Hey all my peeps! Just want to let you know, we're nearing the end!
Thank you so much for following along with this story of mine! I do say, however, just because I said we're nearing the end, doesn't mean the story is over yet. ;)
NOW MY FRIENDS, LET THE STORY COMMENCE!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!
Key for story(More will be added IF needed):
BOLD - anger, attacks, surprise
Italic - thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles, and The Prophecy
The Heart's Desire
Between the remnants of Cobra's poison and the motion sickness, Natsu wasn't feeling up to do anything. Wendy, though she was a dragon slayer as well, seemed to be fine walking on Nirvana. He gazed upon the two felines who had come to their rescue as Wendy attempted to remove the last of the poison. Happy and Carla, the two felines, went on to explain they were exceeding, not normal cats. They had always had their magic, and had been watching over them all this time. They were both around the age of six, ageing like a normal house cat. Carla explained that they knew Igneel, and he was the reason they were there, though they had taken a personal liking to each of them respectively. Carla seemed to be a little more proper than Happy, who seemed more playful and less focused. He'd been eating fish whenever Carla was talking.
"Happy, will you please put that down!" she said annoyed.
"Wrat?" he said with a mouthful of fish. "Ish tashy." The white feline rubbed her forehead in response. They heard explosions in the distance, seeing a familiar body flying into a building. Natsu attempted to stand, but in the process almost puked his brains out. "Hmgf."
Wendy, being the caring person she was, helped him stand up straight. Natsu was utterly grateful for the girl's help, but was confused when he noticed her making a strange face. She seemed to come to a realization of some kind, and pressed her hand to his chest, uttering a word with her eyes closed. "Troia." It took a few seconds to register, but suddenly his motion sickness disappeared. He pinched himself to see if he was dreaming it up since it seemed too good to be true, and thankfully it was. He gave a thank you, then jumped up into the air with a loud whoop, and took off towards the explosion from earlier.
His previous happiness of being cured faded to that of worry as he sped towards whatever was going down. The one they saw earlier was Jura, so he knew the enemy must be powerful to send him flying. His nose and ears were detecting who was in that area. From those two senses, he knew Lucy, Gray, Leo/Loke, and Jura were over there, as well as Brain. But something changed. He was picking up one scent and voice he did not recognize from either his friends, or their enemies. He heard the newcomer announce himself loudly, saying. "I am Zero! Guild master of the dark guild, Oracion Seis! Now, tremble in fear, and die!"
Now, he was mad. No one threatened his friends. Jumping over the buildings between him and whomever was over there, he let out his battle cry, which just happened to be whatever was going through his head.
"Oh, fuck no!" Natsu yelled, lighting his fist ablaze and coming down hard at Zero. But to his surprise, the man caught him, holding him up by his arm. He looked similar to Brain, but with lighter skin and no facial tattoos. Plus, he was slightly larger and he had red eyes, making him straight up creepy looking. What disturbed him even more was when he smirked at him. The man's face twisted into one of pure delight.
"You seem like you might be able to last more than five seconds against me!" he said, throwing the pink-haired boy into the ground. Natsu watched from the small crater he now sat in as Gray charged Zero, only to be swatted away as if he were only a fly. Leo and even poor Wendy were knocked away without breaking a sweat. Natsu tried to get up but was slammed deeper into the crater. He could hear Zero's howls of laughter as he gazed upon them. The pink-haired boy lifted his head to get a glimpse of their enemy, who had a grip on Lucy's head. She was crying out in pain as he squeezed and Natsu couldn't take it. He roared in anger and landed a hit to Zero's abdomen, causing him to drop the blonde. Thankfully, Natsu was able to catch her before she hit the ground. Noticing Zero's ongoing onslaught by a sharp pain in his back, he wrapped his arms around her in a sort-of protective ball as they went flying into a building.
Natsu couldn't move. Everything felt broken. It felt like he had failed as he felt Zero's presence disappear. Lucy was trying to get up, calling out his name and for him to wake up as his eyes fluttered, trying to stay open. Moments later, a crash of lightning sounded. Laxus. He thought. He felt something cold and hard pick him up. Gajeel. The black-haired dragon slayer held him up as Wendy hobbled over and began healing them. They were all gathered now. Leo had gone back to the celestial realm to regain strength, leaving Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and himself the only four left to heal. Wendy, thankfully wasn't hurt, manipulating the air around her to soften the impact. He was surprised at the girl's resourcefulness and quick thinking. She was catching on faster than he and the other slayers had. Shortly, Erza and Jellal joined them, with Gajeel and Laxus giving the latter of the two a hard glare.
They were all filled in on how Brain had Zero sealed within him, though they didn't know why. Wendy also took the time to clear up everything regarding what Brain did to him. If it caused a problem for them then, it could still pose a significant threat. Erza seemed to be the only one who thought otherwise. Laxus walked up to the scarlet-haired girl, staring her down menacingly.
"Erza, he should be confined for now." he said, eyes narrowed.
Erza stood her ground. "How can you say that about your own friend, Laxus?"
"We have a job to do. I don't like having to say it, but If he causes a problem and endangers one of us…" Natsu knew it sounded harsh of him, but he knew even Laxus didn't want to say that much.
"I dare you." she growled, summoning a sword in her hand, and Jellal silently standing beside her with his head hung low in despair.
"You know I don't want to." he continued, looking at the blue-haired boy. "While we search for the lacrima, you will watch him."
Erza's expression did not change. Jellal looked up at Laxus who was still eyeing him. Natsu could see the frustration in Laxus' eyes. He didn't want to have to restrain the boy, but he was concerned for the safety of the others. They eventually got past that point and divided up into their groups: Natsu; Lucy, Happy, and her celestial spirits; Wendy and Carla; Gajeel and Laxus; Gray; and Erza and Jellal. With Hibiki's help, they each took off into Nirvana's catacombs towards their respective lacrima. They were sure that Zero would be guarding one of them, so they had to be wary. They had Wendy only perform minor healing on them to save her energy in case things went south, though Natsu couldn't help but worry for the bluenette's safety.
As he raced down the halls of the maze within Nirvana, he could feel the ever growing magic presence of the lacrima. They were running out of time, and every moment they didn't destroy these lacrima was a risk of it reaching Magnolia. He tore down the hall, eventually finding himself within a large, open room. In the middle wedged inside of a pillar was a large, brownish orb. The magic power coming from it confirmed his suspicions, as well as a familiar figure. The pink-haired boy got into a fighting stance as Zero walked around from the other side of the lacrima, clapping his hands slowly.
"What luck! I get to destroy you once more!" he laughed. 'I have to be honest with you, I didn't know which one of you rodents would come my way, but I am completely satisfied with fighting you!"
"You think you're going to destroy me?" Natsu chuckled. "That's a laugh!" He charged at the man, lighting his fist ablaze. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" The blow made contact with Zero, yet he barely budged an inch. He opened his mouth to utter a spell, though Natsu had a decent amount of time to use Zero's face as a springboard. Swinging his legs at him, he yelled, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
Zero grunted as the brute force of the attack sent him to the ground, and Natsu got far enough away to prepare for any attack the man might throw at him. The large man shot off two streams of darkness from his hands, twisting and turning in every direction as Natsu attempted to evade them. The man cackled and laughed as he did so. "You run well! You have potential to be stronger, but I cannot allow that to be so!" He shot off another stream, hitting Natsu's abdomen and sending him into the wall. He coughed up blood for what felt like the millionth time that day as he fell and hit the floor. He felt himself being lifted up and thrown across the room hitting the opposite wall. Although he was in pain, he mental thought about what Gray would say if he saw this. Grunting and forcing himself to stand once more, he charged as flames swirled around him. If I don't give it my all and take this guy down, he thought. All our efforts will have been for nothing. So, he charged into an uncertain fate as he rushed the large man, hoping it wouldn't end up with him being six foot under.
With Jellal and Erza...
It didn't take long for Erza and Jellal to find their lacrima, and they marveled at its size. The giant brown orb in the room stood out, considering most of Nirvana was a tanish and tarnished stone, along with marble and quartz on the inside of the room they were now in. Seeing the blue-haired boy was still looking distressed, she sighed and stopped halfway to the lacrima. She made sure Jellal was able to stand before doing anything else, then she slapped him across the face.
"Snap out of it!" she barked. He looked at her in surprise. "Stop blaming yourself already!"
Jellal hung his head. "But Laxus is right. What if I can't be trusted? What if Brain attempts to use me again!?"
"It doesn't matter," Erza replied, holding his face to face hers. She pressed their foreheads together. "Your heart is stronger than his magic. He can't take hold of you anymore, and you'll always have us by your side. We'll stand by you, no matter what." She said. He chuckled. Erza planted a kiss on his cheek before heading towards the lacrima. She concentrated on linking herself to Hibiki's magic flowing through them.
"Jellal and I have reached our lacrima." she said, looking back as she called on her Requip Magic. She now donned armor that black with silver trimming that has silver crosses is multiple places. It had a revealing silver-edged breastplate and plates flanking her hips that reach down to her waist-guard. The waist-guard left the front of her body exposed, with her groin being covered by a dark imbuement. She has large plates guarding her legs. Two wings that were composed of a membrane-like material sprouted from the back of the armor and her hair was now tied up in a ponytail. Jellal blushed in spite of the moment, but stopped due to a growing pain in his head. He rubbed his forehead as it grew, but then he stood up upon hearing a small voice.
"Go to him." it said.
"What? Go to who? Who's there!?" he cried out, looking for the source of the voice.
"Go to him." it said again. "You know what you must do to save your friends."
"N-no I don't!" Erza looked back at him with fear in her eyes.
"Jellal! What's going on!?"
"Go to him." it said once more as he saw what appeared to be the outline of a person enveloped in light, floating before him. They then proceeded to float towards the wall, disappearing into it as quickly as it came.
"Into the fire. Go to him." it said until it vanished.
Jellal stood staring at the wall where the figure had vanished. Erza walked up to him slowly. "Jellal?" she asked as he continued to stare. "Are you alright?"
"U-um. I think so." he pinched himself. "Though I might have seen a ghost."
"A… ghost?" she said confused. She looked at the wall and back at him. "Riiiight."
"I swear I saw someone!"
"What were they saying?" Erza asked. "You were saying go to who, so who's that?"
"I-I think they were telling me to go to Natsu." he replied.
"How can you be sure?"
He shrugged. "The last thing they said was 'Into the fire', so I assume that's what they meant." Erza nodded, though she didn't understand why he was the only one to see this ghost.
With a short burst of energy, the blue-haired boy took off down the halls of the labyrinth, hoping to find the boy and do what he needed to, even though he had no clue himself.
I hope I'm right about this. He thought as he made a quick left. He also did a quick check in with the others, finding that all but one of the teams answered the call. Fortunately, and unfortunately, Natsu hadn't, giving him the suspicion that he was right to follow the figures advice, but also that the pink haired boy was in trouble. As he ran, he saw the ghost appear again, shrouded in light and make a right up ahead. Assuming that's where Natsu was, he followed without giving it a second thought.
Back with Natsu...
The pink-haired boy was more frustrated than he'd ever been. He was getting thrown around and every bone in his body hurt. He threw punches that Zero describes as if he was petting him, and it ticked him off to hear that on top of everything else. He'd been forcibly given this magic, which he now felt was supposed to allow him to protect his friends, despite the reasons it was originally given to him in the first place. Yet here he was, being tossed about like a wave in the ocean.
He hit the ground, holding his ribs from the excruciating pain coursing through his body, though he tried to push all the pain deep within him to keep on going. But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing he could do.
Zero sighed with a sick smile on his face, stepping on the dragon slayer's back. "I thought you'd entertain me a little while longer." he said. "Oh well! Time to die!"
"Stop!" called a familiar voice as both turned to see Jellal standing at the doorway. His face holding a stone cold face.
"Ah, Jellal! You've returned to me!" Zero exclaimed with a sick glee about him. "I knew you'd come to your senses, though that fool Brain couldn't see it!"
"Your right. I did come to my senses." he said as Zero lifted Natsu off the ground and tossed him aside.
"Very good my boy!" Zero smirked. "Now, finish him off."
Jellal stood in silence for a while and began to walk towards the pink-haired boy. As Natsu watched in anger, he wondered how Jellal could have given in so easily to Zero. Though he was confused when he sensed no killing intent from the boy. Jellal knelt down and grabbed him by the head, his eyes looking as if they were filled with sorrow.
"There is nothing else I can do to help you." he said, opening his palm in front of Natsu's face. "Except for this." To his and Zero's surprise, a yellowish flame appeared in the palm of Jellal's hand. "This is the Flames of Rebuke." he said. "Take it and consume it."
"Are you insane!?" Natsu exclaimed. "I can't eat-"
"You can!" Jellal barked. "Laxus consumed one of my lightning attacks earlier today! It made him stronger as well! You can do it too! Just believe!"
Natsu stared at him before nodding. He concentrated and began consuming the flame slowly. When the flame disappeared, Jellal fell backwards from exhaustion, while Natsu rose once more. He gulped the last bits of the flames down, then spread a grin over his face as he wiped his mouth.
"Now I'm all fired up!" he shouted as he lit his fists ablaze. This time, they turned into a yellowish flame just like the Flame of Rebuke.
Zero scoffed in annoyance. "Just when the fly had been swatted." he sighed, charging up a blast of darkness. Natsu rushed him as the flames formed a yellow aura around him, clashing with his red scales. He dodged the blast, landing a powerful kick to Zero's chin.
"RAAAAHHH!" he roared as he proceeded to punch Zero's chest rapidly against a wall, shaking the entire room.
"ENOUGH!" Zero bellowed, tossing the pink-haired boy away from him. "I'll teach you to get in my way!" He grinned evilly and charged up an attack Natsu hadn't seen before. Within his mind, Natsu gathered a move that Zero hadn't seen. One that could potentially bring down the roof. He charged, igniting his arms and generating long torrents of flames from them, making them spiral around and creating a small whirling storm of flames. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art - Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"
"Such a long and unnecessary name for an attack!" Zero cackled. "Try this on for size! Genesis Zero!" Thousands of black spirits began to appear from a ball of green darkness in his hands, flooding towards Natsu as they connected with his attack. He lasted only a couple seconds before they engulfed him completely. The pink-haired boy struggled within the blackness, unable to move or do anything. He felt his mind giving up all hope as his eyes closed at last.
"N...u"
Within moments his eyes opened, looking around in the darkness upon hearing a voice.
"Who's there!?" he demanded.
"Natsu."
It was a female's voice. He'd never heard it before, nor did he know who could possibly be speaking to him as he floated in the darkness around him.
"Do you give up so easily?" she said. The form of a person shrouded in light came close to him. She floated around him, right next to his body and yet he could not see her face.
"Who are you?" Natsu asked in wonder and annoyance at the earlier comment. He didn't like being called a quitter.
"Who I am does not matter. Right now, what matters is what you want."
"What I… want?" he asked, confused.
The person nodded. "Indeed. I've seen your heart and your will to protect those you care about. Do you want them to be hurt?"
"Is that a threat!?" he growled.
She sighed and shook her head. "It may be a threat, but not one of mine for I am an ally." she said. "I only wonder if this is where you give in and leave your friends to fail and for the Oracion Seis to get what they desire. Also, what about Zeref?" she questioned. "Don't you wish to pay him back for the trouble he caused you all?"
"Well duh."
She smacked his head. "If what you want is revenge, then you have not the heart I had hoped for. The magic given to you. You feel it is a partial gift and a partial curse, but I ask you to look at this magic of yours as a gift. Given to you so that you may protect those you hold dear."
"...You're right." he said in acknowledgement. "But how can I get out of here?"
"Let the will of your heart guide you, not to the path of darkness which is easy and short, but on the path of light. Though it may be long and hard, follow your heart and do what is right." she said, floating off into the distance. "Use the power given to you as a conduit for your heart's desire."
As she disappeared, she launched one final question that rang about inside the dark space.
"What does your heart truly desire?"
At that moment, he made the tough decision.
Meanwhile with Jellal...
He couldn't believe it was over. The whole of the black phantoms swallowed Natsu whole and disappeared in an instant. All that was left was himself, Zero, and the lacrima in the room. He was shaking as Zero continued cackling, with all the time in the world as Nirvana got forever closer to its destination. He heard another voice over the magical intercom system thanks to Hibiki's telepathy.
"Jellal! Did you make it to Natsu!?" He asked frantically. "The others are in position and the edge of Magnolia is just a few miles away from your current position!"
"I-I," he started, but he was too shaken to finish. He'd tried to help his friends after recalling the horrible deeds he'd done while under Brain's control, yet he still failed after resolving to destroy the thing Brain sent him to find. "I did."
"That's gre-"
"He's gone." He said, cutting Hibiki off.
"...What do you mean?"
"Zero. He killed Natsu."
"N-No way." Hibiki muttered.
"I-"
Suddenly, a light started to shine where Natsu once stood. It grew brighter, blinding both him and Zero.
"What is that!?" he cried out.
"What's happening?!" Hibiki called.
The room's temperature instantly started to spike as the light grew and black phantoms dispersed, disintegrating from the light's touch.
"I-Impossible!" screamed Zero, frightened by the light. "Once trapped in the land of Nil, one cannot return!" A flurry of flames roared to life as the light grew. A figure could be seen knelt on the floor as the room began to tremble. The identifiable pink hair gave it away immediately.
"T-This power is not human!" Zero cried as Natsu slowly rose. "It's the might of a dragon!"
With a mighty stomp, a dragon's roar sounded off as Jellal's face burst into a grin. "Hibiki, the dragon has landed!"
THAT'S A WRAP FOLKS!
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this chapter, though Jellal's little line at the end got me like -_- . I legit didn't know a cool line to put down. I'll change it eventually, but I hope someone out there might give me a good one to substitute in! LEMME KNOW!
Anyway, with one to two more chapters left in the arc, I hope you all have enjoyed my story! Thank you all sooooooo so much for reading and I'll see you next time! UwU
STAY SAFE OUT THERE! BE ALERT, NOT ANXIOUS!
With all the luv,
WritingHobbyist2020
Song(s) in this chapter:
- None this chapter :P
New character's and their ages in this chapter:
- None this Chapter :P
AS ALWAYS, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D
