"So, today's the day." Lisanna said. She and Natsu were again in the same room they had met before. This time it was early in the morning. Normally it wouldn't be a good idea for them to be there at that time, but on this occasion many people in the valley were outside, waiting to see Boudica off. This was the day she would leave to head further into Bosco, and would be gone for at least several days, if not longer. This would be their best time to try for an escape.
"Yeah, I guess it is." Natsu said.
"You guess?" Lisanna said. She noticed that he sounded less than enthusiastic about the prospect, and seemed a little distracted. Natsu just shrugged in response. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Natsu, who had been staring at nothing in particular, slowly turned to look at her. "Its just… I've been thinking."
"Are you worried we won't make it?" she asked. Natsu shook his head.
"No, that's not it. But… If we leave now, then that's it. We'll be giving up any chance of getting Erza back. I'm really glad you're here, Lisanna. But I wanted to save Erza too. I wanted to save everyone. I still do. I want our family to be whole again. But if we leave now, then that can't happen. I feel like I'm throwing away my last chance to save her."
"Are you saying you don't want to do this?" Lisanna asked, a little anxiously.
"…No. I said I'd do it, and I will. I just hope it's worth it."
Even as he said that, Lisanna could tell by looking at him that he was still very conflicted about this. His face looked dark, and his thoughts heavy. It wasn't a look she was used to seeing on him. Or at least, she wouldn't have been used to it before Bosco. She wanted to say something comforting to him, something that would reassure him. Lisanna still wasn't good at making speeches, or being persuasive. She thought back to her brief reunion with Mirajane. They had only spoken for a few minutes, but in that brief time Mirajane showed love and compassion. Even after she transformed and got between Lisanna and Elfman, there was still caring and wisdom in her words. Lisanna smiled slightly, impressed with the person her sister had become. But she shook her head, knowing she had to focus on the present, on Natsu. She needed to say something, like Mirajane did.
"Natsu, I just want to say…" she began hesitantly. Natsu looked at her again. "I don't mean to sound selfish or anything, but you did bring me back, and I'm happy you did. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you." Natsu's expression softened.
"Yeah but, I made a deal with Boudica…" he started to say.
"Natsu, listen. I don't think we can trust Boudica. I know she's lied to me a few times, and she's probably lied to you too. There's no guarantee she would keep her promise. I'm sorry. But if there's a way to bring Erza back, then we'll find it. But I don't think we're going to find it here, not the way you want."
Lisanna wondered if that was enough. She meant everything she said, but she was conscious of trying to word it right. Natsu seemed to consider for a moment, and then nodded.
"Maybe you're right." He said. "I trust you. A lot more than I trust Boudica. So, let's get the hell out of here. Where do we start?"
Lisanna breathed a sigh of relief. "First, we need to wait for Boudica to leave. Should be soon. Then, the barrier needs to go down. That part will be a little technical, so maybe you should just stay here and let me take care of that." Lisanna wasn't an expert in technical stuff herself. But Sael did tell her what to do, and she felt that Natsu, at best, would be unhelpful, and at worst would get in the way. If they needed to fight though, then she knew he would be very helpful.
"What if you get attacked, and you need backup?" he said.
"I'm going to try to avoid being seen. If anyone does see me, it's probably better if I'm alone. If we're seen together then that'll probably draw attention."
"Yeah, I guess." He said.
"After that, I'll come back, and Alrace will meet us, and we'll all get out of here." She said.
"Can you carry us both?" he asked. The plan was for Lisanna to transform into her bat form and fly them all out. Lisanna was admittedly unsure about carrying both Natsu and Alrace. She had gotten a lot stronger, and she was pretty sure she could carry one of them. Both might be difficult though. I have to do this. I'll make it work. She thought to herself.
"Alright, I trust you." He said. "I'll try to hide out and make sure Cobra doesn't spot me."
Lisanna smiled a little. "Okay. We still have some time before she leaves." She touched his hand with her own.
"Yeah." He said back to her. They stood there holding hands for a long moment.
After leaving Natsu, Lisanna went for a walk outside. She couldn't actually do anything until Boudica left, so she decided to try passing the time until then. She walked through trees and overgrown flowers. She spotted the wildlife lurking nearby, both strange and familiar, small and large. She thought of how peaceful and scenic this place could be, and realized that, in some ways at least, she would miss it. But she wouldn't miss it enough to stay.
As she was getting lost in her own thoughts, she bumped into someone, literally walking into them. Lisanna started to apologize, but quickly realized the other person was Boudica.
"O-oh." Lisanna said. She had known Boudica was still in the valley, but wasn't expecting to actually run into her. She figured Boudica would be too busy preparing for her departure.
"Warm days, Lisanna." Boudica said, her tone hard to read.
"Yeah, you too!" she blurted out, and internally kicked herself for it. She thought she either sounded stupid or suspicious. Boudica raised an eyebrow, and Lisanna just stood there awkwardly.
"You know I'm leaving today, yes?" Boudica said.
"Yeah, of course I remember." Lisanna said.
"Before I go, I wanted to ask how you're doing."
"How am I doing?"
"Yes, I know that you've had a few traumatic experiences. Including your… family reunion. I wanted to know how you're feeling."
Lisanna wasn't sure what Boudica was getting at. Boudica didn't seem like the type for idle conversation. "I think I'm doing alright. Things were difficult for a while, but I feel like I have a better handle on things now. I see Elfman and Mirajane for what they really are."
"And what is that?" Boudica cocked her head slightly.
"Monsters." Lisanna said this coldly. Boudica nodded.
"Family is just as much about what you choose, as it is what you're born into." Boudica said. "You can have a family here, if you want it."
"Thank you." Lisanna said quietly. The two of them stood there a moment, the wind blowing past, rustling the leaves. Lisanna found the moment both tense and relaxing, somehow.
"There is one other thing I wanted to ask you." Boudica said.
"What is it?"
"How is Natsu doing?"
Lisanna paused, unsure how to answer. "Natsu… he's…"
"You have spoken with him recently?" Boudica asked. Lisanna wasn't sure if Boudica actually knew the answer to that question.
"I… tried to. It was a spur of the moment thing. I ran into Alrace, and I asked him to take me to Natsu's room. Just to see how he was doing. But he wasn't there. That's pretty much it."
Boudica folded her arms, and lowered her head a little. "I see. You still feel it's important to see Natsu."
"Well, yeah. He's my friend. Since we were kids. I worry about him. And he's been acting strange for a while. Not himself. Did you… I mean, did you change him in anyway, like you did me? I just thought that might be the reason."
Boudica looked a little surprised by this question. "Did I change him, like you? No. That wouldn't be possible."
"Why not?" Lisanna asked, genuinely confused. Boudica smiled.
"Lisanna, I cannot do what has already been done."
Lisanna was visibly confused. Boudica took Lisanna's hand, her demon limb, and caressed it a little. "You haven't figured it out, have you? I'll admit, I didn't realize at first myself. I knew there was something different about him though."
"What are you talking about?" Lisanna said, momentarily forgetting her plans.
"Lisanna, you and Natsu have more in common than you realize. I know you're confused. And I suppose I do owe you some answers. When I get back, we can sit down and talk about this. You, Natsu, and I, together."
Lisanna's thoughts were swirling. Can't do what's been done? We have more in common than I realize? What does that mean? Lisanna wanted to ask a follow up question, or several. But then she thought, No. She's just trying to confuse me, lying to me, like usual. These were Lisanna's internal thoughts. But out loud, she said, "I think I'd like that, thanks. I'm looking forward to it."
At that point, Boudica let go of Lisanna's hand, smiled once more, and then turned to walk away. After a few steps she stopped. Without turning around, she said, "We have been getting into conflicts with Fairy Tail. I don't want to fight them, but its looking like it might be inevitable. If the time comes when we have to battle Fairy Tail, what will you do? I'd like to know." Boudica turned slightly to look at Lisanna.
Lisanna hadn't expected the question, but answered quickly. "If that time comes, then I guarantee I'll be there." Boudica said nothing, and walked away. After watching her walk away, Lisanna exhaled a deep breath. "Gods, I can't believe I said that." She was feeling increasingly anxious and paranoid as the time drew closer. She hoped against hope that nothing bad would happen, and this would all work out fine.
"Team Outlaw." Flare said.
"Why?" Juvia said.
"I don't know, because we've all broken laws and stuff." Flare said. They were standing outside the guild, discussing what their team name should be.
"It just sounds a little simple." Juvia said. "And I don't think of us as outlaws."
"Do we really need a team name?" Gajeel said. "Are we even going to be together long enough for that to matter? This is only a temporary thing, right?"
"Yes, but having a name would make us feel more like a real team." Juvia said. "Maybe it would help us work together better."
Gajeel shrugged. "I doubt it. But if we have to have a name, then how about… Storm Breaker?"
"Storm Breaker?" Juvia said. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know, but it sounds cool." He said.
"Team Fire Storm." Flare said.
"That sounds a lot like Gajeel's suggestion" Juvia said. "Also, it seems to emphasize you a lot, even though you're not even an official member of our guild."
"You got a better suggestion, Blueberry?" Flare said. Juvia stiffened, annoyed at Flare's nickname for her. But she ignored it.
"Love and Fury." Juvia said. Gajeel laughed.
"That sounds like a trashy romance novel." He said.
"Shut up." Juvia said defensively, and folded her arms.
Gajeel walked around and stretched a little, staring at the half cloudy and half sunny sky. The streets were not busy, so they felt comfortable talking openly together. "Hey, since Juvia and I were from Phantom Lord, and Flare came from Raven Tail, maybe we should just combine the names and call ourselves team Raven Lord or something." He grinned.
"You seriously want to call us that?" Juvia said.
"No, it was a joke." He said. "Can't you tell?"
"No. I guess you're just not funny." Juvia said.
"How about Ghost Wing?" Flare interjected.
"Ghost Wing?" Juvia said.
"Yeah. It sounds like our old guild names, but different. A ghost is like a phantom, and ravens have wings."
"Like I said, I was joking." Gajeel said. "Anyway, what about our mission? We should be talking about that, right?"
"There's not much to talk about at this point, is there?" Juvia said. "The town is called Berk, we leave in a couple of days. And we know that its apparently occupied by the samurai." Flare groaned at this last part.
"Still thinking about last time huh?" Gajeel said. Flare eyed him, prepared for him to tease her. She was surprised when he said, "Yeah well, don't worry cause you won't be alone this time."
"Right. We'll work together." Juvia said.
"We're also not going to try to fight all of them." Gajeel said. "Just capture this Yoshimoto guy or whoever's in charge and get the hell out of there."
"We probably shouldn't immediately announce that we're from Fairy Tail either." Juvia added.
"Good idea." Flare said.
"Yeah, but if those samurai guys are really there then they might recognize us anyway." Gajeel said.
The trio just stood there a moment, quietly reflecting on the potential danger and difficulty of the mission. "Should we ask someone else to come with us?" Juvia asked.
"No. This is our mission." Gajeel said. "Besides, we're going to try to get in and get out, remember? The fewer people, the easier it will be to do that."
"I guess we'd better start getting ready then." Juvia said. Flare just stood there silently, looking uncertain.
"You know, if you two aren't up for this you can just let me do the heavy lifting." Gajeel said. "Hell, I can handle it. After our last job, I thought that proved that we can handle these guys. But if you're not convinced, then I'll just do it myself. I ain't afraid of those samurai. They're just a bunch of guys with swords. I eat swords. Taste damn good."
Flare grinned. "Okay, you convinced me. We'll kick their asses."
"He convinced you pretty easily." Juvia said.
Flare shrugged. "I like his confidence. And his enthusiasm."
"There you go." Gajeel said, also grinning.
Juvia looked at them both. "Well, its not like I wasn't going anyway. And to be honest, I'd rather be out there doing something then sitting around here waiting for something to happen."
"Good enough for me." Gajeel said. He was about to leave, but Juvia added something.
"Should we… do that thing where we put our hands together in a show of solidarity?" she asked hesitantly. Gajeel raised an eyebrow.
"Let's not go nuts." He said.
"Oh, okay." Juvia said. But then, Flare put her hand out, while flashing one of her weird smiles. Juvia was surprised, but touched her hand to Flare's. Flare then turned to Gajeel expectantly. Gajeel stood there a second, groaned, and put his own hand out.
"We'll go there and bring back someone big, even though we're not getting paid for it." Flare said.
"Yeah." Gajeel said without enthusiasm.
"Yeah." Juvia said more earnestly.
Lisanna and Natsu were sitting alone together. They were sitting, of all places, in a tree. The reason for this was because they didn't want to be seen together, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to find any privacy. So, they found a tall tree and decided to sit on one of the large branches. There was an opening in the canopy where they could see the sun, passing in and out of the clouds, as if the day couldn't decide whether it wanted to be bright or cloudy. They sat side by side, not quite holding hands, but touching each other's hands and arms with their fingers, stroking and caressing. It was a rare moment of privacy for them. A peaceful moment.
Lisanna turned to look at Natsu, the sun rays shining down on his face, highlighting his eyes and his pink hair. She thought he looked handsome and manly, even with the pink. He then turned to look back at her. She wondered what he was thinking. She wanted to kiss him. And she was pretty sure that he wanted to kiss her too. But she didn't. They had already kissed once before. But that was in the heat of the moment. The next time they kiss, she wanted it to be romantic, and because they love each other, not because they're swept up, or in danger. She wasn't sure if that was logical, but since when are emotions about logic? She wanted to wait. They would kiss when they were both free, and back with Fairy Tail. And if that didn't happen, and they didn't make it back… she refused to think about that. She had to believe that they would make it back. If she thought otherwise, then she might become too scared and the plan would fall apart.
She could have asked Natsu what he was thinking. But she didn't want heavy talk about danger and potential death. So, she said nothing, and neither did he. They just sat there, in the wind and sun, on the tree branch, enjoying each other's company, until the time came for them to act. They both knew it would come very soon.
An hour later, Boudica was at the port for the airship she would be leaving in. Angel and Seraiisa, who would be accompanying her, were both there beside her. Nikodias and Torq were also there, seeing them off.
"Good luck to you all." Nikodias said. "Torqaro and I look forward to your success, and your return."
"Bye daddy." Seraiisa said. She hugged him. "I'll bring you back a souvenir." He patted her head.
"Then that's one more thing I have to look forward to." He said.
Seraiisa walked over to Torq. "Stay out of trouble." She said, touching his arm. She said this playfully, but he still nodded.
"This will be an important turning point for us." Boudica said. "I'll have many new followers soon, even if they don't know it yet." Boudica then turned her head. There were a few keepers there, who had accompanied them there. Boudica looked at them. They stood impassive, as usual.
"Listen to me." She said. She then pointed to her husband. "While I'm away, you follow his commands. Understand?" The keepers bowed their heads in assent. "Good." She then turned to Torq and hugged him, putting her arm around his head as if he were a small child. Finally, she turned to Nikodias, and whispered something to him, while Seraiisa tried to eavesdrop. She then turned back to the ship, and looked back.
"If all goes well, I should be back in a few weeks." She said. "Questions?"
"Just one." Nikodias said. "Would you like me to find something for Mr. Cobra to do, or did you have something in mind?"
"I've already set him to a task, love. And when I come back, I'll take care of Natsu. Its about time." With that, Boudica, Seraiisa, and Angel, along with several followers, boarded the ship. The rest of the family watched as it began its ascent, and rose into the air.
From a distance, Natsu and Lisanna watched the airship take off. So many people were focused on this, watching the spectacle. The followers in particular seemed to be somewhere between a state of awe and sorrow at seeing their spiritual leader leave them this way, even if only temporarily.
"Its time." Lisanna said.
"Yeah." Natsu said. "Guess I'll get into position. But the minute this turns violent, I'm going to unleash hell on them."
Lisanna tilted her head a little, and rubbed her neck. "I'm sure you could, but I'm still hoping it won't come to that."
Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but apparently changed his mind and closed it. Then, he said something else. "Good luck, Lisanna. If you're not back in twenty minutes, I'm coming for you."
Lisanna looked at him. He sounded intense, as he so often did lately. But there was also genuine concern underneath it. "Thanks, but maybe make it thirty minutes, just to give me some extra time."
"Twenty-three." Natsu said. Lisanna blinked, and then smiled a little at the odd number he had chosen. She shrugged and said, "Okay, twenty-three it is. Until then, wait for me."
"You got it." He said. Lisanna then changed into harpy form for flight, lifted into the air, and headed for her destination.
Once more, Lisanna flew. If she thought Natsu would actually be helpful in any way, or if there was going to be danger, then she would have brought him. But this was supposed to be a relatively quick and easy task. Granted, if she were to get caught then that would be trouble. It would depend on timing, and luck.
After flying for a few minutes, she arrived at the edge of the valley. It was a sheer cliff with the barrier all around. There was a rock face at the bottom. The only thing that made this particular area stand out was a slightly discolored part of the face jutting out. This was where she needed to be. There were no buildings or people around. She did see one thing though: it was a machine. One of Sael's machines, specifically. Smaller than the ones he usually uses. It wasn't bipedal, and didn't appear to be designed for combat. Lisanna approached it and landed, changing back to her normal form.
"Hi." Lisanna said to it. She didn't actually expect it to respond, since none of the machines talked. In fact, it did seem to ignore her, while using long, probe like instruments to touch the rock. It used metallic digits to trace some kind of pattern in the rock. Lisanna watched curiously. After a minute, the rock shifted, and it began moving, revealing an opening. It slid away from the cliff face, but was surprisingly quiet doing so. Inside was a chamber that appeared to be full of machinery. It was the same sort of copper and bronze colored machinery Sael uses, for the most part. Lisanna looked around to see if anyone was nearby. She was still alone. She turned back, and saw the machine fiddling with something on one section of the chamber, while another section had a console with some buttons. From what Sael had told her, that was what she needed.
"Excuse me, I need to get in here." She said to the machine. It still ignored her, and continued doing whatever it was doing. She didn't think it was a coincidence that Sael had sent this machine here at the same time she would show up. She wondered if its only purpose was to let her in. If that's the case, then what is it working on? she wondered.
She stepped inside, and walked up to the console. She had never used anything like this before. The buttons were large, but had strange symbols on them. However, Sael had told her which ones to press, and in what order. She did as she was instructed, pressing a specific sequence. A red light came on, and a noise emitted. She pressed a large button in the middle, and then turned a lever on the side wall. The room shook. Lisanna looked around, wondering if she had done it right or wrong. She stepped outside and looked up at the barrier. It shimmered and flickered. It began to rapidly fade in and out. After several long seconds, the barrier disappeared completely. It was gone. At least, for a short time. Lisanna sighed in relief that she did it correctly.
The machine that had been working on something left the room, and then closed the opening back up. It then started to wander off.
"Thank you." Lisanna said. So far, this was all going rather easily. However, she knew that she only had a very short time before the barrier went back up. She also knew that people would likely be coming to investigate. And most importantly, Natsu and Alrace were both waiting for her. She turned around, changed into her bat form (a little faster in the air than her harpy form), and lifted off. She quickly began flying back to Natsu.
Alrace walked through the halls of the grey building as quickly as he could. Which, for him, wasn't very fast. He was supposed to meet Natsu and Lisanna very shortly. The time had almost arrived. He was nervous about being caught, or even seen. The followers still seemed to be ignoring him, or rather shunning him. In this case, he felt that that might be a good thing.
He turned down a corridor, heading for an exit. He could see the light outside. He thought about what it would be like to be free. He wasn't exactly a slave in the valley, but he was restricted in many ways. Living there nice in some ways, but… he felt he wanted more. He often felt fearful, and timid. Lisanna didn't make him feel that way. And her friends sounded nice. Maybe he could have a better life outside. If his friends could help him escape and start that new life, he would be very grateful.
He made it to the exit without incident. He stepped outside and looked around. He thought he knew the direction he was supposed to go. There was a place where an old outpost used to be. There wasn't much left, not even walls. Just a floor. But that was where they had agreed to meet. They would be waiting for him there.
"I'm coming." He said.
"You're coming where?" someone said nearby. Alrace jumped, and turned toward the voice.
"Going somewhere?" Cobra said. He stood there with an amused expression.
"I, I…" Alrace said.
"I've been watching you." Cobra said. "You're easy to follow."
"I was just going, f-for a walk." Alrace said.
"Cut the crap. Instead of playing around, let's just get right to it. You're meeting up with Lisanna, or Natsu, or both. Why and where?"
"I, I don't…"
"Tell me and I won't hurt you."
"Please." Was all Alrace said. He trembled a little. Cobra rolled his eyes.
"All right, we'll do this the hard way." He said. "You're so frail that if I just hurt you then I might kill you. Guess I should ask permission first. Come on." He forcibly grabbed Alrace be the sleeve and began dragging him away.
"Please, stop." Alrace said. Cobra became annoyed and yanked his arm hard. Alrace yelped in pain.
"Damn, you really are frail. Just come along and stop putting up a fight, unless you want me to rip your arm out."
Alrace reluctantly went along with Cobra to wherever he was taking him.
Lisanna flew as fast as she could to the location she and Natsu had agreed on. There was a limited window, and she didn't want to risk missing it. She flew fast enough that she almost flew past the spot Natsu was waiting at. She stopped in midair, turned around, and hovered down to where Natsu was standing, waiting for her.
"Lisanna!" he ran up to her and touched her arms, not quite hugging her. "You did it. It's down. I'm proud of you." He smiled slightly. It was the first time in a while Lisanna had seen him even remotely at ease. But the moment quickly passed.
"Thanks, but…" Lisanna looked around. Something was wrong. "Where's Alrace?"
Natsu shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe you knew."
Lisanna shook her head, and started looking about for any sign of his approach. If he were there with them right then, then they could just leave with plenty of time to spare. However, they had very little time to wait around for him.
"He does walk slower than normal." Lisanna said quietly.
"We've only got a few minutes, right?" Natsu said. "He'd better show up here soon."
"I'm sure he's on his way." She said. However, she bit her knuckle a little as she said this. About ten minutes, she thought. Alrace, where are you? Another minute passed, and there was still no sign of him, even in the distance. Lisanna was starting to worry. "Maybe we should look for him." she said.
"This place is pretty big, you think we can find him in time?" Natsu said.
"We have to find him. I promised we'd leave together. I'll use my bat soul. In the air, I'll be able to see a lot more."
"Don't tell me you want me to wait here again."
Lisanna shook her head. "I don't want to leave you. Not when we're so close. I'll take you with me. I was already going to fly us out anyway."
"Won't that slow you down?" he asked.
"Not as much as us standing here talking about it. Please, Natsu." She sounded on edge, and she knew it.
"Fine." Natsu turned around. Lisanna walked over to him and put her arms around him. Under other circumstances she might feel funny about this, but in that moment she didn't have time to feel funny. She wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, and spread her large leather wings. She flapped her wings, rising into the air. It was a little harder with Natsu, but not a lot. Within seconds they were airborne, Lisanna flying into the air, and Natsu helping her look below.
"Hey, let me know if I'm too heavy." He said.
"You're not." She said. "But let me know if you're going to throw up."
"Nah. As long as you don't turn into a giant demon bunny, I should be fine."
"Good to know." She held tightly onto Natsu, while scanning the ground below. She flew for a couple minutes, looking through trees and fields. She was being a little less careful than usual. People below saw her and Natsu. At that point she didn't care, as long as she found Alrace. Can I carry them both? I hope so. Alrace shouldn't be too heavy.
They spent a few minutes flying around. By this point, there was only about five minutes left. Lisanna was starting to panic a little, but tried not to show it. Out of desperation, she flew back to the grey building. She didn't have time to go inside and search it room by room, but she could at least scan the outside and look through the windows. She quickly flew around the perimeter of the building, searching for her friend.
"Do you see him?" she said loudly so Natsu could hear over the wind.
"No. Lisanna, I don't think we're going to make it out in time." He sounded more frustrated than worried.
"Yes, we will! We'll make it out, and go home." She said desperately. At that point, Lisanna stopped in front of the war room, a few stories off the ground. She saw Alrace standing in the middle of the room through the big open windows. Standing beside him was Cobra, and the serpent Cubellios. There was also Nikodias, Torq, and some keepers. Alrace saw her, and was calling her name. There was only a couple minutes left. The barrier was already showing signs of reactivating.
"Lisanna, I think we can take them." Natsu said. "Together, we're pretty damn powerful."
"We're almost out of time though." Lisanna said. "We don't have time to fight them and still get out… do we?"
"Then I'll just knock them out with some fire attacks quickly, and then you can fly us out and we'll go." He sounded confident, but Lisanna suspected he just wanted to fight.
"Easier said than done." Lisanna hesitated. Nikodias was saying something, but she couldn't make it out. Probably something mocking. Cobra appeared to be gesturing to Natsu as well.
"Hey Lisanna, are we doing this, or not? I really want to kick his ass. I know we're on a time limit though…"
Lisanna thought hard and fast. Maybe if they were lucky, they could pull it off. They just needed to grab Alrace. Maybe they could do it. Natsu is powerful, and she's gained a lot of power too. The keepers are slow, and Nikodias can't fight… but then she remembered her promise to Sael. She promised him not to fight. He did say it would be okay if they were captured… did that include Alrace, or just her and Natsu? She wasn't sure. Would she be breaking her promise to Sael? She also promised Alrace she would take him with them. But if she tried to save him, then they might all be stuck, and they might not get another chance. There's no telling what they would do with her and Natsu after this escape attempt. And then there's Mirajane, and Elfman. Fairy Tail. She wanted to see them again…
"What's it going to be?" Natsu said.
Lisanna closed her eyes. She knew that either way, she would be hurting someone. Once the choice was made, there would be no going back. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry." She said. She made her choice, hard as it was. Lisanna flapped her wings, and gripped Natsu. Then, she rose into the air, and flew towards the still open barrier, leaving Alrace to his fate.
Lisanna flew as hard and fast as she could, desperate to make it in time. The barrier was starting to reappear. Time was almost up. "No, damnit, this can't have been for nothing." She said, tears in her eyes. She blinked the tears away, since she needed to see. She flew faster, straining her muscles. She was close, but the barrier was about to go up. Lisanna could see the outside, just before her. Just a little further.
The barrier came up again. But not before Lisanna and Natsu both made it out. They flew through with seconds to spare. Even after making it through, Lisanna kept flying fast and holding on tightly to Natsu. She flew further from the valley, only paying attention to the trees so she didn't hit one. After a couple of minutes, Natsu tapped her shoulder.
"Lisanna, I think you can slow down now." He said.
"They might chase us." She said.
"I know. But you've got to rest, don't you? You're breathing weird, and I can feel your heart pounding."
It was true. Now that he said it, she realized her heart was beating fast, and her breathing was a little labored. And her arms were starting to get a little sore from carrying Natsu. But she didn't want to stop. Not yet. If she stopped, then she would have to think. She didn't want to, just wanted to keep going. But her body would wear out, and she would need to stop.
"Alright, just let me fly another minute, then we'll rest." She said wearily.
"Yeah. When we get on ground, I can carry you for a little while if you need it. You know, return the favor."
"Yeah, maybe." She said vaguely. She didn't want to think about anything. She had made it out. And Natsu was free now. And they were going to go home, and see their friends and family. That was all she wanted to think about. Nothing else. Nothing else at all.
Alrace stood at the window, watching as Lisanna flew away along with Natsu, leaving him behind. He watched as she left the valley, and the barrier came back up. Lisanna and Natsu were both free now, while Alrace was still trapped there. As he stood there staring, he blinked, his eyes misty.
"She promised." He said.
"She promised, huh?" Cobra said from behind. Alrace turned to look at the people surrounding him.
"Tell me Alrace, what did Miss Strauss promise you?" Nikodias said. The keepers stood to either side of him, looking as imposing and mysterious as ever. "Did she tell you she was going to take you with her? Did you play some part in her escape, and Mr. Dragneel's as well?" Alrace didn't respond, but Nikodias continued.
"It certainly looks that way. I'm afraid Boudica is not here right now, so I'll be asking you some questions personally. But I can assure you, that as soon as she hears about this, she will be very upset with you."
Alrace could only tremble.
End Notes: Natsu and Lisanna finally escape the valley. It took longer than I originally planned. We're probably going to be seeing less of that location now.
As far as the team of Gajeel, Juvia, and Flare goes: I posited several different names they could use, and will probably choose one of them. If anyone has a preference feel free to say so. Also, I'll just mention that Panther Lily would definitely be part of the team if he were in this story. But the characters never went to Edolas in this story, so he's not. Oh well.
