think we need help anyway?" Mira asked with just as much sass, "We have our own resident genius right here." Levy perked up with pride as her chest was slightly puffed out.
"Hells yeah, I am." She boasted.
"Hold on guys, let's listen to what they have to say," Kagura walked up to where Erza remained standing and stood in front of the tacky man in baggy PJ's and a robe, holding out a hand with earnest intentions, "Hello sir, pardon my friends, but we're just a little anxious since coming here. My name's Kagura. The person next to me is Erza, the one in the back with blue hair is Levy, and the white one is MiraJane. Pleased to meet you."
Azazel smirked at her actions with his eyes glossing up and down her body before finally holding out his hand for a shake, "Nice to meet you too. I'm Azazel. Unlike the people you've met before, I'm not a Devil but a Fallen Angel- a different kind of creature you can say."
The tensions between this meeting were tough and raw, as clearly the majority of Kagura's group did not enjoy the presence of Azazel anymore than Rias, but she was trying her hardest to gain the trust of the people around her, 'The last thing we need is a death battle with these guys. If we can somehow not get this Azazel guy to not hate our guts, then we might have a chance of leaving here without becoming live targets.'
The handshake broke and she took a step back next to Erza while the older man continued his slow gaze over their bodies. Issei noticed the strange vibe Azazel was giving off, although he couldn't recognize this behavior ever coming from him before. It was as if Azazel was actually taking in the situation with care and not bombastically causing the erratic uproar he loves so much. But still, his staring was starting to become uncomfortable for everyone there, even though his gaze laid elsewhere beside him.
"Freaking creep! Keep the wandering eyes to yourself!" Levy screamed feeling agitated toward his questionable actions. She stomped over to him with anger clearly seeping through her pores while Mira slowly followed from behind, but she was stopped by a signal given from Erza, who had a deadly serious aura excreting from her body.
"Stop it, Levy. This man… he's studying us. Even if you provoke him, he probably won't stop looking at us like a piece of meat." She growled in from of him, her back straightened and her eyes fixated on Azazel's movements.
"Well, well, we got ourselves a really peculiar bunch don't we?" Azazel spoke as he turned back to face Rias, "You were right to call me over here. I was gonna come in a few days anyway, but this is so worth it."
Mira took this time to walk straight for Rias's path, ominously staring her down with her fist glowing a dark purple, "You guys are really unlucky there's magic in this universe. Most of the other ones we've been to had jack shit, so we had to rely on our weapons to fight, but here… we can let loose and kill a whole lot of people before we leave. So, why don't you go on and tell us what this dumbass is here for again, huh?"
Unfortunately for them, Mira was serious about that threat and both Natsu and Happy recognized that fact. They already knew from their origin story that their group had been through a lot of horrible encounters, the majority too despicable to describe, so this response is normal for them when they don't get something they want. And thanks to Azazel's innate charm for making people dislike him, this reaction was a given. Xenovia, who was still by his side, unconsciously clutched his arm tightly undoubtedly daunted by the menacing opposition Mira presented.
It was then that Natsu saw the rest of his Devil friends start to shake uncontrollably under the menacing pressure Mira gave off, but there was one who resisted the most against their fear, "Listen, I understand that you discern Azazel's methods as threatening and alarming because certainly, I do too. But let me reassure you, just as you have your resident genius, he happens to be our own. Unfortunately, I could not think of anyone else to bring over in such a short amount of time, so I apologize at this rash decision." Rias, who stood composed as ever, was secretly sweating a puddle in her heels. She did not shake like the others, she did not cower and she did not falter, for she needed to be a strong pillar of hope for her Peerage. If she fell to their threats, then how could any of them fight back against the obscene bully tactics being shown. Of course, she was still scared beyond words, she conceded that this group's strength was one not to be trifled with.
Everyone now had their eyes directly on Rias, and now waited on Mira's next move. She stood in place, statue-like, staring at Rias with furrowed brows, but that soon collapsed along with the intimidating aura that surrounded her. Surprisingly, she backed away from her and crossed her arms with a large smile. Mirajane has heard all she needed to hear and saw everything she needed to see.
"Hm, ya know what Rias, I guess we can get along after all," She began laughing hardily, bending over and covering her mouth in order to stifle her loud convulsions, "But you should have seen the way you looked at me! I knew you were scared but I didn't think you'd risk your life over this! That's one tough bitch!"
"Hey, MJ! That was a risky move, you dumbass! What if she took that provocation as a means to use deadly force!? What would you have done then!?" Kagura spouted with enough rage to erupt a volcano.
"I don't know- kill 'em I guess. Does it matter though?" She replied, slowly coming down from her high. Then she paused in mid-step. "Wait…that's probably extreme. After all, it's not like they're cannibals or anything…" Looking back at Rias, Mira gave a thumbs up. "I would beat you all badly! Then make Natsu give me a back massage!"
"I'm gonna just ignore all of that. That seems logical of her to say that though…" Issei fell to the ground from exhaustion and started wiping the sweat that built up off his face.
"Y-yeah, Issei, I'll do that too." Asia, already on her knees, concurred and fell on her back, clasping her hands and murmuring to herself in prayer, "Oh Lord, please don't make this my time to leave."
"Anyway, everything's fine, she passed 'the test'," Mira said walking back to her group and staring face front toward Azazel, "We can trust this guy."
"Okay, I know that now, but why didn't you just do it to him?" Kagura sighed tiredly, exaggerating her point to stress her case.
"Do you really think I'm that blind? This guy's strong- pretty strong actually- my instincts told me."
"Why thank you, madame. I'm glad my strength could be recognized by someone like you," Slyly, Azazel bowed in appreciation toward her remark and straightened up to look over the group. He saw Natsu and Xenvoia finally walking toward him and beckoned Happy and the watermelon to join as well, "Now, let's get down to business, hm? To summarize what Rias told me, you four, or five, are from a different universe that is similar to the one Natsu came from and in your time, you developed technology that lets you travel across those universes, but something happened in a battle and now you're drifting from place to place with no way to control it thanks to an unknown force causing you to warp. Did I get it?"
The four girls look at each other for a while before Erza spoke, "Uh, yeah, pretty much."
"Awesome! You have no idea how much I've wanted to have more specimen's! I've been studying Natsu here ever since I got wind of his circumstance, and now, this unknown force has brought me more!" Azazel was ecstatic at this revelation, evidently more excited than anyone there ever was.
"Hey, we're not gonna be your lab rats! I'm the only one who gets to decide that!" Levy yelled from the back, jumping up and down to get the taller man's attention, "You hear me! I'll be the one experimenting on you! Freaking pervert!"
"Wait, you've been what?" Natsu asked, but his question was lost in the ruckus.
"Okay, I get it, Levy. Somehow, we'll come to a compromise. But for now, I'd like to see this device of yours." He said while waving his hand in order to dismiss her obvious anger. Right now, he needed to get answers, not inciting reactions- that's a scientist's job after all. Reluctantly, Levy called out to Normal Face asking for the "IVD" that he's been storing somewhere in his watery contents. Suddenly, he walked forward, past the front of the group and stood in front of Azazel as he looked on completely puzzled by the fruit's behavior. It was then that NF started gagging and making disturbing noises and facial expressions that caused the others to grimace in response until he finally upchucked a piece of metal right into Azazel's hand.
"Ew," he stated, wiping off the juices that came with it. He examined it and thoroughly combed through the device's structure and commented on how well compacted and sleek it was, "Levy, was it? You're the expert here, so I'd like you to tell me more about this when the time comes. But for now, I'd like to tell you my thesis."
"Your thesis? How the hell could you come up with one when you just looked at the outside of a device you barely understand?" Levy asked rudely, purposely throwing shade at his current circumstance. Everyone stayed quiet while they waited for his response until what came out was a genuine laugh.
"Hahaha! Wow, you really are something, aren't you? You take pride in your intellect and shame others on their lack of. I respect that," Azazel tossed the device down to NF and continued talking, "Well, you're right about one, thing: I do barely know how it works, but that's why I'd like to learn more. And to answer your question from before, despite my not knowing how exactly it works, I can understand the concept behind the design and the materials presented to me."
"Fine then, go on, smart guy."
"Of course! I was planning on doing that without your permission," He smiled while looking at her skeptical face, "From what I can tell, you use a compound not commonly found on Earth, in fact, most of it is man-made due to its unspeakably fast decay half-life. And because of its almost instantaneous decay, you found a way, by some means, to sustain it for long periods of time with something as simple as a charge from a household outlet. Now, that same material has special properties that allow it to mess with some laws of space-time and because it doesn't exist in abundance or longevity, its effects aren't felt unless acted upon. And Levy, I'm guessing that little noggin of your created a new theorem on the multiverse and used your innovations to make this device a reality, but of course, you had outside help… maybe from another universe as well?"
By now, Levy could explode into confetti by the amount of shaking in her boots with red hot anger flushing her face, staring daringly at the snarky homeless man, 'What… the... HELL! How the actual fuck! Did he figure that out!? He did not just use mind-reading on me, I know it! So what is it then!? Did he really find all that out by looking at for a few seconds?' "Okay, that was impressive, old man. But what does that have to do with your theory? What is it even about?"
"Well, the first part was mostly me just proving you wrong which I did wonderfully if I might add."
"Don't make me kill you..."
"And about my theory, well… I believe that whatever is inflicting you and this device are connected, obviously, but it's not a thing rather than a who," Seeing the confused faces of everyone there, he went on, "Let me explain. Somehow, someway, someone trying to keep you away from your own universe for reasons that are over my head, so I'm guessing something important is about to go down in your universe, correct? Then that 'void' I was told about? That sounds like something far more powerful than anything heaven or hell could accomplish. For all I know, this person wanted you to absorb massive amounts of quantum particles. As for why this person would do such a thing, your guess is as good as mine"
"So, to put it shortly, we're being sabotaged? Who the hell would have had the opportunity to do that?" Mira turned to her partners and discerned that they had as much as a clue as she did. Absolutely nothing.
"A normal person wouldn't. We volunteered on a spur of the moment back home to go to Sera with Natsu. Plus, the Magnolia Gate was under surveillance every moment of every day. It's impossible for an intruder to mess with it without somebody finding out" Levy stated with bluntness as her frustrated anger rose. "If somebody did cause this…I'm gonna fucking kill them"
"Whoever they are…they are extremely powerful. But the good news is, they seem to want your group to live. After all, your timing in certain realities seem very fortunate for the victims or to change the course of history"
"That's…kinda true. So far we have encountered those that need help. Planets are large, yet our group seemed to be where we needed to be…" Kagura thought out loud, her fingers stroking her chin in contemplation.
That's when Akeno spoke up, "So, Azazel-sama, what can you do to help them? Not to be rude, but that is the reason why we brought you here."
"Well, here's the short story kiddos- I've got nothing, notta, zip, zero ideas on how to fix this… unless some short blue-haired rage teen decided to fill me in on how it works" Azazel's selfish grin was now in full effect, causing Levy to burst out a colorful range of curses and plaguing vocabulary.
"You son of -" (The following has been censored due to the barbaric and inappropriate vivid imagery being described by the mad scientist) "Cock sucker!" Levy bellowed at the top of her lungs at full intensity. While she collected her breath, everyone in the vicinity wondered whether or not the entire neighborhood heard her vent.
"Yo, Levy, you okay?" Natsu cautiously approached her reaching out a hand to place on her shoulder. But just like swatting a bee, she whacked his arm away and turned toward Azazel with seemingly clear intentions to hurt him.
"Listen, Natsu, unless you're gonna bring me to bed, I suggest keeping your shit to yourself." She seethed out.
"Yes, ma'am!" Natsu saluted in fear while he dashed behind Erza and Rias in record time, "Protect me..." He whispered, still going through the motions.
Meanwhile, Levy approached the taller man and glared daggers at his soul, her menacing blue magic slowly becoming visible, "I am just about up to HERE, with your BS, mate! But you know what!? I'll work with you since you seem to know your shit, you absolute asshole! I swear, if you didn't make a compelling argument, I would have my damn WATERMELON shove itself UP YOUR ASS!"
"Great!" Azazel replied as he watched her stomp toward the nearest tree and punch it to the ground with brute force, yelling simultaneously while doing so. Everyone stared flabbergasted at what transpired between the two, still confused on whether or not she had taken up his offer, but due to the absurd interaction it doesn't seem like that'll be answered very soon.
Issei stepped up to the plate and headed to Kagura, the most level headed of the group, to ask, "Is she gonna be okay?" Not currently able to answer that question, Kagura shrugged her shoulders and watched with everyone else as Levy continued to plow down the nearby forest. A couple of minutes passed and a dozen trees fell until Erza finally called in and reeled Levy back from her blind rage while the bluenette was hesitant to comply, she did so after realizing the mess she made.
"Uh, I'm not gonna clean that up." She said as her way of apologizing.
"Yeah, yeah, we know." Mira slapped her back hard almost causing her to fall forward as she laughed once more, "Man, your tantrums can be riveting sometimes, ya know that?"
"Anyway," Akeno butted in, wanting to get down to business, "Have you truly acknowledged Azazel's help with your problem?"
"What? Yeah, whatever. He can help, I have a few questions for him myself anyway." Akeno sighed in relief after hearing that. Thankfully, the meeting she and Rias had set up wasn't a bust in the end. She turned to the President to also see her smile as the red-head walked to talk to Levy.
"Listen, I know how hard it can be to deal with that guy most of the time but trust me, he only teases the ones he likes the most. Natsu over here doesn't get it because he has the attitude and stubbornness of a child. At least there's one thing we can agree on, huh?" Rias spoke, trying her best to comfort Levy with the Fallen Angel's antics.
"Yeah, that guy needs a damn muzzle cause he talks so much."
"Agreed." Rias said.
"Second that!"
"Me too!"
"I actually think it's funny." MJ interrupted with her out of place remark.
"Hahahaha! Looks like everyone finally is getting along! I knew it was possible!" Natsu cheered with Happy, pulling him along in a circle, "I have a perfect idea! Let's sing-"
"No, no, no singing Natsu! Especially that song!" Rias exclaimed, pointing a finger at the man's lips.
"Aw," Happy whined, "But we haven't done it in a long time!"
"I said no!" Rias shot back. It was then that she noticed the curious faces of the Fairy Tail group and reluctantly decided to inform them about the "Dragon song" his father taught him as a child. Erza couldn't recall anything about hearing a "Dragon song" from their Natsu, so she'll have to ask once they somehow get home.
Watching the different groups mingle brought a little sunshine in Azazel's gray heart. He realized that they felt good being surrounded by all this comradery, and that's exactly why he wanted to destroy it, you know, for the laughs and giggles- his laughs and giggles.
"Alrighty now! I have something to propose!" He announced with great vigor, "I've been told that you soldiers are all very strong, so strong, in fact, that you can waste multiple armies with just the magic you already possess, am I correct?"
"That wouldn't be inaccurate," Erza said paying closer attention to his words. It was clear that he wanted something from them.
"Then, in that case, I would love to see how you scale compared to the different version of Natsu you all meet yesterday. Since he's been here so long, I have a great understanding of his limits and capabilities, so testing them on one of you would be a great exercise of prowess." Azazel clapped his hands together waiting for their response, but no ones were as fast as Natsu's.
"Yes! Yes! I'll do it, I'll definitely do it! I've been wanting to fight one of my guildmates for months!" Natsu yelled enthusiastically, "And I have just the person in mind!"
"Wait, why wouldn't you choose me, Azazel?" Issei questioned, hoping his inquiry would be answered.
"Well, the answer's simple, Issei," He smiled deviously, "Do you really want to fight people like them?"
Realizing where he was going with this, Issei backed down and steadily lowered his stance, "Ha, yeah, you make a good point. I don't really feel like dying right now," Issei walked to Natsu who was still jumping with excitement and put a hand on his shoulder with a look of intensity he had never given before, "I just have one thing to ask of you, Natsu," He said into his ear, "Don't you dare become crippled."
"Hey! What makes you think I'm that unreliable!?" He turned toward Issei in surprise. He honestly thought he had more faith in him, "I swear I'm gonna blow their socks right off!"
"Can you do that to their underwear too?"
"Okay, leave before I knock you out man."
"Fair enough."
Getting things back on track, Azazel called for their attention, "So, are you girls willing to fight for me?"
"First of all, we're not gonna fight for you, we don't fight for any other motive than to protect ourselves and our loved ones. However, if need be, we would fight for you Natsu, but it seems like that's already been decided." Erza said with a smirk as she walked away from the group and toward the aforementioned boy, "And I think I know who you want to fight the most."
"What! Erza! You can't just decide for yourself that you're gonna fight him! What if I want to!" Mira exclaimed in protest, grabbing her hand to stop her from motioning forward.
"No, Mira, she's right. I do want to fight her, really bad. I want to see how I compare to the other me in strength. It only makes sense to see if I'm stronger than myself!" Natsu yelled as his fists caught aflame.
"See, I'm his favorite on any world." Erza mocked, slipping her hand out of Mira's grip while she pouted in response to being rejected.
"That is so not fair. He deserves to get his ass kicked now." She said.
"Uhp pupup!" Azazel raised his voice as he stopped Natsu and Erza from clashing prematurely, "Before you two fight, I have to put up a small Magical Barrier that'll negate any damage done once it's deactivated. It'll only take a few seconds, starting now. Oh, and I suggest you guys move away." He gestured to Rias' group as they realized Mira, Kagura and Levy had already moved back dozens of meters.
Once they were in place, the small crowd witnessed as a transparent dome began to materialize from the ground up, encompassing a large area of the school grounds as a protective measure. Once the different parts met in the middle up top, the grayish transparency was faded and the shield became completely clear. Mira's group remarked at how easily a high-level spell like this was put it in a matter of seconds, acknowledging Azazel's skill with magic. While they watched Azazel add the finishing touches, their attention was also drawn to the two combatants who stretched in the middle of the clearing. Natsu called for Happy, who was still with the group, as he flew over to his partner at a fast pace. Happy turned his back toward him and hovered in front of his face while Natsu searched inside his partner's green backpack. After moving the surprising amount of fish, he pulled out his so-called "fighting uniform" that was given to him by Grayfia who made it both Fire and electrically resistance.
Its design was similar to the style of what he usually wore. He had an open collar long-sleeved black jacket with gold trimmings on the outside. The arms had a long gold strip starting from the shoulder down to his forearms with the image of a skull stitched on the end of the sleeve. His pants were baggy, like always, and were black with the same arm design on the jacket, however, without the skulls. There were notably many pockets built-in as well and the pants stopped near his ankles making them seem "high-water". Finally, he pulled out black combat boots left untied with no laces on the top.
Somehow, all of that came from Happy's tiny backpack but it was always just assumed that it was magic as well. Natsu took his current clothing and threw them away, stripping down to his underwear and changing in front of his friends. Xenovia took the initiative and purposefully covered Asia's eyes, despite her not wanting her view of the fight to be obscured. Finally, he donned his outfit and finished by wrapping around his white, scaly scarf given to him by Igneel.
"Hmm, it seems this Natsu has a sense of style." Levy purred hungrily looking at Natsu slip on his boots. A little chill ran up everyone's spine when they heard that.
Erza paused from her stretches and decided to note where he got his clothing, "Oh, well, it was a gift I got from Grayfia!" Natsu yelled from across the field, "She seems mean at first but she's actually really nice!"
"Well, I can say she has good taste with style." Erza commented, straightening her posture as she finished by cracking her back, "Then I guess I better do the same."
Just as she said that a bright light covered her skin below her neck, revealing the curves of her figure but hiding what it held underneath. Soon, the light dimmed and outlined the shape of bulk squares until it was fully seen that she had requiped the newly cleaned armor she had worn when she got to this universe. Weirdly enough, Erza did not summon a weapon of any fashion or handle one anywhere on her body. She smirked as she stared at the equally grinning Natsu who began exhaling thick smoke from his mouth.
"That's pretty insulting Erza. I can't believe you're not gonna bring out one of your toys to play." Natsu teased as he bent down into a low stance, fist ablaze and spirit roaring.
"Well, I need to see how good you are at hand to hand combat. We always start at the basics, Natsu. Plus…I don't want to accidentally maim you, way too handsome" Erza fraternized him with a sing-song tone with an impish smile gracing her lips. She took on no stance, unlike Natsu, already expecting him to rush her the moment the fight starts.
"Hahaha, it looks like the fight is about to start! Right on time too!" Azazel whistled and gazed around at his work, applauding himself at the speedy job, "Now, let's get this wrapped up, shall we?"
"WAIT!"
The gathering paused, their gazes studying Levy as she started to run toward the barrier.
"What? Is something wrong with my barrier?" Azazel inquired as he patted himself down. "It's flawless! I know it is!"
"There's nothing wrong with your shitty magic box! Just hold on for a few minutes! Normal Face! With me! We have a scenario seven on our hands!"
"The squirrels have gained sentience and plan on destroying humanity?" the watermelon asked in a simple monotone.
"That's scenario twenty-seven! This is far more serious!" Running up to the barrier wall, the short haired bluenette raised a finger…and summoned approximately a dozen sheets of paper that floated around her.
"Paper? That doesn't seem that strong" Issei said with a normal conclusion…until the mentioned female sliced her way out of the magical enclosure with frightening ease. The woman ran through with her companion, his newly washed boots hitting the fresh grass as the two disappeared from sight.
"Uhhh…so….what now?" Natsu asked his sparring partner who sighed. She had been all ready to throw down…then Levy got called by her random madness.
"We wait a few minutes. She can get distracted sometimes" Erza stated in annoyed bluntness. "I really need to work off some physical stress damn it!"
"What kind of magic was that!? I'm sooo interested in learning more!" Azazel cheered out, the male was very impressed with the ease his new study partner displayed.
"That's Levy's Paper Shredder attack. On top of her normal Levy magic, she developed it for the battlefield. To date, she hasn't faced an enemy that can withstand it" Mira lightly explained with a shrug.
"But…it's just paper, right? Like floating sheets of paper?" Rias inquired with curiosity as Erza shook her head to the side.
"No. Imagine a blade that is mere micrometers at the cutting edge that can cut between atoms. Flesh. Stone. The strongest metals. She can cut through them all…and she will use hundreds of them against her strongest enemies. There's usually nothing but bloody cubes of flesh left. It is a very fearsome spell" Kagura input.
"Is there a way to counter it?" Akeno asked, her voice almost sly as she raised an eyebrow at the remaining three visitors.
"Yeah. Attack her from far away. Or try to get the drop on her. But…I really would suggest not challenging her to a fight. She's in a pretty good mood now…despite Natsu not pleasing her sexually" Mira stated with a blunt scowl, her eyes boring onto the male dragon slayer with womanly annoyance.
"OH, COME ON! YOUR STILL MAD ABOUT THAT!?"
"Women have needs too Natsu, just saying"
"Lucky bastard…" Issei muttered below his breath. Why can't busty women try to seduce him!?
"Soo…how long will this take?" Asia asked softly, her gaze glancing at the barrier as the three women shrugged. They really couldn't say. After all, they didn't even know what Levy was talking about before she ran off.
Levy ran down the street away from the academy as her short companion followed with puffed cheeks. She didn't care about the strange looks she had gotten…or the random passerby recording the strange sight of a running watermelon. No…her mind was very focused.
"THERE!" Levy pointed out to her creation, the finger extended toward the store across the street. Running into traffic, a car narrowly avoided striking her in the side as tires squealed. It flew over the curb, colliding with a lamp post as several people screamed in fright.
Yanking the door open of the wine and spirits business, the woman ran past the concerned clerk as he stood up. The driver of the crashed car had climbed out, shouting insults at the duo as smoke rose from the engine.
"Uh…can I help you?" he asked, his eyes darting to the phone. "I should call the police. She just caused an accident outside"
"There's no time!" Grabbing some Cherry Rum from a shelf, she kept it close as she moved toward the whiskey. "Normal Face! Grab some beer!"
"YES, MISS LEVY!" The watermelon saluted as he moved toward the back. Other customers avoided the strange creature, their eyes wide at the impossible sight. Watching it open one of the coolers, it grabbed a twelve-pack of bottled beer. Grunting, the fruit clutched it close to his chest as Levy snatched up the fifth bottle of barrel-aged bourbon.
"That's it! Let's go, buddy!"
"Yes creator!" Running past the clerk, the talking melon followed his master as she kicked the door open with haste.
"HEY! YOU NEED TO PAY FOR THAT!"
"RUN NORMALFACE! BEFORE THE MALL COPS SHOW UP!" Levy ran, her arms clutching the precious liquids as the two sprinted down the sidewalk in full view.
The clerk snatched up the phone, dialing 9-1-1 in moments.
"Hello, police? I've just been robbed by a blue-haired woman…and a watermelon. …Kuoh Wine and Spirits. …No, I'm not drunk. …I'm not prank-calling either. Can you please send somebody? She seemed mentally unhinged"
Ten minutes later…
The magical barrier shimmered for a moment…then parted as Levy ran in with her watermelon. Her cheeks were lightly flushed with her ample chest rising. Multiple bottles of booze were clutched to her bosom, the bottles almost sparkling in the sunlight.
"I'm back! And I found some booze! Scenario seven crisis averted!' she cheered with a happy grin as the duo moved toward Mira and Kagura.
"Wait…YOU FREAKED OUT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE ALCOHOL!?" Rias shouted, her hair standing for a moment as her breasts bounced from the sudden movement.
"Obviously. How else am I supposed to watch Natsu get all hot and sweaty?" Cracking open the bottle of cherry rum, she drank deeply before setting the other items on the grass.
Akeno narrowed her eyes at the shorter woman, her gaze piercing. "Where did you get all that. From what I know, you don't have any money…"
"I found it in a store" Levy drank again before placing a finger to her lips in a cute thinking pose. "For some reason, the worker shouted at me as I ran out though…"
"That's called shoplifting!"
"Really…? Now that's interesting…" the woman concluded as her watermelon started to drink a beer himself. "Is shoplifting a crime? I really can't remember…"
"HAHAHA! You really are something else! I love it!" Azazel cheered happily as the mentioned scientist found a spot…and proceeded to drink with Mira.
"RESUME! And you better win, Natsu! Otherwise, I'll punish you!" Mira cheered out, her womanly lips wrapping around her newfound booze as the two drank.
"They're acting like Cana…" Natsu lightly shuddered. "Wait… shouldn't she be cheering for Erza?" The man tried to conclude before a throat cleared. Looking up at Erza, she was waiting patiently as her eyes bore into him.
"Right…RIGHT! MY FIGHT!" the fire mage shouted with a large grin as he took a fighting stance. Sliding a foot forward, he could feel a growing tension.
The two mages seemingly stared daggers at each other, despite this only being a friendly match, they could never have taken it any more seriously. The air around them started to slowly rise in temperature as this was normal when fighting Natsu, but the air also carried with it a weight that couldn't really be measured. Someone in this battle was holding something back from the rest of them that nobody could surmise. The silence only made the tensions between the group grow more anxious and unsteady as the only sounds that could be heard were the crackling from Natsu's fire and their own heart beating.
The adrenaline got to Azazel too; he did not expect to feel as psyched as he was right now, but what could he say, he had a fetish for unknown. He just had to find out just how strong these women from another world were. He raised his hand slowly and watched each fighter stagger in anticipation waiting for the arm to be thrown back down. Azazel kept up the wait until suddenly he released it, "Begin!"
Natsu, as Erza predicted, shot straight out of his stance jumped high into the air, cocking his right arm back and setting it blazing with a strong burst of flames. He descended quickly and with the intensity he has shown in all of his battles, falling toward her with his attack locked and loaded. Once he was within distance, Natsu threw his arm forward with all of his might and felt his fist connect with some flesh. His flames expelled from his fist and hit Erza with a loud explosion of heat and air. The dust soon cleared with the group watching in awe as Erza gripped Natsu's fist with her own and stood readily in a small burnt crater with only small cinders attaching themselves to her skin and armor.
"That was pretty nice, but remember, this isn't the first time I fought you, stupid. I practically became fire retardant a long time ago." Erza sneered while letting go of Natsu's extinguished fist.
Jumping back out of the burnt ground, Natsu landed still wearing his signature cocky grin, "I'm Fired Up now!"
A/N: And there's the cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed this! As you can see, this is the most abridged, parody writing style we could come up with. This teamwork thing... it's supposed to be all fun and games and we hope it would give our audiences some laughs as well. I mean, truth be told, there were a lot of hiccups due to some missed communication opportunities but somehow we made it up with this... Masterpiece? Work of art. Piece d'Oeuvre! (through in a little french for ya cultured peeps)
If you haven't read thehappy's stories, please check them out! They're all very well oriented and organized(unlike mine)*cough cough*
OKay, so, the next one will be out... like, on the day we actually talk about the next one. Still have a ways to go, but we've decided on the same process, he writes the first half and I'll write the second. Sweetness, right?
Anywho, follow, review, share or do whatever!
Tunice! On my bed eating chips! Out!
