Chapter 36

A/N Here's chapter 36. 37 and 38 are also uploaded. I'm really sorry about the late updates. Also, Wattpad gets faster updates (and also has the special updates, like a new year's special and stuff), so if you want, you can read this there too.

That night, Zeref and Mavis stared at Natsu and Lucy in mild surprise.

"Uh, Mavis, tell me if I'm seeing things wrong, but they're sleeping, right?"

"Yes…?"

"And, they are also kissing. With tongue, and all sorts of other stuff. Right?"

"Yeaaah."

"Mavis, do people normally fall asleep while kissing?"

"Maybe?"

"Let me rephrase, have we ever fallen asleep while kissing?"

"No, you kiss too well for that."

"Right." Zeref got a very evil grin on his face.

Mavis looked at Zeref with an eyebrow raised. "Why do I feel you're planning something?"

Zeref chuckled evilly. "You know me too well, darling."

The next morning, Natsu and Lucy woke up tied together in a cocoon and hung from a tree. Still kissing, although this had less to do with their subconscious instinct and more to do with Zeref's excellent ropework.

Zeref had a lot of practice in tying people up, after all.

Time passed slowly. Lucy trained in the magic circle arts. She and Natsu also roamed the islands. Natsu could appreciate the beauty of the island better now. Of course, that may have had more to do with the company than the actual beauty of the place.

Having nothing to do, Gray began spending a lot of time talking to Deliora. Yes, Deliora couldn't reply, but he could listen. The first few days, Gray just vented a lot. How Deliora destroyed his village, how he had wanted to kill him. Then he went deeper into his life story.

About his stripping habit, how it arose. About how he learned magic. Within a few days, he had verbalized all his issues, even those completely unrelated to Deliora. The demon had listened to him patiently, not interrupting him or saying anything. Not that he could, but still. It was nice.

Lyon was in a problematic situation. The 'man' who knew the Arc of Time had turned into a woman who resembled Ur, and had proceeded to tell him everything. Lyon had just asked her why she would start crying and ask him to resurrect Ur if she hated Ur, and she was about to answer, when Jellal and Erza crashed into their base.

Jellal had recognized Ultear's magic as the one that was possessing him. So had Zeref, which was why he appeared a few seconds later.

Having sensed magic very similar to Ur's, Gray took a minute longer, but he appeared too, just in time for the confrontation.

"You", Jellal whispered in a rage. "You dared take control of my body!"

Erza's eyes widened. This girl was why they'd suffered. The one that took Jellal away (temporarily). Weapons started appearing and falling around her, a sign of her anger.

Zeref didn't show any physical signs of anger, apart from his lips tightening and a slight frown that made him seem more dangerous than an outright glare would have.

Ultear recoiled physically from the sheer power and anger the three were radiating. She was definitely going to die now. Why, why had she transformed back and told her mother's disciple everything?

Well, partly because she did want to see her mother and ask her why she had been abandoned and replaced, but she could have done that anyway, since they were resurrecting Ur already.

Maybe a desire to come clean beforehand? No, she could have easily handed herself over to the law, and she still didn't want to go to jail or anything.

Point was, she did something impulsively, and stupidly, and now she was going to die. Correction, she was probably going to die, but if she fought back, she would definitely die.

Lyon discreetly used hand signals to communicate with Gray. It was a language they had made themselves.

Daughter of teacher U-R. U-L-T-E-A-R. Not very good person. Please no kill. Sorry for actions. Only L-E-G-A-C-Y of U-R. "Dead" child.

Gray sighed and signed back. Fine. You owe me. I protect (the specific sign he used could also be translated as guard or shield).

The moment Erza stepped forward with a particularly jagged knife, intending to cause as much pain as possible, a wall of ice appeared in front of her. She looked at Gray, frowning. He mouthed the word 'sorry' before standing beside Lyon.

"Gray, this girl is the reason why Jellal became evil and took over the tower of heaven."

"Um, she's also the reason I had a loving paren- a loving guardian, after my town was destroyed. Indirectly."

"Please don't tell me you want to try to fight me."

Gray frowned. "Of course not! Fairy Tail mages don't fight each other! I believe I said that once, after you challenged Natsu."

"Right. I remember. You gave a long speech about it." Erza nodded. "But you challenged Natsu just after the speech, so I didn't take you seriously."

Gray rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, right. Whatever, so what do you say we, as Fairy Tail mages, step back, and let Jellal and Lyon duke it out?"

Erza tilted her head, considering his words. "Sure. But then your friend would be at a disadvantage, because of Zeref."

Zeref gaped at them, looking heavily offended. "Excuse me?! I'm a Fairy Tail mage too! I showed you the mark, remember?!"

"Uh…"

"Um…"

Zeref glared at the sky. "Dammit! I get that I'm sort of a dark mage, but still! Not cool!"

Turning around, Gray signaled to Lyon. I help if you need. Ask. I hidden help.

Lyon nodded once.

Zeref, meanwhile, was apparently giving Jellal an extra-long hug for courage. In reality, he was whispering. "I'll help you by sabotaging him."

Jellal tightened his fists and glared. "Step aside, Ice guy, and let me attack the person who made me hurt Erza." As an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and she sort of ruined my life too."

Lyon took in a breath, as if preparing a long, emotional speech he would give about his motivations to protect Ur's kid.

"Nope."

Even though he was being possessed at the time, Jellal had still retained some of his evil ruler-ish characteristics.

"You dare defy me? Then face the wrath of my Heavenly Mete- why am I in a cage?"

Unfortunately for him, Lyon was an actual evil ruler.

Zeref flexed his fingers, trying to weaken the ice subtly, but frowned in surprise as he felt Gray's magic trying to strengthen it. He glared at Gray, who smirked, as if to say, 'What are you gonna do about it?'

Jellal suddenly felt a dark power take control of his leg and slam it into the cage. But because of the bad angle, and the fact that he was hopping on one leg for balance, the cage didn't break. His leg, however, did.

Raising his eyebrows at the blatant display of cheating, Gray caused a thin sheen of ice to form on Lyon's arms. Making him thrust them forward, he also shot a spike of ice at Jellal.

Jellal was about to create a shield to block, when he felt the same dark power lift his arm up to shield himself. The ice crashed on it and broke.

Within minutes, it turned from a fight between Lyon and Jellal to a Super Smash Bros battle between Gray and Zeref, with Lyon and Jellal as their avatars.

Their fingers were also tapping on the air like controllers.

Erza sat, a bit awed at the impressive fistfight, and a bit confused at Jellal's restraint from using magic. Of course, this was because both Jellal and Lyon were unconscious by then, and while Gray's magic was similar enough to Lyon's to pass it off as his own, Zeref's magic was not so.

Zeref stood up suddenly, slamming his hands against the wall before turning towards Gray.

"Okay, what the hell is your problem?! I apologized for your home being destroyed and your teacher sort of dying, and I'm resurrecting your teacher for you. This woman was responsible for ruining a lot of lives, including your friend's life, and she tried to do it invoking my name! Even if she is your teacher's child, what makes you think she'll even want her now?"

That, in retrospect, was the wrong thing to say.

Gray's breathing turned angry before he calmed himself down. He smiled serenely. "Since you can ask such a question, you must have absolutely no problem giving up on Deliora."

"Alright, look here, Ice Brat-"

There was a huge rumble that effectively cut off what Zeref was about to say. A pink haired girl that always had hearts in her eyes for some reason ran in.

"Emperor Lyon, my love, the beast is breaking free!"

The unconscious Lyon predictably didn't answer. Both Zeref and Gray looked towards the direction of the noise.

"Deli!"

"Ur!"