Previously…
"We need to split up.", I stated, grabbing him before he could go haring off. "One of us needs to go attend to Lucy, and one of us needs to help Gray."
"I've got Lucy, we'll take care of saving the village. Go help Gray kick that guy's ass!", Natsu roared as he took off through the forest.
"Good luck!", I declared as I sprinted back towards the mountain, where Gray was fighting Lyon.
I clambered my way up to the top of the temple, where the light had ceased to glow. I crashed through only to find Gray, bruised and beaten, laying on the ground.
"Aquila. What are you doing here?", Gray murmured.
I dropped to my knees beside him, and began to inspect his wounds. "I came looking for you. Natsu went after Lucy, to ensure she and the village were safe. I came to help you kick that guy's ass, but instead I found you here. That was reckless Gray. Really, really reckless. I could've taken him out no sweat, ate his ice into dust, but NO, you'd rather send me after Natsu. Well, I hoped you learnt your lesson, in fact you had it beaten into you, so don't ever do something something so foolish and scary again! We'd miss you at the guild, I'd miss you, Natsu, ash-for-brains that he is, would miss you, Erza would miss you. So don't do foolish things.", I looked down at Gray and say that he had passed out on me, though it appeared to be a far from peaceful sleep.
"Tch, that's just typical. I decide to pull out my softer side that wasn't going to beat you for your ridiculous plan to fight him alone, and how do you repay me? You pass out!", I sighed, exasperated with the mage beside me. I stood and hoisted him into my back. How was this in anyway typical? I began to pick my way down the mountain, determined to rendezvous with Natsu and Lucy at the village.
"Hey…", Gray's voice broke me out of my reverie and I stopped for a moment.
"Yeah Gray?", I asked brusquely.
"I'm sorry, for not believing that I needed you… I know better.", Gray whispered, I felt a tear drip onto my shoulder.
"Don't.", I stated firmly, feeling him tense up at my response. "Don't let yourself fall into self-pity. I've been there. I know the effect it has on your confidence, on your fighting ability. So just don't. You are a member of Fairy Tail. When you chose to have that mark placed on your chest, you chose to embody the spirit of our guild. And that spirit is to NEVER GIVE UP! You lost a fight, so what?! Now you know better for the next one! A Fairy Tail wizard is only ever down, never out! So pick up the pieces Gray, put them back together stronger than before and let that time that has you pinned down start again!", I felt a single tear drip down my own cheek and I wiped it away.
"Come on! We have a ways to go to make it back to the village in time!", I stated and took off into the forest, Gray's weight slowing me. He remained silent for the remainder of our journey.
As we drew closer to the village, we encountered Natsu, huffing and puffing next to a tree. "What on earth are you doing here?! You were supposed to be helping Lucy and the villagers!", I growled.
"Ha ha, about that… I got lost.", Natsu chuckled sheepishly. I banged my head against the tree then sighed.
"Come on Natsu, we need to get back to the village.", and with that we took off at a run.
As we approached the village the gate raised, revealing Lucy and the villagers. They began to panic and cried out for us to stop. I dragged my heels into the ground and was relieved that I did so when Natsu went tumbling into a pit-fall at the front gate.
"I'm so glad you two are okay!", Lucy exclaimed, as Natsu sat at the bottom of his pit.
"I'm all right and so is Natsu, but Gray needs medical attention, he's down for the count.", I declared. A few of the villagers and I lowered an injured Gray onto a mat, I gently lowered his head to the ground and brushed some dirt off his face.
"Bring me some hot water, and bandages.", I ordered and some of the women hurried off to do my bidding.
"So why haven't Lyon's lackeys arrived yet?", Natsu asked Lucy, who frowned at the question.
"You know, that a good question. They left for the village before you two, but you got here first. I wonder what's taking them so long…", Lucy pondered aloud.
"Yeah, and with getting lost and all, I was pretty slow.", Natsu agreed. I had begun to bandage Gray's wounds cleaning them out with the hot water, and then dressing them. I slid some bandages carefully around his forehead, moving gently so I wouldn't cause him undue distress.
"Wait, what's that?", one of the villagers cried out, pointing to a far off moving object in the sky. It was that rat we had fought earlier, the one that belonged to Sherry. It was carrying a large bucket. As it flew one of the drops flew off the side of the bucket, I tensed, catching the smell coming off it.
"LUCY!", I screamed as the drop of acid flew straight towards her.
"Watch out!", Natsu yelled as he dove past me and tackled Lucy, moving her out of the way and saving her from the acid, which dissolved a deep hole in the ground.
"That smell… I knew the stuff was deadly.", Natsu stated as we all stared at the hole. The villagers began to panic, quickly coming to the conclusion that they planned to dump that acid jelly on the village.
The rat flung the jelly out in arc that would cover the town and the surrounding forest.
"How are we going to protect ourselves from acid jelly?!", Lucy screamed.
"I want everyone to get into the center of the village!", Natsu yelled, as he ran and jumped into the air, Happy flying him up.
"Natsu's got this, now everyone into the center.", I yelled and the villagers began to move into the center. Once everyone was assembled, I took a deep breath. "LISTEN TO ME! No one is to leave the ice dome until we determine it's safe to reemerge.", I yelled before turning into ice. I cast my icy body into a layer that went to the edges of the villagers and I began to form a dome. I felt my body being pulled into a thin layer of ice that encapsulated all of the villagers. It would shield them from any acid, if only for a moment. I converged my consciousness onto the top of the dome, where I watched Natsu use his Brilliant Flame to disperse the jelly so that it went in a circle around my dome. I cried out however, causing the glass dome to shake, when a piece of acid hit my dome and therefore my body where the chief lay on his son's grave.
The dome fell apart as I returned the ice into the shape of my body. I wasn't unsctahed however, I cried out when throbbing pain hit my leg and I looked down to see a huge gash on my thigh.
"Aquila!", Lucy cried out, running over to me with Stella. I sucked in a harsh breath trying not to scream. The acid had eaten away at my leg, leaving the gash. "Hold still, Virgo!" Lucy called to her spirit who had not been dismissed yet.
"Yes, princess?", Virgo asked as she walked to us.
"Can you bandage Aquila's leg?", lucy asked with worry.
"I can. Please hold still miss.", Virgo stated as she bent down and began to bandage my leg. I let out a shaky breath as she finished, it hurt like hell.
"You, you saved my son's grave. Thank you!", Moka cried out with tears in his eyes. I gave a pain-filled smile. I opened my mouth in response when the grave was toppled over.
The three minions approached, with cool faces. "The Cold Emperor ordered us to eradicate the village and its people. We were trying to show mercy by making your deaths quick and painless.", Sherry stated with a flip of her hair. I let out a growl at her statement. Having been hit by the acid, I could say our deaths would not have been painless. Sherry continued, saying, "But since that didn't work we'll have to resort to bloodshed."
"Fifty villagers, three wizards, one of whom is injured, shouldn't take more than 20 minutes.", Yuka stated coldly.
"You ready?", Natsu asked, shifting his into a battle stance.
"Yeah.", Lucy replied, hand on her keys.
"Count again, because there's four wizards!", Happy cheered.
"Aye!", Stella agreed with a grin. I groaned internally. That damn blue cat… He'd been teaching Stella bad habits, like his ridiculous catchphrase.
"How dare they?! Such disrespect!", Moka growled, his body trembling with fury. He attempted to leap at them, but was held back by some villagers.
"Let me help you.", I heard a voice mutter. I turned my head to see Gray standing, albeit on unsteady legs.
"Not going to happen."
"No way", Natsu and I spoke simultaneously. I paused as Natsu continued.
"We don't need your help. We don't need either of you guys' help."
"Natsu, don't do this to me.", Gray panted out, as Natsu slammed his fist into his gut, causing him to pass out once again.
"Just lay down and get some rest.", Natsu stated as Gray sank into unconsciousness.
"As for you, we don't need your help. We can take the small-fry. I can tell you're ready to pass out from the pain. Just let go, we'll take care of Stella.", Natsu stated, casting a look in my direction.
I smiled through the pain and looked at both Natsu and Lucy, make eye contact with each of them. "Give them hell.", I said as I fell back onto the ground, finally relinquishing my tense hold on consciousness
A/N: Hey everyone!, I'm sorry for not updating on Sunday but I had too much homework! Better late than never, right?.Also sorry for how short it is but the next chapter will be lengthy to make up for it! Enjoy and remember to review!