Back with Natsu X Ultear Fanfic continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
In a forest
Natsu, Lucy and North were in a forest and making their way to the hideout of the Zeref Cult, Avatar
"so Gray is in this black Guild, Avatar?" Lucy asked Natsu who was watching the front as North keeps running in highspeed in the forest
"I don't know but it's a chance we have to take" Natsu told her as North jumps up a rocky hill then makes it on top before continuing to run again "back at the GMG, back when the Future Rogue came to attack us, he told me something"
"Frosch will be killed by…"
"he told me that Gray will be in this job Rogue takes on" Natsu told Lucy as in a lie to not tell her what Future Rogue really told him
"but since we changed the outcome of the future, wouldn't it be changed?" Lucy asked Natsu
"in concepts yeah, but not this one" Natsu said as he had a serious look on
"Juvia said Gray had black markings all over his body, right?" Natsu asked Lucy who nodded "those black markings are from our fight against Tartaros, against Mard Geer."
"what I'm thinking is that because of learning Devil Slayer Magic too fast it caused something evil to be created in the process" Natsu explained to her before North stops his running as they were in front of a dark forest
"this must be the place" Lucy said before realizing just on how much Natsu knows of the outcome
"what do you know that we don't, Natsu?" Lucy thought before North continued running towards the black forest
They were now near the hideout of the Zeref Cult, Avatar as they were looking at the creepy castle like building
"what's the plan?" Lucy asked Natsu who was looking at the castle before taking off his eyepatch and revealed his blind right eye
His blind eye glowed red as it sees through the castle and into the building itself
Natsu scans through the castle as he was looking for Gray before spotting him
"found him" Natsu said as he closes his right eye and put on his eyepatch back on "he's in that castle alright, and he's not alone"
He then turns his attention to Lucy and North
"North get back to the others" Natsu ordered to the ice wolf who barked before running off "Lucy summon Virgo and create a hole from here to there"
Lucy nodded and summoned Virgo in an instant before realizing that the maid Spirit was tied up
"what happened to you?" Lucy asked while Natsu just snapped his finger to burn away the rope that tied Virgo up
"please do not concern for my sake" Virgo said as she stands back up and dusts off her outfit "I had some time so I decided to punish myself"
"what were you thinking?" Lucy asked before hearing Natsu coughs into his hand as he signalled to the castle with his thumb
"right" Lucy said before she equips on her Star Dress: Virgo Form
"let's go" Natsu said as Lucy and Virgo created a hole on the ground as they jumped in before being followed by Natsu who jumped in
In the castle
Underground torture room
Virgo popped out of the ground floor of the torture room where Lucy popped out next then lastly Natsu
"we have infiltrated the building" Virgo said as she looks around the chamber, they were in
"where are we?" Lucy said as she feels a bit creeped out to the fact of there being so many goring torture devices and some strange looking one "where are we going to find, Gray?"
Natsu looks up to the ceiling of the chamber before lifting up his right foot and stomping it hard on the ground as it nearly caused the whole castle to shook
"GRAY! COME OUT! NOW!"
Natsu shouted out so loud that everyone within the castle heard it
"what are you doing!? Now they know that we're here!" Lucy shouted out to Natsu who keeps staring at the ceiling
"he's coming" Natsu said before hearing laughter as he looks to an air vent where Able was sitting at with a doll in his hands
"hey, we've got a secret base here! What's you doing here?" Able asked as he continued to play with his doll "something fun? Is it fun?"
"that doll!" Lucy exclaimed before remembering the hard fight that she had to go through against Kain Hikaru back at Tenroujima during Grimoire Heart's invasion
"oh! You know Mr Cursey? That's fun!" Able said before hopping down from the air vent "I got him from one of the top men of Grimoire Heart. It's one of the world's most fun and Scary Black magics
"uhh! That doll just brings back a lot of memories!" Lucy said shaking when she remembered how powerful Mr Cursey is.
"this one is stronger than he might look!" Virgo said before seeing Natsu in front of Able as the man stood over the small boy.
"huh?" Able looks to Natsu before getting kicked away straight to the wall by the Fire mage
"naughty boys should just go to sleep" Natsu said as Able was knocked out on the wall that had a large crack on it
"ABLE!" someone came running in as it was Gomon
Gomon sees Able knocked out as the bald man holds his face in stress
"ah! Trouble is brewing now!" Gomon exclaimed before facing Natsu and the others
"Intruders! Don't think you can take down Able with impuni-tea! It was your ill luck for you have entered my torture-training room!" Gomon shouted as multiple torture equipment floated near him "now you will be punished for all eterni-tea!"
The torture weapons came flying at Natsu who just swatted them away while some of them nearly hits Lucy and Virgo who seems to be mesmerized by the amount of torture equipment
"Spanish Dragon!" Gomon commanded out as a wooden Dragon like Torture Device came dashing towards Natsu who grabs it and shatters it into pieces
"you call that a dragon?" Natsu said a bit annoyed
"it's just a trojan horse!" Gomon exclaimed as he swings his fingers in a few directions before an iron maiden appeared bellow Natsu with its spike pointed at him "that is actually an iron maiden!"
"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed as the Iron Maiden Entrapped Natsu in it
"punishment done to a tea" Gomon said as he did a small prayer
This didn't last long as the iron maiden suddenly exploded
"wha!?" Gomon was punched to the ground before getting kicked away to the wall by Natsu who had a pissed look on him
"this vest was the very vest, Ultear made for me on our first date, don't you dare ruin it!" Natsu said as he glared daggers at Gomon who grunted in pain
D-6 appeared above Natsu as a red flash charged in the giant man's masked eye
But before the giant man could attack, Natsu grabs his face and sends a powerful punch to the gut, causing the giant man to get knocked out
"this is the best you can give?" Natsu asked before he throws away D-6
"i-impressive" Virgo said as she had just watched on how Natsu defeated 3 members of a dark guild in just a matter of seconds
"that's Natsu for you" Lucy said with a proud smirk
"i-impossible" Gomon grunted out "we represent the heights of black magic…to be defeated by a little brat"
"he's out of your league!" a voice was heard and a silhouette by the stairs appeared
CLACK! CLUCK! CLACK! CLUCK!
The sound of footsteps against marble floor was heard next as Natsu focuses his attention to the stairs where Gray appeared
"I'll take him down" Gray said looking at Natsu
"we're going home, Gray" Natsu said looking at Gray
Near the avatar's hideout
Not too far from the forest, the Magic Council's Custody Enforcement Division had set up a base camp. As they prepared the materials needed for their upcoming operation, Gajeel and Pantherlily noticed something was off.
"Someone's coming." The Exceed informed.
"I got ears." The dragon slayer sniped. "and a nose too"
"Good. You're still here."
Levy appeared behind the pair, having just returned from her infiltration of the Avatar cult.
"Good work, Levy."
"I'm glad you're safe."
"Being small sure does come with perks."
"Thanks, guys. Good to be back. Sorry to kept you waiting for so long. Getting in was easy. The hard part was finding a way out. Any longer and they would have found me."
"Did you learn anything?" Pantherlily asked.
The scribe shook her head. "Nothing more than we already knew. Have you two heard about what happened to Gray?"
"Yeah. I saw the report." Gajeel answered.
"What could have happened to him? It's like he's been corrupted by something. I hope he's ok."
"Whatever it is, it's not our problem. We gotta get ready for Operation: Purify."
Pantherlily and Levy were shocked by Gajeel's frank dismissal of the matter.
"How is this not our problem?" Pantherlily implored. "Gray is our comrade."
"Was our comrade." The dragon slayer corrected. "Fairy Tail ain't around no more. That means we don't have the same loyalties that we used to. Opreation: Purify is gonna kill thousands of innocent people. If Gray really is a part of something like that then all of that 'comrade' stuff goes out the door."
"Gajeel…" Levy uttered.
"Even if you say all of that, can you really fight him?" Pantherlily asked.
"Our job is to stop Operation: Purify. If that means we gotta take down a former friend, then so be it."
With Ultear and the others
Juvia was resting on the bed while Ultear was sitting on the couch with Ur as Aya was sleeping and was resting her head on her mother's lap
Wendy was sitting by Juvia's bed to make sure that the rain mage was resting properly
"I wonder if Natsu and the others found Gray yet?" Charla asked as she holds her cup of tea
"they probably did" Meredy said as she was rinsing away a small towel in a bucket of water before folding it and placing it on Juvia's forehead "knowing those two, they probably goofing around with each other"
"you got that right" Ur said as she drinks a bottle of alcohol
"you shouldn't be drinking too much, Ur-san" Wendy said to the older woman "it's bad for your health"
"I maybe a grandmother, but it doesn't mean that I have act like one" Ur said as she chugs in the bottle of liquor
The group laughed a bit as Ultear smiled to them before hearing howling coming from a far as Shina and her kids started howling as well
Ultear and the others looks outside the window and sees North running towards them
"eh? Where are they?" Ur said as she thought hearing North's howling means that Natsu and Lucy were coming back
Ultear squinted her eyes a bit before carrying Aya up in her arms
"something's not right" Ultear said as she stands up and looks far ahead from the window
Back with Natsu
Natsu and Gray looks to each other as both mages were in silent before they punch each other's face sending each other skidding back away
"hey! Why are you guys fighting?!" Lucy shouted as both Natsu and Gray got into a power struggle with each other
Natsu and Gray butt heads as both glared at each other
"why are you here?" Gray said before he and Natsu punched each other fists that was enveloped in their magic and caused a small explosion of magic in doing so
"I'll ask the same question to you" Natsu said before he and Natsu sends each other kicks at each other but was blocked
"that's my business, not yours!" Gray shouted before getting a hard punch to the face by Natsu
"It is my business" Natsu said to the man who got up while wiping away some dirt on his face "Juvia is with Ur-san and the others, they're waiting for us"
"you're coming home with us, and then we're reviving Fairy Tail"
"pathetic" Gray said before he sends an uppercut to Natsu's chin that sends the man taking a few steps back from the attack
"Fairy Tail doesn't exist anymore!" Gray shouted as he created an ice blast that was melted away by Natsu
"it doesn't matter" Natsu said as he smudges off the dirt off his cheeks "even if the guild isn't around anymore, the memories and the bond we made there still exists. Fairy Tail will always exist no matter what"
"fine! It can stay there" Gray said as he stands up straight "but let me give this to you straight!"
Gray pointed his thumb to his chest as he looks straight at Natsu
"there ain't no Fairy Tail left inside me anymore! Stop pretending that you're my friends!"
Natsu looks at the man before summoning Drac on his right arm
"You're coming back home with us, Gray" Natsu said to Gray as his left eye glowed red "whether you like It or not"
Gray looks at Natsu before they heard Lucy screaming as the Celestial Mage was on the ground holding her stomach while looking in pain and had a sword near her neck
"I believe that is far enough" Jerome of the black sword appeared as the man holds the sword near Lucy's neck as the blade is near the skin
Natsu glares at Jerome before getting his body wrapped up in chains by Gomon who recovered himself from Natsu's attack
"I've caught you!" the monk boasted. "These chains are made of a special magic suppressing metal. There is no way you can escape."
"Nat…su" Lucy grunted out in pain as the Celestial mage can't move because of the intense pain stirring up in her stomach
"this must be the famous Hell Dragon of Fairy Tail, the rumours of him being a real monster do not jest" Briar appeared in as Natsu glares at every single one in the room
"if you want to live, let her go" Natsu said as the chains wrapped around him were starting to break
"Impossible!" Gomon shouted. "His magic should be gone! Where is this strength coming from?!"
"I don't think you are in any position to make any demands" Jerome told Natsu as he swings his sword at Lucy but only slashed the floor marble near her
"one touch from my Darkness sword and her skin will rot and she will die in agony" Jerome told Natsu who had black markings slowly traveling around his neck and arms
"You shouldn't have butted in where you weren't wanted" Gray said.
"Gray" Natsu looks at Gray as his left eye turned black for a second "you would break the ties with Ur-san and the others!?"
Gray took off his coat, revealing half of his body covered in black markings, but what was even more striking was that the symbol of Avatar was right where his Fairy Tail mark used to be.
"I've broken those bonds of my own free will a long time ago" Gray told to Natsu "so I could find my true answer."
"How could you…..?" Lucy grunted out in tears to see the Fairy Tail mark, Gray once had was now gone
"see you, it will be the last time" Gray threw his coat over his shoulder and walked out of the room, Mary happily following behind him.
"Lock them up." Jerome ordered. "We will deal with them at a later date."
A few moments later
Natsu and Lucy were locked up in two cells across each other as Avatar had started moving their Purification Plan on schedule
"How's your stomach?" Natsu asked Lucy as he was cuffed with Magic Restraints Cuffs and multiple more all around his limbs
"Better now. Thanks." Lucy replied as she was only got her hands cuffed
they were now locked away in one of the cells in the torture room. It had been quite some time since the members of Avatar left to who knows where. Though all of them suspected it was nowhere good.
"Where do you think Gray and the others went?" Lucy asked
"I don't know" Natsu replied as he looks to the side intensely before looking to the door
"someone is coming" Natsu said as the door to the room opened and in walked Gomon. Pacing towards their cell, he stopped for a moment and bowed to the empty air before him.
"This guy is a total weirdo." Lucy commented. "Where's Gray? What have you done to him?"
"Lord Gray is no longer here." Gomon answered. "He, along with the rest of our comrades in Avatar, have begun Operation: Purify. I volunteered to stay behind in order to find out just who sent you three after us."
"Operation: Purify?" Lucy repeated Gomon's words
"It is the purification of souls so as they may leave this world untainted. If enough are purified and sent away from this world, Zeref will surely appear before us." Gomon explained to her
"You're insane!" Lucy shouted. "There's no way Gray would agree to help you do something like that!"
Gomon stared at the defiant celestial wizard for a moment.
"You're quite perceptive."
Lucy was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"
"How did you know I was cosplaying as Lord Zeref?"
"What? I didn't-"
"Lord Zeref is simply the greatest, isn't he? I love him so much that I tattooed his name on my forehead." He pointed to the characters between his eyebrows.
"…That says Green Tea." Lucy deadpanned.
This sent Gomon into a rage. "How dare you?! I will not suffer your insolence a moment longer." He pointed up and chain shot forth from Lucy's restraints, hanging her from the ceiling of the cell.
"Whip. Hot wax. Water torture. Rope torture. The foot licking torture. There are so many to choose from I do not know where to start." Gomon said as he entered the cell and various torture equipment appeared beside him
"are you a pervert or something!?" Lucy shouted at Gomon who just bowed to the table filled with his torture equipment
"why do you keep doing that!? It's creeping me out!?" Lucy shouted
Natsu glared at Gomon as the black markings slithers around his neck up to the right side of his cheeks as small sparks of black flames started to appear
"Enough!" Gomon shouted
Suddenly Lucy's legs were separated by chains, holding her midair.
"What are you doing?!" Lucy shouted before she was gagged
Gomon grabbed an axe from the table and stood over Lucy. "I have devised a new method of torture! I will simply cut the girl in half instead!"
Lucy screamed through her gag.
Gomon was about to swing the axe on Lucy but he was suddenly frozen into an ice sculpture by Gray
"you guys just had to come and ruined everything" Gray said as he ruffled his hair to it's original style
The restraints on Lucy was gone as Gray rummages to the pocket of his coat and pulls out a lacrima phone
"this is code Blue" Gray said to the lacrima phone "we've got trouble"
As Gray was talking to the lacrima phone, Lucy sees the black markings on Gray was disappearing
"yeah, Natsu is with her…yeah alright" Gray said as he handed the lacrima phone to Lucy who takes it
"hold it up your ear" Gray told to Lucy who did what she was told to
"is that you, Lucy?" a familiar old voice spoke through the lacrima phone as Lucy's eyes widen in surprise
"E-Erza!?" Lucy exclaimed as she was very surprised to hear the Scarlet Knight's voice
"I know that a lot of things need to be explained but for now, Gray isn't with Avatar. He is just a spy for the council" Erza spoke through the phone
"alright" Lucy said before she sees Natsu breaking free out of his restraints and was in a power struggle with Gray
"Gray!" Natsu growled out as his eyes were glowing red
"Natsu! Wait!" Gray was having a hard time pushing back Natsu but the man's strength overpowered his
"wait! Natsu! This was all an infiltration plan! Erza can explain!" Lucy shouted but Natsu just punched Gray's cheek hard and sends the man crashing to the wall
"Natsu!" Lucy shouted but stopped when Natsu looks to her with his face dark as a demon's
Natsu turns his attention to Gray as the man got up while wiping away the small amount of blood from his lips
"I don't care if this was an infiltration plan or whatever it is," Natsu said as he walks towards Gray and grabs the collar of his shirt and lifts him up
"don't you dare say anything about breaking ties with us or Fairy Tail. You'll just make Aya cry!"
Gray looks to him before nodding as Natsu lets go of him
"give me that" Natsu said as the dark markings on his neck were slithering away while asking for Lucy to give him the Lacrima phone
"start talking" Natsu said as he holds the phone to his ear before making his way out of the room with Gray and Lucy following by
That's a wrap!
Bye bye