I apologize for this being so late. Busy life. Anyways, I hope you leave your comments and reviews for me to continue appealing to you guys.
"You are the infamous Ifrit, huh?" George asked in his husky voice, "your reputation precedes you."
"Yeeeaah," The hooded figure slurred as he spun around, checking to make sure they were far enough outside of Magnolia for anyone to hear them. "Don't call me Ifrit."
The large man pushed a fallen tree effortlessly out of the path with one foot, "Haha, what should I call you then? One of your aliases?"
"Sure," he said, pulling off the coat and throwing it over a tree branch. He violently shook his head and ran his hands through his pink hair. "Call me anything you want."
George took a long look at the young wizard with a puzzled disposition, a fist to his chin, and a low grunt, "The stories say you have hair like blood, and a glare of gold," George turned away, taking ahold of Natsu's discarded coat and folding it neatly.
"Don't compare me to him."
"So you're not Ifrit," George concluded, placing the coat in the large leather bag tied to his waist.
"No," Natsu said, focusing on the road, "Forget about it. Tell me, what's with the sudden interest in Loneila? I thought her parents died."
"A common misconception. I am obviously well and alive," George flexed one of his enormous biceps. "It was when she was young that she discovered her unique… 'ability." His face lit up in excitement, "A gift… So powerful, and unique like no other..."
"Oi, you're sidetracking. What happened to her parents?" Natsu asked as he put a hand over his eyes to shield the light.
Through the sounds of nature, chirping of birds, and wind blown trees, strange noises arose his sensitive ears. They seemed far enough to not be a problem though so he loosely hung back to listen to George's mumbling to himself.
"Right. Ahem… This gift was too much for her to control at such a young age, and she ignored my teachings. Anytime her emotions took control, tragedies occurred. It was a summer night when her mother and I were fighting, and… her mother was…" He took a deep inhale, "Loneila was so afraid, she took her brothers and ran. I've been looking for them ever since."
"Wait," Natsu's feet slowed to a stop, "What about her mom?"
George's face strained in pain, "Her mother was a wizard like no other in her class." His strength withered away when he took a sharp inhale to collect himself, but he now had a smile, "She was so beautiful, and strong. Always pretended that nothing was wrong when it was obvious there was…"
Natsu turned away, his stride growing increasingly long with a hateful emptiness. His description of Loneila's mother only brought one person to mind; but she was over his death, and was totally fine without him…
"Loneila walked in on our argument…" he continued, "Her emotions got to her, and her mother lost her life calming her down…" George's face shriveled into a frown for the first time.
"I'm sorry for asking."
"No, it's good you know. If you don't mind, why are you going to see my daughter?"
"I made a promise once…"
George scoffed with a wicked smile, "-to marry my daughter?"
Natsu looked over to shoot a venomous glare, "No."
Their eyes locked for a moment before George broke out in a haughty laughter, "They were right about that golden glare, my friend!"
Erza was just returning to the small cluster of gossiping Fairy Tail members when she noticed a tiny blue blotch beside Lucy and Mirajane.
"What's going on?" she asked as she recognized the strange blue figure.
Lucy's face dropped to a sad expression, "I just told Happy…"
Everyone went silent for a few seconds as Happy cried.
"Why…" he sniffed, "Na… Natsu!" he sobbed aloud. The sick twisted feeling arrived no later than hearing his name. It felt painfully physical. The others seemed to have it as well from the evident distraught on their faces.
"Erza," Levi's whisper came from behind her, "I want to go after Gajeel." Her head was lowered somewhat, trying not to intrude.
Erza didn't give much thought into turning around to her. Her eyes were glued to faces of her friends. She simply shook her head, "If Gajeel left on his own we can't force him to return."
"But he wasn't himself," she froze for a moment to re-word her thoughts. "It was like someone else made him go, or…" she trailed off.
Erza's thoughts flashed back to her conversation with Ifrit. "Like someone was influencing him?" Erza muttered. Her words came out softly but caught everyone's attention. Ifrit had said the same thing to her yesterday in the old abandoned cabin. If anyone knew what was going on with Gajeel, it was more than likely to be Ifrit. And if this was a reoccurring event, then Gajeel and Gray could possibly end up like-
"Natsu…" Happy sobbed, glaring up angrily at Erza, "Why didn't you stop him from leaving?!"
"Happy," Lucy swayed gently as she reached out to him, but he pushed her hand away with his two little paws.
"I thought you cared about him! Now he's gone… Forever!" he sniffled before turning and flapping off to the upper floor.
The group watched the little cat weakly disappear over the railing before turning to Erza. Eyes cast downwards, her hair blocked the light from her eyes as she turned rigidly to Levi, "It's possible that Gajeel is under the same circumstances that Natsu was. I will not allow the same mistake twice."
"So… we're going after him?" Her face lit up.
"Yes," Erza said with angst, her dark eyes came up to meet the faces of her team. They displayed a raw, uncommon emotion in Erza. "Who will come with me?"
"Wait," Mirajane voice called. Erza hadn't noticed her slip out of the room, but the back room that she had once cleaned was swung ajar once again. Out popped Mirajane, blowing a bit of dust off her face with a cute sneeze.
"What's that?" Lucy asked, peering down into her arms there was a large book, outlaid in gold without title, nor author.
"This," Mirajane set it down on the counter as everyone drew near, "is a book on ancient magical arts." She flipped open the cover near to the center of the pages. Her finger pointed out a figure sitting cross-legged and both hands pointing to his eyes. They were colored a bright green, contrasting with the aged brown pages.
"What exactly are we looking at?" Levi asked, impatient to leave.
Mirajane began to read aloud, "There are those able to pull the strings of the mental states. Few known to cause fatal attacks with a single look are marked with gleaming eyes, bright as emeralds. Masters of mental barriers, memory blurring, and can cause excruciating headaches when barriers are tested. Last known wizards with said ability: Barony Heritage."
"Okaaay, what does this magic have to do with us?" Lucy asked, looking up at her friends.
"Look at the name!" Mirajane pointed to the final sentence, "Barony!" Everyone went silent, still watching her with curiosity. "Elizabeth Barony? Do you guys seriously forget?"
The crowd turned to each other, searching for the answer in their friends.
"Elizabeth Barony…" Erza puzzled to herself, "Elizabeth…" Suddenly it hit her, "Loneila!"
"Right!" Mirajane smiled brightly.
"She must be the reason our friends are gone," Erza said darkly.
"Erza," Mirajane called softly as she was about to turn and leave. Erza looked up at her with more hostility than intended. "It would be better to patch things up before you leave," she motioned with her eyes to upstairs.
"This promise that you made… It obviously concerns Loneila," George murmured, "but in what manner?" he had trotted silently beside Natsu up to this point and hadn't made a single noise except when he fidgeted with his sword.
Natsu glimpsed back to the large man. His gold eyes met the narrow grey stare as the tension built in the air. "I'm just going to get my friends back."
"If your friends left you that is their decision, you cannot force their hand."
Natsu's pace slowed. George was right, but he wouldn't leave his friends with the same emptiness that he carried, "Maybe so, but they should at least know that someone came after them…"
George nodded slightly, "Okay, let's continue on." He took point ahead of Natsu, shoving away large brushes and small trees like a bulldozer. His large hand threw a tree nearly three times Natsu's height aside without heaving or a drip of sweat. Natsu had never witnessed such effortless strength with the power to level a forest happily.
Suddenly, the giant of a man froze as his hand met the bark of his next victim. He crouched down, still meeting Natsu's height.
"There's a group ahead," he said, almost as quiet as his breathing.
Natsu lowered himself and peered around George. Three men were walking perpindicular to them, two talking loudly while following the third. The leader was slightly more built, but still a lean figure with a wide stride and serious scowl. His face was covered with piercings and had long black hair that fell to his shoulder blades. He wore a black vest with the crest of Province on the back, and brown beaten shorts.
Natsu lunged through the brushes, presenting himself to the small squad of men.
"Gajeel," he growled. "What're you doing?"
His head cocked to one-side as he looked Natsu over. His eyes widened, "Salamander? And I thought we'd have our rematch one day in hell." A grin formed on his face as he pulled his right leg back.
Natsu knew this stance. Gajeel used it too much to fool him. He was going to charge Natsu as soon as he let his guard down.
"Fine," there was no use arguing with him. Natsu didn't have time to talk if it would end up in fists anyways. "But tell me why you'd leave Fairy Tail to join Province."
A dark laughter came from Gajeel, "Because it makes me feel stronger…"
"But you… you're one of the strongest guys I've ever fought!"
"You can't say that!" Gajeel yelled, "I'm tired of coming second to you. No longer will I stand by while you exceed me. Fairy Tail has made me weak-"
"Fairy Tail is a family! You can't just walk out on them!"
"What the hell are you talking about? You're the worst of us all."
Natsu froze, his mouth agape.
"You disappear in the middle of a job just so some guy can show up and tell us you're dead. Sounds a lot worse than just leaving."
Gajeel had it all wrong. Natsu had sacrificed himself for Gray and Erza when they were ambushed. He then remembered the final moments of that night.
"Right…" Natsu mumbled. Katsugi had erased their memories so they could survive. Nobody knew he had left against his will, "Gajeel, we don't have to do this now."
"What, so you can go and die again? I don't think so," a huge amount of black aura built steadily around him.
He cocked back and dove forward, firing his arm as a rod toward Natsu.
It planted directly into his stomach, hurling Natsu backwards, rolling head first on the ground until he sprung back to his feet, choking for air. As soon as he filled his lungs, his fists crashed together.
"Fire Dragon: Roar!" The wave of fire covered Gajeel who didn't even attempt to dodge it. As the fire eased up, Natsu watched as the steel dragon slayer appeared singed. He had blocked his face and chest with a shield made of his left arm.
"Let's get serious," Gajeel growled. Scales of a true steel dragon arose from his skin. A low growl came as his magic rose tremendously; creating an atmosphere that blew rocks and leaves away.
"I don't have time for this, Gajeel!" Natsu yelled, rising his magic half-heartedly.
They lunged at each other, fists thrown forward. Their knuckles crashed together. Natsu kicked for his head, but it only glanced the top of his hair. Gajeel's leg connected with his chest, transforming instantly into a steel rod. It fired out, pushing Natsu further and further into the air.
Nearly touching the clouds, Gajeel rose up with steel legs, meeting Natsu with a steel blade made of his arm.
"You're finished!" he laughed.
Natsu swung with his closest hand, punching the side of his blade away from Natsu's face by inches. He flipped over, kicking Gajeel's cheek with the heel of his foot.
He was shocked. Gajeel was really out to kill him. This couldn't be him. Sparring was the opposite of a sword to the skull.
His thoughts were cut short when Gajeel caught hold of his ankle as it slid off his chin.
"Hah!" he spun and whipped Natsu head first to the Earth's surface.
Completely caught off-guard, Natsu was sure he was going to hit the ground and braced for a huge beating. After a few seconds, it never came. Peeking through his braced arms, he saw an upside-down George holding him up by the foot.
"Did you catch me?" Natsu said, dumbstruck.
"Never mind that," George released him, dropping him face first to the ground.
"Ugh!" he rubbed his head with a soft fist, "that would have really sucked from up there…"
"This is taking too long, Ifrit," George growled. "We don't have time to play with your friend."
Natsu hopped back to his feet, "My name is not Ifrit!"
"Salamander!" Gajeel crashed to the ground with an explosion of dirt. He strode out of the debris, eyes focused on Natsu like George was a figment of his imagination.
"Gajeel… I need to find our friends! Let it go!"
"Never!" he screamed.
"Then let's end this already!" Natsu tore off his waistcoat, throwing it to the side. Fire spewed from his feet. A pillar was made of his fire, shooting into the sky; it created an image of a red dragon on its hinds ready to pounce.
"Couldn't put it any better," Gajeel echoed him. He created a pillar similar to Natsu. A dark energy that projected the image of a proud black dragon looking down upon Natsu.
"Whew," Erza exhaled as she closed the door behind her. She just got through talking with Happy. He wasn't his joyful self once again, but he wasn't casting evil wishes over Erza at the moment. When she left, he was sitting on the windowsill of the upstairs window crying his eyes out. There was nothing she could do to cheer him up. She could barely hold back her own emotions. She had sat with Happy for a little over an hour, recounting their adventures with Natsu and how they longed to have seen him one last time. They had watched the bright morning sky become a cloudy mess. She could feel rain coming in the air. The winds picked up, nearly pushing the rusted metal window open by itself.
Erza rested her weight against the door. Her eyes closed as she tried to meditate and take control of her emotions. She took several deep breaths before opening her eyes. In the corner of her vision, there was something unfamiliar and unusual about the hallway. There was a new frame centered in front of the large staircase. A white sheet draped over it. She strode over to it, trying to remember how long it had been there. Her hand reached out, taking the linen in her fingers, and lifted it just enough for her to peek under. Instantly, her hand shot to her mouth as her eyes welled up. Natsu. It was the painting he had gotten from the Fair of the Fairies. His amazingly confident grin shone through despite the exhausted, and fatigued look the painter gave him. She released the linen cover, and took a step back.
"How is he?" Lucy asked as she climbed the stairs, her arms wrapped around the book Mirajane had presented earlier.
"H-He's upset." The words fell out of Erza's mouth. Her hands quickly lifted from her mouth to her eyes, trying to rub away the tears.
Lucy went silent, her eyes falling to the snug book.
"I'm going to Province, Lucy. I need to find out the truth about Natsu." Erza said with her head lowered. She sniffed softly, believing Lucy hadn't heard it but she did. "Our friends are in danger if they suffer the same fate."
"-Family." Lucy said.
"Family?" Erza finally turned to her. Lucy was confident, but not happy.
She nodded, "Natsu would have said, 'our family is in danger'…"
"Right…" Erza replied. She took a deep breath and stepped around Lucy.
"Erza," Lucy blurted, "I'm coming."
Erza paused a moment before nodding and leading the way downstairs where the guild was awaiting for orders.
"Where is Laxus?" Erza asked Mirajane, who had been speaking with Juvia.
"He's gone. He went with Master." She replied as she rose from her seat and flattened out her dress.
Erza turned then, aiming for the door. Everyone watched as she moved across room, avoiding as much eye contact as possible. Right as she was about to pass through, a familiar mage appeared.
"Oh, Erza. Where are you off to?" Jellal asked, shoving one hand in his pocket.
She hadn't seen him since that night. She had returned from her failed attempt to find Natsu and gotten into an argument with Jellal. After quite a bit of yelling, mostly her, she told him to give her some space and he had entirely disappeared until now, the worst possible time.
"Jellal? What are you doing here?" Erza asked, her anger-driven focus dissipating the second she saw him.
"My tolerance was wearing thin. I needed to see you again," he said with sincerity, moving closer to her. The guild began to gather, watching the two intently. Erza was frozen, staring at Jellal with wide eyes.
She stepped back, looking at all the confused faces. They were all as lost as she was. "Jellal, I-" Finally her eyes settled on one face in particular. A small blue cat was staring with teary eyes from the railing. He had come to see her off, and was watching her intently. His sadness rebuilt her own, "I can't do this right now." She shoved past him with a lowered head, leaving him in utter shock as Lucy, Juvia, Mirajane, and Levi followed.
"Wait! Erza - Where are you going?" he asked, jogging to her side.
She kept her mouth closed, determined not to be slowed down any further.
"Province," Mirajane answered. "Stay here, and we'll return tonight."
His pace slowed, looking at the faces of the girls. They weren't joking. Something serious was going on, and he didn't want to piss off any of them. Especially Erza. He stopped as they pressed forward. Soon, they disappeared down the road and he was alone.
"So what's the plan?" Lucy asked without knowing Erza was lost in her own thoughts and hadn't heard a single word.
As Erza recalled, Ifrit had left in an odd rage for Province. A fury not towards his old guild, but towards Erza. His hostile words had put her off to the idea of being his companion for this quest. Perhaps Ifrit had gone to rejoin his old friends and leave Fairy Tail as well.
"That bastard," Erza hissed. Her pace began to pick up.
"Huh? What'd I do?" Lucy asked, obviously hurt. Mirajane set her hand on her shoulder, getting her attention as she shook her head.
"Uh…" Natsu opened his eyes to the cloudy skies above. It was getting darker, but it was only a little past noon. "Where am I?"
"Oh, you're awake." George said.
Natsu peered up. He was lying on a log that was tied to George's back. Looking back, there was a deep slit in the floor, showing that George had dragged him a long way though he didn't look exhausted at all.
"What happened?" Natsu asked, rubbing the side of his face. His cheek was a deep red that lightened as he rubbed it.
"You are a strange fighter." George said, still pulling Natsu and the log.
"I'm good to walk," Natsu said, swinging his feet over and standing up. It was an uneasy landing. His knees shook and feet tingled. Even his arms felt heavy and hands trembled.
"You and your friend have magic levels like those I have seen in legends." George said. He let out a soft chuckle, "but after all that talk, you knocked each other out in a single punch.
Natsu clenched his teeth, taking his first step forward, driving through his pain and weakness.
"Hm?" George peeked over his shoulder to him. "You should probably rest a little more on the sled."
Sweat covered his tanned skin, dripping off his chest onto his trousers. "I said I was good to go."
"Have it your way," George shrugged, releasing the rope from his hold. "We're here anyways."
Coming through the final trees, Natsu saw the familiar scene. Province. Its great walls surrounded its vast perimeter. He recognized the view all to well. A sort of comfort came from this strange area. It was a feeling similar to Magnolia before he had 'died.' Just the idea of him dying made a shiver run up his spine. Maybe it wasn't the idea of dying, but the thought of losing everything: His friends, his family, his home. But how much different could dying have been for him now? Everyone had already come to terms with his passing and moved on. Even Erza. She was 'over it.' A breath choked in his throat,
"Your friend," George began, still looking over the city of a guild his daughter controlled. "You nearly broke his face in. Don't get me wrong, he got you good, but you didn't fly nearly as far as you threw him."
"I don't remember…" Natsu whispered to himself. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine. I lifted the magic that was playing on his mind."
"Magic?"
"Mm. He wasn't being controlled, rather, led on by the ancient magic that runs in the Barony bloodline."
Natsu's focus shifted back to the structure, more so on the spire in the center that peaked over the walls.
"I'm ready," Natsu told George.
They half-ran to the main gates of the walls. It was a large, two door entrance that was sealed shut. As soon as they approached it they heard a voice from high above the walls.
"You there! Halt!" A man cried, dropping down to them below. "What business do you have here?" He was a stocky man of short stature with a clearly outta shape physique.
"I've come to see Loneila," Natsu stated. He tried as hard as he could not to blow through the doors and charge. Originally, he was going to break down the doors, but there was a voice. A voice he knew as his own, but it was saying things against everything he thought. Things like, Don't do it… go back…
"Hm…" the man stood puzzled, looking over Natsu and the bulky man beside him. "No."
"No?" Natsu snapped. "Whaddaya mean, no?!" Slow down.
The man crossed his arms and relaxed on one foot, "You're not fooling me. I knew that all these newbies would bring trouble."
"Just let me through!"
"Hold on," George patted Natsu's shoulder, "There has been an increase of size for your guild?"
"Uh, yeah." The man scouted George suspiciously, "Over the past few days, more and more people have walked into here and asked to join."
"See," George whispered, "it's possible that all your friends are under the same influence as the one you fought."
This only further increased Natsu's impatience, growling softly to himself. "There's no way you're gonna let us through then, huh?"
"Wha- you've got a lot of nerve to ask again!" the man growled back. "I am Truye, assigned as gate-guard personally by Loneila! I will not let you pass!" He drew out two sais and stood in a fight stance unknown to Natsu.
Natsu lashed back, ready to use his dragon's breath when a large palm held him back.
"Allow me to handle this." George whispered. "You continue on when I open the doors, got it?"
Natsu was one-minded but nodded, easing back slightly.
"So it's you first, eh big guy? Hah, no problem. This'll show Loneila that I can be an elite too!" Truye ducked low, and sprinted towards George. He was much faster than he looked. In the first second, he had already covered half the distance between them.
George took a deep breath, pulling his sword over his shoulder and untied the cloth with one swift hand flick. It dropped instantly, revealing its details and markings. The handle seemed normal, but at the end of the hilt, the blade widened into a purple and black texture that almost seemed like skin. Across one flat were three large eyes, all open and staring at the world before it.
George raised the large sword and struck it into the earth's surface. In a low pitch roar, a dark slit appeared in front of him nearly twice his height. The next thing that happened seemed to cower Truye onto the ground, but Natsu could not see it from behind George. Giant fingers, with long black nails came through, tearing the slit wide open. Two long arms extended out from the pits of that darkness. Its skin was as pale as the moon but was covered in black blood and cuts. They shot past Truye, took hold of the door by the sides and tore them free of its hinges.
The sight of it shocked Natsu. His fists clenched, ready to defend himself when George yelled, "Go now and don't look back!"
There was something off about this, Natsu told himself. But that voice was screaming Stay and fight! Natsu shook free of his trance and charged towards the gaping hole.
"No!" Truye reached for Natsu's foot but it had found him before he found it. Natsu's foot landed against his chest and leapt over the demon arms that were retracting at an amazing speed for its size. He was just an inch away from being smashed by the flying doors. As he landed on solid ground, he blasted forward with a burst of fire remembering George warning him not to look back.
The last thing he heard was Truye, "No! WAIT! Don't- AAAAH!" Followed by a loud splattering and that loud roar.
He's the enemy! The voice returned. Natsu clenched his eyes for a moment, violently shaking his head like a dog before hastening his run. His feet carried him down the streets that felt like an endless journey to the tower. But as the spire grew larger, so did the number of people on the road. Eventually, there was no way to run through them and their appearance changed immediately. They knew what had just happened and they took arms.
"Move!" Natsu screamed, "I don't want to fight!"
A familiar man pushed through the crowd, "Be a man and take the beating coming to you!"
"Elfman?!" Natsu gasped, "Not you too."
"Come," he welcomed with a wave, "I'll take you on my own!"
"Sorry, Elfman, no time." Natsu began walking towards him.
"Fight me!"
"No."
"Fight!" Elfman transformed into his beast suit.
"No!" Natsu pushed off into a sprint. He could feel himself slowing down. All of this running was finally taking its toll, but there wasn't any stopping. He was so close already.
Elfman met him, swinging a claw at Natsu's face. He ducked, sliding under his legs.
"Fire Dragon: Iron fist!" It was a dirty move, breaking Elfman's knee like that. He crushed into his leg and popped back into his dash. A couple more familiars that Natsu had seen around Fairy Tail charged him. He didn't slow. He met them, ducking and dodging their attacks. As he came to the thick of it, he leapt into the air.
"Fire Dragon: Roar!" His fire blasted an opening as the crowd moved away. He charged through his flames and took off down the road without a second thought. He looked back for an instant to see Elfman on his knees crying out in agony.
Natsu uttered an apology between his now rapid breaths.
His sandals slid to a stop as he finally arrived at the spire. It was everything he remembered. Though most of it felt like it was a dream that faded away for a long period of black nights in the cellar. His memory didn't seem to make sense… Katsugi had pulled him from the depths and then he awakened the next morning in Fairy Tail with no explanation. After that, everyone thought he had died so he played the role as Ifrit. It was all a big blur.
He strode up to the building with the intention to leave it in shambles. His hand was about to meet one of the handles when he heard movement behind him. He pulled away just as an ice spear shot into the door handle. He looked at it for a moment before spinning around.
"Natsu," Gray stood with one fist in his palm, "I must be crazy."
Natsu sighed. He closed his hand into a fist. Loneila knew just the right way to bring him out here. "Gajeel first… but taking you too…"
Gray stood silent, standing in only his shorts. He straightened his posture, preparing to use his ice-make again.
"Gray," Natsu called softly, "I'm gonna save you and the others, then I'm gonna take you home."
"I am home," Gray replied sourly.
Natsu fists crashed together, summoning the fire dragon stigma as Gray summoned his ice-make stigma.
They eyes met, golden and black. They glared at each other before smirking.
In unison they said, "I'm gonna enjoy this."
