Hola!
This chapter is HUGE, basically, two chapters in one at just under 10k words and has plenty of present and flashback action.
So I'm super curious to know how the flow feels switching back and forth between the two storylines. I find it to be more challenging than I thought, balancing what are essentially two separate, though related, story arcs in one haha. Let me know what you all think.
~Onward!
37
"Well? Was it Anna that warned you about Acnologia?" Lucy asked when Natsu paused in the story, Haru watched the pinkette's eyes widen subtly at the question, his mind only just catching up with his story telling and what he'd just unwittingly spotlighted.
"Are you going to tell—"
"No." Natsu interrupted, gaze snapping over to meet his, Haru dropped his chin on to the back of his hand and kept his expression carefully neutral. Up to this recent slip, the fire mage had done a solid job of summarizing their arrival in X376, sticking mostly to the details of being taken before the Queen, Anna finding and sneaking them out of the castle to safety, and of course, the history pertaining to the Dragon Wars and the origins of dragon slaying magic for Gajeel's and Wendy's benefits.
"It's not vital information for this mission," Natsu elaborated.
Haru caught the suspicious look on Lucy's face out of the corner of his eye. She had been staring at the bandages that currently hid the markings on his right arm, the ones he'd deflected explaining yesterday when she'd asked why he hid the tattoos, if they were as simple as that. Patient as ever when it came to her boyfriend, Lucy had let the topic drop at the time but clearly, she was suspicious of a connection between the marks and Natsu's cagey behaviour. Lucy knew Natsu better than he knew himself half the time, hell, Haru was pretty sure she knew him better than anyone in the guild as well, save Natsu and Mira. The way she was considering the two of them now, made his skin crawl, it was like she was reading his thoughts but he pushed it aside.
"Hey, you don't need to explain yourself to me, I'm with you, whatever you decide," Haru assured.
"I know what your telepathy looks like Haru… what are you two keeping from us?" Erza questioned dryly, face expressionless, though the displeasure was notable in her voice.
Haru didn't miss the gratitude that had flickered over Natsu's expression at his support before he stole his attention back to take in the group as a collective again, adopting his toothy smile to ease the confusion settling over the table. "Nothing related to the mission Erza," he said holding a hand up, " and yeah Luce, it was Anna's voice, the simplest explanation is usually correct, I guess!" Natsu announced the latter part with a hearty bout of laughter, and if Haru didn't know him as well as he did, it would have been convincing. He highly doubted Lucy was buying his bullshit either. Though, he noted with an internal smirk, he hadn't technically lied, as they'd confirmed, it really had been Anna's voice, just manifested by Natsu's own mind seeking comfort…
Abruptly, it dawned on Haru that he was still watching Natsu a little too curiously, he sighed and dropped back against the lounge, trailing his eyes up to the ceiling as he let his mind wander.
- Flashback -
Year X376
"What the hell happened?!"
"I don't know! Shut up and let me think."
Haru hovered anxiously next to his partner, Natsu's eyes were screwed shut tightly with a cold sheen of sweat coated his forehead, though his body temperature seemed to spike higher than normal simultaneously. Anna seemed to be at as much a loss as Haru, and it was not helping to ease his nerves as he tried to keep himself still and calm.
"If only Grandeeney was here—"
"Wendy's dragon?! I will get her, just tell me where—"
"That's not possible!" Anna snapped back. Natsu rolled to his side and pressed a hand to the side of his head mumbling feverishly, delirious and in a half-conscious state, it didn't appear he was aware of them as far as Haru could tell. Anna's brown eyes were darting over his form, seeking answers to the abrupt collapse, her hands twitched above his form as though wanting to physically assess her former student, but the heat kept her at bay. Haru periodically shifted his attention between his partner and the blonde, wishing he knew some way to help, until he caught the renewed focus in Anna's expression. He could almost imagine her connecting the dots in her mind, as the tension previously held in her posture gradually eased.
Eyebrows knitting together, Haru looked at her expectantly, but she continued to observe Natsu as she settled her weight back onto her haunches and pursed her lips in thought. "What?! You figured something out, what is it?!" Haru asked harshly, irritated with her silence.
Anna's eyes came up to meet his, but she appeared hesitant, "I-I don't think he's in any danger for now, he should be fine if this is… um—well, if I'm right, it's complicated… but you'll find out soon enough."
"Don't give me that shit. My best friend collapses in pain without warning or reason, and you know something. Start sharing."
She studied him again. The authoritative demand likely seemed out of place, Haru knew; if she compared it to the passive, non-confrontive boy he had been growing up. Whatever thoughts had run through her head, in the end, Anna caved, "there were eight children in my care over the past years that were and are being raised by an elemental dragon at various periods over the past few years, some of you had a more ingrained affinity toward wielding dragon magic than others and so your potentials differed greatly. You, Haru, had one of the greatest potentials we came across, though you weren't the first to be sent." Haru deadpanned, further frustrated by the tangent and wondering where she was going with this. "As a King, Igneel's power proved too overwhelming for a human's magic container to absorb safely… and so, aware of the risks, Igneel chose to adopt Natsu to become the first true Dragon Slayer."
Haru growled, "you're not making sense, you just said a human's magic container didn't have the capacity to bear a Dragon King's power. Are you saying Natsu is a magic prodigy—I still don't see what that has to do with his state now!"
The aforementioned mage groaned and rolled to his back again, his hand falling away from his head to tangle into the knot of his scarf at his throat, and Anna took a deep breath before meeting Haru's eyes. "There were two reasons Igneel took in Natsu specifically: the first, was that Natsu alone, had enhancements necessary to be a vessel for Igneel's magic; the second was Igneel alone, had the ability to seal the potentially destructive power within Natsu. If I'm right, travelling back to X376 and literally exposing yourselves to your pasts, is breaking down the memory alteration spells placed on all of you dragon slayers, which in turn, may be eroding the enchantments placed on Natsu."
"Fuck. Still not making sense here," Haru cursed with growing aggravation.
Anna continued, unfazed by his outburst, "when I first met Natsu and took him in at the orphanage, he came to me from Zeref, his most successful, (as he called it), experiment," she spat in disgust. Brown eyes locked on his again, and he shuddered involuntarily at the steeled look she fixed him with.
"Natsu is human—" she stated, Haru could already feel the cold dread welling up in him, "—but he is also Etherious."
. . .
"Haru?" Haru blinked at the ceiling, pulling himself from his memories and lulled his head to the side to find Mira watching him curiously. She gave a small smile, "hey, welcome back," she mocked with a giggle, running her hand over the top of his leg as she leaned into his side, "where'd you go just now?"
Reaching up to draw a section of stray hair out of her eyes, Haru traced the line of her jaw before dropping his hand on top of hers and returned her smile. "400 years into the past," he joked lightly.
She rolled her eyes, "well pay attention, would you? Natsu was just about to tell us the mission, you know, the mission you two are proposing," she added facetiously. Haru smirked back at her teasing tone as he threaded his fingers with hers in his lap and turned his attention back to the team, Natsu was finally sliding into the booth looking a little distracted but otherwise good.
"I think it's your turn to do some of the talking, partner," Natsu said, emphasizing their partnership.
Their comrade's heads swivelled toward him and Haru arched a brow at their eagerness, "okay then," he said, looking around the table, "first thing's first, this is an S class mission as cleared by Master, but this stays secret from the Council, making this a rogue mission. We had you two join us—" Haru motioned between Gajeel and Wendy who both tensed a little subconsciously, "because you deserved to know what we learned about our origins as first gen dragon slayers but understand there is absolutely no pressure to joining us on this mission. –That goes for everyone else too of course, but we could really use your help. Natsu and I are heading out tomorrow reg—"
Mira smacked him, harder than he would have expected, and he realized all at once that various versions of "of course we're coming, idiots," were raising from each of their friends around the table. Gray and Gajeel had already dissolved into arguing back and forth; making digs at each other's expenses about how Natsu and Haru needed some muscle behind them, so clearly, the other wouldn't be needed. Wendy, who'd been curled into Erza's side since hearing the unnerving revelations about their personal history, shed the supportive arm around her shoulders and sat up determinedly and Carla just rolled her eyes, having long since given up trying to deter the girl from dangerous missions. Erza, Mira and Lucy just smiled at the unique displays of undaunted support the guys garnered and laughed amongst themselves.
The Twin Dragons exchanged an amused look and Natsu chuckled as he looped his arm around Lucy's shoulders, allowing himself to relax a bit. It wasn't like they'd expected any less from this team. After all, they'd gathered the most stubborn mages in Fairy Tail by far, and that was saying something, given the entire guild had a well-known reputation for its stubborn tendencies.
"Just tell us the mission already!" Gray ordered with a grin.
Haru grinned back at the ice mage, "the mission is in Crocus—"
"—So, we do get to meet the princess?!"
This time it was Lucy who shot a burst of star reform into Gray's chest, he slapped his hands over the spot with a yelp and fell silent again, after falling victim the blonde's sharp warning look.
"What is with your prefixation on Hisui? Juvia doesn't need another perceived love rival to flood our guild over," Natsu drawled. Gray just scratched at his hair sheepishly, paling considerably as he seemingly pictured the jealous rampage.
"Moving on... Jellal contacted us recently—"
"WAIT, hold up, you're telling me Jellal's been in communication with you, and he didn't tell the Master during their meetings?!" Erza barked angrily.
Rolling his eyes up to the ceiling, Haru sighed, "are the interruptions out of all of your systems yet?" he asked, and Erza flushed a bright red. "To answer your question, no, Jellal is no more aware than the rest of the world that we didn't disappear with the rest of you. Our paths inevitably crossed with the Magic Council and Jellal over the years due to similar goals in hunting the Etherious, but as I am sure you all figured out, Natsu and I never took missions or passed through cities without taking precautions to keep our identities hidden."
"Anyway…we struck a deal at some point to exchange any pertinent information we came across regarding Zeref or his demons during our respective missions. A few days into our travels home, we got a message from Jellal asking for our aid but having just learned you all were home and knowing the scale of the mission, we continued home first. Jellal infiltrated Grimoire Heart last year, through a connection with our old friend Ultear, he'd been following a rumour that Zeref was taking refuge with the dark guild. That much, has been confirmed." Haru paused and glanced around the table at the stunned expressions on the others, it would be the first time they'd heard convincing evidence that Zeref was, in fact, walking their world again. It wasn't an easy pill to swallow.
"Grimoire Heart has taken Mercurius under siege, under the nose of the Crocus populous and without drawing the suspicions of the NMC. With the Grand Magic Games just a couple months away, the city is as busy as ever preparing, so we need to ensure their safety as well as those within Mercurius."
Natsu interjected, "unfortunately, we go in pretty blind. We don't know what their plans are exactly, but Jellal believes their elite, the Seven Kin of Purgatory— who are all on par with our S class," he broke to emphasize, "intend to use the Eclipse Gate to break the enchantments that Irene and members of Igneel's advisors imposed to seal his full magic centuries ago. Zeref was awakened during the events of the Tower, but it appears that he doesn't wield even close to his past potential in black magic, yet."
"So, then the mission is—" Erza began.
"Liberate Mercurius. Take down Grimoire Heart. Stop Zeref's full awakening." Natsu summarized with a smile, canines glinting dangerously.
The Next Morning
The Fairy Tail mages met up early that morning, and were currently standing around in a loose circle waiting for their last straggler to get his ticket so they could board the train together. Natsu stood with his fingers laced behind his head lazily, talking with Erza; Haru and Mira seemed equally relaxed having grabbed a couple coffees from the station's shop, but Lucy couldn't help the anxiety that was sitting in the pit of her stomach. She should have known their team wouldn't be reunited for long before they went running after top teer dark guilds capable of taking the Capital hostage without rousing the nation's attention. Gajeel just looked pissed off as usual, he was glaring at Gray who was still standing in line to get his ticket having arrived late, and Wendy appeared to be putting on a brave face, though her nerves had her a little tenser than normal.
"Yo, popsicle, can ya hurry the fuck up!"
Gray glared over his shoulder as he accepted his ticket from the usher, "you that excited to get on a train, trashcan?!"
Flinching slightly, Gajeel didn't back down as Gray approached them with narrowed eyes, attention fully on the iron slayer. "just 'cause we call ya ice princess doesn't mean the rest of us are here to wait on your pampered ass!" Lucy watched them derisively and noticed the rest of the team had paused in their conversations to observe with expressions ranging from amusement to exacerbation.
"Juvia locked herself onto my ankles when I tried to leave! Then she threw a temper tantrum and flooded half the guild hall, Gramps woulda killed me if I left without calming her down!"
"Rain drops is a perfectly nice girl, cooler than the lot of you—" he announced with the swipe of finger that took in the entire group,"and she is way too good for you!"
"What was that?!"
The men threw themselves forward, taking up each other's shirts in fists as their altercation increased until a pair of fists dropped heavily into the tops of both of their heads. "Oi! Now isn't the time for that, get your asses on the train!"
Erza blinked, fists raised in the air and twitching with the anticipation of striking something deserving, stunned, that Natsu had beaten her to it. She watched as the previously squabbling pair trailed behind Natsu, Lucy and Wendy toward the train, albeit grumbling under their breaths. Haru and Mira were strolling along on their comrade's heels as well, still in their own world as they talked and laughed. So, with a sigh, Erza finally let her arms drop limp to her sides and moved to catch up as her mind continued to process the surprising change of roles.
The eight mages each dropped onto the four benches on either side of the aisle, Erza slid into the vacant seat next to Wendy across from Lucy and Natsu, before taking point on the rest of their team on the adjacent side. Part of her liked to be responsible for upholding her comrade's respectful behaviour on missions, she eyed Gray and Gajeel who were actively avoiding looking at each other, each with arms crossed over their chests. Haru sat across from Gajeel on the window side, flipping through a newspaper he had in his lap while Mira hummed contently and sipped her coffee.
The conductor announced the train's departure shortly later and Gajeel's comical reaction prompted the ice mage to burst out laughing at his expense. Gajeel tried to retort back but the cars lurched forward before settling into a smoother motion on the rails, sending Gajeel keeling forward immediately, sounding another fit of Gray's laughter. Glaring first at Gray, despite the green tint already colouring his skin, Gajeel slowly shifted his attention to Haru who was still reading, "what the hell, how are you fine?!"
Without looking up from the paper in his hands, Haru said dryly, "months of daily exposure to your weakness tends to have that affect." He flipped the page nonchalantly and leaned into the window, crossing his legs at the knee, "though, I wouldn't say we're over it, just not entirely incapacitated… If it weren't for the necessity of convenience, I'd still never set foot on transport again."
Gajeel picked out the 'we're,' and slumped further into his seat as his head lulled against the window to look across the aisle to where Natsu was chatting happily with the girls, his feet kicked up onto the seat next to Erza. When the fire mage noticed the staring, his mouth quirked in amusement, "all you gotta do is swallow your pride and ask Wendy for help ya know." Gajeel groaned loudly at the prospect, as if it hurt him almost as much as the motion did, but that succeeded in pulling Wendy's attention over to him.
"Oh, my goodness," she shouted, slapping her hands over her mouth, "Gajeel, I'm so sorry I didn't think to cast troia when everyone seemed fine!" The teen darted over with the soft green light of her magic already fluctuating around her and took his temples between her hands. She'd never cast troia on him before and he looked positively shocked when she removed her fingers. Sitting up straight, all nausea at bay, he stared wide-eyed at the sky slayer, "uhhh," he floundered.
"The words you're looking for, is 'thank you Wendy, for fixing my tummy,'" Gray supplied sarcastically.
Crocus
Despite having Jellal's intel that Grimoire Heart had infiltrated the palace, without the people of Crocus being any wiser, it still felt odd walking through the bustling capital as though it were any other day. The Fairy Tail mage's heads swivelled back and forth taking in the vibrant eye-catching graphics advertising the upcoming second annual Grand Magic Games, just mere months away now. Souvenir stands already punctuated nearly every street corner with guild-emblemed memorabilia of this year's participating guilds, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel merchandise being notably popular.
"Who in the fuck are Sabertooth?" Gajeel barked, glaring at the third or fourth stand they'd passed with a bold sign alerting patrons to the shortage of Sabertooth products and offering pre-orders for the restocks.
Natsu grumbled lowly but kept his eyes on the spires of Mercurius dwarfing the cityscape in the distance ahead of them. "You haven't seen the stories yet?" Erza asked, "they're practically in every paper, they hold the title of Fiore's strongest guild after dominating the Games last year."
"I thought we were the strongest," Gajeel squawked indignantly. He liked to pretend that he'd only joined after Edolas due to the guild's number one status, and the undisputed power it boasted, though they all knew he was as dedicated to the family ties now as any other member.
"All our strongest members vanishing without a trace for over two years, did some hefty damage to public confidence in us and thus our standings," Haru supplied, carefully keeping the emotion from his tone. None of them were pleased with Fairy Tail's reputation taking such a huge hit, but they could build it up again, the important part was they were all back together again. Let Fiore say whatever they would.
"So, we enter the Games and kick all their asses, take our status back by force!"
"Seriously? It's just a glorified popularity contest and an excuse to parade mages around like ponies for the people's entertainment. Fairy Tail has nothing to prove to anyone." Haru stated flatly.
Mira giggled and threaded her fingers through his, he glanced down at her, "you really aren't interested in seeing how you stack up against the best guilds and the most powerful mages in Fiore, Haru?"
Shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly, Haru countered, "I just think we have more pressing matters, let the other guilds vie for attention, we're the ones actually protecting Fiore."
"That wasn't a no…" Natsu announced with a bark of laughter, gaining the girls' laughter as well but just received his partner's pointed look of annoyance in response.
The group paused a couple blocks away from the gates that led to the palace gardens and split into two teams by Haru's instructions. Natsu would lead Erza, Lucy and Gajeel, and Haru would lead Mira, Gray and Wendy, balancing the teams with one Eclipse Team leader each, two S class each, and two dragon slayers each. The Twin Dragons had spent a year using Mercurius as a home base for their operations before, during and after the successful Gate mission and as most of the guards, advisors and staff outside the Eclipse Team itself couldn't know they were there, they got really, really good at moving about the palace unseen. Those skills would undoubtedly help them now.
Natsu's group, being the more destructive, by far, would burst right in through the front gates and take the place by storm, blasting away minor forces and with a little luck drawing some of the Seven Kin to them. This would also create a solid distraction for Haru's team, which on the other hand, would split off and sneak in through the hidden passages beneath the palace. Their main goal to search out the King and his daughter, secure the Gate if required and be available for a back-up ambush should Natsu's team get pinned down.
Having improved his telepathy vastly over the past two years, Haru was more than capable of connecting both groups through himself and Natsu, so they'd be able to split up and remain in contact more effectively, if required. "Alright, everyone got me loud and clear?" Haru asked, testing their connections for the first time on a group of this size, they all nodded.
"Perfect, everyone hearing me?" Natsu added, again, a round of confirmations and growing grins of nervous anticipation, "awesome—" a dangerous smirk crossed his face, "I'm all fired up, let's go kick ass team!"
Red -Assault- Team
With a round of good lucks between everyone and a quick high five, Natsu and Haru spun in opposite directions and took off toward their destinations with their respective teams on their heels.
Natsu quickly led his team through the gardens at a gentle run so as to not draw too much attention to them as they passed occasional groups of locals or tourists enjoying the immaculately tended gardens that surrounded the castle. The gardens gave way to a large courtyard with a giant fountain at its' center, and decorative, though perfectly effective gates rose up behind it barring entry to Mercurius without explicit invitation. Arranged along the gates, a small knot of Royal Soldiers stood in guard of the palace. "They're imposters, take 'em," Natsu alerted the group, and beside him, Gajeel guffawed as his right arm morphed into an iron club to bowl down the guards like dominos. None of the team slowed, utilizing various bursts of magic to propel themselves clear over the gates and advanced upon the main entrance, marked by the circular stained-glass window that took up most of the imposing arch topping it.
"We go in hot—" Natsu called, fire bursting up around him, "—Gajeel!"
"Iron Dragon's hard fist!"
"Fire Dragon's iron fist!"
The dragon slayers shot forward slamming magic enhanced fists into each of the double doors, sending them exploding inward and wide open. The team burst through the new opening without allowing a warning to precede their arrival. They slid to a stop on the smooth marble floors, standing two abreast and covering each other's blind spots. The palace opened into a pristine foyer, naturally lit with a rainbow of colours from the sunlight passing through the flower window above. Stunned gasps sounded around them as a few sporadic people jumped up from the spots they lounged in, clad in robes emblazoned with Zeref's mark. Not one made a move, seemingly bewildered by the sudden bold invasion and wondering what to make of the reckless group.
Standing next to Gajeel and with his back to the girls, Natsu's eyes raked over the minimal opposition potential, but it likely wouldn't be long before bigger threats would appear with their explosive entrance. "Guess we shoulda assumed Grimoire would recruit the cultists…" Natsu said dryly to his team, before alerting Haru of the cult's presence as well. Lucy was just responding sarcastically about flashbacks to the Seven mission when Natsu snapped his head back and sniffed the air intently, "speaking of unwelcome flashbacks…" he grumbled aloud.
Natsu peaked over his shoulder in time to watch the fractured doors to Mercurius miraculously repair themselves and left Gajeel's indignant outbursts about the phenomena, unanswered. Space warped, obscuring the view behind it into a shifting pearlescence before Ultear appeared directly in front of him. She tilted her head to the side as she looked up at him with a bemused smile, taking in his unimpressed look. "It's been far too long, and you've gone and gotten even sexier, my little dragon," Ultear cooed, reaching a hand up to trace over his jaw causing his eyes to narrow in further irritation.
"Your what?!" Lucy barked, rounding on her, and curiosity briefly flickered over Ultear's expression as her attention shifted away from him for a second to appreciate the fiery temper of the blonde.
The time mage didn't engage Lucy though, turning right back to him after only a moment of distraction, "I just knew you were still out there waiting to cause me trouble again."
"Well, if you'd stop being so bat-shit crazy, I wouldn't have to. Clearly, I will have to pick up the lesson where Haru left off."
Ultear smiled and stepped forward to press herself against his chest, "ohh, are all my dragons running around here unchecked?" Natsu let out an aggravated sound, he was almost certain she was being even more boldly flirtatious than normal, just to determine what he meant to Lucy. Ultear continued right on, in a particularly sultry tone, "a lesson does sound intriguing though, what kind of lessons would you impart on a bad—"
A streak of gold slammed into Ultear's cheekbone and sent her careening to the side, Lucy retracted her glowing fist and held it ready in front of her as she declared through clenched teeth, "she's mine." Natsu eyed her for a second, before shifting the gaze over to Erza who shrugged a shoulder behind the blonde. Without waiting for their input, Lucy launched forward to collide with the recovering time mage, "I owe her one for blindsiding me with my Father back in the tower…" Lucy's voice seethed through the team's telepathy. She spun a kick into the other woman's unprotected ribs, "and how dare she call you HER dragon."
"Jealous Lucy is hot…" Natsu goaded her and was verbally assaulted when Gajeel immediately bitched about the two of them keeping their thoughts to themselves. Chuckling at the iron slayer, Natsu announced, "Alright Red Team, we split up here then. Locate the Seven Kin, and burn 'em up!"
Blue -Stealth- Team
The sounds of foot falls on stone floors ringing out through the halls was the only sound to be heard in the deadly silent network of passages under the palace. Mira kept her attention trained straight ahead as their team progressed through the unmarked halls, Haru had warned them to stay close when they had first entered explaining that the webbing of passes crossed, split and each almost always ended with multiple choices to travel. It was incredibly easy to get lost in the twisting corridors without a guide, but he and Natsu had spent months utilizing the underground system to move freely, guided by their dragon-senses, as no palace associate ever entered the maze. Decades ago, it had been part of Mercurius' dungeon system, rumour had it, criminals were still sentenced to the labyrinth hidden been the castle to wander lost with only their regrets to keep them company.
Haru's own attention never split from the task at hand, attempting to lock on to the royal family's scents or any of the Eclipse Team members who should all be about the palace somewhere, save Yukino who would likely be at her guild with no active missions involving the Gate.
"Natsu's team is in, they were confronted by Ultear and are splitting up…" he relayed suddenly, Mira assumed that meant Natsu had checked in telepathically to update their team. Haru didn't elaborate further, and the four didn't slow their progress.
"Is that a good idea with the Seven Kin and who knows what other mages under Grimoire's employ running around?" Gray asked flatly.
Briefly glancing back toward the ice mage on his heels, and Wendy next to him looking equally concerned for their comrades, Haru's expression remained neutral. "I trust Natsu's decisions, he'll be checking in with them periodically I'm sure, and besides, those four tend to be unbelievably destructive… even Lucy," he considered for a moment, thinking of her aqua metria. "We'll all be able to find them fairly easily if they should need back up."
Not long after, a low rumble from somewhere above them rocked the walls around them and all four paused in their advances and glanced upward at the stone ceiling cautiously. An explosion shattered the quiet and Haru's team scattered reflexively, leaping away as the ceiling imploded against an unknown force. Mira turned and brought an arm up to shield her face against the resulting shower of debris and dust that blew outward to encompass the passage.
"Gajeel…" she heard Haru deadpan from somewhere nearby, obscured by the dust floating through the air, "good of you to prove my point," he stated sarcastically. Mira let her arm drop as the cloud of dirt began to settle and the light from the upper floor began to filter through, sure enough, she laid eyes on Gajeel with his iron club buried in the face of a large heavy-set and notably unconscious man.
The dragon slayer straightened with a sadistic smile as his arm returned to normal, tossing and catching a strange doll repeatedly, "that's one of the seven down, told you we didn't need you, frosty, this guy was barely worth the effort" Gajeel said smugly. Gray's eye twitched at the insult and he stomped forward as Gajeel did the same only to find themselves abruptly immobilized by a thick layer of ice securing their feet to the ground. "What the hell, fight me like a man, damn ice princess!" Gajeel snapped.
"Idiot! Do you think I'd freeze MYSELF? What the hell is this?!" Gray gawked at the ice encasing him to the middle of his calves.
Mira giggled have figured it out, noting the slowly waning patience of the water slayer, who was standing next to Wendy and watching the bickering pair with a derisive look and arms crossed over his chest, telltale trails of ice starting at each of his own feet. "Do you really think this is the time to fight?" he asked in a flat voice that barely belied his irritation, "if you two really want to indulge in a pissing match, I suggest you go hunt down more of the remaining Kin together."
Still distracted by the fact that he'd been frozen to the spot, Gray seemed to have just managed to connect Haru to the spell, but he was clearly confused by the development. Haru had never been able to use ice independently from his water magic prior to their stasis. Mira was curious as well, but it didn't appear Haru was stopping long enough for questions, he pressed his lips together in a thin line, eyes shifting between the other two men. "Do you two think you can keep from killing each other, while we keep scouting for everyone in Mercurius?" he questioned as he gestured to the girls. "I think I've got Tomie's scent," he added as an afterthought, even as Gray and Gajeel looked at each other sideways.
"Fine, I'll take the snow cone with me, just so he can see how much stronger I am."
"Excuse me? It's your privilege to join me, ya junk heap, but I'm not bailing your ass out when you get in trouble, so just stay out of my way."
"Care for a wager? Whoever takes down the next Kin writes a song about the other's awesomeness!"
"What is with you and songs?!"
Mira rolled her eyes, ignoring their rivalry in favour of asking, "Tomie?"
"Natsu started calling the King that awhile back and it kinda stuck, though I doubt he is fond of it." Haru elaborated, remembering the look on the short royal's face, 'what a way to address a King…' he'd expressed dryly in response to Natsu's casual disrespect.
Mira eventually just shook her head, "how that man hasn't ended up in more trouble for the tactless comments he makes, I will never know."
"Well, that's easy, I'm the how…" Haru announced jokingly. He turned back to Gray, "alright, enough standing around… happy hunting guys, contact us if you get in a jam."
Gray gave a cocky smirk that mirrored the one on the iron mage, "like that'll happen," they both stated, heads whipping toward one another at the echoed sentiment. But their grins only widened, the two bumped fists and leapt up through the hole that Gajeel created earlier, shouting good lucks to the remaining members of the stealth team.
Glancing back at the two dragon slayers, Mira giggled at the retreating pair's overt confidence, "so, bets on how long we have before they call us to bail them out?" she asked as the trio followed the same route to escape the underground maze.
Natsu
Natsu darted agilely through Mercurius, heading straight for the palace's throne room, he'd be willing to bet at least one of the Seven Kin would be holed up in the chamber and he was itching for a good fight. He guessed Haru would be leading his team to the chamber Eclipse had used as meeting room or space to just kick back and relax between their missions. That particular chamber was back in one of the outer rings of the palace and less frequented, with a little luck he'd find the royal family and Arcadios, if they'd managed to take refuge upon Grimoire's infiltration.
Spinning around a corner he ran into a group of Zeref's cultists, their figures hidden beneath the billowy black robes that commonly identified them. Without slowing, Natsu flared his magic and launched straight down the center, sending the grunts flying with pained screams in waves of fire. Sliding to a stop on one knee with a hand braced on the floor, he eyed the lone person that managed to dodge the attack unscathed, he drew an elbow back as flames wrapped around the length of his arm. The remaining cultist quickly threw one hand up in surrender and brought the other to draw his hood down to reveal a shock of bright blue hair and red markings on half his face. It was only then, that Natsu realized the cloak on the man in front of him didn't have Zeref's emblems, but Grimoire's. He let his flames extinguish and stood, absently cracking his knuckles, "so this is where you've been hiding."
Jellal dropped his hands back to his sides, his lips still parted with confusion, "Natsu, what are you doing here?"
"You requested our help, we came. Sorry we couldn't be here sooner." Natsu pointed blandly. Though he was fully aware that Jellal couldn't have known it had been him and Haru that he'd been interacting with over the past year.
"I didn't—wait."
Natsu chuckled as Jellal connected the dots, "you got it, Haru and I are your contacts."
A bark of laughter sounded as Jellal ran a hand back through his hair and dropped a hand on his hip, "no way, all this time… you two are the rouge mages the NMC dubbed Ghost?"
Natsu blew out a breath and rolled his eyes, "we are attracting far too many aliases."
Turning a smile back on the pinkette, Jellal mused, "you two are a giant thorn in the Council's side, ya know? Like me, they only put up with you as tools to an end, due to your eliminations of so much demon activity. Lehar and Rohan spend so much time debating how many rogues make up Ghost—" he burst out laughing again, "—and it's just you two?!"
"Yes, well, we'd still appreciate you keeping our identities under wraps from the Council," Natsu requested, "though I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to stay hidden regardless, missions seem to be getting a little higher profile lately…" he noted as an afterthought.
Natsu let his former enemy turned future guildmate get all his amusement out, at the expense of the NMC team he'd been working with over the year, until Erza reaching out telepathically distracted him.
"Natsu? Can you hear me?"
"Erza, what's up, everything okay?"
"I've—shit!" Natsu frowned, eyes flicking over to Jellal who had picked up on the change in energy and was now watching him intently. "I've engaged two of the Kin in battle, a pair of earth users—" Even with the relatively stoic delivery of her situation, Natsu could hear the strain in the Scarlet Knight's tone as her words filtered through their connection.
"Do you know where you are Erza?"
A long pause went by, presumably as she fought off dual attacks, and Natsu started sniffing at the air trying to see if he could pick up her scent. "East wing," she answered, "Natsu, one of these Kin is a dragon slayer."
Natsu's jaw clenched a bit, the earth dragon slayer… Terrine's Daughter, he ran by Jellal, heading for the east wing and gesturing for the other to follow without explanation.
"We're on our way to you, hold on Erza."
- Flash Back -
Year X376
Natsu woke with a start, eyes flying open and bolting upright attempting to get his bearings, he could hear the muffled sound of children playing somewhere close by. Haru was at his side in an instant, a hand on his forearm and worried eyes searching to catch his attention, he was saying something, but whatever it had been was lost in a muddled confusion. Natsu forced himself to calm, "Haru, I'm sorry," he apologized in voice that sounded broken even to his own ears.
Eyebrows knitting together and barely shaking his head dismissively, Haru asked, "what would you possibly have to be sorry for, I'm just relieved that you're okay." Natsu stared back blankly, he really wasn't sure what to make of the last few hours, what had been a trick of the mind and what he'd actually heard. He hadn't been unconscious in the beginning, though all he really remembered was dissembled bits of conversation, and pain, excruciating pain. Now his mind seemed fixed on replaying Anna calling him Etherious on an agonizing loop. The thought compelled him to apologize to his friend the moment he laid eyes on him, without any real justification. This had to be some sick joke, hell, he and Haru had been committed to hunting down each of Zeref's Etherious Demons for nearly a year, longer, if the vow they made back at the Tower of Heaven could be considered.
"Natsu, I promised Anna I'd get her as soon as you woke up," Haru told him, Natsu glanced back at him, he wanted to ask if what he'd heard was real or not but couldn't find the words. He just nodded numbly.
Haru shifted to get up but paused midway, turning back to Natsu and really seeming to take in his inner turmoil for a moment. He crouched back down next to mattress pad and fixed him with a confident look, "you are Natsu. Nothing more, nothing less."
Natsu felt his jaw drop, how had he figured out what was bothering him? Natsu had always been the one who could get into Haru's head, not the other way around. "Thanks, Haru," he said gratefully. The water mage nodded, and then disappeared into the next room to retrieve Anna. They returned fairly quickly, Natsu was sitting cross legged on the mattress pad still, trying to work some of the stiffness out of his shoulders and neck when they joined him. Both lowering themselves down to a second mattress pad to sit opposite him.
"How are you feeling now, Natsu?" Anna asked him, her head cocked to the side as her eyes glanced over him appraisingly, 'searching for any sign I'm not myself,' he assumed bitterly.
Shrugging a shoulder, he assured, "I feel fine now, but I'm sure you're going to tell me different?"
Anna exchanged a look with Haru, and water mage informed nonchalantly, "Natsu knows too," before meeting his eyes, "though I'm not sure how, exactly?"
"I could hear bits and pieces, just sorta muddled, or distant? Maybe? I don't really know how to explain it." Natsu looked at the blonde, "but I know I heard you say Zeref experimented on me, that I'm Etherious…" he trailed off uncomfortably.
"Yes, well," Anna said absently, and even having come to that conclusion on his own, it still stung to hear Anna confirm it, Natsu released a shaky breath. The hits just kept coming, why hadn't Igneel ever told him?
Haru moved closer to drop directly into his line of vision, wearing an irate expression, and Natsu looked at him curiously due to the sudden invasion of his personal space. He opened his mouth to question his friend's random action, when Haru wound up and punched him straight in the jaw without provocation. Sailing to the side with a curse as Anna yelped out her own surprise, Natsu pushed himself up with his free hand while the other flew up to cup his jaw, "what the fuck was that man?!"
Haru had never flat out punched him outside a sparring match in the entire time they'd known each other, and Natsu was completely dumbfounded.
He watched as his fellow slayer visibly collected himself with a steadying breath before bursting out, "get over it Natsu! Since when do you let anyone tell you who you are? I told you, dumbass, you're JUST Natsu. Regardless of anything else you might be, you're still Fairy Tail's resident hot head, most reckless jump-first, think-later person I've ever met, and my best friend. So whatever Etherious shit you got in your blood, YOU are no demon, so get your head out of your damn ass because we don't have the time for you to mope!"
With an audible click of his tongue, Haru dropped back onto his butt and crossed his arms in front of his chest, averting his eyes from Natsu as he did so. Natsu sat, mouth agape with his hand still absently massaging his jaw, noting the air of exacerbation still hanging over his partner. Then he abruptly burst out laughing, increasing Haru's irritation tenfold.
The water mage's eyes snapped back to his, "what is your problem now?!"
"Nothing, nothing," he said with a lopsided grin. Haru glared incredulously, prompting Natsu, "it's just… you remember years ago, when we met? I said I was gonna light a fire under you—" he broke off laughing again, Anna had returned to watching them both contently as well, "—well, if that wasn't a fire in your belly, then I'm an ice mage."
Averting his eyes again with a blush crawling over his cheeks to betray his embarrassment, Haru grumbled under his breath, and Anna broke out in a fit of laughter, drawing both their attention. "You know, I'd never have guessed that out of all the children I had in my care, that you two would end up being so close. You were always polar opposites, but the more I see you two interact, the more it makes sense."
"Yeah, we get that a lot," both said dryly and in unison.
The blonde shook her head slightly, before her smile faded, returning to the seriousness of their situation as quickly as it had been diverted, "Natsu, do you still have the package I gave you in Edolas?"
Natsu's jaw dropped a little, between the final battles in Edolas and diving right into the preparations for the S Class exams as soon as they'd returned home, he'd completely forgotten about the package she'd entrusted to him to keep safe. The space around his up-turned palm glowed and it dropped into his hand, he held it up before her with a quirked brow and she reached to take it from him with an anxious air. Anna brushed her fingertips over the broken seal that held the ties enclosing the package, and Natsu waved his hands in front of him in quick denial, "it wasn't me; I swear I didn't open it!"
Shaking her head, Anna sighed, "no, it wasn't you Natsu, just another of the seals breaking down, but I expected that." The dragon slayers glanced at one another mirroring the same confused expressions, before watching her remove the packaging to reveal a worn leather-bound book.
Natsu's eyes raked over the letters embossed on the cover and looked back at Haru, pointing a finger at the book, "we heard some stuff about 'the end' during some of our recon, didn't we?"
Humming in consideration, Haru met Anna's eyes again, "we never learned much about it, I thought maybe a ritual or even a prophecy, like an outcome Zeref cultists believed would happen if the Etherious were ever united and Zeref was fully awakened."
"Not quite, it isn't the end but E.N.D.," she clarified, handing the book back to Natsu, who's eyes widened in fascination when he felt heat emanating from the book. "This is your book, Etherious Natsu Dragneel."
"Eh?! I have a fucking book?!"
"You must keep that book safe, whatever else you do. I don't know what would happen if it came to harm." She paused, "and don't open it, some things are just better left unknown. Better to seal it again—and speaking of, your seals breaking down is a graver situation than it seems, Natsu. You will need to learn how to integrate your Etherial and Dragon Slaying powers or the imbalance could rupture your magic container. Which means it is critical to get that power re-sealed as soon as possible for your protection, and those around you. With Etherious sealed you can begin to slowly draw on the powers and adapt to the combination over time, without losing control of it." Natsu's eyes raked over the book in his hands again, the gold letters of END dominating his attention, he swallowed thickly and requippedthe book away for now.
"In addition," Anna added, "you both need some focused training to master full control over dragon force if you think to take on Acnologia again, what I saw back at the castle was just a flicker of that power."
"That was drive," Natsu informed but she shrugged a shoulder dismissively, so he asked instead, "but who can train us? One of the dragons on the council?"
"That's correct, but not one presently in the Kingdom of Dragnof, I'm sending you two West."
- Present -
Erza
The explosions tore a scream from her lungs and sent her soaring again, flipping in the air Erza drove the end of her heavy spiked blade into the ground to dig a deep crevasse through the marble floors. With a white-knuckled grip on the hilt of her mace and the other hand on her knee in a crouched position, she panted, trying to recover from the hit while her eyes whipped around the room attempting to catch site of her opponents. The large space was more forest than dining hall now with all the trees the brunette male kept summoning to burst from the stone floor out of nothingness and that lent a huge advantage to the Grimoire mages. She'd realized too late that Azuma was able to merge with the trees he conjured, in addition to the dangerous ability to manipulate the blossoms and fruit of the trees to explode in unpredictable patterns. But far more problematic was the petit dragon slayer, who possessed incredible speeds and enjoyed randomly snacking on the trees that now surrounded them to continue to bolster her power.
A flicker of movement caught Erza's eye just a moment too late to react as the earth slayer appeared above her, "earth dragon's restraining vines!" Long sandy brown hair fanned out around her as vines sprouted from her arms extended out in front of her, the vines had the redhead completely ensnared before her enemy even landed. Erza struggled against the bindings, attempting to break through them with brute strength alone, but it was no use with the sheer number of vines that currently encircled her. The dragon slayer lengthened her stance to increase her stability as the knight fought back, and then Azuma was materializing out of the tree to her left, his arms spread wide and a storm of explosive blossoms dotting the air all around him.
Erza cursed and flung her weight forward toward the other girl, hoping Azuma would pull the attack if it put his comrade in harm's way as well, but the earth slayer reacted instantly, leaping over her head to trade positions with her. Clumsy, due to the vines restricting her natural movement, Erza stumbled forward before righting herself in time to find the flowery bombs all around her and set to detonate. She braced for the explosion with no moves left to make, when seven golden magic circles appeared in the air overhead.
"Grand Chariot!"
A pair of orange-gold streaks cut across the room, the first bursting with fire that scorched the vines trapping her and the second whisked her out of the way just before the meteor spell devastated the ground she'd just been occupying, along with the two Kin. The flames flickered out revealing Natsu colliding with Azuma who'd skipped back to dodge Jellal's attack, a knee coated in fire finding the man's gut. The tree arc mage coughed out a lung of air when his back crashed into the tree behind them.
"Are you okay Erza?" Gaze flickering up to meet Jellal's, who supported her form still immobilized with vines, and nodded wordlessly. Even being aware that the blue-haired man was about to be a probationary member of Fairy Tail, it was still incredibly strange to see Natsu cooperating with him after the Tower incidents. Jellal set her back on her feet just as Natsu flipped back dodging a series of explosions and landed to her side, without looking at her, he snatched a handful of vines with a golden-flamed hand, and they fell away in ash. Then his head was whipping to the side, roaring out a torrent of fire to counter the spinning vortex of earthy debris that had been barrelling down on them.
"Sienna! How would Terrine feel about you aligning yourself with a dark guild and ZEREF?!" Natsu spat the last words like poison.
Silence fell heavy on the room, and for a long moment none of the five mages moved, then Sienna appeared in a blink a few meters from Natsu, leaves fluttering around her. She postured and stared him down defiantly with coppery eyes, her lips pinched together as she studied the fire slayer, Erza couldn't decide what to make of the standoff either. Did Natsu know this dragon slayer? He'd never mentioned her before, and that seemed odd, given the incredibly small number of mages that were capable of wielding the lost magic.
"How dare you," she spat, "she died at the hands of the same people she tried to help."
Sienna launched herself back at him, a fist primed for attack and swirling with a visible green aura, with his face scrunched in thought, Natsu dropped into a defensive posture. 'Why would her memories have been altered to believe Terrine died,' he wondered idly as he caught her attack in a bare hand, driving the toe edge of his boot into the ground behind him to slow their momentum.
"Terrine is alive," he countered calmly as he reached out to grip her wrist with his other hand, and at the resulting flicker of distraction, he pivoted and threw the brunette back harshly. Shooting forward in a blaze of fire, Natsu drove a talon attack into her gut below her ribs, folding her in half, she went flying as a score of Azuma's blossoms appeared in the air around him.
Erza cried out to her comrade as the magic exploded into a thick smoke and she ran toward the blast. The Fairy Tail mages had lost track of the other Earth user when he'd morphed with his trees again, patiently waiting for an opportune moment to attack. But when the black cloud dissipated Natsu wasn't there, Erza's head whipped around searching and found the fire slayer a few meters away with Sienna in a head lock and an index finger at his temple, apparently focusing Haru's telepathy spell. He looked pissed, if the look on his face was even a sliver of indication as to what he was feeling and he seemed barely aware of his fellow dragon slayer still struggling in his grasp.
Releasing a string of curses as soon as he dropped his arm back down, Natsu swung around in a torrent of fire and nailed his heel from a spin kick into Azuma's side when the other man sprung from a nearby tree. "Damnit, what else could go wrong," he bit out through clenched teeth before dropping Sienna to the ground. He jabbed a finger at her, "this conversation isn't over," he growled.
Erza shook herself from the stupor she'd found herself in when she registered Natsu calling her name, she looked up to lock eyes with him, the muscles of his shoulders were strained with the weight of whatever news had just been relayed to him. He appeared in front of her and Jellal where they'd been watching the one-sided fight between the dragon slayers in stunned silence, 'just how strong has Natsu gotten over the past two years,' Erza thought.
"I've gotta go."
She snapped out of her pondering again, vaguely aware of Azuma helping Sienna back to her feet and summoning earth-based magic to replenish hers', this battle was far from over. "What happened?"
Natsu glanced back at the two Grimoire mages, "Haru found Tomie, but—"
A burst of gold seals erupted behind Natsu where Jellal countered a unison raid of destructive earth magic, and the fire mage cut himself off, there was no time for an explanation.
"Jellal," he called instead, the blue-haired man looked over without retracting the arms he held ready in his offensive stance. "As far as I'm concerned, you still have a lot of retribution ahead of you for all the people you hurt, demon possession or not. You made Erza cry… you start making up for that now, show us you know what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage!"
Jellal gave a single curt nod, "I will protect Erza with my life," their former enemy vowed.
With an unreadable expression, Erza tore her attention back from Jellal and met Natsu's eyes, "go then, we got this covered."
"I know," Natsu stated with a half-smile, "see you soon," and he vanished in a burst of fire.
. . .
Natsu shot through the castle's corridors in streaks of fire at break-neck speeds driven by Haru's pleas and was skidding to a stop in the midst of a chaotic scene mere minutes later. He couldn't have predicted a more precariously dangerous situation than the one he found himself walking into, if the tense standoff was anything to go by. Ahead of him, the hulking structure of the Eclipse Gate resonated with the golden glow of celestial magic imbued within it, and a sliver of the pure white void beyond was visible between the doors that were slowly peeling open. Ultear stood to one side of the gate with one orb balancing on her forearm and another held lazily between her free hand and a hip cocked in an arrogant stance, opposite her, a male with long unruly blonde hair stood laughing maniacally. Lucy was on her knees with her back to him, keeping her form protectively between the dark mages and Hisui who lay unmoving on her back. Natsu dissolved into an arch of fire and materialized next to the blonde in a crouch, angled toward the unconscious princess, his eyes scanned over her form as he placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder.
"Are you okay Lucy?" he asked, he hadn't expected to find her here, and immediately kicked himself for not realizing sooner, that she could be targeted if Grimoire Heart really was after the Gate's power. 'And I left her alone with the mastermind herself… stupid,' Natsu internally berated himself.
Lucy turned to him, her brown eyes shining with unshed tears, "Natsu, I-I'm sorry, I had n-no choice," she said through a shaky voice. Determining Hisui was alive, though injured, he shifted his full attention back to Lucy, her clothing was torn from battle and deep-purple bruising marked her left shoulder and spread over her collarbone. He was about to ask her what she was talking about, when a voice calling his name drew his attention away. Looking over his shoulder he only just noticed the third person standing with his back to them and gazing into the abyss of the gate, their figure drowned out by the blinding white behind. Natsu got to his feet but stayed by Lucy's side. The unknown person faced him then, revealing a youthful man, appearing younger than himself with a mop of jet-black hair.
With sullen eyes and the faintest smile, the boy said softly, "so we finally meet again, Natsu."
"Zeref."
A/N. This arc is hella fun to write! I've been messing around with GMG and how to keep the twists and the fun up, after coming off this arc.
*So, I'm open to ideas and input, anything you all would love to see in the GMG events? Review or PM me!
*Any predictions on who will train the boys?
Eternal love to Goku275, Valerioux, FireShifter, Joker D. Zero, EternalFlame and Guests for reviewing 36 and taking a moment to make my day.
Also big thanks to all you FTTD readers, just over 100 favs/125 follows now and I appreciate each and every one of you!
'Till next week,
R&R
xx. Loka Muse