Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail
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By Any Means
Chapter 4 – Lullaby's Shadow
Opening – Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer by One Ok Rock
0o0o0 Clover Canyon 0o0o0
"YOU BASTARD!" Natsu growled in frustration as he bent down and grabbed the train tracks. Fire surrounded him, before exploding from his body as he threw his head back and roared.
Beneath his Storm Mail, Erigor's eyes narrowed. "That's an odd type of magic…" he pondered. "It's like his emotions are transforming into actual, physical flames."
"It's making Erigor's wind blow strangely…" Happy mumbled, staring at his friend.
"UOOOHHHHH!" Natsu's yell peaked as he stood, a pillar of fire erupting around him.
"Flames of Emotion?! There's an ancient magic like that, as I recall…" Erigor frowned. "But how can this brat…?!" The turbulent winds surrounding the dark mage began to slow down and disperse. "What?!" he yelled, shocked. "The wind is blowing towards him?"
"Natsu!" Happy yelled out over the wind. The Dragon Slayer turned his head, his eyes pure white in rage. "It's no use. You can't beat him. Let Gray handle this," the cat deadpanned.
In shock, the flames surrounding Natsu dispersed, a flabbergasted expression on his face. After a second though, the flames returned with a vengeance.
"What did you say?!" the pink head ground out. The renewed flames began to speed up the dissolution of Erigor's Storm Mail, leaving the dark mage bereft of his protection.
"Curse you!" Erigor spat, shielding his face from the flying debris. "He superheated the air around himself to create an extreme vertical updraft, producing a low-pressure area! And wind blows toward area of low-pressure!" He grimaced as the last bits of his magically saturated wind were pulled away.
"I'm gonna beat you!" Natsu screamed into the air, the pillar of flame pulsing wildly around him.
"Superthermal magic of this level?! ...No, he couldn't be-!" Erigor was cut off as Natsu roared once again, before jetting forward.
"Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" Engulfed in flame, Natsu speared into Erigor with such force it knocked him off the ground, before spinning and launching the dark mage into the air.
"GUH-!" As Erigor flew threw the air, consciousness slipping, he completed his thought. "A Dragon Slayer exists?!" Anything else was lost as he slammed headfirst into the tracks, Lullaby falling from his clothes.
"How's that Happy?" the pink head crowed as he watched his defeated opponent crash to the ground.
"Aye! I'd expect no less from Natsu the Salamander!" the little blue cat cheered.
"Natsu!" Lucy called out, as the magic 4-wheeler made its way along the tracks.
"Oh! Took you guys long enough! It's already over!" he called back.
"Aye!"
"Impressive work," Erza conceded as the vehicle pulled up, Lucy helping the Requip mage out of the 4-wheeler. Gray and the injured Kageyama exited after them.
"Kuh!" Gray sneered at Natsu.
"Are you alright Erza?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, don't worry about me."
"I-Impossible…! Erigor wasn't supposed to lose here!" Kageyama was on the verge of panic before his eyes caught a glimpse of Lullaby lying on the ground right by the defeated dark mage.
"You had trouble with this guy, didn't you?" Gray mocked at Natsu.
"Trouble?! I wiped the floor with him!" the Dragon Slayer rebutted aggressively.
"If you say so…" Happy interjected.
Lucy and Erza looked on as the two began to argue, soft smiles on their faces.
"Geez. Wearing a scarf while half-naked… You look like a pervert," the Ice Mage said, condescendingly.
"Like you're one to talk," Natsu argued, before he turned to Lucy. "Lucy, gimme your clothes."
"Why mine?!" the girl snapped as Erza chuckled at the group's antics.
"In any case," the armored girl began, "well done, Natsu. The masters are safe now." The Fairy Tail mages all perked up at that. "While we're here, let's go to the conference to report about this incident, and ask our master what to do about the flute."
"Clover is really close after all," Happy chimed in.
As the light mages spoke, Kageyama used his shadows to ensnare Lullaby unnoticed. Stealthily, he made his way back to the magic 4-wheeler. Quickly attaching the magic conversion plug, he gunned the engine, launching the vehicle through the group of mages, causing them to scatter.
"Kage!"
"That's dangerous!" Erza and Gray both admonished the injured prisoner, only to be ignored.
"Troublesome…" Kage muttered as he booked it toward Clover. "Nothing is going according to plan. No matter. I can take care of this myself…"
All 4 mages and the cat stared in complete and utter shock as the dark mage drove off, Lullaby firmly in his clutches.
"That jerk!"
"And after we saved him too!" Both Lucy and Natsu yelled.
"Quickly! After him!" Erza commanded.
0o0o0 Nightfall - Clover Canyon 0o0o0
"We must hurry! Reports say Eisenwald is plotting the murder of all the guild masters at their conference!" Charles Stroid yelled amidst the numerous squadrons of Rune Knights rushing to the town of Clover. "We must reach Clover as soon as possible and crush these enemies of Fiore!"
0o0o0 Outskirts of Clover Town 0o0o0
The dark, nighttime forest gave way to the building hosting the guild master conference. At the edge of the clearing, upon a small hill, stood Kageyama, the bandages wrapping his torso rustling as he shifted his position. His sharp glance calculated the distance between his current position and building, noting that it should be in range of Lullaby.
"This is it. This is what I - what we've been waiting for for 13 years. All I have to do is use Lullaby." He stared at the magical artifact, it's skull shaped end staring back.
"Why…" he muttered. "Why… This is... what's right, isn't it?" He closed his eyes as his head tilted back, memories of fleeing, hiding, fighting for his life rising up. "They deserve this…"
"Yet why do I feel like this isn't what I'm supposed to do?"
"Boy," a deep voice called out.
Kage spun around, alarmed that someone had managed to sneak up on him. "Who-?!"
Out of the darkness of the forest stepped a short, balding figure wearing a blue and orange jester's outfit. He'd recognize that person, even in such ridiculous clothing. Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Kage dropped into a defensive stance, hiding the wince his quick movements caused as his wounds reopened.
"Those are some serious wounds you've got there. It's not wise for someone in your condition to be out and about so late," Makarov suggested sagely.
Kage stared down at the aging Guild Master in shock, "H-How did he sneak up on me? Kuso! How troublesome is this day going to get?" Kage's eyes widened ever so slightly as he realized the opportunity he now held. "I-I know, but the Hospital, you see, doesn't allow music and I haven't been able to play my flute in such a long time. Perhaps you'd like to hear a song?" He held the flute up so that Makarov could see the demonic object.
"That's a creepy looking flute you've got there young man." Makarov looked pointedly at the instrument of death.
"It's not the prettiest flute out there, but it's sound is divine! Please, just one song?" Kage pleaded, he couldn't allow this chance to pass him by.
"I'm in a hurry, so just one song, got it?"
"T-Thank you so much!" Kage had to suppress the smirk threatening to split across his face. "We win." Kage brought the flute to his mouth and just as he was about to lay his lips upon the cursed instrument Makarov interrupted him.
"You know I once knew a young man much like yourself. He held an incredible power the likes of which I'd never seen before, and was perhaps the most compassionate man I have ever met. Even when tempted to take the life of his enemies, he refrained, delivering justice and not vengeance. What was his name again…? Minota, no… Mitano… Ah! I remember now. His name was Minato Namikaze."
Kage froze at the name. "What is he talking about? He knew Namikaze-sama? Why would a guild master know a Kage personally? What's going on?"
"The weak will always be weak, but weakness isn't necessarily a bad thing. People are weak creatures by nature and their insecurities are why guilds exist. Why comrades exist. They come together and move forward, to live life to the fullest. If you're clumsy, you might run into more obstacles and take a long way around, but as long as you step forward with faith in tomorrow, you'll find that your strength will emerge on its own. You'll be able to smile and live life to the fullest." Makarov turned his back to the would be assailant. "Minato told me that a month before he died."
Kage stared in stunned disbelief.
"Minato had many different beliefs and did his best to see the good in everyone he came across. He saw the need for those like you and the cruelty that resides in us all. He understood the difference between justice and revenge. When the path you walk endangers the innocent, you are not walking the path of justice and you become the very thing you seek to destroy!"
The Eisenwald mage looked down, his eyes shadowed. Memories flashed through his mind…
...Playing with his friends at the daycare center, his parents teaching him how to properly hold and throw kunai…
...The screams, the explosions, the fear and anxiety of not knowing whether he was going to live or die...
...The trust and faith the Fairy Tail members showed toward each other…
Kage began to realize that if he were to play the flute, he would be no better than those that had attacked Shadow Heart. And while that wasn't really a bad thing for a shinobi, he refused to include innocent - if ignorant - guild masters in his feud.
The flute fell from his hands.
Kage dropped to his knees. "I… surrender."
With that, the rest of the Fairy Tail members ran out of hiding while Bob and Goldmine watch on from behind.
"Master!"
"Gramps!"
Makarov looked toward the group of four running towards him and the dark mage in surprise. "Oh! What are you doing here?!"
Before anyone could answer, Makarov found himself being crushed in the arms of Erza.
"That was well said! Your words were truly moving!" she exclaimed, proud of her diminutive guild master who wincing in her steel embrace.
"That was amazing, Gramps!" Natsu patted the aging man's head much to his annoyance.
"DON'T PAT ME!"
Forgotten on the forest floor, Lullaby's eyes began to glow as it was surrounded by a dark miasma. "I've had enough of you gutless mages!" the demonic flute screeched, its magic shooting into the sky.
All the mages looked up to the sky to see a giant, purple magic seal appear. An ominous glow overtook the night sky.
"I can no longer hold back! I shall eat you myself!" With a flash of purple lightning, a large demonic being appeared from the magic seal. "I will devour your souls!"
"What the…?!" Kage stared up at the monstrosity that manifested itself from the flute.
Before the assembled group of mages stood a demon of epic proportions.
"The legends never spoke of something like this! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Kage began to panic.
"That's a demon from the book of Zeref," Master Goldmine stated worriedly as the gathered guild masters fled the guild hall.
"This isn't good…"
"Should we do something?"
"My back hurts, I'll pass…"
"Why did a monster come out of the flute?" Lucy stared up in horror as the demonic being took in it's surroundings and breathed in it's first breath of freedom in four centuries.
"That monster is Lullaby. Zeref's magic is living magic, twisting inanimate objects into horrors beyond our worst nightmares." Goldmine took in the sight of Lullaby with crossed arms and a firm frown.
"Living magic?" Erza questioned the Quatro Cerberus guild master.
"Zeref? I thought he was just a children's story to scare kids to be good?!" Lucy doubted.
"Zeref was the most evil mage in the history of mages. To think that a part of his legacy would appear before us after all these centuries!" Makarov explained.
"Now, then! Whose soul shall I dine on first?!" Lullaby leered down at the united mages.
"Natsu! Gray! Get everyone away from here!"
"Don't boss me around!/You're not the boss of me!" Natsu and Gray snapped back.
"You heard me!" Erza's glare promised untold pain and suffering if they didn't comply.
"Aye!"
Lucy couldn't help but think of Happy numbers 2 and 3.
"Behold my power!" Lullaby inhaled deeply before violently exhaling, a beam of pure magic racing out over the mages and obliterating a nearby mountain in a deafening explosion.
The mages covered their eyes from the blinding light of the explosion. Most of the on-looking guild masters were stupefied, their jaws comically hitting the ground. "Now, then! I've decided! I will devour all your souls, wizards!" the monster proclaimed, leering down at the assembled mages.
Natsu, standing with Gray and Erza, responded with a fierce yell. "All right, then! Bring it on, if you dare!"
"Good luck…!" the guild masters yelled out as they backed away, leaving the Fairy Tail mages to fight.
"What can the three of them do?!" Lucy worried out loud.
"What about you?" Happy butted in, a condescending look on his face.
"None of my other Celestial Spirits are available today, and I'll only slow the others down…" the blonde mumbled in shame.
"Excuses."
"Shut up, cat!"
Their arguing was put to a stop when Lullaby roared, a giant magic seal appearing above the creature.
"The Lullaby…!"
"It's going to eat our souls!"
"We're all going to die!"
Makarov smirked as his children prepared to fight.
"Let's go!" Erza commanded to Natsu and Gray
"Yeah!"
Erza launched herself into the air, covered in the glow of her magic - The Knight. It dispersed, revealing her in a new set of revealing, silver armor with wings- the Heaven's Wheel armor. She flew toward Lullaby, landing a devastating double slash with her swords.
As Erza charged, Gray placed a fist in the palm of his other hand, gathering his magic. A light sheen of frost could be seen around his figure. As Erza made a flyby attack, he activated his own spell. "Ice Make: Lance!" Dozens of lances made of pure ice shot from the magic seal in front of his hands, impacting off the monster with a resounding crash.
Seeing Lullaby distracted, Natsu ignited his fists with flame before leaping toward the monster. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he yelled as he slugged the living magic monster across the face.
Lullaby roared, the mages smirking at his pain. "AAAAGH-Hahahaha! What was that? I didn't feel a thing!" The monster smirked at the mages before taking a swing at them, causing them to scatter.
Undaunted, the mages continued to attack, hammering away Lullaby.
"Enough!" Lullaby tilted its head back, the magic seal above it growing, before compressing itself inside the creatures mouth, a horrid sound emerging.
"This sound!" Lucy screamed, covering her ears in agonizing pain.
"The plantlife is withering away!"
"Lullaby is sucking it up!"
"Your souls will be mine!" The monster laughed contemptuously. The laughter continued as the magic seal compressed even further, deepening the harsh screeching.
No one was able to notice a small, black knife pierce the throat of Lullaby. No one except Kage, that is. "It's about time."
The screeching halted as Lullaby's head was consumed in a fiery explosion.
"WHAT!?" Every mage looked up at the now smoking head of Lullaby in pure shock.
Lullaby roared its way out of the smoke, its wooden face cracked and shattered all over and small fires spreading across its body. "WHO DID THAT!?"
"I did." Everyone looked up at a single tall tree that had managed to survive Lullaby's rampaging to see a lone figure in a black hooded cloak decorated with red clouds standing atop it.
"No way!"
"It can't be!"
"The rumors are true! Shadow Heart has returned!"
"Do you think he's here to exact his revenge?"
Lucy stared up at the man unsure how to feel about his presence. Flashes of her kidnapping in Hargeon raced before her eyes. Everyone at Fairy Tail had told her of Shadow Hearts bloody past and that only blood thirsty monsters made up its guild roster. However, despite the blood spilt she had still been saved.
"Master is that…?" Erza kept her gaze hard on the enigmatic figure.
"We're about to find out." Makarov shifted his gaze over to Kage who seemed far too relaxed for someone in his position.
"Bastard! I can't create my wonderful music anymore! You're going to pay!" Lullaby swung it's massive arm down at the tree in an attempt to squash the cloaked man.
In a swift movement the Shadow Heart member jumped out of the way and landed not far from Erza, Gray, and Natsu. The three mages made to charge forward when an outstretched arm from the unknown man stopped them."You three, stay out of this. I'll finish this demon off."
"You don't honestly expect me to believe you can handle a monster that size on your own, do you?" Erza asked incredulously.
"Hn, believe it." The hooded man took off toward the Lullaby without another word.
"Oi! You can't just show up and steal all the fun for yourself!" Natsu yelled after him in anger but was promptly ignored.
"RAAGH! I've had enough of this! Why won't you all just die!?" Lullaby swatted and stomped down at the lone warrior but every attacked was expertly dodged. Swinging once more at what Lullaby deemed a fly, the Shadow Heart member landed on its arm and began running up it with incredible speed.
"Time to end it. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" with a poof of smoke an exact replica of the hooded man appeared next to him. The original outstretched his arm while the other began striking the air surrounding his open hand.
"Master how did he create a copy of himself?" Lucy asked in awe as a swirling blue orb began to form in the original's hand. "I thought human clone spells were forbidden magic that couldn't be bought anymore."
"The members of Shadow Heart, from the day they are born to the day they die, are classified as Dark Mages. They are experts in many forbidden magics in order to carry out their missions. However, what is more important is that they do not use the same magic as the mages of legal guilds. They derive their magic from another source, rather than the Eternano in the air that we use. With it they can perform magics we legal mages could only hope to dream of. That spell of his is probably one of many that would be otherwise illegal to use." Makarov watched as the glowing orb begin to grow in size.
"Another source? I didn't think that there was more than one source of magic. What is it called?"
"The world is a vast place and full of many secrets. Those of Shadow Heart called their magic 'Chakra,' and with it they shaped much of our history from the shadows. It is through 'Chakra' that they derived their true name. When translated we know them as the shadow assassins of the Elemental Nations, Ninja. However, that is not what they call themselves." Makarov stopped speaking as Lullaby made to brush the rushing Ninja off its shoulder.
"Get off me little fly!"
Jumping over the gigantic arm, the Ninja and his clone launched themselves toward the monster's face. "It's over!" Having stopped manipulating the spinning orb, the clone grabbed hold of the original's outstretched arm and spun both of them before throwing his creator then disappearing into a puff of smoke. "Odama Rasengan!"
The impact was like a hot knife through butter. The Ninja went right through the monster's skull and emerged on the other side, falling back towards the ground.
Lullaby on the other hand had stopped moving. It said nothing as it began to slowly splinter before suddenly exploding into massive pieces of magic and dispersing into thin air.
"N-No way!"
"He took it out with a single attack!"
"Lullaby didn't even touch him!"
"Is this the power of Shadow Heart?"
The Ninja landed and rolled onto the ground to soften the impact from the fall. He rose quietly, lightly dusting himself off when the gathered mages surrounded him.
"Identify yourself. Wearing that cloak marks you as a criminal in Fiore boy. I hope you realize this." It was Goldmine that broke the brief silence enveloping the situation of what came next.
"Is it now? It has been a long time since I last set foot in Fiore so I wouldn't know." The obvious dismissal wasn't missed by anyone.
"Don't you play the fool, boy! You're the one, aren't you? The one that's been running around the whole country in that getup for the last two months! I don't know what your goal is but it ends now. If you take off that cloak and never put it on again I'll ensure that no one here speaks of your involvement tonight." Goldmine made the offer with sincerity. He had no true ill will toward the young man despite the various crimes he'd committed since first appearing in Hargeon.
"No thanks."
"What!? You insol-" Goldmine was cut off by Makarov.
"That's enough Goldmine. This young man just saved all of our lives tonight and for that we should be grateful, not condemning him for his sense of fashion. Tell us, what is your name so we can properly thank you."
"There's no need to thank me. After all, I am to blame for this incident in the first place."
The mages' eyes widened. "You're to blame?" Erza spoke up finally, a blazing fire rose in her eyes as she glared at the Ninja.
"In a manner of speaking, so are you and your guildmates. Had none of you gone after Eisenwald in the first place I could've taken care of them in Oshibana station and avoided the release of Lullaby altogether."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Simple curiosity." The Ninja shrugged his shoulders in a carefree manner.
Erza, and most everyone else, blinked. "You… were curious?"
"I wanted to know the calibre of the legal guilds. In other words, I let Eisenwald test your strength for me. I have to say I'm… sorely disappointed. I've heard many great things about you Titania, you as well Salamander."
"YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW STRONG I AM!? WELL I'M RIGHT HE-" Natsu was cut off from his tirade by cold metal resting upon his skin.
"I didn't even see him move!"
"We don't stand a chance!"
"Natsu!" Lucy gasped in horror as a small amount of blood began to trickle down the dragon-slayer's neck.
Natsu looked on in disbelief, for once unsure of himself.
"As all of you are now, not a single one of you could even begin to push me." The Ninja stepped back and removed his knife from Natsu's throat.
"That's tough talk for a coward," a new voice cut in from behind the crowded mages. They parted to reveal a stern looking Rune Knight Captain stalking toward the Dark Mage.
"Yare, yare, whatever are you talking about Mr. Rune Knight Captain?" the Ninja blithely responded.
"You know damn well what I'm talking about," the Captain, Charles Stroid, growled out. "You've been running for the last two months. If that isn't cowardly, I don't know what is."
"Oh!" A light bulb went off above the Ninja's head. "So that's what my Kage Bunshin have been doing with their time off… Lazy bastards."
"...You mean to tell me," Stroid began, "that my men and I have been on a wild goose chase after a clone?! For two months?!"
"Sorry?"
"Men, arrest him!" the Captain yelled.
Stroid's men charged in, attempting to subdue the Shadow Heart mage. Said Dark Mage merely stood still, allowing them to close in. Closer and closer. Just as they were about to lay hands on him, he went up in a puff of smoke.
"Ooh, almost got me there," the mage's voice rang out, behind the Rune Knights. They whipped around to see him leaning off the shoulder of an annoyed looking Kage.
"Better luck next time, Mr. Rune Knight Captain," the Ninja mocked, grabbing Kage by the arm before the two both went up in another puff of smoke.
Stroid felt the tick marks growing, his anger barely kept in check. "Men! Fan out and find them!" His men took off into the surrounding forest, what was left of it, and once more began searching for the elusive Dark Mage. "Why did none of you try and stop him?" Stroid rounded on the onlooking mages.
"It's not our place to take the law into our own hands," Makarov dismissed, ignoring the rampant hypocrisy in that statement.
"Don't play innocent Makarov. Your guild has caused enough problems today. Had they not interfered, we could've stopped Eisenwald in Oshibana and stopped this fiasco from happening in the first place!" Stroid gave a pointed look toward Erza, Gray, Natsu and Lucy. "Not to mention the destruction they caused here."
Makarov tilted his head in curiosity before looking around to notice the small but growing forest fire, the destroyed meeting hall with ice pierced through it and much of the landscape cut in two.
"..."
Erza stepped forward, an angry gleam glinted in her left eye. "Had we not interfered then Eisenwald would still be holed up in Oshibana station and Erigor, the Grim Reaper, would've been the one to unleash Lullaby. Not to mention the fact that you didn't show up until after the fighting was over. Do not presume to lecture us on interfering when you Rune Knights can't even bother to show up!"
Noticing the raising tension, Stroid decided it was time to take his leave. "I don't have time for this," he spat out. "Just remember this Titania. We're keeping an eye on you troublemakers at Fairy Tail." Stroid turned and stalked off after his subordinates.
Erza let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Master, I think its time for us to leave as well."
"I believe so." Makarov turned to his other three mages and Happy. "Make sure you have all of your things, it's going to be a long walk back." Nodding briefly to the other guild masters, Makarov and his mages left.
"Master." Lucy chirped up after 15 minutes of continuous silence.
"Hmm?" Makarov asked in a relaxed manner.
"Earlier, when you were telling us about Shadow Heart's magic… You never told us what they called themselves..." she trailed off.
"Ah. It's a word that is hated in both their homeland and here in Fiore." Makarov paused briefly. "They called themselves...Shinobi."
0o0o0o0o0o0
Ending - Heart of Sword - By T.M. Revolution
0o0o0o0o0o0
Lord of the Morning we did it!
Yay, Ronin, it's done!
*Cue horrible 80's/90's high five freeze frame.*
...Bah.
Time for author notes! You go first Morning.
Next time we need less booze and anime references, more story work. But all work and no play makes Morning a dull boy.
… ALL THE BOOZE!
As some of you can tell we've had fun writing this - lots of fun. Perhaps too much fun - never. We seriously need to record our writing sessions. Shit goes down. Pegasus Maximillion meets Itachi.
Expect a new chapter...soon TM - In like a month… maybe not really. When it's done it's done.
We're still going over everything and fleshing out the story and improving the plot to make an awesome ass story that will be the best ever!
Seriously, there is a shit ton of material we have to get straight - That isn't a joke. I made a very vast world with a lot of backstory and detail. Very grateful to Morning of helping me out. It's ridiculous. And you're welcome.
Later bitches~! Pecking order - (Morning has a DBZA fetish (and proud of it)).