The Strauss Siblings

Naruto sat frowned as he watched Levy defend against Erza once more. The blue haired girl was struggling to handle Erza's offensive strategy that much was obvious. It made sense. Their fighting styles were drastically different. Erza was a hammer, capable of destroying anything in her way. Levy was a scalpel, preferring to pick and choose her fights and pick her opponents weaknesses apart. Typically these two were horrible matchups for each other. Fighters like Erza typically struggled against people who could exploit their weaknesses, while fighters like Levy typically struggled to handle Erza's raw power. Whoever set the rules of engagement for the fight typically won.

Typically.

Erza was a hammer who had the ability to be a scalpel. She knew too many weapons, and was far too proficient in all of them to have many weaknesses. Her telekinesis and Gate of Babylon effectively negated any other ones that could be commonly exploited as well. Her reserves were too large for her to burn through rapidly as well. And her raw power...well Erza was just the perfect bad matchup against Levy. Frankly speaking, the girl had a better chance at defeating Natsu, even though she would struggle incredibly with his offensive firepower.

Still, she had asked for this when he had explained the situation to the guild upon their return to Magnolia.

Naruto stepped in as Levy's back hit the ground, Erza's blade pointed at the girl's face.

"Break," he called, helping Levy up. "Good showing Erza."

The redhead nodded, letting her blade return to her pocket dimension. Levy grunted, looking at the redhead with annoyance.

"You're crazy strong Erza. It makes no sense."

"I appreciate it," she stated, a small smile dancing along her face. "But I'm afraid I must get stronger. These enemies we are facing, they are incredibly powerful."

"Will we even be able to reach their level in just a week?"

Naruto frowned. "Not all of you no. But remember you don't need to reach their level in such a short time span. You're fighting with other people, you just need to learn how to rely on each other and be strong enough to defeat them as a team."

Levy nodded, her confidence grorwing once more at the encouragement.

"That being said you do need to improve on your ability to force the fight to your own pace. I know your training with Kama helped you in that department, but there's clearly still work to be done."

"I think she did fine," Jet stated, the man walked towards the trio. The man was covered in singe marks, courtesy of Natsu who was approaching alongside him.

"Yes and maybe if you were focused on your own battle you wouldn't be covered in singe marks Jet," Levy chided, causing him to blanch.

"I was just trying to be supportive! I was focused on my battle! Natsu's just crazy strong!"

Natsu grinned, fire burning brightly on his fist. "Yeah that's right! Next time I see those Oracion Seis bastards they won't know what hit 'em!"

"Well he's certainly improved in mood since the attack," Erza whispered, causing Naruto to nod.

"That's good to hear. But your firepower means nothing without control," Naruto stated. "You and I are going to run a couple rounds. Erza, can you take Levy and Jet and work with them?"

The redhead nodded, the trio walking away. Naruto turned to Natsu, the dragonslayer grinning as he stared at his mentor.

"I'm gonna win you know?"

"You won't," Naruto stated. "Now go all out. From the top. No holding back, otherwise your training in control won't mean much of anything."

"Right," Natsu stated, closing his eyes. Suddenly they snapped open, flame surging around him.

"Fire Drive!"

"Again," Sasuke stated, bandages still covering his form. Mirajane nodded, Darkness Magic swirling around her hands once more, her eyes scrunched in concentration. Energy flickered around her, her body glowing a dark hue briefly only for it to fade, a sigh escaping her lips.

"It didn't work."

Sasuke frowned, rubbing his chin as he looked at the woman.

"Do it again."

"I've tried at least fifteen times now."

"And we will simply have to keep trying until we get it," Sasuke stated. "I'm afraid I can't be as helpful as I normally could due to my lack of eyes. I can't quite see the finite details of your control without them."

"I'm not blaming you," Mirajane stated. "I'm just frustrated."

"Can you explain to me what you're doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"The process," Sasuke stated. "For me when I used to control gravity it felt like less like I was forcing the world to do something rather than just making an aspect of reality more intense in a certain area when increasing gravity."

The Uchiha raised his hand. "This is slightly different due to the lack of my Rinnegan, but the principle is the same." The ground groaned before it crumpled, a small crater forming near the duo on the grassland they were in.

"That was my Arc of Embodiment of course, which does not operate in the same way, but does that help clarify the issue?"

"I don't think so," Mira stated. "But I'll try it."

Her body began to glow once more as she channeled her Darkness Magic, the energy swirling around her fingertips.

"Imagine not forcing the world to your will, but guiding it. Like water flowing in a river. A blockade doesn't stop the water, it just redirects it."

Mirajane grit her teeth, imagining a flow of water moving around an object. The girl grit her teeth as the visualization fumbled, fading apart as the energy left her fingertips.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Sasuke sighed, a frown forming on his face. "I'll think of something," he muttered, frowning. Mira smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself over it."

The Uchiha frowned, his lack usefulness irritating him. The Strauss shook her head, a playful smile dancing along her lips before she turned, seeing Elfman sparing with Gray and Gajeel not far from the duo. The three were barely pulling any punches, as storms of ice and iron flew in every direction. Elfman was on the losing end of the battle, clearly struggling against the overwhelming firepower of the duo. Mirajane winced as she saw the teen get blasted back by a blow from Gajeel, the Dragonslayer grinning before he leapt towards Gray who quickly tried to disengage from the close range fight.

Elfman bounced along the ground. The teen tried to stand, but found himself too drained, his Beast Soul: Lizardman evaporating into the air, returning him to his normal state. The disappointed scowl on his face was visible. Mirajane glanced at Sasuke, the Uchiha's eyes lazy but gentle.

"I think I'm going to have to put our training on pause briefly."

The Uchiha nodded. He could tell when there were more important things to handle. In the meantime he would focus on trying to get a visualization that could help the Strauss sibling.

Mirajane approached her brother, smiling at him.

"Hey Elfman, she stated, a small smile on her face.

"Mira-nee," the sizeable man stated, his scowl quickly vanishing when he realized someone was paying attention to him. "Did you see me out there! I was doing pretty good, but Gray and Gajeel are strong! I will do my best to be as manly as they are!"

"I'm sure you will," Mirajane stated, "You're making progress already. You've finally mastered Beast Soul?"

Mirajane's eyes were too sharp to miss the wince Elfman tried to hide. "Yes, nee-san of course. I've been trying to get the hang of it again. It's still weird to think that I can pull off a full body takeover now."

"I see," Mirajane stated. "But why do you only use your Lizardman and Weretiger Soul? You have others. You're not using your most powerful one."

"Ah, the Alpha Soul you mean? Well, I just want to train in the other ones! That one is far to powerful to bother using in a training session."

Mirajane frowned, noticing the way his face twitched and contorted throughout the sentence.

"Lying isn't manly Elfman."

The teens face darkened, his eyes focused on the ground.

"It's just...can I talk to you about this in private?"

Mirajane nodded, helping Elfman up before the duo began to walk further into the surrounding grassland. Gray and Gajeel, to engaged in their battle to pay attention to the duo, didn't see them wander off.

Makarov frowned as he opened the letter in his chair. The man had officially been let out of the hospital in Crocus in only two days, but the damage to his body was extensive. He was still constrained to the wheelchair he had been giving, a limiting proposition for a Wizard Saint. Still, he hadn't broken the rules he had been given, making the trip back to Magnolia take longer than he had desired.

Of course it had given him plenty of time to think about what Naruto had told him. The Generals and their coup, and the targetting of Oracion Seis. Which led him back to the letter in his hands.

"So Lamia Scale, Cait Shelter, and Blue Pegasus are going to assist us," the man muttered. "Jura, Lyon, and Sherry Blendy of Lamia Scale. The Trimens of Blue Pegasus. Shin Seijin and Wendy Marvell of Cait Shelter. Well, two other S-class mages to pair with Naruto, Sasuke, and Erza is better than just them. And if Mirajane goes that would six. That's enough to match their power on paper, but..."

The image of Animus flashed through the elderly Wizard Saints mind, frustration filling him. How could he trust this to be enough to handle a man of that caliber? Even after what Naruto had told him, that was too great a threat to be thrust onto the younger geneation. It was his responsibility to defeat someone of that caliber. And yet here he was, fumbling.

The Dreyar sighed, clenching his fists, ignoring his body protesting his tense muscles. He would just have to trust Naruto to protect them. He was getting old, and he couldn't do it himself anymore. At this rate...

Makarov's mind focused on the blonde Jinchuriki, a grim look coming across his face.

'Is he ready for the responsibility he would have to bear?'

Mirajane turned to look at Elfman, a curious look on her face. "What is it Elfman? Why don't you use your Alpha Soul?"

Elfman frowned, looking at the ground as that look of shame crossed his face again. Briefly Mirajane didn't believe the mage would tell her, but he opened his mouth anyway.

"I can't control it."

"What do you mean," Mira asked. "Didn't you learn how to use Full Body Takeover when Phantom Lord attacked and you defeated Sol?"

"I learned how but," Elfman paused. "I didn't beat Sol. Sure, I was using Alpha but, all I remember is him threatening you, threatening me and then I tried it. I reached out for the power of Alpha in desperation. It won the fight, but I wasn't in control."

"Well can't you try it again," Mira questioned. "I'm sure with your newfound strength you'll be able to."

"I won't," Elfman muttered. "Whenever I try to use Alpha all these thoughts fill my head. Thoughts of everything I can't do, and tame that soul is part of it. It keeps calling itself King. Something unshakeable. Something that can't be tamed."

"All Souls say that though," Mirajane stated. "How you handle it is up to you. I know I dominate their souls through sheer willpower, which lets me control them. Lisanna..." Mirajane paused. "She made friends with them. What's your method? How are you able to control Weretiger and Lizardman?"

"They didn't fight me," Elfman muttered. "They just...obeyed. They said I was king. But Alpha is different. It said that I was only strong because of it."

Eyes narrowing Mirajane sat before Elfman, staring at him. "Tell me, did anything happen after you stopped calling for Alpha? Anything unique? Any tattoos?"

Elfman's eyes widened before he pulled down the collar of his shirt, revealing a tattoo on his neck of a crown. "Yeah, this appeared, but I didn't give it any thought. I just thought it was some weird side effect of my magic."

Mirajane's eyes went cold, staring at the tattoo.

"Well I'll have you know it's no side effect," the girl whispered. "That's a King Marking," she muttered.

"King Marking?"

"A marking of souls if you will," Mirajane stated. "You know how everything has its spot on the food chain right? Well think of an animal with a King Marking as the apex predator of its own food chain. When you're dominating a soul that is a King it's different. It's not as simple as dominating it's willpower, it's practically impossible. King's have the mentality and willpower to resist that. It's like trying to tame a dragon."

"Impossible..."

"Exactly," Mira stated. "To use a soul with a King Marking takes more than just willpower. It takes bartering skills. You have to give up a part of yourself to get their power."

"A part of myself," Elfman stated. "Why would anyone do that?"

"The power is worth it honestly," Mirajane stated. "I've never claimed a soul that had a King Marking. Halphas and Sitri are strong but...they're not King's. King's give you unique abilities. They give you an almost regal quality. Anything below that soul on the food chain so to speak immediately bows to a King. Some say it even gives you the ability to manipulate nature itself, as though nature itself is beneath them. I've never met a King that powerful, but I've heard the stories. If Alpha is a King then it makes sense why Weretiger and Lizardmen bow to you. They're not really bowing to you, but to it. It's power surrounds you. And that's why you can't use it's power...you haven't bargained with it. You've just kept it in chains. And no King will be defeated by merely kept in chains. It's not a beast. It's your equal."

"So I have to bargain with it to control it?"

"Yeah," Mirajane stated. "It's not necessarily dangerous in its current state, it's not like it can kill you or anything. But you certainly won't be able to use your strongest ability without it. And without that..."

"I might not survive in a fight against Oracion Seis."

Mira nodded.

Elfman sighed. "So how do I convince it?"

"I don't know," Mirajane stated. "It depends entirely on what it wants. But, there may be someone who can help you with that."

"Who?"

"Well, Naruto said Kurama wasn't always his friend remember? I'd suggest talking to him about it. Even if he can't talk to Kurama right now, there's the possibility that he knows how to help with this."

Elfman sighed, nodding. "Well I'll go find him. Hopefully he can be helpful."

Mirajane smiled at her brothers willingness to seek help, placing a hand on his shoulder as she rose to her feet. "You know Elfman, the ability to look for help to better themselves...some would say that's what makes someone a real man."

Elfman smiled.

Sasuke threw his hands up in the crisp evening air, frustrating on his face. There was nothing he could do to help Mira. He couldn't think of a single thing that would make her job easier in this goal. Luckily, there was someone else he might be able to help.

"Sasuke?"

The Uchiha turned, his electromagnetic field sensing the person for a while as they approached.

"Erza."

"Can I ask you a question?"

The Uchiha tilted his head, confused before he nodded. Erza took a deep breath, thinking back to the words Cobra had told her. She had to become a monster.

"Can you tell me more about your brother...Itachi?"

It was easy to see that the atmosphere around the Uchiha had changed. His face became sour, and his eyes darkened. The tension in his body was visible, his muscles roiling and the small amount of killing intent that leaked from his body made it clear. This was a sensitive topic.

"Why?"

The one word question was clear. If her answer wasn't satisfactory she wouldn't wouldn't be getting the answers she wanted.

"When I was fighting Cobra he said something about me not having the mentality of an S-class mage. He said I had to be willing to become a monster to truly live in the world of an S-class mage. Naruto said the difference between these so-called monsters was the willingness to...kill. I know that this mission we're going on I might very well have to kill someone, and well, Naruto said that there are methods of gaining the will to kill someone. He said that the way you two did was through watching the people you cared for...die. And I don't, no, I can't afford to let that be the way I gain conviction. So, he mentioned that your brother seemed to be able to always do that..."

"So you decided to ask me," Sasuke muttered. "To try and learn what it's like to gain the convinction to kill."

"Yeah..."

"You're right," Sasuke muttered. "There's different ways to gaining the ability to kill someone. The first is the most common, losing someone or something you value above anything else. It can drive you to do it. Vengeance. That's how I did it. That's how Naruto did it. It's effective. But it's also dangerous, I know that firsthand. The second way...the second way comes out of a drive to protect something. That's what Itachi did."

"I know that but, how? How did he do that?"

Sasuke frowned. "If there was something Itachi valued above almost anything else it was the village. Where we're from a shinobi is raised to defend their homeland to their last breath. Itachi took that to heart. He had been killing in the name of our village ever since he was a child. But I think the thing that solidified it for him was when he killed my clan under village leader orders."

Erza's eyes widened, shock filling her eyes.

"He...what?"

"It's not a pretty story," the Uchiha muttered. "Nor was it something Itachi took lightly. That night changed the fate of many people, and it harmed more people than just those killed. But at the end of the day Itachi did it, because if he didn't more people would die. Ever the pragmatist."

"He did such an awful act...to protect people?"

"To protect the village yes. From a potential civil war and an evolving world war, but that's on a macro scale. It's hard for humans to imagine the macro scale. So while that may have been his justification, I think what he was really thinking was about an individual person."

"You..." Erza whispered. "The only surviving member of the attack. He was doing it to protect you."

"Yes, that's what I think his main motivation was. My life was under threat as well after all, and if he hadn't done it it was likely the entire clan, including me, would have been wiped out. He took on the blame for that light, regardless of the actual circumstances, becoming a boogeman for me and countless others. Viewed as a demon. All just to protect me."

"Such a strong love," Erza whispered, looking at the ground. "I can't even imagine how someone could do that."

"Itachi was a protector, to his dying breath. Even past it. Naruto is much the same way even though his method was different. But people like me? I'm an avenger. Or I was. I can't always protect those that I care about so I do the next best thing."

"You kill those that killed them."

"Yes," Sasuke said, staring up at the darkening night sky. "The question Erza, is who are you? Are you a protector, or are you an avenger?"

Erza frowned, staring at the ground. She...she didn't know.

Naruto leaned against a tree as he listened to Mirajane and Elfman's request. The siblings looked desperate for assistance, and the blonde wasn't one to not at least give it a try.

"Well my situation with Kurama was very different," Naruto muttered. "I had to beat him up before I could use his power. I was able to forcefully take it."

The duo winced, realizing that the blonde may not be capable of helping.

"But," Naruto said, raising their spirits once more. "I wasn't able to use his full power without his companionship. And I certainly wouldn't be as strong as I am without his help. So, while I doubt you'll be able to make friends with Alpha immediately, there is something that you need to find very quickly."

"Something I have to find?"

"You need to find out exactly what Alpha wants," Naruto stated. "That's your bargaining chip. You give him something he wants, he gives you something you want. You're gonna have to make a pact with him. I don't really see any other way around it."

"Something he wants?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know what that could be. You have any idea Mira?"

"No, King's usually want different things, and even then the records of what exactly they want are rare. Maybe he wants possession of your body-"

"He can't have that."

"Well yes obviously," Mira stated. "But, that's just one possibility. He could want access to your senses. A duel. Freedom. Anything really."

"So what you're saying is..."

"I'm going in blind," Elfman stated. A grim, but resolute look was on his face. "That's fine. I can do it."

"Are you sure," Naruto stated. "Mirajane said it's not dangerous but, it's still a powerful soul. You have no idea what could happen."

"No I don't. But I have to try. If I can control this soul...I should be capable of fighting these mages, and making sure no one else ever has to get hurt like Lisanna did!"

Naruto winced at the name, remembering the smiling little girl. "Yeah, do it then. You're more than capable of it."

Elfman nodded, sitting down and closing his eyes to meditate. Naruto placed a hand on the teens back as did Mirajane.

"You can do this," they whispered. That was the last thing Elfman heard before he opened his eyes to a large mountainous expanse.

"Where am I?"

"Well if it isn't the human."

Elfman turned, his eyes widening as he saw a giant cliff, the drop off leading to rushing waters deep below. Chained to a large wooden circle at the edge of the cliff lied the creature, Alpha. The beast stared him down, its eyes glowing with a strange power.

"Alpha..." he whispered.

"What do you want boy?"

Elfman stared up at the massive beast, trying his best to not let his nerves get the best of him as it stared back at him.

"Your power."

The beast laughed, its body surging from the action. The chains that bound its limbs rattled, barely seeming to stay in place even though it clearly wasn't trying to break out of its predicament. Slowly the raucous laughter stopped, the beast staring at Elfman.

"And why would I give you that?"

"Because you want something right," Elfman stated. "A trade right. That's what King's want? Well, I'm willing to make a trade with you. You scatch my leg...I scratch yours."

The beast smiled, and for a second Elfman thought he was going to agree to his offer.

"What I want is something you cannot give me boy...because what I want...is freedom."

"Freedom," Elfman stated. "Freedom from the Beast Soul?"

The beast nodded, it's eyes narrowed. "Of course. How else would I finish the job and kill your other sister?"

Elfman's eyes exploded with rage, staring up at the beast with fury in its eyes. "You bastard!"

The beast laughed at Elfman's rage, shakign its head. Elfman snarled, and in his rage the chains began to morph, turning from flimsy things to true shackles, not allowing the beast any leeway in its movements. Still, the behemoth laughed that entire way, ignoring the tightening bindings.

"You think you can threaten my family again! You'll never touch them ever again!"

"Oh? And who is going to stop me? You? Please, you'll need my power again, and when you call out for me, begging for my help, I'll take your body and finish what I started."

"I'll never call on your power," Elfman hissed. "I don't need it."

"And how will you defeat Oracion Seis without it hm? Isn't that what you said? You know it to be true. You need my power to fight the enemies to come."

"I'll find another way."

"Like what," the beast stated plainly. "What way? Your willing to risk your own life and the life of everyone you love and care for...because you're too weak."

"I was strong enough to contain you wasn't I," Elfman whirled.

The beast was silent at that.

"The way I view it you're not some almighty king. You're no lording royalty. You're just a captured fool," Elfman hissed. "You're no man."

"And what does that make you," the beast hissed. "A failure? You couldn't control me and as a consequence your sister died. You couldn't even beat Sol without drawing upon my power. And now you're going to a fight where you'll need my power again. So, I ask you, Elfman Strauss, what does that make you? What is a man who can't even be relied upon to protect those that he cares about? Who can't control his power?"

Elfman winced back at the words, not wanting to accept the truth in them.

"You lost to a fucking Fairy Wizard. And yet you think you can defeat a real S-class mage? Please, you'd be dead before you could launch your first attack. You need me. And you have no way of giving me what I want."

"Freedom," Elfman muttered, frowning. The man looked up to glare at the beast. "You speak a big game, but you know as well as I do that even if you did get your freedom Naruto would defeat you before you were capable of harming anyone!"

"Tch, maybe so. Still, relying upon someone else to protect your sister? Not very manly of you is it?"

Elfman clenched his fist, looking up at the beast. It had a point. Relying on Naruto to defend Mirajane wasn't something his pride could accept. That was his responsibility. He couldn't fail to protect his sibling once again.

"Anything," he hissed. "Anything I can give you. I'll do anything."

The beast smiled.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

The beast smiled. "If you desire my power that badly then I shall offer you something else in return I suppose. One other thing you can give me. I desire a merge."

"A merge?"

"Don't tell me your sister didn't tell you? A merge. When two souls fuse together. Effectively, I become you and you become me. We become one in the same. A war of ego if you will. If you win, you gain my power, and if I win well...I inhabit this body. And you become shackled here. In this prison."

Elfman frowned, clenching his fists at the offer before he turned on his heel. "Forget it. I don't need you."

The beast howled, watching the retreating form of the mage.

"Oh you don't do you? You'll change your mind Elfman! You'll come begging for my power! And when you do, know there you won't get it unless you defeat me. Do you hear me boy!?"

Elfman's eyes snapped open, shocking Mirajane and Naruto.

"Did you get access to his power," Naruto asked.

Elfman smiled, trying his best to control the lie on his face.

"Yeah."

Naruto frowned as he sat in a room with Sasuke and Makarov, the trio waiting for a while until the door to the man's office opened, revealing one Gajeel Redfox. The Dragonslayer sat down on a nearby chair, clearly uncomfortable with the tension in the room.

"You called me in master," Gajeel stated.

"Due to the circumstances you should tell everyone here about your venture with Raven Tail. It would be important information for them to know."

Gajeel's eyes widened before he nodded, looking at the duo of S-class mages.

"I see. Well, after the Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail guild war I was going to be threatened with jail. An S-class mage, by Phantom Lord standards at least, attacking innocents isn't exactly looked lightly upon. To get out of that your master vouched for me, using his status as a guild master and S-class mage to put my behavior under his responsibility. In return for this he asked me to spy on Raven Tail for him."

"Yes, the dark guild started by Ivan we know that much," Sasuke stated. "What's this about Oracion Seis meeting with Raven Tail?"

"I wouldn't call it meeting," Gajeel muttered. "Oracion Seis just showed up one day. It wasn't expected. Raven Tail was training when they showed up. I'm not exactly sure why, but they attacked us. I fled before any of them noticed, but the members that attacked us weren't the members at the invasion. Racer and Hoteye they were powerful S-class mages."

"They attacked Raven Tail, and with members that weren't at the invasion," Naruto repeated. "Why?"

"Are they hiding members," Sasuke thought aloud.

"Why, what's the benefit in doing that? With him there we would know about it."

"Well he certainly didn't tell us of this."

Naruto and Sasuke continued like this, Gajeel clearly out of the loop before he shook his head. "Is that all?"

"No, can you give us a list of Racer and Hoteye's abilities?"

"Racer was fast, extremely so. I didn't see much of Hoteye's engagement but he seemed to use some type of Earth Magic."

"I see, and Raven Tail members?"

"Ivan had his Illusion Magic," Gajeel muttered. "He also had his Shikigami Magic though. He's easily an S-class in strength. There was also Velveno, a drug lord, but I don't know much about him. He was somehow able to match Racer's speed, so I guess something along the lines of a speed-based ability. Everyone else in the guild was pretty insiginificant. Just some B-class mages-"

"Their abilities," Sasuke insisted once more. Gajeel frowned.

"Ah, Flare could control her hair and light in on fire. Kurohebi can use Mimic, which lets him copy any magic. Nullpudding can use Needle Magic. I'm sorry, but I don't see how any of this is relevant?"

"Our information has changed, we need to know as much as possible," Naruto stated.

"For all we know Oracion Seis has eight members all of S-class rank rather than six. That drastically changes the situation. Plus Oracion Seis already has other dark guilds under their command. They know we're coming for them now, so it's reasonable to believe we'll have to face them too. Raven Tail now could be added to that situation. That means nine S-class level mages, one of which is strong enough to require Naruto and my full attention to defeat, and even that is probably up in the air. We were hoping to have Jura assist with that to guarantee it, but it seems like that won't be an option. Do you understand the gravity of the situation now?"

"Nine S-class mages, that's ridiculous."

"Well it's not entirely accurate," Naruto interjected. "Fingers, the guy you beat, wasn't all that strong. He's certaintly not S-class. Still, that's eight. Midnight, Cobra, Racer, Hoteye, Doriate, Zash, Ivan, and Animus. That's quite the lineup of firepower they have there."

"Should we limit the amount of people coming," Sasuke questioned.

"If we do that we're more likely to get singular matchups. I'm not sure how many of us I trust to defeat one of them in one on one combat, especially considering all of the potential matchups."

"Plus the other dark guilds under their command will likely try to wear us down anyway."

"Exactly. We have you, me, Erza, Jura, Shin, and Mirajane if she comes. That's six. Mira probably isn't ready to defeat any of them individually currently. Erza doesn't have the right mentality too, although I do think she's strong enough. Azuma coming could help, he's easily S-class in strength and already proven to fight Midnight to a standstill. Still, we're down on firepower. That's not even considering we're not sure what all of their powers are either."

"Should we even do the attack," Gajeel interjected. "If we're this severely outmatched is there even a point? We're all risking our lives here right? I fought Racer. I may have gotten stronger since then but he toyed with me. And Zash, I don't know what he did but one second I was chasing him and the next I was waking up in a hospital. Can even us teaming up address such a massve diffierence in strength?"

"I don't know," Naruto slowly stated, a frown on his face. His eyes were hard, staring down at figurines that were meant to represent the mages involved clearly. He had scribbled down some symbols designed to represent the additional members of Hoteye, Racer, and Raven Tail on parchment next to it. Sasuke frowned, seeing the wizened look in his eyes. Makarov saw it too.

The look of a Kage.

"You're all risking your lives, and this mission has admittedly a low success rate. If we could get even one General to join us, or another S-class mage I'd be much more comfortable. The Wizard Saints are missing several prominent members and all the available ones are already going with us."

"Gildarts would be a godsend."

"No denying that. Still, there's really no way to win this without bringing more people. It's a lose-lose situation. We have to hope the team-ups are enough to defeat members."

"I mean if we could access our powers..."

"Trust me, I'm working with Freed on how to break that seal already," Naruto muttered. "You made any progress on getting your eyes back?"

"You know someone with the most ridiculous healing abilities ever given to man?"

"Other than myself?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, sighing. "Point is, we're in a shit situation."

"We'll it's our job to make as little shit as possible," Naruto muttered. The blonde turned to look at Gajeel.

"Thanks for the information Gajeel. I appreciate it."

The Dragonslayer nodded, leaving the room, ignoring the frantic talking between Naruto and Sasuke, the master just watching over the duo. The teen let out a small smile as he closed the door. He didn't know why but, he felt confident in their decisions. Like they had done something like this before.

Mirajane frowned as she flexed her Darkness Magic once more, only for it to fail just like all of her attempts before. Sighing the girl shook her head. The mental imagery Sasuke had given her just wasn't working. It was shaky, unstable. She couldn't get it.

"Still struggling," Elfman questioned, a small smile on his face. Mirajane gave a small smile, nodding.

"Yeah. Something about the mental imagery just isn't working with me. It's just so fluid. It's like trying to hold water in your hands."

"Fluid," Elfman said, frowning. "Why are you using a fluid mental image?"

"It was what Sasuke suggested."

"Yeah, but why?" Elfman stated. "You're trying to manipulate a natural force of the world I get that. It's not going to be easy, but that's not who you were when you had your powers nee-san. You were aggressive, dominant. There's a reason your nickname was 'The Demon'. You weren't fluid. You stood in front of anything that got in your way and made it move. To gain your old strength back, wouldn't you have to be that person again?"

Mirajane frowned, trying to find reason to reject Elfman's words but she came up empty. He...he had a point. She had been using her powers on the defensive, trying to only protect those that she cared about so nothing like Lisanna ever happened again. Trying to be fluid in her manipulation of gravity. But that wasn't who she was when she was at her strongest. She was always on the offensive. If something got in her way she didn't move for it or redirect it, she simply crushed it.

So why was she doing something different now?

Darkness Magic burst from her hands once more as her eyes closed, imagining herself standing firm on the ground, Alpha and Shukaku before her. The twin beasts roared, moving to attack her Fairy Tail guild members in front of her. Natsu, Naruto, Erza, Lucy, Gray, and Sasuke.

Elfman.

"Never again," Mirajane whispered, and the world exploded. Elfman grit his teeth as he felt a tugging at his feet, the man struggling to stand. Soon enough however he was able to overpower it, and Mirajane collapsed to the ground, exhaustion on her face.

"Mira!"

"Did I do it," Mirajane gasped. "I felt something snap."

"Oh you did it alright," Elfman muttered. "It was brief, but it was there. I felt it."

Mirajane smiled. "Seems like both of us made progress today then!"

Elfman could barely hide his wince.

"Yeah..."

Short chapter for this update, but this chapter is mostly just a set up for the next chapter. Getting two players who will have important arcs in the upcoming arc. Plus setting up all the pieces. Next chapter we're gonna get back into the action, although not immediately.