Chapter 17
Power Corrupts Absolutely
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Magic"
Flashback
Location / Date / Time Skip
Natsu groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He stared up at the stone ceiling before grabbing his head in pain. "What the?" He felt wrappings around his head before finding more on his arms. A tongue licked his face and he found himself staring at Cubelious. "Did you do this, girl?"
"You're awake..." Natsu looked over at Lisanna, sitting on a rock. "Your friend here was a big help getting all those rocks off you. I never knew snakes jaws were so strong."
"You treated me?" He asked and she nodded. "Why? I'm your enemy."
"Well, you save my life two years ago..." Lisanna said back. "So I'm just returning the favor."
"I didn't save your life." Natsu swung his legs out and sat up. "I was just dealing with an annoying beast. You living was just a side effect. Nothing more." He felt an embrace as Lisanna hugged him.
"I know that's not true." She said back. "There's a decent person underneath all this. You just have to let him out."
Confused at the sudden show of affection, Natsu patted her back as Cubelious rubbed his chin. "Oh don't you start agreeing with her."
"Wait, what?" Lisanna looked up and grabbed her head. "I'm here. Okay. Yeah I can destroy one."
"Are you losing your mind or something?" Salamander asked.
"No. One of the other alliance members can talk directly into people's head." She explained as Cubelious licked her cheek. "He just told us of a way to stop this thing for good. Do you wanna help us?"
"Help you?" He asked flabbergasted. "Listen, you seem like a sweet kid, but I'm not gonna help you with this plan. You can't stop this bastard."
"Well, we have to try." Lisanna stood up and started to walk out of the room. "Oh, almost forgot." She turned around and bowed to him. "Thank you for saving my life."
"Back at ya." She turned and ran out the room, leaving the snake and her owner alone. "Don't get any ideas, girl. We're not helping them." The snake looked him in the eyes. "I know she saved our lives, but that doesn't mean anything." She wrapped around his waist and pulled on him. "You really wanna do this, don't you?" The snake looked back and nodded. "Fine. Let's make Zero's death quick. With any luck, I can salvage this plan."
He walked out the room and down an old street before reaching a opening. "Zero! I'm still here! You wanna finish the job!?" He sent up a ball of fire in the air. "Come and get me!"
"The gecko still squirms, does he?" Natsu turned around as Zero walked forward, holding a beaten Jura. "I'm surprised you want to fight me."
"This wasn't my idea." Salamander explained. "But I gotta pay you back for the beating you gave me earlier."
"Very well." Zero threw Jura to the side and bathed his right fist in dark energy. "Dark Delete!" He held out his hand and hundreds of green dots shot forward.
"Fire Dragon Scales!" Natsu swung his own arm and flaming scales meet the shots, creating explosions. Zero charged through the smoke and swung his darkness infused fists at his former guild mate, making Natsu duck. "Fire Dragon Spiral Jaw!" He jumped up and spun his flaming legs in a circle, hitting Zero repeatedly until the red eyed wizard grabbed his leg.
"Not good enough!" Zero said before pulling him in and punching his face. Cubelious bit down on his arm, but Zero didn't flinch. "A pathetic worm."
"Don't talk about her like that!" Flames shot out of Salamander's elbow as his fist clashed with Zero's face. "Fire Dragon Flame Elbow!" The impact sent Zero sliding back passed Jura.
"A cheap shot..." Zero said, rubbing his face. "I see my counterpart taught you well." Six explosions rocked the legs as the whole city shifted to the side. "What's going on?"
"They actually did it..." Salamander mumbled. "They found a way to stop this thing..."
"None can stop the destruction!" Zero charged the Dragon Slayer and slammed his hand into the ground. "Dark Gravity!" The ground exploded beneath them and the two entered a free fall.
"Again with the falling!?" Natsu complained as the two traded blows before he pulled his head back. "Fire Dragon Roar!"
"Zero Slash!" Zero swung his arm and a whip of darkness clashed with the roar, creating a small blast.
"I'm done with this!" Salamander pulled all the power he had left and created a giant fireball. "Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" He threw the ball and hit Zero in the chest before it exploded, sending him crashing into a battalion of Rune Nights.
"I really hate that guy..." Natsu closed his eyes in exhaustion and fell back as Cubelious unfolded her wings and captured him before flying to the ground, dodging any debris that fell. Landing by a tree, she slid him off her body and set him up against it with her tail.
A massive magical power source caught her attention. Fearing for her owner, Cubelious slithered away until she reached an unknown man with black hair and bared her fangs at him before sinking her fangs into his shoulder. "Another cursed being... at least I can save you..."
He looked her in the eye before touching her face. Her fangs melted into her mouth and her body glowed before it began to change. Her scales began to meld together and her tail shrank into her body. Her head shrank and her eyes turned into those of a human. Arms and legs grew out of her body as the top of her head grew a mop of purple hair.
The former snake laid on the ground, naked, before pushing herself on her knees. She looked around before realizing her lack of clothing and covering herself up. "Why am I naked? Where am I? Wait, who am I?"
"You don't remember anything?" The man asked as he took the sash around his shoulder off and gave it to her.
"No... I-I think I know my name..." The girl untied the sash and let it drape over her whole body. "My name... is Kinana. Do I know you?"
"No, but I do know where you can go." The man said as he reached into his pocket. "There's is a place called Fairy Tail. Go there and you can find a life for yourself." He pulled out a small bag of gold and threw it at her. "This should be enough to there, as well as a new set of clothes."
"Thank you." Kinana picked up the bag before standing up. She almost fell over before catching herself against a tree. "I'm okay." She pushed herself off and continued to walk in the direction the man pointed her in.
"You've done a good thing today, Zeref." The man turned around and walked away, with every step the grass beneath him died.
Two Hours Later
Natsu groaned as he opened his eyes again. "Cubelious?" He called for his snake, but she never came. "Come on out, girl. This isn't funny." He looked around before a rustling forced his attention forward as a few dozen Rune Knights walked out of the bushes. Pointing their spears at him, Natsu groaned as he rolled his shoulder. "Again with this shit..."
Three charged forward and thrust their weapons forward, but Natsu ducked and broke the weapons with his legs. They stared at the broken polearms before Natsu punched them away. A brave one charged him and he ducked the swing. With what little magic power he had, Natsu summoned a small ring of fire around them. The other knights could only watched as Natsu pinned the knight against a tree. "Tell me what you do with Cubelious."
"Who?" The knight asked.
"Wrong answer." Natsu pulled his fist back and was about to punch it through his gut.
"Enough!" Natsu looked over his shoulder as one Rune knight with glasses walked forward next to Angel, her hands in cuff.
"Angel!" He turned and stared, letting the knight drop to the ground as the flames died.
"Natsu, it's over." She spoke up. "Nirvana is destroyed and everyone else is in jail. Please, just stop this. Let's just go together."
"I'm not leaving without Cubelious!" Natsu shouted. "She's a part of our guild! She's one of us!"
"SHE'S JUST A DUMB ANIMAL!" Angel shouted back. "She was never really a part of our guild!"
Natsu stared at her in shock. "I-I can't believe it... you never cared for her..."
"Please, just come with me." Angel walked forward and reached out to him, but he swatted her hands away.
"I thought you were different." Natsu said. "The others mocking her, I could deal with. And when our enemies insulted her, I could just kill them. But after everything the three of us had been through, I thought you would care for her. But your no different than the rest of them."
"Enough!" The glasses wearing rune knight pulled Angel back as the whole squad surrounded Natsu, pointing their spears at his throat. "You two can settle this little lover's quarrel later, behind bars."
"Luminous Minutes!" A hundred orbs shot down from the sky and peppered the knights, forcing them back.
"Okay, that's new." Natsu said as trees shot out of the ground and surrounded him.
"Salamander..." A voice caught his attention as an orange orb floated down to him. "Come with us, and we will help you find her." A section of the orb receded as black flames stoped the knights from hacking through the trees.
"Natsu..." Angel looked through the trees and flames, hoping he would stay with her.
Natsu looked at the orb before turning back to the girl. A branch shot out of one of the trees, wrapped around his neck and flung him into the pod. It closed behind him before the magical device shrank in size, as did he, before shooting up into the sky.
Grimoire Heart Airship
The orb regained hits size and opened up, letting Natsu climbed out and fell on his hands and knees. "God. That sucked." He complained, not used to getting compressed in size. "Anyone got any orange slices?"
"Welcome, Salamander, to Grimoire Heart." Natsu looked up at over a half a dozen wizards starring at him.
"So, what does another third of the Balam Alliance want with me?" He asked, standing up.
"We want you to help us." The one in the helmet on the throne answered.
"Why do we even need him, Master Hades?" A man asked from the side.
"Zancrow, shut up." A female said back, following a whack.
"Do that again, I dare you." The first voice growled back.
"He has a point." Natsu said back. "Why do you need me?"
"Because, according to Brain, you have seen lord Zeref." Hades explained.
"Are you talking about that weird dream I had like a month ago?" Natsu asked.
"Indeed." Hades nodded. "Although it may have been a vision, you are one of the few people to have seen him. And so, we want you on our side when we awaken him."
"Let me get this straight. You want to wake up the most vile wizard in the history of the planet, and you want me to help with that?" Natsu asked, making Hades nod. "Why would I ever do that?"
"Because once we enter the Grand Magic World, not only will you be able to save your lover, but we will help you find your friend." Hades explained, making Natsu stare at him. "Not only that, but we will help you break the curse on her."
"Cubelious is cursed?" Natsu asked in shock. Hades nodded as Natsu stared at him, trying to read the one eyed man's thoughts, but they were blocked off. 'Why can't I hear his thoughts?'
"If you are trying to read my thoughts, don't bother." Hades said. "Sound magic is just one of many I've mastered in my life."
"So I just have to trust you, then?" Natsu asked, making Hades nodded. "You've got yourself a deal."
Two Weeks Later
The days passed after the Salamander of the Oraciōn Seis had 'joined' a different third of the Balam Alliance, and just like his original guild, the members of this one were weird. Some weren't even human, and he was pretty sure that the one with the platinum pompadour was a homosexual, but one person stayed in his thoughts everyday; Sorano. No matter how much he trained, how many missions he did, how many people he killed, he could not get her out of his head.
Natsu stared out at the sea from the throne room as he reached into his pocket. He looked down at the three keys he captured in his hand. "Never did give these back to you, did I?"
"What are those?" He looked over as another pinkette, this one a girl in a purple unitard and red cape looked at his hand.
"Quid pro quo." He said, pulling his hand back. "I saw you at that meeting, but never learned your name. Who are you?"
"My name is Meredy." The girl answered. "So, can you answer my question now?"
"They're spirit keys." Natsu explained. "They belonged to someone I... once cared for."
"Did they die?" The girl asked.
"No, it's just... she wasn't who I thought she was." He answered.
"Who is she?" The girl asked.
"Her name was Sorano." Natsu answered with a sigh. "She was my partner in the Oraciōn Seis, and we loved each other. Together with Cubelious, we were unstoppable." He looked over and noticed the confused look on Meredy's face. "Cubelious was my snake."
"Oh, okay." Meredy nodded. "So, what happened? Why isn't she with you?"
"When it all went to hell with Nirvana, Cubelious dissapeared. I didn't want to leave her, but Angel... she didn't care about her." Natsu explained. "I took her keys back after they betrayed her, and then she betrayed me."
"So why do you still have them?" Meredy asked back, looking at the keys in his hand.
"I don't know." Natsu answered.
"Maybe it's because you still love her?" She suggested. "You've been together for years, and you can't just let her go. Once we reach the Grand Magic World, you should free her and talk to her, Salamander."
"Natsu." She looked at him confused. "Salamander's the name Brain gave me. Natsu is my real name. I've only told two people that, and you make three." Meredy stared up at him, figuratively and literally, before blood rushed to her checks.
"Ha! That's hilarious!" Both looked as Zancrow walked over to them. "The two pinkies talking about sweets and ponies. It's no wonder you almost lost to a pathetic first gen Dragon Slayer."
Natsu glared at him as he put the keys away. "Ya know, you remind me of an annoying blonde I was supposed to kill. Maybe if I kill you, it'll make me feel better."
"You? Kill me?" Zancrow laughed. "I'm a God-Slayer! You're nothing but a fake Dragon Slayer. I'm here." He threw a ball of black fire high above his head. "You're here!" He then lowered it to his feet before stomping it out.
Natsu marched over and slammed his head into the blondes before Meredy pushed them apart. "That's enough. Salamander, just help us with this, and then you can help Sorano get out of jail."
Natsu let out a sigh as he tried to calm down. "She's probably someone elses bitch by now." Zancrow mumbled aloud. Natsu had enough and threw a punch that sent him flying back into the staircase.
"Don't EVER talk about her like that!" Natsu growled.
Zancrow pushed him up and spat at Natsu. "That's it. I don't care what Hades says. You're dead!" Black flames shot out of his feet as he launched himself forward, spearing Natsu through the window. An alarm blared as the rest of the Kin ran in the room while Master Hades strolled into the room.
"What's going on?" Ultear asked her 'daughter'.
"Zancrow and Natsu are fighting!" Meredy answered before blushing in embarrassment at the real name.
"What should we do, Master?" Ultear asked.
"We let this play out." He answered. "This hostility between them cannot continue if we are to find lord Zeref."
Below the ship, the two fire users continued their free fall. "Why! Am! I! Al! Ways! Fall! Ing!" Natsu shouted between throwing flaming punches on Zancrows back. Giving up on his fists, he pulled his leg back and swung it, hitting the blonde right in the balls. Zancrow let go and both flew towards the water before lighting their feet on fire, keeping them airborne.
"Cheep shot, Dragon bitch." Zancrow groaned, cupping his package.
"I plan on doing a hell of a lot worse." Natsu growled, his arms turning into scales.
"Oh, scary." The blonde mocked, lighting his own hands on fire. "Looks like I'm gonna finish what that first gen started!" Both charged each other and began punching each other in the face. Natsu's anger was so great, he tuned out all the noise Zancrow's psychotic head churned out. "Flame God Bellow!" Zancrow pulled his head back and breathed out a torrent of black flames.
"Time to eat!" Natsu opened his mouth and tried to eat the fire. "Ah! What the fuck!" The flames actually burned his tounge as he tried to eat them.
"Nice try, but my flames are better!" The blonde hit Natsu square in the nose, sending him reeling back. Taking advantage, Zancrow grabbed Natsu's head and rammed it into his knee before kicking Natsu away. "Time to fry!" He launched a black ball of fire at Natsu and it hit him square in the chest before exploding.
"That's... the best... you've got..." Natsu panted as his vest was burned away. "Cause I'm... just getting started. Fire Dragon Scales!" He swung both his arms and a hundred scales of flames shot forward.
"Do you really think that would work on me!?" The blonde opened his mouth and the scales were sucked in. The last one went in with a burp as Zancrow wiped his mouth. "Not a bad snack." He ignited his fists and two halves of a razor sharp mouth appeared. "This is your end! Flame God Supper!" Zancrow swung his arms forward and the mouths clamped down on Natsu, trapping him. "Looks like your bitch is gonna miss your funeral. Too bad there won't be anything to bury!"
Natsu screamed in pain as the black flames licked his body. 'I'm gonna die here?' Burn marks started to appear on his arms stared up to the sky. A single tear left his eyes before instantly evaporating as an image of Cubelious and Sorano flashed into his head. 'No, I have to see them, just one more time.' He let out a primeval scream before sucking up the black flames.
"No, that's not possible!" Zancrow shouted as the orb shrank in size until it vanished.
"Disgusting. No dragon could eat such putird flames unless they were at deaths door." Natsu wiped his mouth clean as he glared at the blonde. He looked at his hand as black flames rolled of his fingers. "Let's see what they can do!" He launched forward and unleashed a straight up assault on Zancrow before pulling both arms back. Two balls of fire, black with red tipped flames, appeared in his palms. "Dragon God Inferno Blast!"
He thrusted both palms forward and the orbs flew out of his hands and hit Zancrow in the face and gut before they fused in a massive explosion. The dust settled and Zancrow hit the water with a splash, his hair charred and clothing burned. "God, what a douche..." He fell over exhausted and hit the water belly first.
Both slayers floated in the water as the airship lowered down. "Get them to the infirmary." Hades voice boomed as an orb lifted Natsu out of the water and Zancrow was picked up by Rustyrose. "Reckless fools..."
G.H. Infirmary
Zancrow opened his eyes and found himself in the infirmary of his ship before looking over to find Salamander laying on a nearby cot to him. "Lucky punk..." He stood up and walked out of the room, a small limp in his wake.
Meredy walked in after him and sat next to the other pinkette before taking off her head band. "So, I guess that wasn't the best of introductions..." She mumbled, fiddling with the wings on it. "Sorry for not helping out. Master Hades forbid it. It was a pretty amazing fight..." She let out a soft chuckle. "I'm glad someone finally stepped up to Zancrow."
"Meredy." Said girl looked over to Ultear standing in the doorway. "Master Hades wants to speak with all of us about what just happened." The pinkette nodded and stood up before walking out by the older mage. Ultear, in turn, turned and looked over to Natsu's sleeping frame. "If you even think about touching her, I will end you."
Six Hours Later
The sun had long set over the sea when Natsu opened his eyes again and grabbed his head. "Ugh... what happened?"
"You just woke up from a six hour recovery nap after doing something that no one thought was possible." He looked over to find a face he hadn't seen before. A black girl with silver hair done up in a back ponytail and red eyes. Unlike Meredy, she was on the cusp of puberty in a night black tank top and jeans combination, completed by a pair of silver heels. Her ears had heart stubs in the lobes and her wrist were decorated by wristbands.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked the preteen.
"My name is Briar." The girl explained. "Master Hades took me in a few weeks ago. I'm guessing he didn't tell you?" Natsu shock his head no as he sat up. "Doesn't surprise me, I don't have a lot of say in what the guild does."
"What's a little kid doing among some of the most dangerous wizards in the world?" He asked.
"I'm not a little kid!" A copy of Briar's voice said from behind before something punched in the back of the head. "You're not hurt, are you?" Another Briar, this one sounded conserned, asked, making Natsu turn around.
"What, the, fuck?" Natsu stared wide eyed at the two copies of the girl, one looked like a violent ball of hatred, the second looked like a sweet little girl. "You triplets or something?" He asked, turning back to the first one he met.
"No, this is my magic." The original sighed before walking over to the other two. "Shoo! Shoo! Get out of here!" She brushed her hands through the two and they both faded away. "I can never get these clones to come out when I want them to."
"You can clone yourself? That's pretty impressive." Natsu tried to stand up, but his gut forced him back down.
"Its why I came here, to control my magic." Briar said. "That and I'm just a weird kid."
"Why do you say that?" Natsu asked.
"Most kids have a guild wizard, or a wizard Saint, or a famous warrior for an idle." She explained. "For me, it's Zeref."
"The most evil wizard in the history of the world?" He asked back and she nodded. "The dude who made the lacrima inside me?"
"Oh, that's right. Word has it, you saw him in some weird vision..." Instantly, the whole damn room was filled with her clones and they asked him a slew of questions about Zeref.
"STOP!" Natsu screamed, silencing the mob. "Briar, it happened again." The original, embaresment plastered on her face, quickly removed her clones from the room by brushing them away. "Now, ask me one question."
"What did he look like?" She asked. "All the stories I've studied about him give comepletly different appearances. Some say he's a six foot eight monster, some say he's just really unlucky guy, and others still say he was some kinda purple monster. I've even read a few that say he was a woman."
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever fucking heard." Natsu said back. "He was a dude with black hair, in a black outfit and red eyes."
"I feel a little underwhelmed by that description." Briar confessed.
"You asked." He reminded her. "So, why am I here, and where is here?"
"This is the infirmary." Both looked over as Hades walked into the room. "We brought you here after you ate Zancrow' flames. Briar, I hope you weren't bothering him."
"No master." She shook her head in response.
"She's been fine." Natsu said, rubbing the girl's head and messing up her hair. "Better than just staring at the ceiling."
"So, Salamander, I trust you're feeling better?" Hades asked as Natsu lit his hand on fire.
He focused his magic and the flames shifted from normal red to solid black. "Never felt better..."
One Week Later
Tenrou Island
"The time has come!" Hades told the scouting party. "Tenrou island is before us. Go there and scout the area."
"Understood." The wannabe samurai said.
"Got it." The walking six piece bucket nodded.
"You two just love to kiss ass, don't you?" Natsu asked. The two ignored him and climbed into their pods and they shrank down. "Let's just get this over with." He climbed into his own and it shrank before the three were shot out of the ship.
The pods hit the sand of the beach and regained their size before they cracked open. The scouting party brushed the size change off while Natsu crashed to the ground. "God, I hate that thing." The two animals ignored him and ran into the inland of the island as he sat up. "I'm sensing a pattern here."
Brushing the sand off his pants, Natsu walked to the other side of the island until he found himself in front a cave. "Okay, let's see what's in here..." He lit his fist on fire marched in with his makeshift torch. "Man, it is dark as shit in here." A light in the distance caught his attention and he walked towards it.
The bright light shined directly in his eyes and he shut off his flame before looking forward to a large piece of hand carved stone sticking out of the ground. "Huh, looks like a grave or something." Natsu walked forward and look at the plaque on the ground. "Mavis Vermillion? What is it with women being named after color?"
Footsteps drew his attention in a panic. "Shit! Someone's here?" He hid behind the grave and glanced around the stone to see an old man with a mustache walking towards it.
"Hello there, first master." He spoke to the grave as if this Mavis was in front of him. "It's that time of year again. The S-class examines, and this might be the most eclectic year so far. Elfman, Juvia, Cana again and Mest. All are worthy nominees."
'How long am I gonna have to listen to this senile fuck ramble on?' Natsu screamed in his head.
A red flare shot up into the sky and drew his attention. "An enemy attack!?" The old man asked in shock. "Who dares set foot on the sacred ground of Fairy Tail?" He ran towards the beach. Once it was clear, Natsu stood up with a look of anger plastered on his face.
"Fairy, Motherfucking, Tail..." His fingers started to melt the stone as he gripped it anger. "No matter where I go, I have to deal with them!" He kicked the grave in anger before marching in the other direction of the old man, unaware that the man from his vision saw him and stared in shock.
"Natsu... how..." Zeref walked over to the stone and the studied the melted portion. "No ordinary flame should be able to melt this, so how..." He went wide eyed as he put two and two together as he looked down to footsteps burned into the fresh grass. "Igneel..."
Hours Later
The sun had started to set over the large tree on the island as Ultear dragged the unconscious body of Zeref away as Kain dealt with Erik, Lucy, and happy. "So, you've found him." She looked up and found Salamander laying on a branch in a tree. "As much as I hate being the bear of bad news, the ship's in the other direction."
"I'm not going to the ship." Ultear told him as he kept marching. Natsu swung his legs off the branch before dropping down. "Don't try me stop me."
"Look, I've read your thoughts, I know what your doing and why your doing this." He told her. "I also know that your the one who possessed jelly-boy back at the tower. So basically, you're the reason I'm stuck in this life."
"If you've read my thoughts, then you know I can't stop this." She told him as she walked past him and he grabbed her shoulder. "If your angry at someone, it should be master Hades. It was his idea after all."
"Trust me, he's gonna get a beating." Natsu said back. "But it's because he's a prick, not because of that tower. But as for you, give it up. You think going back to your mom is gonna make things better, but it's not."
"Just because you've read my thoughts doesn't mean you understand them." Ultear glared at him before pulling her arm free. "It has to change something, anything... it has to. You can't stop me." She summoned her orb and it floated over her free hand.
"More like I just don't care enough to stop you." The pinkette said back. "But let me ask you this; if you do go back to your mother, who's gonna save Meredy from that psycho you call a guild mate?" He walked away, leaving the time witch alone with her thoughts.
Two Hours Later
Meredy stared at Zancrow's lifeless body as Zeref walked away, his magic having killed the blonde when he took him from her. Traumatizing her even more was the fact that the blonde told her that Ultear, her own 'mother', was part of the group destroyed her home town all those years ago.
The creepy bluehaired woman behind her had offered to comfort her, but Meredy swatted her hand away as she curled up in a ball. The one she designated as number 13 crawled away to look for her 'beloved' leaving the Maguilty mage alone, truely alone.
Footsteps caused her to look up as Salamander walked into view. "Yo, what's up?" He walked over to her before noticing the body on the ground. "What happened to him?"
"Z-Zeref..." She answered, catching his attention.
"I thought Ultear had him?" He asked aloud.
The girl focused on the name he said. "U-Ultear... she... she..."
"What, killed your whole town?" He asked, shocking her as he pointed to his ears. "I can hear thoughts, remember? I'm surprised you didn't know that. She clearly had a guilty conscious."
"How- how can I face her?" Meredy asked herself. "I-I feel something, but... it-its not anger..."
"Seems to me, you should be asking yourself the same questions you asked me." Salamander told her. "Figure out your own feelings before you confront her." He looked down at the body before rolling his eyes. "Rest in peace, asshole." He turned and walked towards the ship as Meredy sat alone with her thoughts.
Natsu walked into a stone clearing before he stopped and moved to the side as Bluenote crashed into the ground. With a whistle, he turned to an orange haired man with fake limbs. "Didn't think anyone could beat him. Thanks for-" A fist found his gut and sent him crashing into a lee of rock. "What the fuck? Why couldn't I hear that?!"
"My magic cancels out any other that hits me." The man explained. "Once your spell hit me, it as destroyed instantly."
Natsu looked at the man before his cloak blew in the breeze, showing the emblem on his chest. "So, your a little fairy, are ya?" Smile on his face, he lit his hands on fire. "Good, I was getting bored on this hunk of rock!" He launched forward and threw is fist in an axehandle slam that the cloaked man blocked. The flames gone from his hands, Natsu jumped back as the man threw another punch before kneeing him in the gut. "Too slow, old man."
"I ain't that old!" The man shouted before he grabbed the kids head and blasted him with white colored magic. Natsu slid back, melting the stone under him before coming to a stop. "Been a while since someone so young could hit me. Whats your name, kid?"
"Its Salamander." Natsu said back before lighting his hands on fire. "And I'm the last face you're ever gonna see." He suddenly pressed against his temple as he started nodding for no reason. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Geez, you sure know how to kill a good time." He lowered his hand and focused his flames on his fist. "Well, I gotta get going. Hades tells me we're gonna have company on the ship.'' He punched the ground and sent a wave of flames towards the broken man, who held out his hand and dispelled the flames, only to find the clearing empty.
Grimorie Heart Airship
Team Erik, now including Wendy and Carla, and Laxus, who came to Tenrou for some bullshit reason, stood across from Master Hades, panting in exhaustion. The battle against the dark guild had been long and hard, but the end was almost in reach. Hell, Erik somehow combined his magic with Laxus' after he threw him a bone, or in this case, a bolt.
"Let's finish this now." Erik groaned as he pulled his head back. "Poison-Lighting Dragon Roar!" The mix of poison and lightning shot out of his mouth.
"Scorpio!" Lucy shouted as she summoned the spirit, who inturn fired a blast of sand at the dark master.
"Ice-Make: Cannon!" Gray created his shoulder mounted cannon and fired it, sending a blast of ice at the bearded man.
"Sea Dragon Roar!" Wendy shot out her own roar, this one of boiling water.
The attacks merged into a spiral of colors that flew towards the master, who seemed unfazed. "Now!"
A lone figure jumped in front of the spiral and pulled back his head. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus - Roasting Blast!" Natsu's super roar met the force head on and matched it until they exploded. As the dust settled, everyone on the Fairy Tail side stared at the one called Salamander.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Erik roared.
"Call it paying off a debt." Natsu answered. He cracked his knuckles as Hades walked back to his throne.
"Salamander!" Erza, having kept Laxus from failing onto a broken piece of metal, charged and donned herself in her Flame Empress Armor. She swung her red blade and he caught it, eating the flames that licked off it. "I swear on the blade I wield, I will kill you!"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were obsessed with me." He joked before kicking her back. She tumbled backwards, still weak from the fight she had with Azuma. Gray caught her and set her down before Erik stepped forward.
"I got this." He walked forward, lighting bouncing off his poison mist, before he started running forward. Pulling his fist back, lightning and poison gathered around it before it began to glow. "Poisoned Lightning Dragon Iron Fist!" He swung his fist forward and an explosion of poison and lightning blinded everyone.
Natsu flew back and hit the wall before he peeled off it. Clutching his gut as he stood up, Natsu glare at the other Dragon Slayer. "You think you're all that special, don't you? Well, I've learned a few tricks myself. Dragon-God Mode!" Erupting into black flames, his arms turned into scales once more, but instead of a pale underside, the scales there were pure black.
"Seriously?" Lucy asked in a panic. "He's can do that too?"
"This just got a whole lot more interesting." Erik chuckled. Natsu launched forward and punched Erik in the gut with a mix of dragon and god flames before slamming his leg in the back of Erik's head forcing him to the ground. Erik swung his leg and caught Natsu's leg before standing up.
"You want interesting!?" Natsu asked before slamming his forearm into Erik's face. Erik grinned before slamming his own forearm into the pinkettes head. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before trading a series of forearm smashes, with every smash their elements blasting around them.
"Erik, calm down!" Wendy shouted as blasts whipped her hair long around.
Hades stood near his throne, watching the two slayers trade blows. 'Salamander has fought one person all day, yet this other wizard his matching him? This does not bode well. I may have to remove some... loose ends.'
Both slayers slammed their forearms into the others, creating one final blast that force the two back. Natsu pulled his hands over his head and created two balls of fire, one of Dragon, the other God before the orbs grew in size. "Dragon God Brilliant Flame!" Natsu moved his hands together to slam the orbs together, with Erik in between them.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Tyrian Pulse - Spitting Lightning Blast!" Poison and lightning swirled around him before it exploded between the balls of fire, saving his life as the blast wave from attacks rocked the ship and blew back the others. Both slayers stared across from each other, pure hatred in their eyes.
"They're perfectly match..." Erza groaned as she sat up before glancing over to Hades, his hand in a gun shape. "Erik! Watch out!"
Hades fired the magic bullet from his finger, and Erik jumped out of the way, but the shot never hit him.
The sick sound of punctured flesh caused everyone to look as the shot went through Natsu, just under his heart. Literally, EVERYONE but Hades was shocked as Natsu's vest began to turn blood red. "God... Damnit..." He dropped to his knees and looked to the Fairy Tail wizards. "Kick... his... ass..." That was his last breath before he fell, blood coming out of his wound.
After the Fight
Fairy Tail was victorious over their opponent, again. Hades was beaten and the dark guild Grimorie Heart was in shambles. The whole exam group left the ship after issuing a warning to the grunts that survived. Rusty and Kain, the only members who survived and/or didn't leave, returned to the ship. "Master, what do we do with him?" Kain asked, kicking Natsu's prone body.
"Throw that horrible excuse of a wizard overboard." He told the fat man as Rustyrose helped him up. Kain picked him up and threw the pinkette over the ship. The engines began to turn on as a lone walked out of the woods.
"Natsu..." Looking at the hole in his chest as his eyes turned a violent red, Zeref climbed aboard the ship, through the searing heat of the engines. The ship took off as Hades was treated for his wounds.
"So, what do we do now?" Kain asked as Hades sat down on the remnants of his chair.
"We rebuild." The one eyed man told them. "And we try this again, only this time, we will be more ruthless and show no mercy."
"That won't happen." A voice told them from the dark, scaring the surviving members.
"Who's there?!" Hades shouted as footsteps grew louder and louder. "Come out and face us!" Zeref walked out of the shadows, shocking the three. "L-lord Zeref... you fools, get the keys!"
"I-I can't move..." Kain mumbled, legitamitly unable to move.
"I need no keys to awaken myself..." Zeref confessed, shocking the master of the guild. "You come to my home, hope to use a force you cannot possibly hope to control, and threaten to wipe out almost all life on this planet. Those are things I can over look, but your treatment of him..."
He raised his hands, the right one with his index and middle extended, the left with the index and pinkie out, and put his wrists together. "Is something I cannot forgive. Now, you must repent."
"Wait! I still have questions!" Hades shouted. A pillar of pitch black magic shot out from under him and absoarbed his soul into nothingness. The pillar shot clean through both the top and bottom of the ship before it faded away, letting Hades fall to the ground, dead.
"Master Hades!" Rusty shouted.
"He-he-he-he's dead..." Kain mumbled.
"Garbage like you doesn't deserve to know the truth." Zeref told the corpse. "You will fall into the depths of the abyss..." He turned around and began to walk away until he glanced over to find Briar, shaking more out of fear than wonder.
"P-please don't kill me..." Unconsciously, she summoned a terrified clone to hug.
"You've meet him, haven't you?" Zeref asked, confusing the young girl. "Study E.N.D., and you will have your answers." A distant roar caught his attention as he looked up the hole he created. "Acnologia... So, this era has come to end."
Tenrou Island
A large blast and a wave of water crashing against him finally woke Natsu up. "Okay, I'm gonna rip out Hades' other eye..." Natsu groaned as a roar caught his attention. A massive splash revealed a black and blue dragon flying out of the water. "I'll be damned, dragons didn't die out."
Magic energy began to gather around the beasts mouth until it fired, heading straight for the island. "Oh, son of a bitch..." The roar hit the island and created a massive explosion. The mist settled and the council boatmen took their arms, which they raise to protect their eyes, down and stared at the sea filled with shards of wood from Fairy Tails boat.
"It-its gone..." Lahar stared in horror at the destruction caused by that one attack as the black dragon flew into the sky. "Look for survivors! Search the whole area! Do it!" The order shook the men out of their shock, save for one man. "Doranbolt..."
"I-I couldn't save them..." The scared man whispered. Lahar stayed by his friends side as the remains of the of the ships to move around the water.
"We've found someone!" One soldier shouted, looking over the side of the boat.
"Bring them on board!" Doranbolt shouted.
The soldiers looking over the edge shared a concerned look. "Sir, for all we know they could be a member of Grimorie-"
"I said bring them on board, damnit!" He raced over and pulled the pink haired man on board. "Give him some space to breath, damnit!"
"Doranbolt..." Lahar raised his hand and those who could surrounded them, pointing their weapons at the body. "That's not a fairy tail wizard. That's the one who escaped when I arrested Jellal and the Seis."
A sudden groan caught their attention as Natsu pushed Doranbolt away before pushing himself up against the rim of the ship. "Good to see you again, foureyes..." Natsu groaned as he lit his hands on fire. "Alright, lets make a deal. I want your best ship, er, what's left of it. I get it, you'll never see me again. I don't get, I'll take." His head still ringing, he missed the sound of Doranbolt teleporting behind him and chopping the back of his neck, knocking him out.
"Doranbolt..." Lahar mumbled as a soldier ran over and cuffed Salamander in magic restricting cuff before dragging him into the hold.
Council Jail
A bright light woke Natsu up and he found himself in a magic jail cell, floating around like a prize to be won. "Huh, jail is a lot... roomier than I thought it be."
"Natsu!" He looked around and found Angel's cell floating over to his own. He sat up, turned around and sat down with his back to her, clutching the spot where Hades shot him.
"Good to see you, Angel." He only used that name for two reasons; when they were around others, or when he was pissed at her.
"Natsu... I'm sorry for what I said." She pressed her hand against her cell wall. "Please, let's just talk. We can start over if that's what it'll take. Please, I don't want to lose you again..."
With a sigh, Natsu slightly turned his head to her. "Okay, what'd I miss?"
"Well, once we got here, Hoteye started acting kinda... weird." Angel started retelling the stories Natsu missed once she was taken as they sat with their backs towards each other, feeling like they were right next to each other.
"Hey, knock it off!" One frogman poked the two cells with a magic cattle prod and held it there, shocking the two. "No talking to each other."
"Gekota." The guard looked as Lahar walked over. "We're supposed to be better than them. This doesn't make you any better than them."
"Whatever." The guard walked away, glaring at the Salamander.
"I do apologize that." Lahar told the two in the cells. "I'm sure you two know a thing about bad apples."
"Fuck... off..." Salamander growled. Lahar walk away from the two, leaving them alone before the cells started floating away, a smug smile on Lahar's face. "Asshole..."
Over the next week, Natsu listened to Angels stories during the ONE hour the guards allowed them to share. It was almost like they were on one of those cheeses dating shows. During one of their talks, a massive explosion interrupted the two. "What's going on?" Angel asked.
"No clue." Salamander answered. "The cell cancels all my magic. I can't even hear your heartbeat."
Three people covered by hoods ran out of the smoke and passed the two, where the shortest member stopped at the cell and stared at Salamander. "Lets go." One of the taller members said.
"Hold on, I know that voice. Ultear!?" Natsu pressed his face against the glass. With a sigh, the two pulled off her hoods, showing the former Grimoire mages. "You know, most people usually try to break OUT of jail, not in."
"We had to get Jellal out somehow." Meredy explained before turning to her mother figure. "Can we help him too?"
"Help me?!" Natsu asked back, enraged. "Where were you when Hades damn near shot me in the heart!? Get the fuck out of here! I don't want to ever see you two again!"
"You heard him, let's go." Ultear grabbed the girl's hand and lead her over to Jellal, where they all started running together.
"Who were those two?" Angle asked.
"Well, maybe it's time I started telling YOU stories." Natsu chuckled as their cells started floating apart.
12 Months Later
Just as their relationship was getting back on tracks, the train flew of them. Angel didn't mind listening about Meredy and Briar, they were children and therefor a non threat. But this Lisanna and Ultear left her seething. She HATED Natsu for being around them, and when she found out he talked to them, the two only grew further apart.
Natsu stared at Angel as their cells floated around the room. 'One step forward, three steps back.'
"Hello again, my son." Natsu rolled his eyes as the same goddamn priest, a dude by the name of Lapointe, approached him for the tenth straight month. "So, do you feel like confessing any sins to day?"
"Cursing out a priest isn't a sin, is is?" Natsu asked. "Then FUCK. OFF. I got real problems to deal with." Lapointe nodded and his platform floated over to Racer's cell. "Fucking snake oil salesman..." Natsu mumbled as he fell asleep, the only thing he was allowed to do without a guard giving him the shock treatment.
A few hours later, he woke up, not in his cell, but somewhere he hadn't seen before. "Where the hell are we?" He looked and found Midnight, Angel and Racer behind him.
"You guy's too?" The fire wizard asked. "What's going on here?"
"I see you're all awake." The four looked over as Lapointe walked out of the shadows.
"What's going on?" Midnight asked, just as confused as the other three. "Won't the guards notice us missing?"
"You don't need to worry about that." Lapointe explained. "I used Personification Magic to create dummies of you. I'll stop by everyday to make sure they don't collapse on themselves. But as for why you're out, I need your help to... retrieve something."
"What?" Natsu asked.
"An artifact known as the Infinity Clock." He continued. "The Zentopian Church sealed it away because they were afraid of its power, but in our hands, we will use it to rule over this world."
"So why do we need you to get it?" Natsu asked.
"Because not only do I have all the knowledge of this artifact, I can increase your own powers, for a price." The bishop explained. "On top of that, I have some suitable... replacement members for you."
"Replacements?" Natsu asked as Ikaruga stepped out of the shadows, donned in a kimono with flaming skulls, a sash under her breasts hled in place by a skull pin and a band over her eyes. "Ikaruga?"
"Who?" Racer asked.
"Remember when I had to go back to the tower and get Jellal?" He asked and the others nodded. "Well, she was one of the assassins he hired to get Erza for his sacrifice." He raised his hands high as he heard the sound of Ikaruga hugging him. "Look at my hands, Angel."
"Ah, I'd thought you'd be happier to see me." The assassin pouted.
Angel growled at the samurai before picking up a rock and throwing it, only to have it caught. "How did-"
"I didn't stare up at the sun until I went blind." Ikaruga explained. "I gave it up. Now-" The rock glowed for a second before it fell to the ground, sliced into thin sheets. "Anything I touch, I can cut. And please-" She turned back to Natsu. "Call me by my new name, Bugeshia."
"So, she's one of us now?" Midnight asked.
"No, she's just temporary." Lapointe explained. "We have to retrieve the sixth member ourselves, but as for the fifth member..." He looked over as a woman clad in red trimmed grey armor walked out. At the shoulders were two smooth pualdorns with circles at the joint. The top of the armor went up to the sides of her neck. On her arms were two gauntlets that went down to her knuckles and between the armor was a white shirt. Her chest was covered by a piece with ornate red linework that left the top of her breasts exposed. The bottom lead down to a unitard with red lines going down. At their thighs were two pieces of armor that fanned out like a skirt and the heels on her knee length boots were a point.
Strapped to her back by a single hook was a quiver with three claws imbedded into the brown leather. The arrows feathers had a scale patter to them. Hanging over her shoulders was symmetrical recurve bow with a wrought-iron center and four spikes to either side, two pointing away from the firing spot, the other two away. Strapped to her sides were two small daggers and in her hand was a large four point spear.
Her hair was done up in a braided ponytail, held in place by a black ring. Curled bangs went down behind her ear and the two sections on top gave it the appearance of a set of wings. But the most startling thing about her hair was it's color.
"Scarlet? You're alive?" Natsu asked in pure shock. "And you're on our side now?"
"Why does everyone keep calling me Scarlet?" The red head asked. "If it's not that, it's Titania. I'm not this woman."
Confused, Salamander tried to hear her thoughts, but they only went back to the same place every time, meeting Lapointe. "You don't have any more memories..."
"I found her one year ago." Lapointe explained. "Her muscle memory is so great she's fluent with her spear, but that's all she remembers. I trained her in Arrow Magic and given her purpose. She is the fifth member of the Neo Oraciōn Seis. Her name is Huntress."
"So, I guess she's like her twin or something?" Natsu asked Ikaruga.
"I don't know myself." She answered. "I can sense what she looks like, so when we first met, I tried to kill her. But she seemed unaware of our fight in the tower. I was just as confused until Lapointe explained everything as best he could."
"Salamander, come with me." Lapointe walked past the four original members. "You will be their first to gain new power."
"One second..." Natsu walked over to the box Lapointe left and broke it open. Scouring through the Seis' objects in it, including the staff Brain held, he found the scarf and unfolded it. "Here." He tossed the keys to Angel, who stared at them.
"How did..." She started to asked.
"I found them trying to get to that blonde girl who beat you." He explained. "Couldn't get the other two, but I hope this makes up for things..."
"Salamander!" Lapointe shouted.
"I'll be back." He turned back and walked away. 'Once this little ceremony is over, I'm gonna talk to her. For real.' He rounded the corner and stood across from Lapointe. "Alright, so what do you want me to give up? My hair, my nails?"
"Your emotions." Lapointe simply said.
"Wait what?" Natsu asked.
"Your feelings distract you from your goals." The bishop explained. "They distort your judgement and cause you to lose your battles. If you give them up, you can become even stronger."
"What are you, high?" Natsu asked back. "I'm not giving up something that make me human."
"So be it." Lapointe pinned him against the wall with his staff and pulled out a blue dagger made out of crystal.
Natsu struggled to push the staff off him. "Wha the fuck are you-" Lapointe swung the dagger over his right eye, creating a massive scar. As blood poured out the wound, Natsu's left eye glowed blue before he screamed in pain. Lapointe backed away as the scar sealed the eye shut before Angel and Bugeshia ran around the corner.
"What happened? What did you do?" Angel shouted as Natsu dropped to his knees, the glow fading. "Natsu..."
He stood up almost robotically and opened his one good eye, to Angel's horror. "The Infinity Clock will belong to us..." He spoke in a monotone style, lacking any sense of emotions or will before walking away.
Angel turned to the bishop in a mix of shock and anger. "What did you-"
"I didn't do anything." Lapointe said. "This is a result of your actions. He told me to take away the pain YOU caused. I respected that wish, and took his emotions from him."
Sorano covered her mouth in horror. "What have I done? You have to fix this!"
"I cannot, but you can." Lapointe pulled out a bag of coins and handed them to her. "The Infinity Clock can heal him, and these coins will give you the power to make that so. But they come at a price, your life."
Angel stared at the bag before Ikaruga spun her around. "You did this to him! How dare you claim you love him!" She pushed her to the ground before she left, hoping to help Natsu.
Angel turned to the bag in deep thought. 'He's done so much for me, and I did this to him. If my life can fix this mess, then I will gladly pay that price.' She reached into the bag and a dark mass crawled up her arm before sinking into her chest. After Midnight and Racers treatments, the seven left to retrieve the last member.
Heartfillia Mansion
The once proud mansion of the Heartfillia family now sat rotting away. Lapointe lead the group through the old doors and looked around. "You can feel it, can't you? The pure will seeping out of the house... She's here."
"She?" Huntress asked as they followed the bishop to the attic. Pushing boxes aside until he reached one, he opened it up and pulled out a small doll.
"The final member of the Neo Oraciōn Seis, Imitaia." He waved his hand over the doll and it began to glow before it jumped out of his hand and grew in size. The glow died and instead of a doll, a dirty blonde woman clad in plant like clothing and a rose eyepatch stood up. The available eye opened up and flashed the Oraciōn Seis symbol as a cleverer sword and flower shield maniphested. "These are your allies. We must leave at once before looters come here and see us."
She nodded and walked over to the other six as they all walked out of the house. As Lapointe lead the pack out of the house and explained her orders, Imitatia glanced over to Salamander, just walking along. 'He's like me... a doll.'
Updated and fixed many errors that I missed trying to put this chapter out.
And now, Meredy, Briar, Knightwalker, and Imitatia are all in contention. I would have included Ultear, but let's be honest, they didn't exactly have the best of interactions on Tenrou. And given that it took a mob to best Hades in canon, I'm fairly given he'd strengthen his mind to protect his thoughts.
Dragon God Mode. That all started back when someone left a review on one of the earlier chapters when someone asked about me not giving him a duel mode since Laxus isn't gonna give him lightning in this story. I think this answers that question. Thank God NiA talked me out of doing 'Iron Flare Mode".
Now, I don't read the manga (but even if I did, I'm a super slow reader.) so I went to the wiki to find out about Briar. Here's what I know; she's part of a dark guild, she uses clone magic. That's it. Other than that, she's a blank slate to fill in. Speaking of blank slates, here was my plan for Ikaruga in this story. Nothing, nothing, nothing, joins the harem if she's voted in. But that goddamn slot machine... no. For those wondering, Bugeisha is half of the Japanese term for 'female martial artist', what samurai wives were called.
As for how Knightwalker got in this, fanonically, it will be explained in a few chapters. But as for the idea of her in this harem. TheForgottenSpartan suggested Edo Wendy, but she wouldn't work for this story. Don't get me wrong, she's a fun character, but she's a little too... sweet for this harem. I spoke to NiA, and he suggested Knightwalker, which honestly works better. I know she's not 'Erza' Erza, but I hope you'll like her.
For her new looks, look up 'Aya Kuramoto's Redesign Hairstyle', 'Edo Erza redesign', and Dragonbone weapons, for Knightwalker if I failed to describe them properly. As for Ikaruga, its what she wore in the manga. Some explain to me why the left that AWESOME kimono out of the show. Speaking of appearances, from now until I say so, Erik is in his 'Neo Seis' outfit, and Natsu is in his onesleeve outfit.
Beta read by Natsu is Awesome.
