Back at the hospital Gajeel sat by his wife's side, holding her hand and praying that God wouldn't call her back to heaven just yet. Well the man must have done something that pleased the lord because in that moment Levy finally awoke.

"No! Don't hurt me please!" She cried thinking she was back at the scene of the crime.

"It's alright Levy." Her husband said gently. "You're safe now."

"Gajeel? Oh thank God." She said embracing him, he held her with great gentleness and care. "What happened?"

"You were shot during a robbery. You were in a coma for a few days."

"Is he gone?" She asked. "That terrible man who shot me?"

"Red Dragon?"

"No not him. He tried to help me. There was someone else there. He was a masked robber and he shot me."

Hearing this Gajeel felt great regret and shame wash over him.

"I'll be damned. Gray was telling the truth." He whispered.

"What was that dear?"

"Nothing. Listen honey I've done something very wrong and I need to fix it right away. Would it be alright if I leave you now?"

"Of course."

"You won't be alone long. Juvia will be here shortly and I'll come back as soon as I fix this."

"Do what you have to do."

They kissed and he rushed over to his office as fast his could. First he read the information Gray left him about the pictures and after that he called Laxus, demanding that he come to his office now.

"You lied to me!" He shouted at his twisted employee.

"Okay, okay so I doctored the photos but what's the big deal?" Laxus asked.

"I can't have someone who works for me coloring the truth and leaving out the facts! It's against everything I stand for! You're history Dreyar! Out of here! Fired!"

"No wait! I have more pictures!"

"Out! Gray was right about you! You're nothing but a lying scum bag! And I'm embarrassed that I needed two kids to help me see that!"

"You can't do this to me!"

"Watch me!" He pressed the calling button on his desk. "Security! I have some trash you need to throw out!"

So Laxus was forcibly thrown out by security. But karma wasn't done with him yet. Apparently Natsu had told Professor Clive about his suspicion of Laxus using doctored photos, knowing Laxus's history of bending the rules Gildarts looked into it and found that Laxus had used campus technology to make those photos. He confronted him about it in his own dorm room.

"Using campus technology for illegal techniques like this is against the university's policy and the law." He said. "You're lucky that I'm only expelling you instead of having you arrested."

"You can't expel me professor!" Laxus argued. "My old man will kill me!"

"I'm sorry but you've gone too far this time."

"This isn't about what I did! You're just getting back at me for messing with your prized pupil, that dork Natsu."

"You can believe that all you want but you're expelled because of an illegal activity being done on campus." He said before leaving. "I want you packed up and out of here by tomorrow."

Now any rational person would realize that it was their own fault this happened and try to learn from it. But no, Laxus decided to blame all his misfortune on Natsu and Gray. Talk about being petty.

"Those meddling dorks!" Laxus raged. "I'll get them for this!"

Speaking of which, one of the targets of his rage, Natsu had fled to Kardia Cathedral. He was at the top of the bell tower trying to make sense of what he had been doing these last few days. It all seemed like some bad dream he had just woken up from only to find out it was all too real.

"What did I do?" He asked himself. "I just tried to kill Gray. How could I do that? Any am I losing my mind?"

"You're overreacting." A voice in his head said. "Besides he was in the way. He was holding us back. We don't need him."

"Don't need him?! He's my best friend! My partner! He's the closet thing I have to a brother!"

"We don't need friends, partners, or brothers. We only need each other. And we would have been doing him a favor by killing him, he would have been reunited with his dead parents."

"Those aren't my thoughts!" Natsu cried out loud. "Gray and Erza were right! You are a parasite! Get off me!"

Natsu grabbed on to the symbiote and pulled.

"Stop. You cannot part us." The voice said.

"No! Move your ooze!"

"We will not allow you to do this!"

Natsu tried to pull it off but it was stuck to him like glue.

"It's too late to fight us now!" The voice taunted. "We own you!"

He could feel it's hold on him getting stronger. His mind was starting to lose focus and descend into darkness. Is this when he was going to go brain dead? He could already feel his mind going.

"No! You can't do this!" Natsu shouted desperately. "Somebody help me!"

"It's okay son. It's okay." He heard a familiar gentle voice say.

At the moment all he could see was darkness. No he could see something else too. He saw someone standing beside him, someone he was sure he would never see again. It was his father Igneel.

"Dad?" He said weakly. "Dad is it really you?"

"It's really me son." Igneel said warmly. "I'm here for you. Everything's going to be alright now."

"Dad. Oh Dad I've really messed up big time haven't I?"

"Yes you did but everyone messes up big time once in awhile. Even me."

"But look what I did. I hurt people. I almost killed my best friend. What I did was wrong and unforgivable."

"Wrong? Yes. Unforgivable? I don't think so. What if I told you that the man you just tried to kill is looking everywhere for you and hoping to God that he'll be able to save you in time?"

"Gray still wants to help me?"

"Of course he does. He's your friend and no matter what you do he'll always be your friend and he'll never stop trying to help you. Just like me."

"You're not ashamed of me?"

"Never. No matter what you've done I'll always love you."

"I...I love you too Dad."

"Do you remember what I told you about great power?"

"Yes. With great power comes great responsibility."

"Natsu there's an evil inside of you and it's your responsibility to get rid of it."

"I don't think I can."

"I know you can. If it was time for you to go than I wouldn't have made the trip." He held his hand out to him. "Come on now son. Let's get you out of this dark place."

Natsu grabbed his father's hand but when the darkness cleared he saw that the hand he grabbed changed to that of someone else. It was Gray's gloved hand.

"Natsu are you in there?!" Gray called.

"Yes!" He shouted. "I am! Help me Gray! Please! Before he gets control again!"

"I talked to Erza! She says that sound waves weaken the symbiote. I'm gonna hit the bells up here and when I do I want you to start pulling that ooze off! You got it?!"

"I got it!"

"She says it's gonna hurt but don't stop until it's completely off of you!"

"Just do it!"

With all his strength, Gray knocked against all the bells in the tower which produced incredible sound waves. The symbiote screeched in agony and it's grip began to loosen. Natsu yanked, jerked, and pulled as much of it off of him as he could. It hurt like hell but he didn't stop. Not until it was all gone. At last he was free and he let out a cry of relief before passing out.