Ok, so I've missed a few weekly updates, but these past few weeks have been chaos. First, I had four exams in November, over two weeks, fourteen days exactly. Bad, but not terrible, the terrible part, was me getting a throat infection before the last two, making them hell. My throat was terrible for two and a half weeks and just when I thought I was getting better, my eyes got infected, another week down the drain. Then, I spent the next week waiting for results to come out, to find out if I would need to do another exam for the two I missed around mid-year, due to surgery. Results were delayed by four days. Luckily, I passed everything though and didn't need to do another exam. Then though, I needed to do my immunisation stuff for next year, so I've spent this past week getting blood work done and getting a booster too. Then, lastly, there was all the admin I had to fill out for next year and now finally, FINALLY, I am done.
I am going to write so bloody much now because I've been going stir crazy. I lost three kilos over the past week waiting for results, as I could barely eat from stress and could not be bothered doing anything, nothing was fun, as I had that nagging result wait hanging over my head.
Now though, it is writing time and I've decided, barring possibly one large update for NGOTM, for the next month and a half, yeah, I start back again in January, no rest for the weary, I will be writing short, daily or every other day, updates. Similar to my update length/speed for AMH when I started it, only a little more length and a little less speed.
That being said, I will be putting up a new chapter every day, but I will need time to proofread. My current plan is to write my raw chapters on weekdays, then focus on proofreading for the weekend. This way, I will hopefully be able to put out a nice 10-15K every week, without burning out. That being said, the raws will be up on my pat reon as soon as I finish them. If for no other reason, than to see all my chapters as soon as they are done, I suggest supporting me on my pat reon for the months of December and January, as that will get you the most bang for your buck, or as we say in Med-land, that is the most high-yield time to support me.
Aside from NGOTM, I have no concrete updates planned, I'm just going to wake up… and wait until night-time, since that is my optimal writing time and write for whatever story takes my fancy that day, so there is no telling what will be updated.
Well, that's is all for now, enjoy the chapter and prepare for many more.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.
'Talking'
"Thinking"
*expression*
Flashback
'Dragon or E.N.D. talking'
"Dragon or E.N.D. thinking"
Techniques
Chapter 5 – Substance
The trio consisting of Natsu, Kagura and Happy had reached the port town of Hargeon. Natsu had informed the two that to get to Alvarez, they would need to take a ship, as Natsu wasn't sure if he could fly all three of them there without getting lost.
'You do realise that even if we get lost, you would have to travel the planet multiple times until you actually got tired, right?' Questioned E.N.D. suddenly.
"What about Kagura and Happy though? I doubt they could handle being blasted by that much wind for so long." Retorted Natsu.
'You did the same thing to that Ultear girl.' Pointed out E.N.D. causing Natsu to smirk.
"That's different, I like Kagura and Happy." Thought Natsu in amusement, successfully silencing his inner voice.
'Ne, what's with that look, Natsu?' Asked Happy, noticing Natsu's smirk.
'Oh nothing, I'm just thinking about how great it's going to be to explore Alvarez.' Said Natsu.
'What exactly is the reason for you wanting to go there anyway? You still haven't told us what we will be doing on this trip.' Interjected Kagura.
'Really? Oh yeah, I didn't.' Muttered Natsu, scratching his chin contemplatively.
'Well, I have a hunch that there is something in Alvarez for me. A certain person that I want to meet again.' Said Natsu, causing Kagura to purse her lips slightly.
'I see.' Said Kagura.
'Yeah, I really hope I can meet him again.' Said Natsu, causing Kagura to relax slightly.
The stoic swordswoman heard snickering to her right and saw Happy holding in his giggles. The glare Kagura sent his way would have caused a lesser man to crumble, but Happy was no mere man, no, he was a cat, as he said, so Kagura's glare did little more than amuse him.
'In any case, let's go find a ship that can get us there.' Said Natsu, choosing to ignore the two and their obvious interaction, which they tried to make discreet.
In no time at all, Natsu found it was nearly impossible to get a ship to take them to Alvarez. After the third person told Natsu this, he asked why, only to learn that Alvarez was not an ally to Fiore and that citizens of Fiore could not actually go there without permission from Alvarez normally. It took the better part of the day, but Natsu finally found someone who would take them at least part of the way there, to Caracole Island, a tourist resort between the two continents.
'Natsu, where did you get the money to pay for this anyway?' Asked Kagura.
'Eh a few jobs here and there. I'm pretty excited though, I've never travelled by boat before.' Said Natsu, before the boat pulled away from the dock, causing Natsu to feel an unpleasant lurching sensation.
'Natsu, are you okay?' Asked Happy, noticing his friend's face turning green.
'Uh, sure am bud…' Said Natsu, struggling to get his words out, before rushing to the side of the boat and emptying his stomach.
'Oh yeah, I forgot to warn you about that, didn't? Well, the good news, is that you'll only feel like this occasionally and when we do fuse, it won't affect you much at all.' Said E.N.D. in amusement, even as Natsu dry retched.
"What is this?" Thought Natsu, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
'This, is the joys of motion sickness.' Answered E.N.D..
Natsu pulled himself over to Kagura and Happy, before slumping down in front of them.
'So apparently I get motion sickness, that's new.' Groaned Natsu.
'How have you never known about this before?' Asked Kagura in disbelief.
'Well, I've never rode on a boat before.' Said Natsu, giving a small groan of discomfort, as a wave crashed against the back of the boat.
Kagura picked up the slumped Natsu under his shoulders and dragged him to a nearby bench, letting him lie down on it.
'Better?' Asked Kagura.
'A bit, the bench could be more comfortable, but I have slept on worse I suppose.' Mumbled Natsu sleepily, his eyes starting to close, only to feel his head lifted up and placed against something soft.
'Better?' Asked Kagura again.
Natsu opened his right eye and looked up at Kagura, before giving a soft smile.
'Much better.' Said Natsu, before drifting off to sleep.
Kagura gave the tiniest of smiles at this, brushing her gloved hand through Natsu's unruly locks, before hearing more snickering. Predictably, it was Happy, but Kagura was too content to care at this point anyway. After seeing Kagura wouldn't rise to his taunting, Happy floated over to Natsu and curled up on his chest.
'Don't worry, I'll bet he knows by now anyway, night.' Yawned Happy, before falling asleep as well.
"I thought so, but I wonder why Natsu won't act on it." Thought Kagura, with a frown, feeling some of her own insecurities start to bubble up inside her.
As if sensing her discomfort, Natsu shifted, one hand coming to rest on Happy's back, while the other grabbed Kagura's gloved hand that was in his hair. Natsu didn't say anything, asleep as he was, but Kagura understood the gesture and felt her worries disappear.
"That's right, Natsu is my closest friend, whatever the reason, I'm sure it is important." Thought Kagura, watching as the town port of Hargeon, seemed to slowly shrink into the horizon.
-line break-
With a small groan, Natsu was roused. Sitting up, Natsu noticed Happy was floating beside Kagura's head and Kagura was looking at him from his left.
'We're here.' Said Kagura, causing Natsu to give a small yawn before sitting up.
'Okay, let's go check this place out then.' Said Natsu, getting a nod from his two companions, before the three walked off the boat.
'Hmm, it's a bit smaller than I was expecting.' Commented Natsu, as he got a good look at the place.
'Well, it is a resort.' Added Kagura.
'Fish.' Drooled Happy, spotting numerous stalls with fish being sold.
'Well, we could get something to eat. That was a long ride and my stomach is pretty empty right now, after that little surprise I got.' Suggested Natsu.
'It is really warm here though.' Said Kagura.
'Really, I didn't notice.' Said Natsu, before steering the group towards a stand, selling Star Mango gelato.
'Well of course you wouldn't, you use fire magic and you're barely wearing anything as is.' Said Kagura, causing Natsu to sigh, as one of their oldest arguments started up again.
'I already told you before, I need my clothes to be loose and breathable, as well as being fireproof. There isn't much that fits that you know. Besides, you're wearing way too much and you know it, that's why I keep releasing so much heat during our fights, so you'd get the message.' Grumbled Natsu.
'My clothes are fine.' Retorted Kagura stubbornly.
Ever since Kagura had started wearing her elaborate blazer, Natsu had switched over to his current apparel, a sleeveless, gold trimmed, black waistcoat and white knee length trousers, tied off with black cloth and black sandals. Of course, Natsu still has his scaly, white scarf around his neck and Kagura still wore her white ribbon in her hair, but other than those two remaining the same, both had opted for vastly different looks as they grew up.
'Well if you wore something more breathable, you wouldn't be uncomfortable right now.' Said Natsu.
'Something like that, Natsu?' Asked Happy, pointing to a green haired girl beside them, further down the stand.
She was comfortably eating her gelato, with a small smile on her face. Natsu and Kagura both looked at the girl in disbelief, but for different reasons.
"She's one of them too." Thought Natsu in surprise.
"She's hardly wearing anything at all." Thought Kagura.
'It's rude to stare. I'm just trying to enjoy my Star Mango gelato here.' Commented the green haired girl, turning to face the group.
'Sorry.' Apologised Kagura, turning away from the girl, expecting Natsu to do the same, only for him to keep staring at the girl.
'Who are you?' Asked Natsu.
The girl ignored Natsu and continued eating her gelato, causing Natsu to turn to the stand owner and order some gelato for himself and Kagura.
'Brandish.' Said the girl, once she had finished her gelato and stood up, walking away from the stand.
'Hey, who was that person?' Asked Natsu, to the owner of the stand, a bald, bespectacled man.
'Ah, I suppose you wouldn't know of her, being from Ishgar. That was Lady Brandish, one of the Spriggan Twelve.' Said the man.
'How did you know we're from Ishgar?' Asked Kagura.
'Just a hunch. Not a lot of people from Ishgar come by this way, so the few that do are quite easy to spot. I plan to popularise Star Mango Gelato in Ishgar as well.' Said the man.
'Really, what would that girl think about that?' Asked Natsu, referring to Brandish.
'Lady Brandish wouldn't let something like that stop her. I'm sure if she wanted to, she could get to Ishgar easily.' Said the man.
'You mentioned she was part of some group, Spriggan Twelve I think you said, what's that?' Asked Natsu.
'The Spriggan Twelve are the twelve strongest mages in all of Alvarez. Each one of them has frightening abilities and immense magical power.' Explained the man.
'Interesting… and out of curiosity, how would you get to Alvarez from here?' Asked Natsu.
'You'd have to sail north for an hour or so. There are ferries every day at around noon, so you'll have to wait for tomorrow's one.' Informed the man.
'Okay, thanks for all the information and the gelato, it was really good.' Said Natsu, with a smile, causing the man to beam.
'Natsu, can we go get some fish now?' Pleaded Happy, his mouth already watering from the thought of seafood.
'Sure thing, just as soon as Kagura finishes up.' Said Natsu, noticing Kagura still had some of her gelato left.
'Don't worry about me, I'll catch up with you two in a minute.' Said Kagura.
'Are you sure?' Asked Natsu, to which Kagura nodded.
'Okay. Here, keep the change.' Said Natsu, pulling out a wad of jewels, which he placed on the stand, before standing up, Happy quickly jumping onto his shoulder.
'Fish!' Exclaimed Happy in excitement, causing Natsu to chuckle.
As the two got further away from the stand, Kagura turned to face the stand owner.
'So among the twelve, how strong is she?' Asked Kagura curiously, finishing off her gelato as she waited for an answer.
'Lady Brandish? Well, that's hard to say, since all of them are immensely powerful in different ways… if I had to guess though, somewhere around the middle. She may not be the strongest, but she is most certainly not the weakest either.' Said the stand owner, crossing his arms over his chest in thought.
'I see. Thank you for the gelato.' Said Kagura, before standing up and following after her two companions.
-line break-
It had been an enjoyable day for the trio, as they explored the island, but as the sun started to dip below the horizon, Natsu informed the two of his motives, as they sat near the edge of the island, on a small cliff overlooking the sea.
'You want to fly to Alvarez under the cover of darkness? Why? We aren't going to sabotage them or something… are we?' Asked Kagura in confusion.
'No, I'm just impatient.' Said Natsu.
'Really? So, it has nothing to do with you not wanting to ride on another boat?' Asked Happy, paws in front of his mouth, causing Natsu to glare at him, which caused the blue-furred creature to chuckle.
'No. Besides, it wasn't that bad. No, the real reason I want to go there now, is because I want to follow that Brandish's scent. It is starting to fade, but I can still track it and I want to see just who these Spriggan Twelve are as well.' Revealed Natsu.
'Why the sudden interest?' Asked Kagura.
'These Spriggan Twelve… from the sounds of things, they are immensely powerful… I mean, that girl felt stronger than most Guild Masters we have in Fiore. Considering she isn't even the strongest of them… well, you can't blame for being a little bit intrigued about who could be stronger than that and by how much.' Explained Natsu.
'How did you know she wasn't the strongest?' Asked Kagura.
'I heard you ask.' Said Natsu.
'How, you were nowhere near me when I asked that question?' Asked Kagura, crossing her arms over her chest.
'I have really good hearing, there isn't much that gets past my ears.' Chuckled Natsu.
'Your head seems to be pretty oblivious though.' Whispered Kagura under her breath, only to look up and notice Natsu was staring right at her.
'You heard that, didn't you?' Asked Kagura, a small blush starting to form on her face.
'Hehehe and you said he was the dumb one.' Laughed Happy.
'Yes, I did hear what you said and I've decided to finally tell you the truth, especially since we are technically going into enemy territory and I don't want you to be distracted. Though that being said, what I am about to tell you may serve as an even bigger distraction, so this can go either way.' Said Natsu with a grin, before morphing his features into a serious expression.
'I'm listening.' Said Kagura.
'Okay, to begin with, I wouldn't tell anyone this and I'm only telling you for three reasons. The first reason is you're my first friend and I know you won't think too differently of me, especially considering how we met.' Started Natsu, getting a slow nod from Kagura.
True, seeing a kid about her age mercilessly cut down a man and have another kill himself was not something a prepubescent girl would forget. Over time, Kagura managed to move on from the incident, as she slowly got to know Natsu better and realised he wasn't a deranged psychopath, but she never forgot.
'The second reason is because I know that you like me, as in, like me like me. Yeah, I noticed, but it was fun messing with you for a bit.' Revealed Natsu, causing Kagura to scowl.
'Lastly, I know that I can tell you this… well, because I'm pretty sure I've told you this at some point in the future and you must have taken it well, but that one is complicated. Point being, I'm almost certain you will take this well… eventually.' Finished Natsu, confusing Kagura.
'O-kay, so what is it then?' Asked Kagura, uncrossing her arms and leaning forward slightly.
'Just promise me you'll listen until the end.' Requested Natsu, to which Kagura gave a small nod, causing Natsu to breathe out heavily.
'Okay, to begin with, my name is Natsu Dragneel, but you knew that I'm sure. What you don't know, and what I didn't know until a little while after I met this person myself, is that I have a brother. Now, not only do I have a brother, but he is pretty famous in Fiore as well… well, famous is probably the wrong word to use, more like infamous, even you know of him.' Said Natsu, causing Kagura to narrow her eyes slightly.
'Yeah, I can see you've almost got it, but I'll just say it, my brother is Zeref, Zeref Dragneel, but before you rush to any ideas, just please let me finish.' Said Natsu quickly, seeing anger well up in Kagura's eyes.
'You see, Zeref isn't this person everyone has made him up to be. I mean yeah, he created demons and stuff, I'll come back to that later, but he isn't evil. All of his problems started because of me, but he blames himself for all of them.' Said Natsu, noticing Kagura still looked ready to run at any moment.
A deep sigh escaped Natsu's lips, as he prepared to reveal this next part.
'Zeref saved my life… well, more correctly, he brought me back to life.' Said Natsu, getting Kagura's jaw to drop open in shock.
'You see, when I was a little boy, I had the bad luck of being killed, funnily enough, by a dragon. Zeref tried everything he could to bring me back to life and he succeeded in the end… that's funny, but I'll explain why in a minute… because he played with the magic of life and death though, he was cursed by Ankhseram, giving him the Contradictory Curse. The way this curse works, is that the more a person values life, the more people around them will die, but if a person disregards all life, the curse won't hurt anyone. The problem, was Zeref cared too much for life, so he accidentally killed a lot of people. To try and fix this, Zeref created demons that he thought would be able to kill him, but nearly all of them couldn't do it, except for maybe one. There was no other option for Zeref, so he decided to seclude himself from others, that way, his curse wouldn't hurt anyone. Despite this though, people still tried to find Zeref, with some even believing he was dead and trying to revive him. Those people who tried to kidnap you and destroyed your village, were some of those who think Zeref is dead. That's why I got really annoyed when you told me that, as I had just been with Zeref for the whole year and that meant all those people who were kidnapped, were suffering for no reason, as Zeref wasn't dead to revive.' Said Natsu, only for Kagura to stand up abruptly.
'I just need a minute Natsu, please.' Said Kagura, to which Natsu sighed, before nodding.
Kagura walked off a few metres, still within eyeshot, but not so close to Natsu, that she couldn't be alone with her thoughts.
'Natsu, do you think I could meet this Zeref person? He's like my uncle, isn't he?' Asked Happy innocently, causing Natsu to laugh and pull his friend in for a one-armed hug.
'Maybe buddy, but we'd need to find him first.' Said Natsu.
'Do you think Kagura will be okay?' Asked Happy.
'I hope so buddy.' Muttered Natsu.
'Oh please, you have nothing to worry about, you smelt the same thing I did, she's one of your mates and that won't change.' Yawned E.N.D., finding Natsu's worries pointless.
"Well, maybe I didn't tell her all of this in that future, so what if she freaks out and never wants to see me again?" Thought Natsu nervously.
'Just look, she is coming back now.' Said E.N.D. getting Natsu to refocus.
'Okay, I'm still listening.' Said Kagura, sitting back down in front of Natsu.
'Right, so where was I up to?' Asked Natsu, trying to gather his scattered thoughts.
'Up to me.' Supplied E.N.D..
'Right, so I mentioned Zeref making demons and how there was one that might be able to kill him and I also mentioned that I was dead and he brought me back to life, right?' Reiterated Natsu, getting Kagura to give a stiff nod.
'Okay, well, the reason I don't want to lead you on, even though I know you like me and I like you, is because of that… specifically, that I am the demon Zeref created that can kill him. He couldn't revive me as a human, so he brought me back as a demon, an Etherious, otherwise known as E.N.D. which stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. What that means, is I was created for the sole reason to kill Zeref and considering he made me with his own magic, along with my human body, if I do ever kill Zeref, I'm not sure what will happen to me. I don't want to kill him though, he is my brother after all… that's why I want to find him, so I can talk with him and try and change his mind.' Finished Natsu.
There was a long silence between the trio, the only sounds coming from the waves crashing down below them and the occasional cry of a stray bird.
'I understand.' Said Kagura, in a tone that gave nothing away.
'So what do you want to do now?' Asked Natsu, not sure if he wanted the answer or not.
Kagura looked at Natsu for a moment, before standing up, prompting Natsu to do the same. Reluctantly, as though all energy in his body had been sapped away, Natsu pushed himself to his feet, before standing silently across from Kagura. The tension between the two was so thick, that even Happy didn't make a peep. Happy watched on uncertainly, as Kagura's eyes bore into Natsu's, who returned her gaze with a neutral expression.
Kagura slowly reached forward with her right arm, worrying Natsu slightly, expecting an assault of some sort to befall him. While he was assaulted, for lack of a better term, it wasn't the kind Natsu was expecting.
Warm soft lips were being mashed against Natsu's own, utterly shocking him and causing him to freeze in place. It was a short kiss, as Kagura quickly pulled back, still keeping her grip on Natsu's coat, but it was their first.
'I don't want to do anything differently. Nothing has changed… actually, that is a lie, a lot has changed, but the one thing that hasn't, is how I feel about you. Now that I know you feel the same way too… well, I'm not going to let you get away from me. Demon, Dragon, END, Zeref's brother, or Natsu Dragneel, you are still my best and first friend and that won't change unless we are talking about adding boy to that friend. You are the only one I've had for these past few years, well, you and Happy of course, but I'm not going to let you go, understand?' Demanded Kagura.
'O-okay.' Said Natsu, slightly cowed, causing Kagura to smile.
'Good. Now let's go to Alvarez.' Said Kagura.
'You got it. Happy, hold on to Kagura for me and don't let go, got it?' Ordered Natsu.
'Aye sir!' Exclaimed Happy, before flying into Kagura's abdomen and gripping onto her blazer, with Kagura wrapping her arms around him.
'One more thing though, there are a few other things I need to tell you about, but they're just minor details, nothing too important.' Said Natsu, with a nervous chuckle.
'Yeah, having multiple mates is not a minor detail.' Commented E.N.D. in boredom.
"Ah shut up." Retorted Natsu, getting his echo to snort, before he grabbed Kagura, wrapping his arms around her from behind, as his wings popped out.
'Next stop: Alvarez.' Said Natsu, before blasting off into the sky, leaving Caracole Island behind.
To round off the chapter, since it has been a long while since I updated, here is an omake I squeezed out briefly when I was procrastinating, during my exam study. It's been up on my pat reon for a while, but now you can all read it too.
It is purely for humour and in no way supports any of my pairings or story ideas, it is an aspect of the manga (a canon aspect), taken and toyed with for my (and your) amusement.
Enjoy!
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Omake
Having just stopped the clash between Natsu and Gray, Erza was greatly relieved. With the arrival of Juvia, Wendy, Lucy, Happy and Carla, it seemed that everything would be okay now.
'Everyone get down!' Exclaimed Erza.
A massive explosion occurred, sending debris and dust all over the place, causing Erza to shield her eyes.
'It's been far too long Erza.' Commented a woman, who had a shade of hair colour that matched Erza's.
'An acquaintance?' Asked Lucy in confusion, even as she buried Natsu's head into her chest.
'No clue. And you are?' Asked Erza stonily.
'I am you and you are me.' Replied the woman.
'I have no idea what you're talking about.' Retorted Erza, causing the woman to laugh.
The woman suddenly gained a look of surprise, causing Erza to try and capitalise on this and urge her comrades to escape, only for a person to come plummeting down towards them.
'Erza, be careful… ngh.' Said Jellal, looking heavily damaged, before slumping to his knees.
'Jellal!' Exclaimed Erza in surprise, before hearing people slumping to the ground behind her. A quick glance back revealed Juvia and Lucy had also collapsed.
To Erza's confusion though, the Exceeds and Wendy were fine.
'Ugh, who dropped me?' Groaned Natsu, as he was roused to consciousness.
'You tell me, flame brain. This has you written all over it.' Complained Gray, as he pushed himself into a seating position.
'To think, Larcade's magic wouldn't have an effect on any of you.' Commented the other scarlet haired woman, much to Erza's confusion.
'What do you mean, what kind of magic randomly targets some, but not others?' Asked Erza.
'It is by no means random. Larcade's magic targets all who, as he likes to call it "have already tasted the forbidden fruit of pleasure".' Explained the enchantress.
'J-Juvia doesn't understand.' Groaned Juvia, having been roused to consciousness through the actions of the magic.
'To put it another way, those who have had physical relations of a romantic nature, are those who will be affected.' Explained the voluptuous woman in amusement.
The other redhead's mind finally connected the dots.
'So you mean, Juvia, Lucy… even Jellal, they've all… who, when?' Demanded Erza, whirling on her comrades.
'It's not my fault, Loke was really grateful for me saving him and I was still running on a high from confronting the Spirit King.' Explained Lucy, trying to supress her moans and failing.
'Juvia… Juvia was all alone in Phantom Lord without Gajeel… Juvia just wanted to feel wanted.' Revealed Juvia, sending a pleading glance towards Gray.
-line break-
'Gajeel, what's happening?' Asked Levy, as she, along with Gajeel and nearly everyone else around them, had been brought to their knees.
'This is Lord Larcade's magic! It will target anyone who is impure. I knew there was a reason I had stayed a virgin!' Exclaimed one of Zeref's soldiers, causing Levy to glare at Gajeel.
'Something you'd like to explain, Gajeel?' Asked Levy in annoyance.
'Oi, don't talk to me like that, pipsqueak, you're just as bad as me! I bet it was those two fools over there as well.' Retorted Gajeel, gesturing to the duo of Jet and Droy, who were almost knocked out.
'What about you then?' Asked Levy, trying to change the subject.
'You first, since you got all accusatory, which one of those fools, huh?' Growled Gajeel.
'Both of them!' Growled Levy, stunning Gajeel for a moment.
'What? I only ever touched the Rain Woman, but you let both of those fools do that to you?' Exclaimed Gajeel in outrage.
'It hardly counted. Droy was as limp as a poorly watered vine and Jet lived up to his namesake. What about you, aren't you meant to be black steel, shouldn't you have rusted to pieces?' Revealed Levy in irritation.
'I'm not actually made of metal!' Snarled Gajeel.
'What? Why not? That was the whole point of me being interested in someone known as black steel Gajeel. You mean that wasn't about what you could bring to the table?' Asked Levy in disbelief.
'Of course I can! All Slayers can.' Exclaimed Gajeel.
'Fine then! You better show me when this battle is all over and you better not be lying!' Demanded Levy.
'Fine!' Roared Gajeel.
-line break-
'And you… Jellal?' Asked Erza quietly.
'W-well, we were in the Tower of Heaven for almost a decade… it wasn't just me, Millianna was too much for all of us on our own, we needed to team up, it was our only choice.' Said Jellal, gritting his teeth to stay with them.
'I see.' Said Erza, before turning to Gray and Natsu and bringing them to her side, pressing each of them on either side of her bosom.
'If that's the case, the three of us will stick together. I care for Natsu and Gray too much to let you two harlots corrupt them.' Said Erza, turning to look at Juvia and Lucy, who could only moan weakly in protest.
'As for you Jellal… you are a very sick man, taking advantage of Millianna like that.' Said Erza, before leaving with Natsu and Gray.
'Hmm, I never even got to tell her the big news.' Muttered the lone redhead among the remaining group, as her counterpart walked off with her two very, very, in fact, perhaps too; close friends.
