Hello, people. I am BACK! Was about time, wasn't it?
A million times sorry for how long it took me to come up with this chapter. I've had zero inspiration last week as I tried to write it, so in the end I decided it was pointless and worked on a few one shots I want to post later on.
I'd like to give a bit thanks to Lieutenant-Myst, Yusuki6, NyanMew123 and Makeira-Sakura, who reviewed the last chapter. You're all great and I'm sorry for making you wait!
I hope you'll enjoy this one, I really like how it turned out and I think taking that break helped my brain come up with even better ideas for it.
Here's a response to the Guest:
You wanted death? Well, this chapter surely delivers.
Silver being alive was something that I debated with myself so many times and in the end I decided that Gray deserved that chance to have his father back. Also, I really love the character and his dynamic with Juvia and the others in this story.
I give you a million points for putting the Zeref x Juvia scene exactly as it was. Snow White indeed, my friend, you guessed it just right.
LOL I think the answer to who dies will surprise you. It's at the very end of the chapter.
WARNING: This chapter is pretty dark. Plenty of DEATHS to go around. So careful when reading.
Happy reading, everyone! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.
If I Never Knew You-Pocahontas
In this world so full of fear
Full of raging lies
I can see the truth so clear
In your eyes, so dry your eyes
And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
A few centuries before...
"What have you done?" Zeref yelled, staring in shock at the man with long blue hair. Acnologia sported a sad smile instead of the look of triumph you'd expect from someone whose revenge had worked out just perfectly.
"What needed to be done." The dragon slayer replied matter off factly, eyes not leaving his enemy's face while the dark wizard was focused on the large door not far from them. They were in the middle of a field close to the blooming village of Magnolia.
"It was certainly not necessary for you to thrown him into the gate. Do you even know where you sent him?" Zeref crossed his arms, glaring at the other man.
Only a few minutes before Acnologia had surprised him by pushing young Natsu Dragneel inside the large door known as the Eclipse Gate. The artifact had been created by Zeref many decades before, but the dark wizard never imagined his invention would someday be used against him in such a cruel manner.
"He was sent into the future, where he'll find others like him." The blue haired man said as if they were discussing the weather. Zeref shook his head.
"So you expect me to believe that you did this for him?" He gave Acnologia an incredulous look.
"I don't expect you to believe in anything." The other man replied, moving towards the Eclipse Gate. "But I do believe this was for the best."
"Best for whom?" The dark wizard questioned and the dragon slayer turned around.
"If you need to ask, there's no point in answering." Annoyed, Zeref crossed his arms.
"I didn't deserve this." He firmly stated and the blue haired man gave him an almost symphatetic look.
"Maybe you didn't. But Natsu didn't deserve to be trapped here with you either." Before the former could protest, Acnologia spoke again. "Don't attempt to argue when you know I'm right." He paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "We're monsters who don't deserve their love."
"I'm not a monster. I haven't done any of the terrible things you did." Zeref protested nonetheless.
"Should I remind you of the nine demon gates of Tartarus?" Acnologia raised a brow.
"I didn't create them to hurt others." He nodded.
"That doesn't mean they won't. After all, you can't control them forever." The dark wizard went back to angry.
"Why am I even talking to you? You just ruined my entire plan to finally break this curse." Another symphatetic smile was sent his way.
"The words of a hopeful man who's only going to drive himself insane." Zeref shook his head.
"No, I know that I can break it. All I have to do is reach Natsu so that he can try again." It was Acnologia's turn to shake his head.
"Don't bother. The curse doesn't allow us to cross the gate. Your only choice is to wait until you reach his new timeline." With no other choice in sight, Zeref decided to wait. Centuries passed and he began losing his mind, but the hope of finding Natsu and having him breaking this curse of immortality was enough to keep him going.
Present day... 7:30 PM
Gajeel's vision was darkening and he started getting desperate when suddenly there was light. I don't need light, I need air. He thought while trying to lift his arm and shield his eyes from the brightness. He managed to close them and, for a moment, he worried they might never open again.
He felt weak like never before, and tired too. So tired. All he wanted at that moment was to rest a bit, but he couldn't. There were too many people still counting on him; friends who would probably die if he didn't do something. But what could he do when he couldn't even move?
In that moment, everything seemed to be lost and he couldn't deny that hope was the last thing on his mind. However, as soon as he felt the soft pressure of those familiar lips against his and the breath of air that filled him, it returned.
His eyes opened quickly, just in time to watch her brown ones close. The arms that had been holding him dropped as she began falling.
"Levy!" Gajeel tried to scream, but it came out as more of a whisper. While he was confused about why she was there, his primary focus was making sure that she'd be okay.
He attempted to swim towards her and, once he spotted the shark-demon doing the same, managed to speed up his movements and arrive just in time to block an attack. "Don't you touch her!" He screamed angrily.
Having managed to turn back into his iron-shadow dragon mode, he punched the demon with all his strength, managing to send him back just a bit. It was enough for him to grab Levy and swim away before he started shaking her not so gently.
"Levy, come on, pull yourself together!" He knew that he should be more delicate towards her, she was still traumatised over losing one of her best friends and probably tired from swimming all the way towards him.
However, giving their current situation, there was no time for rest. He needed her to help the others while he dealt with the enemy.
Seeing her brown eyes open a bit, he stopped shaking her, but placed two firm hands on her shoulders. "Levy, I need you to help out the others. Can you use your magic to create more air for them?" She nodded silently, a small blush spreading across her cheeks; but he didn't waste time wondering about it.
"Good. Be careful, alright?" He fixed her with a worried look and she let out a small smile.
"Of course." In a bold movement, the petit bluenette moved forward a bit so that her small hands could grab his face. Seeing what she was going for, he wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her closer so that they could kiss.
It was a desperate, we-almost-died kiss and damn he liked it. If only he'd known before that she could kiss like that, he would have taken advantage of it.
Unfortunately, the kiss left them both breathless, which wasn't a good thing. After managing to calm their racing hearts, all the while keeping an eye out for the enemy-it seemed as if Torafusa had decided to give them a much needed break-, Levy moved once again to join her lips against him, but this time only to give him more air.
"Thought you'd need some air." She smirked upon seeing the surprised look on his face once she pulled away.
"I could definetely use some more." He replied, smiling. "Now, go help out the others." They glanced towards their friends and her face paled. Meredy had fallen unconscious, Lucy floating by her side. Natsu wasn't too far from them while Lyon's body had dropped to the floor.
"Okay. Good luck!" Gajeel nodded before turning back and swimming towards his opponent, who had been silently watching them.
"It was about time." Torafusa said, uncrossing his arms while a smirk came upon his face. He had intended to eliminate all humans at once, but Levy's arrival made him decide that perhaps a final match against the iron dragon slayer could be interesting.
Cobra watched the Fairy Tail mages fight against Tartarus' army with a smirk on his face. He couldn't deny that he was impressed with their ability to stand their own against this enemy, even some of the weaker members of the guild.
Seeing the person he was actually looking for, he began walking towards her.
As if sensing his presence, she turned around; short, dark purple hair flowing in the wind and huge green eyes staring at him in surprise. "Erik?" Kinana stood still, frozen in shock.
"I promised you I'd come back, didn't I?" His smile was sincere and so was hers.
2 years ago, when her memories had finally returned and she remembered him, she had come to visit him in prison. He had been surprised; never having expected to get any visitors, much less his best friend from back when he was a part of the Oracion Seis.
So he pushed her away and denied knowing her. However, she was persistent and visited him many times until he accepted her presence. Eventually, they managed to find the lost friendship both didn't realize they'd been craving and it wasn't long before it evolved into something more.
Their relationship wasn't perfect, like none truly was. But they had been glad to at least be in each other's company. The fact that he was incarcerated and she was part of a guild that would probably never see him as anything more than an enemy were pushed aside as they focused on what they had.
Cobra never actually referred to it as love; he didn't believe in such a thing. However, after spending a few weeks with Jellal, he began wordering if perhaps his feelings for Kinana could have evolved and if that was such a terrible thing.
After all, he had seen how happy Erza and Jellal had been while they were together. Could he ever achieve that happiness?
"You're here!" Kinana let out before running towards him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he hugged her back, letting out a content sigh. It felt good to have her in his arms; he didn't even know he'd been craving it until that moment.
"I missed you." He admitted and she pulled apart, a smile on her face.
"I missed you too." She allowed her hand to brush his cheek. "I can't believe you're actually here."
"That makes two of us. I was starting to think that I'd never get out of that hell-hole." Cobra told her and she smiled.
"But now you're free. We can finally be together." She rested her head against his chest and he rolled his eyes at her cliché words.
"You've been spending too much time with those fairies." She laughed wholeheartedly and he couldn't help but to follow.
"I like your smile; it's a good look on you." He raised a brow, but kept the smile.
"Thanks." They stared at each other for a few moments, silently.
He tried to ignore all of the voices and focused solely on her. Strange how he'd never noticed just how beautiful she was over those two years, but now he could see it in her smile, and her big green eyes that had an excited glow to them.
Cobra was also well aware of how close they were and he found it surprising how it didn't make him uncomfortable or nervous. If he were to be honest, he had been hoping to be this close to her someday.
After allowing his hand to push her hair back, he found himself staring intently at her lips, which were curled up into a smile. He wanted to kiss her; had wanted to for so long. But would it be right? Did he deserve to be with her after everything he had done?
Thankfully, he didn't have to think about it, because Kinana decided for them. Her hands touched his face ever so gently before she leaned in and he did the same.
Their lips met in a desperate and long-awaited kiss as he allowed his arms to wrap around her waist, leaving no distance between them, while her own tightened around his neck once again.
A few moments later, a loud scream could be heard as a body dropped, pale and lifeless.
"You are supposed to be dead." Kyoka said, voice shaking a bit.
"Your comrade certaintly tried to eliminate me, but I don't intend to go down so easily." The blue haired mage replied, fixing her with a firm stare.
"I suppose we'll see about that." She prepared to attack him, but before she could even comprehend what was happening, she was being hit by a series of attacks. Looking up, she spotted several magic circles.
"Heavenly Body magic: meteor." Moving at unimaginable speed, Jellal was able to hit her a few more times and she couldn't deny that he was impressive.
"I see now why Lord Zeref warned us about you." Kyoka said, standing up.
"You should have never hurt Erza." His tone was cold and threatening, like it used to be when he was possesssed by darkness.
"It's strange how similar you two are. She said the same thing, before I defeated her, of course." Both glanced towards the reequip mage. Erza had fallen to the ground and she lay with her hands grasping at the earth and her body shaking. Her sobs were still audible to them and with each cry of his name or plead for death; Jellal's body tensed more.
"It will be alright, Erza. I'll take her down." He said, not forgetting about his opponent as a wall of golden fire shielded him.
"She can't answer you now. In fact, she can't even hear you." The demon said, smirking.
"What have you done?" Anger crossed his face while he sent the fire towards her.
"I exploited her weakness, just as I'm about to do to you." Kyoka took out her whip, but he managed to avoid it.
"Don't you dare." He screamed once she sent it towards Erza. Once again using meteor, he blocked the attack, this time using wind to send it far back.
"Impressive." The demon said, retracting her whip and instead making her sword appear. "But you won't be able to protect her forever. You'll end up exhausting yourself, so you won't be able to fight me."
"Don't be so sure." Jellal closed his eyes, concentrating. Within seconds, a familiar figure from the past appeared by his side. Blue hair, the same green eyes and red scar across the right one. Siegrain wore the same long white robe from back when he'd been one of the ten wizard saints.
"A clone?" Kyoka wondered, curious.
"It's good to be back." The illusion said, crossing his arms and smirking.
"I'm putting you in charge of Erza's protection. Don't disappoint me." The real Jellal said and the clone nodded before walking towards Erza. Standing in front of her, he created a barrier of water around them both.
"Now I can focus on you." Jellal then turned to Kyoka, who watched them with a smirk.
"Yes. I suppose I should give you the same treatment I gave Erza." She once again released her full power, sending torrents of energy around. Hearing Jellal's loud scream as he was overcome with pain was satisfying, but her happiness was cut short for the mage quickly recovered and used more magic circles to cancel out her Curse.
"Is this all you can do?" He stood in the distance, panting a bit. It was clear the fight was beginning to take its toll on him.
"How?" No one had ever managed to stop her full Curse before.
"You made a mistake by trying to use Erza to take me down. In fact, threatening to hurt her only increased my desire to eliminate you." Kyoka nodded, finally understanding.
"Seilah always reinforced that love is a human weakness, but I can see now that she was wrong." A thoughtful look came upon her face. "Love can become strength and I should use that to my advantage."
"I thought demons weren't capable of love." Jellal was confused and unsettled.
"That may be true, but our connection to Lord Zeref is stronger than any human emotion." She was smiling, a somewhat genuine smile, and it scared him more than he'd ever admit.
As she closed her eyes and began glowing dark purple, he got into a defensive position, readying his magic. After glancing once again towards Erza's nearly unconscious form, his resolve grew stronger. He needed to win this battle, for her sake.
Kyoka opened her eyes once again after a few seconds before extending her arms. "Lord Zeref, everything I do is for you. My master, my creator, allow me to eliminate this human."
This time her curse was five times more powerful, which didn't go unnoticed by her opponent. Deciding to conserve energy, he made Siegrain disappear and took his place in front of the red head. Using his full magic power, he conjured a shield, hoping it would be enough.
Back with Gajeel and Levy... 7:50 PM
He watched with relief as the water began to disappear. The fight against Torafusa had been difficult, to say the least, but he had managed to win in the end.
Looking around the area, he spotted Levy holding onto the injured Lucy while the others were scattered around, still unconscious. Worry for them filled his mind, but he was more concerned about his girlfriend, so he crawled towards her while calling out her name.
"Levy? You okay?" The petit bluenette lifted her head and once her brown eyes found his, a bright smile came across her face.
"I knew that you could do it." She momentarily left Lucy's unconscious form before crawling towards him. Once they were close enough, her arms were thrown around his neck in a desperate hug and he replied just as tightly.
"I'm so glad you're alright." Gajeel whispered and he felt her nod.
"I was worried for a second, but we pulled it off." They pulled apart in order to assess the other and make sure that they were truly okay.
"I gotta admit, that was one hell of a fight." He said while her hand ran across his shoulders, which had taken the words damage from Torafusa's diamond armour.
"You're injured." He shrugged.
"It's nothing I can't handle." Levy laughed while shaking her head.
"I don't understand how you can stay strong even after everything that just happened." He smiled before taking her hands in his.
"It's thanks to you. You make me stronger and I don't know why it took me so long to realize that." She rolled her eyes.
"Now you're sounding like a broken recording. You already gave that speech the day we got together, remember?" The memory of that day had both smiling.
"How could I forget? It was one of the happiest days of my life." Gajeel said and she raised a brow.
"Really?" He nodded,
"Yeah. I didn't actually believe that you'd accept my apology, so I was worried. If it wasn't for Juvia annoying me until I did it, I don't think I would've." At the mention of the water mage, their faces fell.
"She's in real trouble, isn't she?" Gajeel didn't have a response to that, so he looked away. Once his eyes surveyed the battlefield, he finally realised that something was missing.
"Wait a second. Where the hell is the other one?" He stood up, getting into a defensive position while searching for Tempester.
Meanwhile, with the wounded...
"What happened to them?" Lisanna wondered while watching Dorenbolt place Wendy and Carla on the ground.
"I don't know." Mirajane replied, worried.
"Ever, are you okay?" They turned to their brother and his girlfriend. Evergreen looked suddenly terrified, her face had last any remaining colour and her hands were clearly shaking while she held onto him.
"He's here." They raised brows in confusion.
"Who's here?" Bixlow wondered, fixing her with a concerned look.
"I can feel his presence." She whispered before staring at Elfman. "You need to go before he hurts you."
"You know that I'm not going anywhere." He shook his head.
"Please, Elfman. Get us out of here before he kills us." Her fear was sincere and it scared them.
"We won't let that happen. But who's here, Ever?" Mirajane gave her a reassuring look while taking her free hand and squeezing it.
The answer came in the form of a scream coming from Hibiki Lates as he was thrown back with overwhelming force. His girlfriend, Jenny, let out a scream before rushing to aid him.
Looking around the battlefield, it wasn't long before they realized that all of the soldiers had suddenly disappeared. Instead, a demon stood in the distance and Evergreen held even tighter onto her boyfriend once she recognized him.
"What's going on?" Lisanna asked, a bit confused.
"A demon. Is he one of the nine gates?" Mirajane wondered.
"He's the one that took out Laxus." Ever's response had the former quickly standing up, a determined look upon her face.
"Then he has some paying to do." Her siblings smirked; knowing she meant business.
"He doesn't stand a chance now." Lisanna said while Elfman was a little worried.
He could tell that Mira was attempting to appear strong, but it was clear she wasn't 100% yet.
"What are you doing?" Porlyusica came out of no where and glared at her.
"They need my help." She pointed towards Blue Pegasus' elite, who were having trouble in their fight against Tempester. They glanced at the group just as the demon managed to take a hold of Hibiki and, before anyone could comprehend what was happening, wind had shot out from his hand and it quickly swallowed the poor mage.
They watched in horror as he was released a few seconds later, body dropping to the ground with a loud thud. Jenny yelled his name before running towards him; tripping just as she reached his side. Even from the distance, they could hear her sobs and Eve's loud scream confirmed their thoughts: He was dead.
"Oh, no." Lisanna covered her mouth, staring at the scene in shock. Bixlow, who was somewhat close to Hibiki, since they had been in the same guild, removed his helmet and they could see tears brimming in his eyes.
"No way." He whispered, shaking his head.
"See? They need my help." Mirajane repeated, eyeing Porlyusica determinately.
The healer took a look around the area, eyes pausing on Alzack and Bisca, who couldn't join the fight since they were protecting Asuka; and Dorenbolt, who was clearly exhausted and worried about Wendy and Carla.
"No. You can't fight, it's too dangerous." She decided; knowing that having Mirajane join in was a risk they couldn't take.
"I have to protect my friends." The latter told her while glancing once again towards the battle.
Much to their horror, Tempester had now approached the crying Jenny and it wasn't long before he did the same to her as he had done to her boyfriend.
"Jenny!" Mira screamed upon seeing her somewhat friend fall to the ground besides Hibiki. If they weren't so focused on the tragedy their deaths represented, they might've thought about how sweet it was that the couple lay side by side, together even in death.
"This can't be happening." They heard Bisca say as she slowly approached them. Alzack followed her closely, one hand holding onto his gun while the other pushed Asuka's face onto his shoulder so she wouldn't watch the horrible scenes in front of them.
"Are you guys okay?" Lisanna asked and they nodded briefly before sitting down.
"Still can't believe that they're taking us out so easily." Alzack said, glancing towards Cana's body.
"They're too powerful. I don't know how we're gonna defeat these guys." Elfman said before sighing. Evergreen had now fallen unconscious once again, so he carefully placed her on the ground before turning to Mirajane.
"You need to be careful, Mira." She nodded before starting to walk towards the battefield, only to be stopped by Porlyusica.
"Didn't you hear me? You can't join this battle." The healer forcefully told her.
"I refuse to stand idly by while they get hurt. This isn't the time to be selfish." There was a warning look in Porlyusica's eyes.
"I know. But if you use magic again, it could kill you." While her siblings thought she was exaggerating, Mirajane knew the reason behind her words.
"Fine." She sighed before walking back to Elfman and Lisanna. "I won't fight." The two glanced at her in confusion, but she shook her head. This wasn't the time or place to discuss it.
"We can do nothing but hope that they manage to defeat him." Porlyusica said and everyone glanced once again towards the ongoing battle.
Itchyia and Eve had also been knocked unconscious (or at least they hoped so), leaving only Princess Hisui to face the demon. She stared determinedly at her opponent, a hand reaching inside her dress pocket while she considered summoning the celestial spirit king once again.
However, once she remembered that he could only be summoned once in a day, she started to panic.
It's not as if her spirits were weak; even if she didn't have any golden keys, she did have powerful spirits. However, Hisui feared none of them would be strong enough against this enemy. After all, he was clearly on a whole other level.
"What do I do?" Unfortunately, while she was lost in thought, Tempester charged, so fast that she never saw him coming. The princess stared at his demonic face in despair, somehow unable to move as her eyes caught sight of his victims. Was this the end?
Back with Jellal...
Unnoticed by him or Kyoka, two figures joined the battle just as she was about to use her ultimate spell. One had dark hair and bright green eyes while the other had brown hair and eyes. They were Milliana and Kagura, from Mermaid Heel.
"Oh, no." The former whispered upon spotting Erza and the latter's eyes widened once she noticed the spell Kyoka was about to cast.
"Careful, Milliana." Just for precaution, she used her gravity magic to create a shield around them.
In the end, though, it wasn't necessary. The demon's attack was focused solely on Jellal and, for a moment, it seemed as if she had achieved her goal. However, as soon as the dust dissipated, the two were somewhat relieved to spot the blue haired man still standing.
"How could he block that?" The cat wizard couldn't deny that she was impressed.
"How can you still be standing?" Kyoka wondered the same.
"Because, I can't afford to lose this fight." It was Jellal's response before he prepared to use his own ultimate spell. Kagura's eyes widened once she recognized it from the description Erza had given her after the Games.
"That spell...is the same he used..." Milliana also realized it.
"To kill Simon." The former finished, a shaky hand holding onto her sword. Emotions overwhelmed her: anger, regret, sadness, revenge.
For a moment, she considered taking it out and using it against Jellal like she had planned for so long.
Seeing her struggle, Milliana placed a comforting hand on her arm while shaking her head.
"Don't." Kagura sighed before looking back at her brother's killer. He was on his knees now, clearly exhausted. Only a few feet away lay the apparently defeated Kyoka and Erza seemed to be awakening.
Kagora let go of the sword and the two friends watched in silence as the red head finally opened her eyes and looked around in confusion before spotting Jellal.
They were confused by the look of disbelief on her face before she threw her arms around him while he held onto her tightly. Her sounds could be heard as he comforted her and Milliana couldn't stop the smile that came to her face.
It was nice seeing how caring and loving Jellal was towards Erza; it reminded her why she'd chosen to give him a chance. After all, as much as she'd hated him before, she wasn't willing to lose one of her oldest friends because of that.
Also, seeing how much Erza loved him made her realize she might be wrong to believe he hadn't changed. There was no way her friend would accept him if he was still the same cold hearted, evil man who had taken Simon away from them.
"He isn't the same person who killed my brother, is he?" Kagura wondered while watching the couple kiss.
"No, he's changed so much since then. Erza wouldn't love him otherwise." Milliana replied, still smiling.
"I suppose that, someday, I might be able to forgive him, like you have." She took the former's hand and squeezed it.
"I know that you're still hurting and I'm so proud of you for considering it, Kagura." A smile overtook the Kagura's face.
"Thank you, for everything." They hugged each other, glad to have a great friend by their side.
Unfortunately, the sweet moment was ruined once Milliana glanced once again towards Erza and Jellal. The couple were still kissing, unaware that a few feet behind them Kyoka had somehow arisen and there was a dagger in her hand. She was silently crawling towards them, raising the weapon.
"Erza!" Milliana pulled apart from the hug; letting out a loud scream before everything fell apart.
"I think he's gone." Levy said after a few minutes, but Gajeel shook his head.
"No, I can hear someone coming. Although the smell's kinda familiar." They kept a defensive position as steps soon could be heard. Thankfully, it was no enemy this time, but allies.
"Lyon!" The first one was Chelia, whose eyes widened once she spotted Lyon's unconscious form.
"Are you alright?" Jura's figure soon appeared and he fixed the couple with a worried look.
"We're fine, but the others need help." Levy answered and the pinkette was quick to reach them before kneeling down by the fallen ice mage's side.
"What happened here?" The wizard saint asked once he joined them.
"We were attacked by three demons. Lyon and Meredy defeated one, I defeated another and the third one just disappeared." Gajeel explained.
"I didn't feel any dark presences on the way here, so I think that we can assume he's gone somewhere else." The former replied.
"My magic isn't working? Why isn't it working?" Chelia's frustrated scream made them turn their attention towards her.
"I heard the demon say he was poisoned." The dragon slayer said and her face paled.
"That means I can't heal him, my magic doesn't work against poisons." She pouted and Jura cast her a reassuring look.
"It's alright, Chelia. We'll find a way to save him. Now, try to help the others." She sighed before nodding.
"Okay." They watched in silence as she moved towards Natsu, then Lucy; managing to heal the latter's injury. When it came to Meredy's turn, she stared at them in confusion. "Who's that?" Levy and Gajeel shared a glance; unsure how to answer.
"She's an ally, a friend of Juvia's." The petit bluenette deciced to go with and Chelia nodded before using her magic on the pinkette. It was clear that she was beginning to get exhausted, but she didn't complain.
"There, all better." She cast them a bright smile and they were relieved when Meredy also opened her eyes.
"Lucy!" Natsu's desperate call caught their attention as he sat up so quick he almost threw up.
"Careful, Salamander. Don't go throwing up on my boots." Gajeel told him, but he ignored it as he started to search for Lucy. Upon spotting the celestial wizard slowly sitting up, he quickly crawled towards her.
"Luce, you scared me!" The blonde was caught off guard when he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
"Natsu?" She whispered, groaning. He quickly pulled away.
"Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to..." She shook her head, fixing him with a smile.
"It's okay, I'm okay now." Both glanced towards her stomach, glad to see the wound was no longer there.
"How?" Looking around, Natsu spotted Chelia, who was a little startled by the crazy look he gave her.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I could hug you now!" Seeing her expression, Lucy quickly caught a hold of his arms before he could stand.
"Or you could hug me again." He turned around before once again throwing his arms around her and they could hear him sobbing against her neck.
"There, there." She smiled while comforting him.
"What a wuss." Gajeel rolled his eyes and Levy leaned against his arm while giving him a soft smile.
"He's not the only one, then." His expression softened as he wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Whatever, shrimp." She smiled even more.
"Awww, you guys are so cute!" Chelia gushed, looking at the two couples with hearts in her eyes. Before the iron dragon slayer could complain at being called cute, they heard footsteps approaching once again.
This time, however, he didn't even move, knowing exactly who was coming.
"Are you guys okay?" Gray asked once him and Silver approached the group.
"We're fine." Gajeel replied, eyeing the older man suspiciously.
"Don't worry, Gajeel. I'm no longer being controlled by Tartarus." The latter quickly said upon noticing this.
"That's right, he's on our side." Gray firmly told the dragon slayer.
"Good to know." He knew that he could trust the ice mage, so he decided not to argue.
"So, what happened with you guys?" Levy asked, worried upon noting the bruises on Gray's chest and arms.
"Long story. But there's something I need to do now." While everyone stared at him in confusion, he walked towards Meredy, who was staring concernedly at Lyon. "I need your help, Meredy."
"What is it?" The pinkette asked, diverting her eyes.
"Juvia. I need to find her and your sensory link could help with that." The pinkette bit her lip.
"I shouldn't use anymore magic, I already did an unison raid with Lyon." This had Chelia and Jura looking confused while they wondered who exactly she was. "But I remember Grandma told me doing the sensory link doesn't take much energy, so I could do it. But only once." Gray nodded.
"Once is all I need." He helped her stand and she closed her eyes, taking a few breaths. She was glad to feel her magic power was still intact, but so was the pain, which made her worried for her child.
However, this wasn't the time to think about it; Juvia needed her.
The others watched in quiet amazement as the bright pink bracelet appeared in Gray's right arm. The ice mage looked uncomfortable for a moment before he closed his eyes.
After a few minutes had passed, Silver took a step forward and touched his shoulder.
"Son? Are you okay?" Gray opened his eyes.
"Nothing." Meredy frowned.
"What?" This wasn't good.
"I can't feel anything. Maybe your spell didn't work?" The pinkette shook her head.
"No, the spell worked just fine. There are some...circumstances that could explain why you can't feel anything." He didn't like the look on her face.
"What kind of circumstance?" Everyone suddenly looked worried.
"The link doesn't work if the other person is unconscious or..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
"Then she's unconscious. It makes sense, Zeref must've knocked her out so she couldn't escape." Gray decided and no one wanted to argue with him.
Unfortunately, none of them were aware that; in a cottage far away from Tartarus' base; Zeref watched with a sad smile as the familiar bluenette lay on the ground. There were various pieces of broken glass spread across the floor near her and a strange liquid stained the wood.
Her eyes were closed, but the absence of a heartbeat and the coldness of her body once he picked it up were enough to tell a horrible truth: she was dead.
So, thoughts?
What did you think of Jellal vs Kyoka? Were you expecting Kagura and Milliana to show up in the middle fo the battle? And what will happen next? Hint: someone will die.
GaLe fans, did you like their scenes here? It's been a while since I wrote them, I hope they were in character.
Anyone is a fan of Cobra x Kinana? They just joined my favorite couples list, I had no idea how cute they were. I hope you enjoyed my twist on their tale.
On another topic, what did you think of the Strauss siblings + Blue Pegasus + Tempester scenes? Honestly, I wasn't even planning on killing Jenny and Hibiki, it just came to me. May they Rest In Peace.
Lastly, let's talk about that final scene. I told you the main death of this chapter would include the last person you'd expect. However, we all know it's not over yet. (Or at least everyone who read the last chapter of Connections)
How do you think Juvia will return? More importantly, why did Zeref kill her in the first place?
Next chapter: Victory?
Summary: The end of the war draws near as Kyoka and Tempester are defeated, leaving Mard Geer as the last demon standing. Unfortunately, even though the heroes manage to win their battles, victory isn't without loss. More deaths follow, some unexpected and some unavoidable. Meanwhile, Zeref has an interesting chat with a forgotten foe about the news of Juvia's death. What will he do now that FACE and E.N.D are no more?
Can we try 5 reviews by Saturday?