After Natsu had awoken, he had gone for a walk, just as he had told Lisanna in the note. He was gone for several hours. He wandered aimlessly, hoping to clear his mind, and shake the unpleasant feeling he had. He wasn't sure what to call it. Anxiety? Tension? He didn't feel fear or nervousness, but there was a tightness in his chest. As he wandered alone, he found that instead of clearing his mind, he became even more preoccupied on what had been bothering him. He didn't care about the striking pastoral scenery around him, or the posturing of Arnok and Yoshimoto, or Sael's weird inventions. He knew what was on his mind. So, he went back to the main building, and sat just outside of it. And he waited. Natsu waited for hours. And finally, she returned.

Natsu knew that Boudica was back by the way her followers started getting more excited. He walked into the building and saw several of the robed people rushing to greet her. There were others around too, some of them working on things, and others performing what were presumably religious rituals. While not all of them got up to greet Boudica, they did at least seem to become more enthusiastic and energetic when they knew she was near. Not that Natsu really cared abut any of this. He briefly observed these things, and then quickly walked past them all towards his destination.

Natsu was pretty sure he knew where Boudica would be. There was a room on the first floor where she liked to meet with her followers. He had been there a couple of times. It was a moderately sized room, with seats and a raised platform, sort of like in a church, but more rustic. Unlike the rest of the building, which was grey, this room was a more brownish color, giving it a more earthy feel.

Natsu arrived at the room, and several of the robed men and women had gotten there before him. They were excited to ask Boudica about her excursion, and what it would mean for the future. Boudica herself greeted them warmly. Torq and Seraiisa were also with her. Again, Natsu didn't care about these things. He wanted to talk to her. And he didn't want to wait any longer.

"Hey, Boudica! We need to talk. Now." Natsu said. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. Boudica faced him with a light smile on her face, and said casually, "Can it wait?"

"No, I'm done waiting." He said. At that point, one of the hooded people walked up to Natsu. "You shouldn't talk to her like that." The follower said. "You shouldn't- "

"Shut up." Natsu interrupted, and pushed the person away from him. The others took on a hostile stance. "You should tell your flunkies to get out of here before they get hurt." He said to Boudica. Torq and Seraiisa moved to Boudica's side, and eyed Natsu.

"Its fine." Boudica said. She was still smiling, but her eyes now had a serious look. "If its so important to you Natsu, then we can talk. Alone. I suppose we're overdue." Torq and Seraiisa looked at Boudica questioningly.

"As I said, its fine. I can handle this." Boudica assured them. "Natsu and I have some important things to discuss." Her children looked uneasy, but obeyed, and gradually left the room. Seraiisa eyed Natsu warily, and then turned to Boudica. Boudica smiled at her, which prompted Seraiisa to smile back, albeit with a hint of unease. She too then left. Natsu and Boudica were now alone.

"What do you want to talk about, Natsu?" Boudica said as she folded her arms. Natsu stared at her. "Lisanna." Was his answer. Boudica didn't say anything, nor did her expression change. She just raised her head a little, looking down at him.

"I've heard about what you've had Lisanna doing." Natsu said. "Taking her on missions with you, to fight your little wars. You've made her kill for you. That's not why I brought her back!" he shouted. At this point a slightly disdainful expression came to Boudica's face.

"Correction: I brought her back. You just assisted." She said.

"That doesn't make her your property." He said. "You've kept her locked up here half the time, and the other half you're filling her head with all sorts of nonsense. Your dumb religion, people worshipping you like you're a god. You're just as human as the rest of us." At this statement Boudica grinned a little.

"Just as human as the rest of us? That's funny coming from you, Dragneel."

"Shut up. You don't know anything about me." He said. The grin disappeared from Boudica's features.

"My, you're starting to sound… ungrateful. After everything I've done for you. I brought Lisanna back. I allowed the two of you to stay here. I gave her power greater than she ever would have had otherwise."

"She didn't ask for that and neither did I. Me and Lisanna have done way more for you than you have for us. You and your family wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me. None of you would. And you still haven't brought back Erza like you said you would."

At this point Boudica paused, and walked back towards a symbol on the wall. It was a golden disc. While her religion didn't have an official symbol, her followers would sometimes create symbols of their own in her honor, such as the golden circle. She looked at it for a moment, and then turned back to Natsu.

"I feel that you're not ready to bring back Erza. This needs more time." She said.

Natsu clenched his fists. "No more time. I've waited long enough. I'm ready, even if you're not. We had a deal. Bring her back. And then, me, Lisanna, and Erza are getting out of here." He said this in a low but forceful tone.

"Even if I did that, you wouldn't be in any condition to leave, assuming you survive it. And Erza wouldn't either." She replied.

"Let me worry about that. I can survive this. I'm more than ready. And I'll take care of Erza until she's strong again. We're going back to Fairy Tail."

Boudica looked at Natsu for several seconds, and then lowered her head and sighed. "I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I was just hoping it would be later."

"What are you going on about?" Natsu said.

"Frankly Natsu, you returning to Fairy Tail is not an option. We can't have you siding with the enemy."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We've come into conflict with Fairy Tail on numerous occasions during our excursions into Fiore. It escalated to violence more than once. In fact, I just returned from their guildhall just now."

Natsu didn't immediately respond. He looked confused, upset, and angry all at once. "Did you kill any of them? My friends?" he said.

"I personally killed none of them." She said. "Although, there have been casualties on both sides. It couldn't be helped."

A moment of silence passed between them. Natsu clenched his fists, and took a deep breath. "If even one of them has been killed, that's too much." He said. "I don't let people hurt my guild and get away with it."

Boudica raised an eyebrow. "Why are you getting so upset? You were the one who walked away from them, remember? In fact, you've complained about Fairy Tail and what it was turning into several times."

Natsu scowled. "Whatever problems I had with Fairy Tail, they're still my family. And if you're an enemy of Fairy Tail, then you're my enemy too." At this point Natsu began summoning flames around himself.

Boudica watched as he began summoning his flames, his magic power emanating from him. She stood her ground. "My, what a childish reaction." Boudica said. "You and that ice mage seem to have a lot in common."

This just made Natsu angrier. He increased his magical power, the flames branching outward. They began to brush against Boudica, although she was guarded by her magical shield.

"That shield won't protect you for long." He said.

"If you're going to attack me, then you'd better be willing to kill me too, or else you'll regret it." She said.

"Maybe I will." He said, moving closer to her, the flames surrounding them both.

"Do you really think you could win?" she replied, looking him in the eye.

"I'm betting on it." He said.

After a moment, Boudica replied, "Let's say you do win. You defeat me. Kill me. What do you think would happen then? Have you forgotten the bond?"

"My bond with Lisanna has nothing to do with this." He said.

"I wasn't talking about your life bond with Lisanna. I meant the soul bond between us. Remember? That was part of our deal, when this all started. Your soul is now connected to mine. Which means if I die, you die."

Natsu hesitated for a second, but said, "Maybe I'm willing to die. Maybe that's the right thing to do."

Boudica sighed again. "Do I really need to spell it out for you? You have a soul bond with me. Lisanna has a life bond with you. Which means that if you kill me, you die. If you die, Lisanna dies. Our lives are entwined."

Natsu hesitated again, and his flames began to falter. "Mind you, it doesn't work both ways." Boudica continued. "I could kill you or Lisanna, and I would still go on living. I have control over the soul bond. In fact, if I wanted, I could choose to break it, tearing you soul and ending your life and hers instantly. I have that power."

"You're bluffing." Natsu said.

"Do I look like I'm bluffing?" Boudica said, looking him dead in the eye. After another moment, Natsu began to lower the flames. The fires vanished, leaving only the heat behind.

"Good boy." Boudica said. "You wouldn't want to throw away Lisanna's life and your own so carelessly. Not to mention Erza. You've worked so hard to get her back, come so far. Do you really want to lose the chance to see her again?"

Natsu clenched his fists for a second time. He walked over to a wall and punched it, leaving a small hole.

"Finished?" Boudica said.

Natsu stayed silent a moment, not looking at her. Finally he said, "Yeah."

"Good. You know Natsu, I don't like to keep people confined. I don't force anyone to join me, or work with me. And I've allowed you and Lisanna to roam here relatively freely more recently. Maybe I haven't told you everything, but that's only because you didn't need to know." Boudica walked slowly across the room.

"I might have even been willing to consider your desire to leave this place if your approach had been different. If I had thought you were mature, and sensible, willing to compromise, then I might have let you leave. But instead, you barge in here throwing a temper tantrum, making demands of me in front of my children, threatening me, and even attack me. How can I possibly trust you after that? I'm afraid that letting you leave would be too risky. You'll need to stay here, at least for now. And I'll have to keep you on a tighter leash."

Natsu continued to just stare at the wall as she said all of this. He didn't respond. "If its any consolation, I am actually trying to negotiate a truce with your guild." Boudica said. "I don't want to be at war with Fairy Tail. I'd like to work with them. But that all depends on them. If things go well, then maybe you can see them again soon. But in the meantime, just do as I say. And don't tell Lisanna about this conversation. Its not something she needs to worry about. Now, do we have an understanding?"

Natsu slowly nodded. "Answer me out loud." Boudica said. "Will you do as I've said?"

Natsu turned to face her. "Yeah. I will. For Lisanna. And Erza."

"Good boy." Boudica said humorlessly. She then crossed the room and left out the entrance, leaving Natsu alone.


"Alright, now we're getting somewhere." Levy McGarden said.

"I took a look at these books earlier, but you're a much faster reader than I am." Mystogan said. The two of them were in Fairy Tail's private library, going through some books and notes Mystogan had brought back with him from Bosco. It wasn't a very big room, and was seldom used. But it was a good place to read without interruption. It was late into the evening, and many of the other mages in the guild had started heading home, meaning that it was quieter than usual. The soft glow of the magic lanterns in the room created a warm atmosphere. Levy sat at a rectangular table in the middle of the room, while Mystogan stood nearby, leaning against the table.

"Well, I read a lot, so I have a lot of practice. Plus, I also have my speed reading glasses. Those help too." Levy said.

"It seems like you're often the one called upon to do research for this guild, or solve problems that require thinking rather than fighting." Mystogan said. Levy smiled at him.

"Maybe that's because I'm the only one in this guild that actually likes to read." She said. "Well, that's not entirely true. There's also Lucy. But she's busy with a job right now. She needs the money."

"I also like reading. But I don't often have the time." Mystogan said. Levy looked up at him.

"Oh yeah? In that case, we'll have to find a way to fix that, once things settle down." She said. Mystogan wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he decided to change the subject.

"So, you've found some useful information?" he asked.

"I've put your notes together with Makarov's and I've found a few things." She said. "Where did you say you got these?"

"From that town I mentioned, Catena." He replied. "Before coming back here, I snuck into the town and looked around. It was late in the day at that point and getting dark out, so that was helpful. The man running the town had been taken away by our 'friends', so I went into his private office to see if I could find information on why that place was so important to them. I found numerous books and notes there, some of them locked up. I took them."

"Oh, so you stole them." Levy said.

"Did I mention this man was a slaveowner, and had committed other awful acts during his time there?" Mystogan said.

"Fair enough." She said.

"I only hope it was worth the trouble." He said. Levy flipped through the pages of a book, looking at certain parts.

"All knowledge is power." She said. "I don't know if it's a game changer, but I've learned a few things. One book talked about Lord Yoshimoto's homeland. The parts about him mentioned that he actually wasn't a great general, or a very good swordsman. In fact, he developed a reputation as a 'paper tiger'. Big talk, but kind of a coward. Or so they say. He's supposed to have some impressive spells though."

"Yes, I know about his magic. Coward or not, I wouldn't discount him." Mystogan replied. "Did you learn anything about the others?"

"What I found on the guy called Arnok wasn't that interesting. He was a warlord, and he fought, and killed, and conquered. Not much else. I didn't see anything about King Sael, but maybe I missed something."

"There was also another book pertaining to Boudica and her whole group." She continued. "It's very old, and long out of print. Its actually kind of falling apart. I had to be careful when I was looking through it. But it has more info on her than anything else I've seen. The only problem is I'm not sure how much of it is true, and how much is legend." Levy paused.

"Go on." He said. He sat down next to her, listening intently. Somehow, him sitting next to her and giving her his undivided attention made her feel a little funny. But she pressed on.

"Um, where was I? Oh yeah. So, according to this, Boudica was born under… interesting circumstances. Her mother was the daughter of a farmer. Humble background. But she became pregnant, despite having no husband."

"Its not uncommon for unmarried women to become pregnant." He said.

"I get what you're saying." Levy said. "But the text (take it however you will) says she never had any human lovers. But she had caught the eye of a god. Like an actual god. Hyperion, the god of light."

"I've never heard of him." Mystogan said.

"I'm guessing most people today haven't. He's not really worshipped anymore. He used to be a popular deity though. Anyway, according to the text, he saw her, and decided he had to have her. And he did. And shortly after she became pregnant with his child."

"So, Boudica was the result of the love between a god and a mortal woman." He said. But Levy started to look uncomfortable.

"Well, it didn't mention love. In fact, it heavily suggests that what happened between them was… non-consensual."

"Ah." Was all that Mystogan said. He added nothing further.

"…Yeah." Levy said. "So, the girl became pregnant with Boudica, and eventually gave birth to her. The mother died shortly after giving birth, leaving the baby without any parents. But the village the mother lived in decided to take care of Boudica. They were convinced she was a miracle child, and that she had great power. They were right about the second part at least. After several years she began displaying some impressive abilities. Keep in mind, this was centuries before magic as we know it existed. And yet, she was able to do things that seem very much like magic."

"This all sounds very interesting." Mystogan said. "Unfortunately, it doesn't really help us with our current situation."

"I'm not finished yet Mr. Mystogan. There's more. So, jump ahead a bunch of years, and Boudica's power had increased. Which isn't unusual for a mage, if that's what you can call her. Except there was something different about this. For a while, her power stayed at relatively the same level. But when she started traveling, and gaining new followers, her power began to noticeably increase. Eventually, after having gotten married and having kids, she had formed her own religion, branching off from what her home village had done. She travelled around, and became famous, or infamous depending on how you look at it. She attracted large numbers of new followers very quickly. And at this point her abilities became stronger quickly too. Her miraculous feats at that point were greater than anything she had done before. She could control weather, at least to some degree. She could heal from normally fatal injuries. But the one thing she couldn't do was raise the dead."

"But she found a way to do that too." Mystogan said.

"Well, yes. But not just through her own power." Levy said. "Supposedly, her family helped her out with that, although the details are vague. But they managed to bring back dead animals, and later people too. However, many of them wound up being monsters instead of 'good as new'. So, she ended up forming this alliance with the other three 'kings', and they also helped with her experiments. Just as she helped supply them with new soldiers, so to speak. Eventually, the gods decided to intervene, and put a stop to this. Or at least, one of them did."

"Hyperion decided to take responsibility for his daughter's actions?" Mystogan asked.

"According to this, no." Levy said. "It wasn't Hyperion. As the legend goes, it was another god, Ankhseram. The god of life and death. He apparently didn't approve of what the alliance of kings were doing, and decided to deal with them. Since so many people were complicit in this, he simply banished them all to a shadow realm, where they supposedly stayed for the next thousand years."

Mystogan sat and reflected on this for a minute. Then, he spoke. "So, if this information is true, then it means that Boudica's power increases through worshippers. Which explains why she's worked so hard to gain followers so quickly. Although, I do wonder why Ankhseram hasn't intervened since they came back. For that matter, how did they come back in the first place?"

Levy shrugged her shoulders. "That I don't know. Maybe they found some kind of loophole that allowed them to escape his wrath. Or, maybe Ankhseram doesn't care anymore. Or maybe he's dead. Who knows?"

"Do you think its possible for a god to die?" he asked.

"I'm not even sure I really believe the gods exist." She said.

"I do. But I don't think they're going to help us here." He got up and stretched his muscles. "We've learned a lot about our enemy, but I feel like there's still something important we're missing. What's their endgame?"

Levy also got up, and followed his lead by stretching. "World conquest? World destruction? It seems like that's what our enemies usually want."

"Maybe…" Mystogan said, unsure.

Levy started rubbing her eyes. "Man, I've been reading for a while. I need a break." Immediately after she said that, a growling sound could be heard. It was loud enough for Mystogan to notice it. It was coming from Levy's stomach.

"Heh heh, guess I could use some food too." She said, slightly embarrassed. She then looked over at Mystogan. "You haven't eaten in a while either, have you?"

He looked back at her. "I'm not hungry at the moment. I was just going to get some rest."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll go alone then." She said. She appeared a little disappointed. "Well, good night, and thanks for the help. I really appreciate it." She said. After a moment, she started to leave.

"Levy." He said. She turned around.

"I just want you to know… I respect you. You learned all of this information so quickly. You work so hard. You achieve as much with your mind as many mages do with their magic. You're an asset to this guild. I just wanted to tell you that."

Levy stood there a little awkwardly. But then she smiled a little. "Thanks. But you did all the hard work. You risked your life, and went into enemy territory. You found these books. Couldn't have done this without you." She said.

"Thank you." He said. "That's generous of you to say. Although…"

Levy tilted her head a little. "Okay, let's split it down the middle and say we're both awesome." When she said this, Mystogan's expression changed.

"Hey, you finally smiled." She said. She returned a smile of her own. A moment passed between them as they stood there in that warm, cozy room.

"On second thought, I actually think I am a little hungry." He said.

"Really? So you want to…" Levy said.

"There is the problem of my appearance though. I should wear my mask. Although, that could also draw attention."

"Oh, that. Well, we'll figure something out."

Mystogan considered this, then nodded. "Alright, I trust your judgement." Levy smiled again, softly. She then said, "Cool."


Gray Fullbuster was sitting on the stage out in the main hall. There were few people in the guild by then. Gray had deliberately waited until a time when there were few people in the guild. He had asked only a few others to meet with him there. Namely, Wendy and Happy. There was also another person Gray had wanted to speak to as well.

"Glad you guys came." He said.

"Don't mention it." Wendy said.

"Its not like I've got anything better to do." Happy said.

"Since you asked so nicely." Juvia added. Juvia was not the other person Gray had wanted to talk too. He hadn't even asked her to come. She had overheard Gray talking to Wendy and Happy earlier, and decided to invite herself.

"Right." Gray said. "Anyway, I'm going to get straight to the point. The master is talking about having our guild meet up with those pyschos at some unknown location. I'm not okay with that. But a bunch of other people in this guild seem to want to go along with that idea."

"Yeah, from what I heard, the master is leaning towards accepting their offer. It seems like enough people are okay with it." Happy said.

"That's insanity, and I won't go along with it." Gray said. "That's why I want to take the fight to them before they attack again. But I'll need some help." The rest of the group exchanged glances.

"I don't think the master would approve." Juvia said.

"He doesn't need to know." Gray replied. Again, the group exchanged looks. "Look, I'm not talking about a full-blown assault. But I at least want to find out where their base is, and what's going on there. And maybe we'll even find Lisanna there, and can bring her back."

"Didn't they say they would bring Lisanna to the meet up?" Happy said.

"Like we can trust them." Gray said. "Whether she's there or not, I still think taking the initiative against them is the right thing to do. We can do it when this meeting is happening. They won't expect that."

"But we don't even know where they are exactly." Wendy said. "It could take a while to find them, right?"

"Yeah. That's why I want to ask Mystogan for help. He's scouted the area, and has gotten closer to finding them than any of us. Not that the rest of the guild has actually gone to Bosco."

"Hey, I heard that Lucy and a few others didn't like the meeting idea either." Wendy said. "Maybe you could ask them to come too?" Gray remembered that Wendy wanted him and Lucy to start working together again.

"I hear what you're saying, but I don't think it's a good idea to bring too large a group." He said. "Remember, this isn't a frontal assault, it's more of a scouting and infiltration type deal. So, its best to keep it small." Wendy looked disappointed. "Hey look, I'm not ruling out bringing someone else, but I'm still working things out here. We'll see how things shake out." Gray said.

At this point Juvia stepped forward. "Gray, I don't think your plan is a bad idea. I actually rather like your initiative. However…"

"I know Juvia. You already mentioned earlier that you wanted to go to the meeting. That's fine, just don't tell anyone what I'm planning."

"I won't tell. Although, if you really wanted me to go with you, I could possibly be persuaded."

"Nah, its fine. Do what you want." He said.

"Well fine, I didn't want to go with you anyway." Juvia replied with a mixture of indignation and hurt. Gray put his face in his hand, and rubbed his head. He then looked at Juvia.

"Look Juvia, I just want to say-" Gray began. But before he could go any further, footsteps could be heard from a nearby corridor. This was supposed to be a secret meeting, so Gray watched to see who was coming. After several moments, two figures entered the room: Mystogan and Levy.

"You're finally done studying?" Wendy said. Levy chuckled.

"Researching, not studying. But yes. It was long, and hard, and now I'm tired and hungry. So we're going for some food."

"We?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, me and Mystogan. I figured he might be hungry too, so I asked him to come."

"Oh, I see." Gray said, looking to the side. Levy raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Wendy walked over to where Mystogan was standing. "Excuse me, Mystogan. Jellal." She said. He looked down at her. "I've wanted to talk to you. Its been so long." She continued.

"I know Wendy. I've wanted to speak with you too, but with the way things have been, there hasn't been a good time." He said.

"You two have a history?" Gray said.

"Um, yeah we do. But its been a while." Wendy said. "Like I said, I was hoping we could talk."

Levy looked at both of them. "Hmm, maybe we can eat some other time. I'm sure I can find something in my dorm." She said. Wendy's demeanor suddenly changed.

"No wait, you don't have to do that. I don't want to ruin your plans."

"Well…" Mystogan said.

"Its fine." Wendy said. "It can wait a little longer. We'll talk later. Maybe tomorrow."

"Yes, but…" Mystogan started.

"Are you sure Wendy?" Levy said.

"Yup, gotta go, see ya! Have fun on your date!" Wendy said, and quickly ran out of the room.

"I don't know that I'd call it a date, we're just going to get some food. Right?" Levy said.

"Of course." Mystogan said. There was an awkward silence.

"I should get going too." Juvia said, and made her way out.

"Guess I might as well get the hell out of here too." Gray said, and he also left the room.

"Jeez, didn't mean to scare everyone off." Levy said.

Happy looked around at the now mostly empty room. "Well, now I've got nothing to do again." He turned to Levy and Mystogan. "Need a third wheel?" Levy laughed at what he said.

"Thanks Happy, but no thanks."


Lisanna leapt through the air, and looked down at her target. A mage, a teenage boy. He was using defensive magic to try to protect himself, but she was too fast for that. She avoided his shields, and she landed on top of him, breaking him. She felt his body go limp beneath her. Nearby, she was aware of something similar happening. A very large man wearing an animal skull on his head. Arnok. He was holding another man, helpless in his grasp. The smaller man struggled as Arnok lifted him, and then slammed him down, breaking him as well.

This all seems familiar.

Arnok then turned to face Lisanna, and they locked eyes. "What are you? No, I know what you are; you're a monster." Lisanna said this aloud as he watched her. She then heard laughter. Not from Arnok. A feminine voice behind her. She turned. A tall woman with gold hair, an aura of light around her, and yet strangely cast in shadows at the same time.

"You're the same as him." Boudica said.

I'm the same?

"Look at yourself. Look." Boudica said. Lisanna looked down at herself. She held up her hands… her claws. Monstrous, demonic, covered in blood. She now understood.

We're the same. We're both monsters.


Lisanna opened her eyes. She was in darkness. She sat up, trying to orient herself. Where is… she thought. After a moment, she realized that she was in bed, in her room. She had just woken up from a dream. She sighed.

She quickly got out of bed and turned on a magic powered light so she could see better. She turned and looked at a wind-up clock on a shelf. It was still the middle of the night. She had only been asleep for a few hours. She debated with herself whether or not she wanted to go back to bed. But the possibility of returning to that dream dissuaded her from that. It wasn't a scary dream. Not in the traditional sense. But she found it deeply unsettling. Her dream reminded her of the boy she had killed, accidentally or no. And also, the others that her allies had killed as she stood by and watched. So much blood and death, she thought. Being reminded of these things upset her.

It seems to be for a good cause though. And they're not bothered by it. So why am I?

Lisanna tried to clear these dark thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to dwell on these things, especially when she was only half awake. She walked over to a small table and got a bottle of water. She opened it, drank some, and then splashed some on her face to wake up. She then began stretching. She decided she wanted to go for a walk. But first she would need to get dressed. She was currently in underwear and a tank top.

She walked over to her dresser and looked through the clothes. Sael had been nice enough to get her some new clothes. She hadn't said anything, but he apparently picked up on her being less than thrilled at wearing the same three dresses that Boudica had picked for her all the time.

After looking for a minute, Lisanna decided to put on a pair of shorts, and didn't put anything on over the tank top. It had gotten hot in Bosco recently, and even the nights could get rather warm. Its not even summer… she thought to herself. She looked down at her bare limbs. She looked at her hands and feet which had been altered, and looked decidedly inhuman. We're both monsters. She was again reminded of her dream. She decided to put on a pair of calf length socks and hiking boots. And even though it was warm she also put on a pair of gloves. She realized it looked a little weird, but she felt the need to cover her demonic features. This'll do, she thought.

Having finished dressing, she quietly left the room. Boudica had eased up on some of the restrictions lately, so Lisanna was no longer being constantly watched, which she was grateful for. She walked down the corridor, and then went down to the first floor. She considered going to the garden she had spent time in, but realized that that didn't appeal to her at all. It just reminded her of the period where she was more confined here. So, she decided to go to the spot where she had spent the night with Natsu before. Being there made her feel better.

After a couple minutes Lisanna made it out to the grassy outdoor area. The grass was a little overgrown, and there was a light breeze. It was dark, but there were a few lanterns on poles around, so she could still see well enough. She stepped outside onto the grass. She suddenly got the urge to take off her boots and walk barefoot in the grass. However, she was still feeling self-conscious about her limbs. There's no one here to see me I guess, she thought. But just as she thought that, she noticed something. On a large rock several yards away, there was a figure. There is someone here.

It was a man sitting on the rock. She approached cautiously, wondering who it was. "Hello?" she said. No answer. She moved closer, and in the faint light she could make out the pink hair from behind.

"Natsu?" she said. He seemed to be looking up at the stars. Lisanna thought this was unusual, since it didn't seem like Natsu to sit alone outside at night gazing up at the sky. She moved closer to him, just a few feet away. He lowered his head, and finally spoke.

"Hey Lisanna. I thought you'd be asleep." He turned his head to look at her. Lisanna gave a half shrug.

"I was, but I woke up. Bad dreams." She explained. Natsu didn't ask a follow up question. He just nodded.

"So, what are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Couldn't sleep either. I came out here to think. And I guess I wanted to be alone."

"Oh. I didn't mean to bother you." She said.

"No, its fine." He said. "Its everyone else I wanted to be away from, not you. I'm happy to see you."

Lisanna smiled. "Thanks." She said. "I'm happy to see you too. In fact, I was looking for you earlier but couldn't find you." Natsu nodded.

"Didn't mean to disappear on you. I've just had a lot on my mind." He got up off the rock and turned to face her. Now that he was looking directly at her, Lisanna became self-conscious about her appearance. She had put on some casual clothes thinking she would be alone. But she felt her appearance was unflattering in front of Natsu. She at least tried to fix her hair a little. But Natsu didn't comment on how she looked. He actually said nothing. Lisanna decided it must be her turn to speak.

"You know, when I saw you out here, I thought how unusual it was. I mean, for you to sit out in the dark by yourself, looking at the stars. I don't remember you ever doing that. But maybe you did, and I just forgot." She added awkwardly. Natsu shook his head.

"No, you're right. I don't do this sort of thing. I haven't been feeling myself for… a while now. Sometimes I feel like I'm starting to forget who I am. I think the only reason I remember at all is because of you. When I'm with you, I feel more like myself. I feel like Natsu."

Somehow, hearing Natsu say that gave her butterflies in the stomach, and she felt her heart beating faster as well. "Natsu…" she began. "I actually feel the same way. There's still a lot I don't remember. Sometimes I feel lost and confused here. I'm not always sure what to think, or what to believe. But I know I trust you, believe in you. When I'm with you, things seem more sane. I feel like Lisanna."

Natsu smiled back at her. But she thought he somehow looked more sad than happy. He looked back up at the sky. They stayed in silence a minute. Lisanna felt the warm breeze on her skin, and watched as it blew through the grass, and ruffled Natsu's hair.

"You know, I didn't just come out here to look at the stars." He said, changing the subject. "I wanted to do some more training too. Problem is, I don't have anyone to train with. Training solo is fine, but I think I'd make more progress if I had someone to fight." Natsu's expression soured a little as he said this.

He was silent for a minute. Lisanna thought about what he said, while following his gaze skyward. Without thinking, she said, "Maybe I could train with you." Natsu looked back at her.

"You serious?" he said.

"Well, yeah, why not?" she replied.

"I mean, if you want to, I'm game. I just know you were never much of a fighter. Not like your siblings. No offense."

Lisanna considered this. "Maybe that's true. But things change. I know I have."

"…Yeah. I don't know." Natsu said.

Is he hesitating because he doesn't want to hurt me, or because he thinks I would be too easy for him? Either way, Lisanna felt oddly determined to see this through.

"Come on Natsu, I'm challenging you. Are you going to walk away from a challenge? Afraid you'll lose?" she said impulsively. What the hell am I doing? I'm challenging Natsu to a fight and trash talking him? What's gotten into me? Part of her wanted to suddenly take it back and say she was joking. But another part of her was hoping he'd accept.

Natsu looked her in the eye. "Looks like you're not leaving me any choice. You better get ready." He said.

Oh crap, now I've done it. She thought. I can't take Natsu, he's always been so strong. Even if this is just a practice fight. But even Natsu's practice fights can be pretty rough. Lisanna thought about it for a moment, and quickly realized that Natsu would never seriously hurt her. He might give me a few bruises though. Although… I've gotten stronger too. I'm part demon now. And I was in those battles with Boudica and the others. I've done things I never thought I could do. I don't think I can beat him but… maybe I can give him a good fight.

Lisanna looked at Natsu readying himself. I still can't believe I'm doing this. She thought.

"I'll give you one chance to back down. Because if we're doing this, then we're doing it. I'm not gonna go easy on you." He said. Lisanna looked at him with some nervousness. She put her hands up, and then took her gloves off. She then assumed her own fighting stance.

"I know. I won't back down. I'm ready when you are."

Natsu smiled. Not the smile he gave her earlier, but the smile he gives when he's about to fight. "Remember, you asked for it."

Without another word, Natsu charged at her. He reared back a fist and swung. Lisanna gasped, not expecting him to attack quite so quickly. She dodged the attack, barely. But he quickly followed up with several more punches. She backstepped several times, his fist barely missing her. As she backstepped again, a fist finally connected, hitting her on the cheek. She stumbled back a little. She put her hand to her face as Natsu stood there. She blinked a few times, registering the sensation on her face. She could feel her body being filled with adrenaline.

"Do you give up?" he said. Lisanna didn't respond. Instead, she changed into her harpy form and quickly took to the air. She knew she couldn't take him in a fist fight, but she had other options. She figured it was easier to keep her distance from him in the air.

"Guess we're doing this." He said, as he smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand. He summoned flames into his hands, and began hurling fireballs into the air at her. She quickly flapped her wings to dodge the attacks. She actually found it easier to avoid the fireballs than his fists. She flew around in a semicircle to the other side, hoping to throw him off, and possibly get an opening for an attack. Natsu smirked, and ignited his feet. Flames erupted from his feet, propelling him into the air.

Oh crap, Lisanna barely had time to think. She rapidly flapped her wings and flew to the side as Natsu shot past her. He missed her, but she was starting to have doubts about him not seriously hurting her. Since her resurrection, she had become more powerful, and had been in several tough fights. But Natsu had been training for fights most of his life, unlike her. It was hard for her to compete with that.

She quickly realized the air wasn't going to give her as much of an advantage as she hoped. She rapidly descended to the ground, and decided to try a different form. Natsu was already getting ready to attack again, so she had to think quickly. She changed into the first thing that came to mind. She transformed as Natsu charged at her again. When he saw what she had turned into, he stopped, and stared.

Out of all the animal forms I have, why did I pick the rabbit? She thought. She then recalled that her transformations were different than they were originally. Her rabbit form was always quite cute (albeit large), but she knew that likely wasn't the case anymore. Lisanna looked down at her now transformed body. As she suspected, it wasn't cute (but still quite big). In fact, this was probably the most grotesque and sinister looking form she had tried out so far. Her form still retained much of the purple of before, but mixed in with a greyish black. The eyes now looked completely white, and her snout had large fangs. The body also had noticeable thick muscle, and claws at the feet.

Sometimes I miss looking cute, Lisanna thought. She then looked at Natsu, who was readying another assault. But in this case, maybe its better to be a big scary monster.

Natsu charged at her, and threw more punches at her. She was slower in this form, and so wasn't able to dodge him. He struck her several times. To her surprise, it didn't hurt that much. She vaguely remembered that this form gave her greater strength and resistance. That might be even more true now, with the alterations.

Natsu took a few steps back, and prepared another attack. This time, it was a fire dragon roar. Lisanna braced herself. The flames attacked her, and stopped after several seconds. It hurt her, and there was a slight burning smell. But it still wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

I need to get some offense in, she thought. She reared up and stamped the ground with her front legs, causing a small quake and causing Natsu to stumble. She decided to take advantage. She hopped over to him (causing the ground to quake again) and pressed her front paws/claws into the ground, leaving a big hole. This time it was Natsu's turn to dodge. He rolled away, and started getting up, but Lisanna pressed the attack, charging after him. She lowered her head to ram him, but he jumped over, landing on top of her.

Lisanna tried shaking him off, but he began punching her in the back. Ow, she thought. Her attempts to throw him became more aggressive. But after a moment, Natsu stopped attacking. To her surprise, he fell off of her onto the ground. She was confused by this. She watched him looking sick on the ground. He gets sick… on vehicles. She just remembered this. Does he think of me as a vehicle in this form?

She felt she should take advantage and take him down somehow. She considered leaping into the air and crashing down on him back first. But she was afraid she might seriously hurt him by doing that. After hesitating a moment, she decided to try pinning him down with one paw, and attacking him with the other if need be. She knew her first idea would give her a better chance of winning, but she wasn't trying to kill him.

She raised a paw and pressed it down towards Natsu's abdomen, but he put up his hands, and blocked it. She tried to press down, but he was holding her off. Lisanna was impressed with his strength. Natsu resisted with all his might and pushed Lissana's upper body upward. She didn't fall over, but was just pushed up several feet. She came back down, hoping to press down on him again with greater force. But before she could, Natsu brought his fists together, setting off an explosion with a bright flash. The flash blinded her, and the explosion succeeded in knocking her backwards to the ground. Lisanna was momentarily stunned. Natsu got up, and resumed his attack, bringing fists and kicks and fire against her. The initial blows didn't hurt her that much, but as it went on it became more painful.

I thought he would hold back at least a little, she thought internally, while groaning externally. She decided she better transform again. She was starting to run low on magic (and she hoped he was too), but she still had enough left for one more animal shift. She quickly changed her form, leaping up into the air and landing on the ground several yards away. She had changed into her cat form. She crouched with her front claws on the ground, wound up and ready to attack. She breathed deep, trying to recover from Natsu's assault.

Natsu turned towards her, and readied himself again. "You can still give up Lisanna." He said. "Just say you've had enough."

"Shut up!" she said. "I'm not giving up, you jerk." She had never spoken to Natsu like that before. But she was feeling mad after his brutal attack against her. Deep down, she knew that he was just doing what she had asked him to do. But at that moment she was going on emotion rather than logic.

Natsu spread his arms and said, "Give me your best shot." He didn't sound angry when he said this, but he didn't sound like he was playing around either. Regardless, Natsu was telling Lisanna to take the next shot. Normally, her inclination is to fight defensively. But in this case, she ran after him on all fours. She knew he was going to counterattack before she could actually touch him. Indeed, he spread his arms and lines of flame spread out around him. For many people this would be hard to dodge. But she used her cat like reflexes to leap high into the air, above him. Natsu anticipated this and jumped up and delivered a kick. She attempted to maneuver mid-air, but was only partially successful. Part of the kick connected with her abdomen. Out of reflex, she slashed at his face, leaving several marks. They both landed on the ground. They landed on their feet, but somewhat clumsily.

Lisanna ignored the pain in her side, and quickly looked for an opening. But Natsu was already preparing something. It was a fire dragon roar. She could tell that this time it was going to be bigger. Natsu probably wanted to wrap this up now. For a split second, she didn't know what to do. But on a whim, she decided to charge at him again. She ran on all fours. Halfway to him, Natsu launched his attack. Lisanna dodged, but not by jumping. Instead, she moved very low to the ground, still on all fours. She could feel the heat right above her. After everything Natsu had thrown at her in this fight, Lisanna decided that it was more fun to fight with Natsu than against him.

By the time the flame passed, Lisanna was right in front of Natsu. He was looking up, assuming that she would jump again. He only just noticed her passing underneath him between his legs. She moved behind him and, before he could turn, she "punched" her open claw into his back, bringing him to one knee. She then pounced on top of him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She wasn't trying to strangle him, just incapacitate him. She knew fighting him head on would be a bad idea, so she was trying other methods.

"Do you give up?" she said. After several seconds Natsu shook his head, and slowly got to his feet again, exhibiting his strength. He then grabbed her legs, and fell backwards to the ground, slamming on top of her. The impact caused her to let go. He rolled off of her, and gradually got to his feet again.

"I think maybe that's enough." He said. He turned around, and was surprised when she leapt at him again. This time attacking him from the front. He managed to grab her mid air, and held her by the sides with his arms outstretched. She tried slashing at him with her claws, but he dodged most of it, despite the close proximity.

"Lisanna." He said loudly. "That's enough, the fight's over." Lisanna blinked, several times. She was breathing hard. Several seconds passed. Natsu stood there holding Lisanna in the air. "Natsu." She said. She transformed back to her normal form. She felt raindrops beginning to fall. Not a full rain, just some scattered drops.

"Natsu, I don't know what got into me." She said. Natsu smiled a little.

"Don't worry about it. I was rough with you too. Maybe I should have gone a little easier."

"No." she said. "You just did what I asked. I don't know why I said and did those things."

"Its fine Lisanna." He said. "I'm actually impressed. You did better than I thought you would. And you didn't back down either. I'm proud of you. Keep it up and you could become a real force."

Lisanna blushed a little. "Thanks, Natsu." She looked at the slash marks on his face, with thin streaks of blood. "So, who won?"

"Let's call it a draw." He said. Lisanna raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you were the kind of guy who would accept a draw." She said.

"First time for everything." He said. The raindrops continued to lightly pelt them. Natsu still held her there. He didn't know why he was still holding her like that. It was as though they were frozen in the moment. Looking at her close up, he noticed her tight-fitting tank top. He also noticed for the first time that she wasn't wearing a bra. Lisanna saw him looking, and wanted to say something. Except she had also noticed his muscles under his open vest, accentuated by the water on his skin. She breathed deeply.

"Natsu…" she said. "Maybe you should let me down now." He looked her in the face.

"Uh, yeah. I should." He said. He slowly lowered her, until she was eye level with him. She was still slightly off the ground as he held her sides. They locked eyes.

"Natsu." She said.

"Lisanna." He breathed. As he held her, their faces moved closer. They were inches away, breathing into each other.

"What's happening?" she asked softly.

"I don't know." He said, almost whispering.

Lisanna wasn't thinking about what she was doing. She just moved, naturally. She put her arms around him. They moved even closer, their lips almost touching. She closed her eyes. Their lips touched. Softly at first. They kissed. They pressed their lips together, wrapped in each other's arms. It lasted for several moments.

They withdrew lightly. "Oh, Natsu." She said.

"Lisanna, I…" was all he could say. They moved closer again, and kissed for a second time. Lisanna pulled him tighter. He no longer needed to hold her up, as she was holding onto him. They kissed for a minute, but it felt like an hour. They didn't use their tongues, only their lips. In that moment, they shared their love and warmth with each other. Finally, they parted.

They both breathed heavily. Lisanna was blushing. Natsu had an expression that was more boyish than she had seen in quite some time. She smiled at him, and hugged him.

"I'm sorry I said those things to you earlier." She said. "I didn't mean it. You're not a jerk."

He smirked. "That's okay. Sometimes I am a jerk." Lisanna let go of him and got to the ground, on her own feet. She took a step back, but still held his hand.

"Natsu, I want us to spend more time together." She said. "I want us to be together." He nodded. "I want us to be a team." She continued. "You and me."

"I want that too." He said. He paused for a moment, considering something. "You know, when we kissed… I've never done that before."

She smiled. "Me neither. It was my first kiss."

He smiled back. "Yeah. The thing is, I've never felt this way before. I've always been into fighting, and eating, and going on jobs. Things like that. But there are some things I've never really thought about before. Until now."

She looked at him with a playful expression. "What are you trying to say, Natsu?"

He looked a little nervous. "Honestly, I don't know. I just know… you make me feel different. In a good way."

Lisanna watched hm trying to articulate his feelings. She had recently started to realize she had feelings for him beyond friendship. But she hadn't expected him to reciprocate, and so soon. It made her happy that he did. And she thought he looked cute confessing his feelings to her. But it also made her realize something.

"Natsu, I want you to be happy." She said. She put her hand on his forearm. "I'm fine with staying here, but I know you're unhappy here." He lowered his eyes as she said this, his face becoming more serious. This just confirmed what she said. "So, we should leave. Not right now, but soon. You're almost ready to bring Erza back, right? After you do, we'll leave. I know you'll be weak again, but I'll take care of you until you're strong again. We just need to pick a destination. Like Fairy Tail. You want to go back there, right? I'm not sure how I feel about going back there, but if you want to, I'll do it." She awaited his response.

He slowly withdrew from her touch. "Lisanna… I can't do that. Maybe eventually, but not now. I can't leave."

Lisanna appeared puzzled. "What do you mean? The life bond isn't a problem, I'll be with you."

"Its not that. Something else." He said.

"What is it? You can tell me." She said. He shook his head.

"No, I can't. I can't tell you anything."

"But…" she said.

"Lisanna, I'm sorry." He turned his back to her. She stood there, feeling confused and unsettled.

"Natsu, after what you said, and what we did…"

"Maybe we shouldn't have done that." He said. She had no response.

"I'm sorry. I need to be alone right now. I need time to think." He started to walk off.

"Natsu." She said. He continued to walk away, until he was out of sight. She stood there alone with the rain droplets falling around her. She felt confused, and didn't know what to make of his behavior. He seemed so cold, she thought. Bu then, she thought about the kiss they shared. His warmth. His confession of his feelings to her. She looked up at the sky, past the scattered rain clouds to the stars above.

"I wish I knew what you were thinking." She said aloud.