Chapter 1
Zash Caine
Before Natsu, Sora, and all of their friends had been taken, two people began walking up to a tower that was guarded by soldiers from Fiore. However, amongst them was Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel, who had sent his children off another errand to a different world, to cause trouble and mayhem, which the other Warriors of Light had to deal with. A group of guards were standing watch when they saw the three of them approaching.
"Who goes there!? This shrine is under the protection of the Kingdom of Fiore!" said one.
The other guards had to agree, until the man, Zash Caine, pulled out his cigarette.
"Do you really expect me to believe that Fiore's biggest secret is being protected by a bunch of glorified security guards?" he asked.
As if to answer his question, several soldiers dressed in white uniforms appeared, causing Sephiroth to chuckle at them.
"The Elite White Tiger Force of Fiore. Will this be challenging," mused the One-Winged Angel.
"You're right. This will be very challenging. So, who among you woke up hungry for a fight this morning," smirked Zash, as he blew smoke from his mouth into the air.
He glared at one soldier, a young woman with dark hair, and a battle hardened look. This caused Zash to smirk with pride.
"Zash Caine, betrayer of the Fiore Kingdom," she said, pointing her rapier at him.
"That's one way to put it, but I think that Fiore betrayed me. After all, we're talking about a kingdom that wards its best fighters, by hiding them away in the frozen tundra," remarked the man.
"Unfortunately for all of you, you will not live to see the light of day. However, the most unfortunate thing about you, is the massacre I shall unleash on all of you. See your despair, before you perish by our hands," added Sephiroth, as he drew Masamune, and held it in his left hand.
His wing burst out of his right shoulder blade, as he thrust his right arm to the side. That meant he was ready to begin the massacre. Without wasting a moment, Sephiroth lunged at them all, and slaughtered all the soldiers and guards without any form of mercy in his being. Some even tried to put up a brave fight, but they were all still struck down and left dying on the ground, their blood causing the snow to turn red. Zash helped out too, turning comrade against comrade with his powers, even as the girl turned away from them. Then finally, he set the ground ablaze, burning the bodies around them, then looked up with a cruel sadistic smile. The girl, Sonya, was aghast at what she was seeing.
"All that we had to do was get past them. There was no need for this many lives to be taken," she said.
"There must always be acceptable losses, Sonya. But sometimes accidents can happen. Never forget that, ever," remarked the One-Winged Angel, as he soon drew the souls of those that had fallen into himself, gaining even greater strength.
After that, he sheathed Masamune, after flicking the blood off of the blade.
"Now, Lady Sonya, would you kindly lead us to the reason why we're here?" Zash asked.
"Have your hearts gone death to the souls that are crying out in agony?" Sonya asked somberly.
"They're demise was written, before it even began. Once you've had a taste of killing, there is no going back. You must continue to harden your heart, until you are incapable of feeling remorse, pity, or sympathy. Nehelenia was a fool to let that happen to her, so I destroyed her, even if it meant sacrificing Vassago's existence," scoffed Sephiroth, then he turned and marched off with his comrades following him.
A cruel chuckle leaped out of his throat, making her truly afraid.
"You are truly evil, Sephiroth. You don't care about anyone but yourself," she shuddered.
"Oh, that's where you're wrong. Removing Nehelenia was a necessary sacrifice to ensure my ultimate objective. The total control of Kingdom Hearts, and the creation of my ultimate Utopia. So says my mother, Jenova," he remarked.
On a pathway, Happy the Cat was running towards Natsu and some of the members of Team SKYYYLAARC. The young dragon slayer turned and looked at what looked like a small little puppy walking towards them.
"Hey little guy. You kinda remind me of Zwei, but you know that none of us appreciate you chasing Happy down. Believe me, Natsu's pretty annoyed at the moment," Ruby said to the dog.
"Oh, thanks, Ruby," groaned Natsu, only to receive a warning glare from Yang Xiao Long, making him flinch.
"Well, what if we take it back to its owner?" suggested Yang, after she looked at her sister.
"I think that's a good idea, Yang," replied Yumi.
"Yeah, totally. C'mon little doggy, let's get you back to your owner," agreed Asuka.
Natsu was a bit surprised at first, but he slowly relented, and allowed the kunoichi to guide the dog away. Of course, he did glare at her just a bit, only to get punched in the gut by Yang's mechanized arm, just as Sora roared up on Cavaliere R, and skidded to a stop next to them.
"Wow, thank you so much, Asuka," sighed Happy, as he watched the dog following her down the road.
But of course, Natsu was lying on the ground writhing in pain, but also very sick to his stomach, as he still had motion sickness.
"Please don't make me ride on your bike, Sora," he groaned.
"Geez Louise, Yang. Again with the whole punch Natsu in the gut routine again. Look, I get that you don't like how he acts obnoxious, but even after the brutal beatdown you gave him and Gray, which made Juvia very annoyed by the way, Erza's been rather edgy right now. But, I guess I can cut Asuka and Yumi some slack for guiding that puppy back to its owner," muttered Lucy.
"Speaking of, Happy doesn't like dogs that much, except for Plue. He's the only one that the cat's friends with," replied Kirito.
"I'm with Kirito, Lucy. He's not a real dog anyway," agreed the cat.
"Okay, Happy, if I started to get abusive with animals like you, and in front of Plue mind you, let's just say that both Natsu and I would end up exchanging blows with each other until I immediately enter my burning state, which occurs after I'm beaten to near death, or when someone lobs off a single strand of my hair. And believe me, Lucy seeing me go completely ballistic like Broly does, would easily scare her to death. Trust me, you really don't want that to happen," warned the brawler.
"Uh, Yang, let's not get too trigger happy about this," shuddered the celestial mage.
"Yeah, Plue's not an insect or a fish, nor is he a punching bag. Don't you remember when Asuka made you sushi when she cut up that giant fish in the Boundary forest?" asked Asuna, who was growing irate at her friend's attitude.
"Yeah, I do. And I'm really happy she did make me sushi," replied the cat.
"Mommy, everyone, please. I don't think we want Erza to come here and start giving us a very harsh lecture about any and all disagreements turning into an all out brawl, much like the ones that Gray and Natsu would get into," Yui said quickly.
This made Natsu nearly panic, until Yang quickly judo chopped him, rendering him unconscious, and with her mechanical arm no less.
"Geez, now I'm acting too much like Erza is. All no nonsense and no adventuring," she groaned.
"Yang, your father once said that you shouldn't try to go overboard when you fight against an enemy you have no chance of winning. Yes, you hate your mother, Raven, but without her you wouldn't be who you are," assured Leafa.
"Leafa's correct, Yang. I may not have known my parents, even before Grandfather Kurokage took me in and raised me like his own granddaughter, but I'm still the same Yumi you see before you," agreed the ice kunoichi.
"She's right, guys. I think it's probably best if we all calm down for now, otherwise, Erza'll go full on drill sergeant on all of us, which'll be ten times worse than you realize. Believe me, the sight of me turning into Berserk when I see one of you getting hurt, will most certainly lead to her trying to subdue me, as well as making doubly sure that I don't lose myself to darkness, and become just like my father was," added Cody Xehanort, but he shuddered at that thought and stopped himself.
Then he turned to Lucy, and slowly approached her.
"Besides, if it wasn't for any of you guys, then Lucy and I would've never become a couple. As for what she sees, let's just say that she's looking at someone who refuses to be like my own father. Had I experienced loss after loss as he did, only then would I become the monster that she'd hate with every fiber of her being, and I'd end up causing a total repeat of history, brought about by the Curse of the Keyblade Wars, which Sora was able to break when he struck down and defeated the Lost Masters in a great and final battle," he said.
"Cody, you once told me before that you refused to be like your father, Master Xehanort, and lead a new generation of Warriors of Darkness, also known as Organization XIII, to restart his campaign to destroy everything. But if I saw Berserker, or worse, the other-other you, Ydoc, only then would I be in trouble, even after your friends warned me about Vanitas. After all, Sora and all of his friends once told me that Fairy Tail is like family, and I'm happy he thinks it is. However, I'm still glad to be your girlfriend, and I'd gladly give my life for you, and every one of your friends who've come to view you as family too. That's exactly what I always love about you. You'll always be the same Cody I know," Lucy explained.
The two of them shared a kiss with each other, just as Wendy Marvell arrived, carrying Carla in her arms.
"Hey you guys, it's good to see you," she said, just as Asuka returned from returning the dog to its owner.
"Oh, Wendy, good to see you too," replied the kunoichi, as she waved at the other dragon slayer.
"Hello there," added Yumi, after Cody and Lucy pulled apart from each other.
"Sorry for not responding, but both Lucy and I did have a moment. Still, it's great to see you too, Wendy," smiled Cody.
"Yeah, what he said," agreed Lucy, as she leaned against Cody's shoulder.
"Well, anyway, let's head back to the others. Erza doesn't like being kept waiting," replied Sora.
They did so, just as Gray Fullbuster was now using his ice magic to fix the wheel of a wagon, which Erza Scarlet was pleased to see.
"I never noticed how practical your magic is. It's great," she said to him.
Gray nodded slowly.
"Been a while since we visited Crocus, eh?" he asked.
Erza had to agree. However, back in the guild hall, Juvia was complaining about how she was bored, as well as not being with Gray. Gajeel was growing annoyed at that, but he suggested that she read books, which piqued her interest, although Pantherlily would be annoyed at him for reading books about cats. Of course, Juvia was still wondering what Gray would be up to, due to her devotion to him. She was aware of how he formed a strong bond with Kirito, the Dark Knight of Aincrad, but then her mind shifted and went rampant about him being with Lucy, Erza, Wendy, or any of the other girls that were with the boys of Team SKYYYLAARC, causing her to be put in her place with a well placed bonk on the head.
"Hey, Gajeel, wanna go on a job? It's kind of a long journey, but it pays," Levy Mcgarden said to him.
The other members had to agree with him, while everyone else would stay behind, until Juvia begged them to let her tag along, until she started to whine as well as complain. Inside the castle in the heart of Fiore where the high king Toma E. Fiore soon met up with both Teams Natsu and SKYYYLAARC for their big mission.
"The dragon's tomb, deep below the Domus Flow Coliseum. I recall some of you stumbled across it during the grand magic games years ago. A sacred and frightening place, where those brave dragons who fought in the war against Acmalobia and lost their lives, now lay in eternal slumber. My ancestors investigated it many times. They chose to erect the coliseum on the mountain above it to commemorate the sacrifice," he said.
"Yeah, and it was at that coliseum when Lucy suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Flare Corona, before we brought her back home to her village," replied Cody, who remembered the mage of the hair that his girlfriend clashed against from the now disbanded Raven Tail guild.
It did make him have a tiny fit of PTSD, which made Lucy gently take hold of his hand, so that Berserker would stay tame in his heart. He relaxed, knowing that she would always be his light.
"But she's happy with her friends and family back home, Cody, even though I was starting to get annoyed at how she'd flirt with you when you were on your own and wanted to have a bit of a heart to heart," she assured him.
"100 years ago, a particular staff was discovered in the depths of the dragon's tomb," continued the king.
"Oh yeah?" questioned Natsu.
"You think an old grandpa dragon used it as a cane or something?" asked Happy.
"Well, more than likely, it belonged to a person. Over the years that staff absorbed the residual sorrow and anger that lingered in the tomb. So much in fact, that it took on a new crystalline form. This staff is known as the dragon cry, and it holds enough power to eradicate an entire continent. Several days ago, this staff was taken by force, by Zash Caine, the former minister of state in our fair kingdom. Zash is a wicked man. A follower of the dark arts. He once even attempted to overthrow me and my entire family, but before he could be made to stand trial, his band of mercenaries helped him to escape Fiore," said King Toma.
"To make things worse, once the Kingdom of Stella granted him asylum, he slaughtered all his men. This brutal act was to signal his new devotion to Stella," added Queen Hisui E. Fiore.
"That sounds very much like how Sephiroth acted after he was driven mad by the revelation of being an experiment his father Hojo performed on him, and even lied about his connection to Jenova," murmured Sora.
"Sephiroth. That heartless swordsman. I'm still pretty angry at how he killed Nehelenia in cold blood," Ruby replied quietly.
"I think you're right, Sora. That's just insane," agreed the dragon slaying son of Igneel.
"And let's not forget that it was when all of our other friends came to your side to stop that evil woman who was consumed by fear, hate, and envy for her niece, would eventually have a son named Vassago, who ultimately ceased to exist after she died by the One-Winged Angel's hands," hissed Asuka.
"What's more, he's initiating a campaign of violence and black mail. He managed to rise up in that kingdom as well," Toma said.
"What a perfectly horrid man," replied Carla.
"Yes, Carla's right. Zash is nothing but a ruthless monster," agreed Yumi.
"And now, I'm afraid this scoundrel holds the destructive power of the dragon cry. I need you to take it before he can cause more mayhem," continued the king.
"Alright, we'll be sure to do our best and ensure that it doesn't be used to reduce an entire kingdom to ashes, or worse turn this world into a barren wasteland with no hope of sustaining life on it," replied Kirito.
"Question, Yui, do you know where Stella is?" asked Happy.
"Yes, it's located somewhere off of Ishgar, on an island surrounded by cliffs and cut off from all parts of the world," replied Yui.
"Uh, I think Yui might be onto something, so I feel like we should follow her directions to that island she spoke of," agreed Lucy.
"Uhh… an island. That means we're gonna have to take a boat," groaned Natsu, who was afflicted by his previous experience in tackling Bora on his love boat, after he hypnotized many women to his side, including Lucy, whom he'd met several years ago.
"Natsu, whatever you do, don't even think of coming into my room while you're seasick. I'd rather not have to deal with you making a huge mess that I'd have to clean up, which would be extremely disgusting. Just, when you glance at the sign, no seasick dragon slayers allowed, you'll know that I'm being deathly serious," warned Asuna.
"Yeah, you tell him, Asuna," snickered the celestial mage.
But then she turned and looked at Cody.
"Although, I guess I'm okay with Cody being with me during our trip," she said.
"Um, Erza, do you mind if we give Natsu some medicine to ensure that his motion sickness doesn't affect him?" asked Ruby.
"Of course, Ruby," smiled the requip mage, and gently patted her head.
So off they set, to the Kingdom of Stella, on the farthest reaches of Ishgar, which was east of Bosco, North of Iceberg, and Southwest of Joya. At the heart of that kingdom was the Castle of Altair. But on the way, Team SKYYYLAARC was about to receive their first official history lesson of that kingdom.
"Stella's economy is largely based on the export of stellanium, one of the hardest minerals in the world. They say the more starlight it absorbs, the more brilliantly it glows," said Erza.
"Sounds cool," replied Gray.
"Sounds romantic to me," added Lucy.
"Speaking of romance, I've heard the night skies there are absolutely breathtaking," said Carla.
"It sounds like a wonderful place to me," replied Wendy.
"I just hope their fish is yummy in my tummy," grinned Happy.
"I just hope we get there soon," groaned Natsu, who was still upset at his motion sickness.