Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 26: Fairies Along the Wind

To those who already guessed it, yes, that Omake last chapter was about Madara and Hashirama. Hey, Hashirama told Levy a bunch of interesting stories and tales from his time in the Elemental Nations. For a book lover like Levy, that translates to great story telling.

Also, a few months ago, I made a prediction that Silver was Ultear's father because I didn't want to think it was just the played out and obvious idea everyone said. Well...I was wrong and...I was pleasantly surprised by the choice they decided to go with it.

Also, I got to see one of my favorite parts of Fairy Tail, the sheer raw and uncut emotion showed on people's faces when something happens. The complete insanity in Silver's face and the pure rage in Gray's eyes...I had chills. And not just because of the ice.

########Hunter########

"WOOHOO! SOMEONE, GET ANOTHER BARREL READY!" The guild master of Fairy Tail cheered with a drunken slur as he downed another mug of booze.

All the respected guild masters from around the country were drinking and partying in this remote little building in the mountains of Clover Town. Once they were done with the serious business of discussing the work of their respective guilds, they did what all people with power do...

Party until they were shitfaced.

"Geez Makarov, wanna try and pace yourself a bit?" Goldmine of Quatro Cerberus joked as he bit into his meat kebab, "Any more and you might go blue in the face!"

"I'm compensating!" Makarov retorted while grabbing a steak and ripping a good chunk of it off with his teeth, "I come here and I have to deal with all the complaining and bitchin' about my guild and the damages we cause! I'm getting my far pay by eating and drinking this place out of house and home! If I'm gonna go another few months before coming here, I'm gonna make sure it'll be in the throws of the best hangover ever!"

"Whatever. Your funeral."

"Makky-chan!" Bob of Blue Pegasus skipped over to his old friend's side and leaned over to speak to him in the noisy crowd, "I heard you had a pretty new member join your guild. What's she like~?"

"Blonde! Busty! And a great ass!" Makarov lifted his cup, "Just what our guild needs!"

"Ohhhhh~, dirty boy!"

Makarov just laughed off the little name he was given and decided to continue his drinking. Until...

"Master Makarov! Master Makarov!" A bird with a pointy hat came flying over before hovering in front of the short man. It held out the letter grasped in its tiny talons, "Letter for you!"

Makarov took the letter from the messenger and ripped the envelope. He pulled out the letter and flipped it open as a holographic image of Mirajane popped out. The pre-recorded barmaid smiled and waved, "Hello Master, I hope you're enjoying the regular meeting with everyone else and getting along with them."

"HEY EVERYBODY, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Makarov yelled as he waved the letter around, "MY POSTER GIRL, MIRAJANE, IS TALKING RIGHT NOW!"

Bob looked at the little magic image of the white-haired girl and swooned, "Oh~, Mira-chan has gotten even cuter since I last saw her. Jenny-chan must be getting nervous to work with her all the time."

"Damn right she should be worried! No one can beat our Mira!" He held the letter proudly and prepared for the rest of the message, "Let's see just how great my guild is doing, huh?"

"I just wrote this letter because I have some very exciting news! Erza and Naruto returned from their job and they formed a team with Natsu and Gray!" She smiled happily and kept talking, "It was a little touch-and-go for a minute but now they've all set out and they're making their way north by train! Isn't that fantastic! Well, I just wanted to let you know what was happening while you were gone. Stay safe, and come back soon."

The image faded and Makarov was left holding the letter. Goldmine ate from his kebab before commenting, "So those two S-Class kids of Rob's made a team with some more of your kids? That's great. Maybe they can teach 'em something, right Makarov?" He didn't get a response and looked at the man, "Makarov?"

The guild master of Fairy Tail had stark white eyes and was currently foaming at the mouth. He twitched a few times before he fell off the table. The people panicked, "Makarov? Maka-someone call a nurse!"

"Makky-chan! It's gonna be okay! Don't go towards the light! The light is bad!"

As all of Makarov's senses and vision turned into one massive blur to protect himself from the shock of what he just heard, he let out a silent prayer to whatever divine being was looking over him from up above...

'Please...I don't know who's up there or if you are even watching us...but please...please...for the love of all that is good and sane...don't let those kids do anything too stupid!'

########Hunter########

Civilians stood out in front of the Oshibana train station and watched anxiously as a beaten military platoon was gingerly led out of the building. Several people started to talk and whisper between themselves as a strong wind started to pick up around the area.

One of the train employees lifted a megaphone to his mouth, ("Everyone, please remain calm! We have still not confirmed the situation happening in the station right now! Until further notice, please stay out here and-")

"Look! Someone's coming!"

Everybody looked up at the stairway to the train station as the red-headed woman that had stormed in earlier was walking down. She calmly approached the man with the megaphone as he flinched in fear that he might be tossed away again. She calmly stretched out her hand and silently asked for the device in his hands. He looked at the megaphone before handing it to her, afraid that any argument would earn him beating.

Erza stepped forward, coughed into her hand, and calmly spoke to the crowd, ("The station is currently filled with members of a very dangerous Dark Guild. They defeated the military platoon not too long ago and we are still taking a moment to capture the remainder of their forces. If you value your lives, please, get away from this place as fast as possible in a calm and orderly fashion. Thank you and have a nice day.")

Everyone in the crowd was speechless as the Requip Mage's words took a moment to sink in.

Before everyone started fleeing and sprinting to their respective homes.

Erza calmly handed the megaphone back to the man before looking at all the panicked employees, "I'm not kidding. It's best you all leave now before something bad happens."

The train employees ran away in fear as Erza looked out at the town as her hair blew in the wind. The civilians were gone and now safe from any stray mages that would try to hurt them. Most of Eisenwald was defeated and being detained as she stood there. Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were all looking for Erigor before anything else happened.

But Erza was uneasy. Erigor wasn't feared as the 'Shinigami' for nothing. A kick to the chin, even from someone as strong as Naruto, might not have been enough to put him out of commission. She had faith they would be strong enough to fight him off if it was a forward confrontation, but that man was slippery and conniving.

They had to be careful.

Erza needed to contact the regular meeting and make sure Master was safe before-

Just then, the wind around her picked up several times and nearly pulled her off her feet. Erza held her hair down and looked behind her before her eyes widened in shock. Surrounding the entirety of the train station was a cage of violent and rampant wind. Erza knew if she even tried to put her hand through it, her hand would be shredded to a bloody mess.

Erza glared, "What the hell is this?"

"A cage of wind." Erza turned around to see Erigor floating several meters in the air in front of her. He smiled and grinned, revealing the blood dripping down his chin from Naruto's sneak attack before looking at the armored girl, "Admittedly, I was planning to use this on those crusty old farts in Clover, but the situation called for it. You Fairies are far more troublesome than I believed."

Erza scowled towards the Eisenwald Mage, "Deactivate your spell, this instant."

"Can't." Erigor chuckled menacingly before he waved his hand at the massive spinning cage of wind, "This isn't a spell, it's a barrier seal formed from my magic. Your friends are caught inside. And now..."

Erigor spun the end of his broken scythe with the shattered blade on it and sent several razor sharp blades of Wind down on the Fairy woman. Erza guarded while the razor currents slashed up the platform beneath her. She glowed with light before using Requip to change into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and gripped the blades in her hands.

She jumped into the air and swung her swords at Erigor, the bony man using his aerial movement to dodge the end of her blades and block with his broken weapon. The two mages pushed off from each other and Erza landed on the split platform to regain her balance for only a second.

But Erigor took that chance and blew Erza and the rubble from the platform into the wind cage with a mighty gale. Erza was blasted into the train station while the rubble cracked into the floor around her. Erza grabbed a large rock and tossed it into the barrier of wind before charging at it to push the rest of the way through. But the stone was immediately reduced to dust, and the gauntlet around Erza's hand was ripped to pieces, shredding her forearm severely.

Erza clicked her teeth in annoyance as she heard Erigor's condescending laughter from the other side of the barrier. He mocked her, "Sorry Titania, but that barrier only has a one-way entrance! It will dissipate in a few hours! And that'll give me plenty of time to take out those fools in Colver! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."

Erigor's cackling faded as he flew away from the train station and towards the tracks to Clover. Erza looked down at her hand and back up at the barrier of violent wind. She wasn't going to be able to break through it with just sheer strength. She would be cut to ribbons. They needed to think of a way through it...

Erza changed back into her base armor and headed back to the central platform. She had to find everyone else and come up with a plan before it was too late.

########Hunter########

Naruto slapped the dust off his hands and smiled at his handiwork, "Okay, that outta do it."

All of the unconscious members of the Dark Guild were gather up in a large circle, packed together as tightly as humanly possible, and tied together with several beams of steel Naruto had graciously taken from the tracks underneath the train car.

The whole station had damages and need renovations. If they were gonna pay for fixing the central platform and the roof, they might as well put in a few steel beams for good measure.

He looked up at the hole in the ceiling and narrowed his eyes in worry. It shouldn't have taken this long to check to see if Erigor was still unconscious. So where were they?

While Naruto mused to himself, he realized there was a strange humming running through the wall and windows around him. He looked over at a window and saw what looked like a tempest settling outside the station. He raised an eyebrow, "What the hell?"

"Naruto!" The whiskered man saw Erza run back into the central platform in a hurry as she came to his side. She looked up towards him, "We have a problem." Her eyes furrowed in anger, "Erigor has escaped. He took the flute with him and locked us in the train station with some kind of barrier seal. We're trapped."

"What?!" Naruto yelled before looking back out the window at the speeding winds. He faced his girlfriend, "We need to break out of here! I'll-" He stopped when he noticed blood dripping through her gauntlet, badly shredded by some kind of razor force. His eyes narrowed and he looked at her, "We can't break through it then?"

Erza shook her head, "It's too strong. It moves like a hurricane of blades and even if we wait for it to dissipate on its own it'll be too late. We need to think of a plan." She looked at him, "Do you have a Communication Lachrima with you?"

"Yeah, always." His hand glowed and a small blue Lachrima appeared from his Requip space. He held it out to her, "What are you gonna do?"

"I'll try and send a message out to the regular meeting in Clover. We need to at least warn them of what's going on." Erza took the Lachrima and started using the emergency contact information they were given to call Master if there was ever trouble. The call failed and Erza clicked her teeth, "Damn! The barrier is interfering with the signal. We can't reach them like this!"

Naruto thought for a moment before looking over at the red-head, "You said it was a seal, right?" Erza nodded her head before Naruto pointed towards the upper level, "That guy, Kage-something, the one with the weird hair, he said he was the one who undid the seal on Lullaby. He might be the safest bet on getting us out of here."

Erza thought for a moment before nodding in agreement, "You might be right."

"Hey, guys! You see what's happening outside?" The two S-Class mages looked up to see Gray leaning on the support beam of the upper platform, a few small cuts and scuffs on his clothes but no worse for wear. He pointed in the direction he came from, "I looked out the window and I thought we were in the eye of the storm or something! You guys know what happened?"

"Yeah, that stupid bony bastard locked us up in here and we can't get out!" Naruto replied with an edge in his voice.

Erza stepped forward, "Gray, there were two Eisenwald mages following after you and Natsu when you ran up there! Did you fight one of them that controls shadows?"

"Nope!" Gray lifted up his beaten opponent, a broken nose and swollen cheeks from where the stripper had easily handed him his ass. He dropped the unconscious man and wiped his hands, "Why? Does it matter?"

Erza looked over at Naruto, "Then he must have chased after Natsu. We have to find them before it's too late!" She started running up the stairs and asked Gray, "Do you know where Natsu went off to?"

"The opposite direction I went." He ran down the hall and motioned for them to follow, "I'll show you the way!"

########Hunter########

"GAH!"

Kageyama blew through the wall and rolled on the floor as the dust settled around him. He coughed in pain and spit up some blood before he grabbed his head to stop the throbbing. He stumbled to his feet, "I-it isn't possible. You-you can't be his strong!"

"You're this scared of me?" Natsu strutted through the massive hole in the wall he had created and gave a toothy grin. His arms were covered in flames and he started getting into a low stance, "I haven't even begun to show you the scary stuff yet."

Kageyama held out his hands and several spires of Shadow magic raised from the ground. They started to bend and turn before all of them shot towards Natsu in a blur. But the Dragon-Slayer jumped back and away from the piercing magic attack. The Shadow strikes kept destroying the hallway and floor but Natsu maneuvered around them with experienced movement.

Kageyama kept trying to move his hands along with Natsu's speed but he couldn't catch up. Natsu's hand burst into flames before he charged into the onslaught of shadows and swung his arms out, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

Kageyama's Shadows were destroyed by the power of Natsu's burning flames. The pink-haired man landed a few feet in front of the Dark Mage before looking up at his terrified visage and smirked, "Boo."

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

Natsu barreled into Kageyama's chest with his entire body covered in flames and sent the beaten man flying down the hallway. Natsu skidded across the floor as the flames and shadows dissipated around him. He heard Kageyama cough a few times before he struggled to push himself up to his elbows. Natsu narrowed his eyes before standing up, "One last punch outta do it!"

Natsu sprinted down the hallway while Kageyama looked up in shock. Natsu jumped in the air and pulled his fist back before yelling, "You shouldn't have tried hurt Jii-chan, you-"

"NATSU!"

Before Natsu could land the last hit on Kageyama, Erza's fist came out of nowhere and planted itself in the Dragon-Slayer's face. Natsu let out a surprised yell before he was blasted several feet away, Kageyama's eyes stark white in shock. Erza brought her fist to her side, "We need his help for something."

"DAMMIT ERZA! STOP HITTING ME! THAT'S LIKE THE HUNDREDTH TIME TODAY!" Natsu yelled from the floor before he held his nose and groaned.

Gray sighed before he started walking towards the Fire Mage, "C'mon, get up. This is important."

Kageyama tried to flee but Naruto placed his hand on his shoulder to keep him grounded while Erza grabbed his collar. She glared into his eyes, "Tell us how to undo the seal around the train station."

Natsu rubbed his nose, "The what?"

Gray turned to him, "There's this weird tornado thing blocking us in outside. We can't get though it."

"Unless you undo the seal Erigor left here."

Kageyama scowled and shook his head, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Stop bullshitting." Naruto said as he gripped his shoulder a little tighter, "I remember what you said on the train. You broke the seal on Lullaby. You're a Dispeller. And a barrier of wind is a helluva lot easier to break than a seal placed on an ancient killing flute."

"This was a part of your plan, wasn't it?" Erza questioned as she shook him slightly, "You all planned to use this to what? Cage us? Cage the guild masters in Clover? You had to have a back-up in case something went wrong. So fix it."

Kageyama shook his head, "Never."

Erza glared, "Tell us and I promise we won't do anything to you."

Kageyama panicked, "You don't understand. If tell you anything, Erigor will kill me. And he won't make it easy on my account."

"Well I'm here and he's not." Erza went to his face, "So who are you more frightened of at the moment?"

Kageyama's mind was racing. He knew if they wanted to get information out of him, there were ways to make him speak. And he knew if he said anything, Erigor or someone else from the guild will kill him for his betrayal. Either way, this was the end for him. He closed his eyes and started gritting his teeth.

The Fairy mages watched as a look of pain crossed the Eisenwald mage's face. He groaned in agony before he coughed up a massive glob of blood. Blood seeped down his chin and over Erza's hands as they looked at him in horror, "What the-"

"Shit! He's biting his tongue! Open his mouth!" Naruto yelled before his hand went to Kageyama's jaw and tried to force it open. Kageyama yelled in pain as Naruto stopped him from committing suicide before he looked up at the Maker Mage, "Gray! Stop him!"

"R-right!" He fell to his knees besides Erza and placed his fist in his open palm. A small rod of ice appeared in his hand before he placed it inside Kageyama's mouth to stop from biting down any further. Kageyama yelled and moaned in pain before he closed his eyes and passed out.

The Fairy group relaxed for a moment as they looked down at the Dark Mage. Blood had coated his chin and around his collar and if they hadn't stopped him from biting through he would have bled out. Erza shook her head in dissapointment, "Dammit."

Natsu looked down silently at Kageyama as he panted heavily. This man would choose suicide over whatever his guildmate were going to do to him. Natsu gritted his teeth and snarled, "What the hell kind of guild would make you do something like this?"

The mages of Fairy Tail all sat around silently as the last ticket to getting out of their trap coughed up blood. They had to think of another plan.

"Hey guys! There you are!" Lucy jogged over to her friends' side after her and Happy had searched everywhere they could to find Erigor. She shook her head, "Sorry but I couldn't find that Erigor guy anywhere."

"We looked upstairs, downstairs, around the hall! And we found nothing!" Happy added before he deflated a little and floated to the ground. He sighed, "Sorry everyone."

"If he's moving then we've got to catch him before it's too late. What should..." She realized all of them had their attention on something else. She and Happy looked between each other before they leaned to the side and saw the beaten and bloody Dark Mage with ice in his mouth. They lost their voices for a minute as Lucy covered her mouth and gasped...

She weakly let out, "What...happened?"

########Hunter########

"HA!"

Naruto released a massive wave of Wind in the opposite direction of the barrier that surrounded them. When his chakra attack hit the magic barrier, the wind slowed down for a moment before immediately fixing itself again. He sighed and shook his head as Erza came up besides him, "Any luck?"

He clicked his teeth, "Nope. I keep trying to chip away at it and it fixes itself like it was nothing. It's a barrier so no matter how much I've thrown at it, it'll keep fixing itself until it disappears."

Erza looked up at him, "So if we wanted to even try to escape, you would have to slow the entire thing down?"

"And I don't think I can do that from inside." He looked back to see Natsu, Lucy, and Happy surrounding the injured Kageyama while Gray walked further down the outside platform to look at the cage. The whiskered man asked, "Should we try asking Kageyama again?"

"He chose taking his own life over giving us a single piece of information. Who knows what else he might do to stop from letting us out." Erza looked down at the Lachirma in her hand, "If we could just contact them..."

Natsu stood back up and started walking towards the vortex of wind, "I can't take this anymore..."

"W-wait! Wait Natsu!" Lucy grabbed his arm and tried to slow him down before he did anything reckless, "Stop! You know we can't break out of here just by force!"

"So! It's better than just standing here with our thumbs in our asses!" Natsu yelled in anger, "That stupid Windy Bastard is on his way to kill all the masters and we can't do anything!"

"We're thinking man." Gray said as he walked back over after hearing the commotion, "There's no point in destroying our bodies if it helps us achieve shit."

"Still! I..." Natsu tapered off for a moment and growled before he calmed down. He did already try to attack the barrier and he had nothing but shredded skin to prove it. Attacking head on wasn't the right move to make.

Lucy saw Natsu's shoulders slump and felt sorry she couldn't do anything to help him. She gripped his hand, "I'm sorry Natsu."

He looked back at her for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. He grabbed her shoulders, "That's it! Lucy!"

She blinked in confusion, "W-what?"

"You're Spirit things! They can help us! Summon one of them!"

The Fairy mages silently blinked before Gray tilted his head, "Spirits? You mean those Celestial Spirit things?"

Erza crossed her arms, "I've heard that there are a multitude of different kinds of Spirits from the Celestial Realm that have various different powers."

Naruto perked up a bit, "You think one of them can help us?"

"Totally! They've gotta!" Natsu turned to the blonde girl, "C'mon Lucy, summon a big fan or a swirly eel or...Lucy?"

Lucy was shaking with an angry tick in her head, "I've told you already...I don't have any Spirits like that!" She pointed at his face, "I spent a whole afternoon explaining this to you! I have Taurus, Aquarius, and Cancer to help me but that's it! They can't do anything about this barrier!"

Natsu thought for a moment, "What about Plue?"

"HOW'S PLUE GONNA HELP?!"

Natsu deflated, "Geez Lucy, you need to work more on these key things. They seem really inconvenient."

Lucy pouted before she argued, "Well my keys are rare and hard to find, all right! And I'm sorry the ones I have don't cause mass destruction like you do, you freak!"

Naruto nodded, "She's right Natsu. Not everything is as destructive as you."

Erza nodded, "I agree."

Gray shook his head, "You need to learn to control yourself dumbass."

Lucy pointed at them, "NONE OF YOU ARE ANY BETTER!"

"AH!" They all flinched when they heard the little blue cat scream in surprise. Happy jumped up, "A freak! That's what I forgot about! Lucy, I remember what I was gonna tell you earlier in the four-wheeler!"

Lucy sighed, "Is now really the time to talk about this?"

Happy pulled the pack off from his back and started rummaging through its contents. He found what he wanted and with a cheer he pulled it out...

A golden key.

Lucy gasped, "T-that's-that's Virgo's Key! W-where did you get that?!"

"She gave it to me." Happy answered matter-of-factly, "While you and Natsu weren't looking, she came up to me and told me to give this to you. She said since Duke Everlue committed crimes and went off to jail, their contract was voided and she would like someone like you to fill in the spot for her summoner."

Lucy was in complete disbelief, "That was days ago! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!"

"Well I was coming to tell you, but then I saw a fish vendor selling trout for half-price! And I sorta forgot after that."

Everyone was just staring at the little blue cat flatly.

Naruto shook his head, "He had to have Natsu's brains..."

Lucy shook her head, "It doesn't matter. Even with someone as big as Virgo, we still can't barrel through the wind like that. And I won't summon her just as a shield to push through."

"Oh, okay..." Happy sulked a little, "I thought she could dig a hole for us but if you say you don't want it-"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock before Lucy enveloped the little cat in a tight hug, "Happy, you little genius you! When we get back, I'm gonna buy you so much fish!"

"I want all the fish."

"I-I can't afford that much but-"

"All. The. Fish."

"W-we'll see."

Natsu was confused, "Wait, this 'Viagro' or whatever, is that the freaky gorilla maid I beat in the last job?"

"It's Virgo." Lucy nodded, "And yes, it is! She can dig tunnels better than Everlue could! And since she's so big, we could easily fit in the hole and climb out of here!"

"Dig our way out?"

"That might actually work."

"Great idea Lucy!"

"Okay, here we go." Lucy took the golden key from Happy's paw and started reciting the incantation, "I am the one that bridges this world to the world of the Celestial Spirit...here my call and pass through the gate into this world..."

She pointed her key and a brilliant light was emitted from the tip, "Open, Gate of The Maiden, Virgo!"

The sound of gates opening echoed through the platform and a figure emerged from the light. From out of thin air, a small, slender woman in a maid outfit appeared before the Fairy mages. She had bright pink hair and cuffs around her wrists. She bowed deeply to those in front of her, "Good evening Mistress, how may I be of service to you today?"

They were all silent and shocked at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of them. They were expecting something more bulky and huge. Natsu tilted his head, "She lost weight."

Gray blinked in confusion, "Is that what apes look like nowadays?"

Virgo awaited patiently for her orders as she bowed her head, "I am here to serve you Mistress, any need or desire you have and I will do my best to accomplish it."

"No no no, hold on. Something's wrong here." Lucy started gesturing to the body of the maid, "What-what happened to you?"

"Whatever do you mean Mistress?"

"I mean you're all skinny and cute now! What happened to that big monstrous gorilla form with all the impossible strength and digging ability?!"

"I take the form that would most please the summoner that carries my key. The form you first encountered me with was the form most compliant to Everlue-sama's tastes. This is the form I chose because I believed you might enjoy something leaner and more compact." She reassured her summoner, "But do not fret Mistress, whatever form I choose does not affect my strength, abilities, or my loyalty to you."

Lucy blinked in surprise before she scratched her cheek, "O-oh, okay, that's makes sense...I guess..."

"If you prefer Mistress, I shall take on my previous form." Instantly, Virgo's entire body expanded to almost ten-feet tall, covered in muscle and looking like a transvestite ogre.

Everyone cringed, "OH!"

Lucy waved her arms, "Turn back! Stay cute! Stay cute!"

Virgo immediately changed back into her smaller form, "As you wish Mistress."

"Okay, can you stop calling me that." Lucy asked hesitantly, "I don't like being called something weird like Mistress."

"Then how about Queen?"

"Not any better."

"How about Princess?"

"That'll do. I like that."

Everyone stared at the blonde for a moment.

She felt their stares and realized they were in a hurry, "Right! Sorry! Virgo, I know we haven't made a contract yet, but this is an emergency! Can you dig a hole underneath this station and out into the town?"

"Of course Princess, it is a simple task." She bowed, "I will start immediately."

"Great! Oh, we might actually want to start downstairs because this is the second floor so-"

Virgo immediately disappeared from the platform and left a large hole that lead into the first floor below them.

Lucy blinked, "Or you could just barrel right through it like nothing. Your choice."

"Well done Lucy! An excellent strategy!" Erza hugged the newbie and slammed her head into her breastplate, causing Lucy to yelp in pain, "I'm so glad you came with us on this job!"

"C'mon, no time to waste!" Naruto ran to the hole and looked down before looking back at them, "If we hurry then...Natsu, what are you doing?"

They looked back to see Natsu hoist the injured Kageyama on his back. Natsu made sure the beaten man was secure, "It'd leave a sour taste in my mouth if I left this guy to die when the rest of his guild comes to. Plus...I don't know...I don't feel right just abandoning a guy that's terrified of his own guild. That's not how a guild should act, even a Dark Guild."

They were all silent as they looked at the pink-haired man in surprise. Erza had a small but proud smile on her face for her friend's composed decision. Naruto thought for a moment before he nodded, "All right, if you say so. Maybe after this is all done we can ask him how to see the damn flute up again. But we've got to escape first so let's go."

The Fairy mages jumped down the tunnel and started following it up before emerging in the middle of a street. They crawled out and were immediately bombarded with the intense wind from the barrier.

Gray covered his eyes, "Shit! It's like a tornado out here!"

"I can contact them now!" Erza started working the Lachrima and pointed to the side, "The four-wheeler should be parked over there! Get everything packed up and we can start moving out!"

"Thank you Virgo!" Lucy grabbed her hands and thanked her, "We couldn't have done this without you!"

"Are you punishing me Princess?"

"What? No, I'm thanking you."

"Oh." Virgo appeared a little displeased for a moment before bowing respectfully, "Call on me whenever you wish Princess, and I shall come to your aid." She glowed with a brilliant light before she faded away into particles.

Erza came back to the group and tossed Naruto's Lachrima back to him, "No answer. Nobody got my call. All I could do was leave a message and hope they can get to it as soon as possible."

"We can't take that chance. We're running out of time." Naruto started moving towards the four-wheeler, "There still has to be time! If we go at full speed then we can still catch Erigor! Natsu, get ready for another trip because...where's Natsu?"

Everyone looked around and noticed neither Natsu or Happy were anywhere to be seen. Kageyama had been placed against the wall of a nearby building while no one was looking.

Erza's eyes narrowed in annoyance, "That reckless little-"

########Hunter########

Erigor flew over the train tracks with the help of his Wind picking up his feet. He grinned and laughed menacingly before looking down at the flute in his hand. He looked back up and saw his destination in sight. He cackled, "And now, the last melody of peace will pass. And our requiem of revenge will take its place."

"~hey windy~"

Erigor thought he heard something reach his ears and turned around to see nothing. He then noticed a small shadow steadily start growing over him and looked up to see a silhouette of a figure against the sun. He covered his eyes and tried to get a better look-

"THERE'S SOMETHING ON YOUR FACE!"

Before Erigor could even react, Natsu's flame covered feet imbedded themselves into his cheek and knocked him out of the air. Erigor slammed into the train tracks with a powerful crash and gasped in pain as Natsu and Happy fell from the air.

Happy's Area disappeared and he fell into Natsu's arms exhaustedly. Natsu smirked and laughed at the man, "It was my feet in you face, just so the message was clear."

"I...wasted...all my strength..." Happy pouted up at him, "For a lame physical humor joke."

"Shut up Happy, that was awesome." He knelt down and placed his friend down before turning around, "Now make sure you give us some room. I'm about to show this Windy Bastard why it was a very bad idea to underestimate us."

"You!" Erigor pushed himself up to his feet and rubbed his bloody cheek as he stared at the man across from him in shock, "You were with the rest of those miserable Fairies! How did you escape from my wind seal?!"

"We dug our way out. And now the rest of my equally pissed off and irritated guildmates are making their way here to stop you." Natsu cracked his knuckles while glaring at Erigor, "The rest of your guild got their asses kicked, by the way. But that can wait, I want to ask you something." He kept a firm glare while facing the man, "We tried to get one of your guys, Kageyama, to help us break out of it to come and catch you but he almost bit through his tongue and tried to kill himself. We had to stop him before it was too late. Can you tell me why he would do somethin' like that?"

"He tried to kill himself?" Erigor asked inquisitively before snarking, "Stupid fucking failure, can't even take his own pathetic life without being pitied by a bunch of legal garbage." He spun his broken scythe in hand, "When this is all over, I've got to make sure I take him to the side and...re-educate him about how to act for our cause."

Natsu was silent before he closed his eyes and struggled, "Okay...now I know..."

Natsu clenched his fist and tensed his arms as heat started pouring off him like a sauna, "You're one of those guys...the kinda stupid bastard that doesn't give two shits about anyone you hurt or who gets hurt in your way! You think you can just use people, take their lives whenever you want, because you think you have something that let's you do that! I know how assholes like you cause pain and suffering to people!"

Happy and Erigor looked at the pink-haired Mage as his shoulders shook.

Natsu's mind flashed back to the week after the fire in the town. How everyone in the guild was crying and sullen. How one of the toughest guys he knows was bedridden for a month because of how badly he was hurt. And how that grave in the cemetery now held what was left of one of the people he had seen as family. A kind old man that treated the rambunctious teen like child that was now gone from their lives because of one monster that believed he was right.

Natsu's whole body burst into flames before his face twisted in anger and he roared, "I HATE GUYS LIKE YOU THE MOST!"

Erigor realized that he shouldn't take this guy lightly and started to gather a violent torrent around his arms. He threw his hands out, "Wind Blade!"

Natsu dove forward with the extra power from his fire to dodge the razor sharp blades that impacted the ground around him. He pushed off his hands, flipped backwards as the blades came an inch away from slicing him up, and spun with flames at the ends of his feet to break them apart.

Natsu slid along the tracks until he was directly underneath Erigor and spun on his hands to face upward. His cheeks expanded and he roared, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A blast of flames spewed from the Dragon-Slayer's mouth and came all the way up to Erigor's feet. The Dark Mage flew to the side out of its range and was surprised by the power. He smirked, "So, it is true that there are Dragon-Slayers in the world, and that one of them is in Fairy Tail. That's means you're Salamander, correct?"

"Shut up!" Natsu jumped several meters up in the air until he was close to Erigor's height and brought his arm down, "Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"

Erigor blocked his attack with his weapon and pushed the Fairy Mage away. As Natsu fell back to the railway Erigor flew down to chase after him. He prepared to cut the Dragon-Slayer up while he was helplessly falling to the earth but Natsu used his flames and sent a spiraling kick at the approaching Dark Mage, "Fire Dragon's Claw!"

Erigor leaned back from the wave of flames that nearly scorched him and blinded his field of vision. When the flames finally started to disappear, Natsu dove out from behind them and tightly gripped Erigor's shoulder. The surprised Wind Mage looked up to see the Dragon-Slayer with a smirk on his face as flames covered his hand.

"Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!"

They both exploded in a ball of fire and the hot smoke from the attack ran over Happy's tired body. He was stirred awake just in time to see a damaged Erigor fly out of the smoke cloud. He gasped and held his chest in pain as the wind underneath his feet started to blow away the cloud.

Natsu emerged, a few dust marks over his body but his glare at the shirtless man not wavering a bit.

Happy smiled at his friend's confidence as Erigor growled. He lowered himself to the rails, "Okay you piece of trash, let's see if Fairies really can fly."

Erigor swiped his hands and a gust started to form at Natsu's feet. He threw his hands up, "Stormbringer!"

Natsu barely jumped to the side before he was nearly blown away by the vortex that rose from the railway. He rolled along the ground before Erigor sent another one to blow him away. And another. Natsu was dodging left and right to make sure he wasn't sent flying by the Dark Mage.

When Natsu came back up to his feet, Erigor was standing right in front of him and sent a wave of Wind Blades at him. Natsu screamed as they shredded through his arm block, "AHHHH! SHIT!"

Erigor took the moment of pain to gather up his power again. A massive vortex formed directly under Natsu's feet before he threw his hand up for a Stormbringer.

Natsu was lifted off his feet and blown away, flying into the rocky formations surrounding the railway, "NNOOOOOOooooooo-"

Happy lost sight of Natsu and yelled, "Natsu!"

Natsu's screams echoed away as he fell into the abyss between the rocks. Happy looked over the edge in horror as tears filled his eyes, "N-no way..."

Erigor spit over the side, "Piece of shit. Wasting my time like that. If you aren't worth the time, don't get in my way-"

"Shut up!" Happy countered as he stood back up and yelled at the Dark Mage. He cried, "Natsu 10-no, a hundred times better than you in each and every way! You're just a jerk that doesn't care what he does! You won't succeed because Natsu's gonna kick your butt! I know he will! H-he'll come out of the canyon and-"

"You know..." Erigor started slowly making his way over to the little blue cat with a maniacal look in his eyes. He lowered his weapon to his side, "You are a very annoying, very insulant little cat..."

Happy shook in fear but didn't take a step back. Natsu, or anybody from the guild, wouldn't cower in front of a guy like this, and neither will he. Erigor came closer...

"Storm-"

Erigor reacted and jumped back while making a wall of wind in front of him.

"FIST!"

Naruto's vortex covered fist impacted against Erigor's defense and the two of them yelled while wind started to pick up around them. The two opposing forces blew off each other and the railway shook from the powerful explosion.

Happy tried to hold on for dear life but couldn't keep his grip, slipping off and getting blown away while yelling.

But before he could be blown away, Naruto jumped up and caught him. They spun in the air before the S-Class Mage slid against the ground away from Erigor. The ace of Eisenwald glared at the blond man, "It's you..."

Happy looked up at him in relief, "Naruto!"

"I had to come running since you two idiots are so damn reckless." He stood back up and eyed the man across from him, "So, what did I miss?"

########Hunter########

Lucy poked her head out the side of the vehicle, "Erza! Are you sure it was a good idea to tell Naruto to go on ahead? What if we need him for something?"

"It's more important that he help Natsu and Happy take down Erigor!" Erza yelled over her shoulder, "Naruto is fast enough to catch up to them by himself if he concentrates! They'll be all right!"

A concerned look crossed Lucy's face as she sat back on her seat across from Gray and the unconscious Kageyama. Gray said, "Don't look so worried. Despite how the Flame-brained moron may act, he's pretty damn sturdy in a fight, believe me. And Naruto is one of the toughest guys I know. There's no reason to fret."

"Well...yeah, I know that..." Lucy looked off to the side, "But still...I can't help it..."

"If there's anything you should be worried about, it's the fact we're sharing a cramped space with a Dark Mage." Gray pointed out as he noted the man sitting off to the side.

Lucy chuckled nervously, "Y-yeah, but-I mean-he's still knocked out. So, there isn't any reason to worry about him, right?"

Gray was silent for a minute before he looked over to the man with the bloody collar and leaned back, "She's the only one who actually thinks you're still sleeping. So you might as well wake up already. Save us the time."

Lucy looked between her guildmate and their enemy in confusion. Until one of Kageyama's eyes slowly opened and glared at the Maker Mage. Gray smirked, "Good morning."

Lucy panicked and tried to push herself as far away from the Shadow Mage as she could. The Dark Mage struggled to sit up before looking at the black-haired man and weakly muttering, "When did you notice I was awake?"

"I saw you shift around and try to keep as still as possible while not drawing our attention. You were looking for the best chance to escape or attack, whichever opportunity better presented itself while you were stuck here."

"Heh, for a Fairy, you've got a pretty useful eye on you."

"And for a Dark Mage, it seems a little pitiful to be picked up by the guys you were trying to kill. How does that feel?" Kageyama glared furiously as Lucy silently waved her arms rapidly to signal him to stop talking. Gray smirked, "Look, if you want to blame anybody for that, blame the guy with the pink hair. If it was me, I'd leave the suicidal Dark Mage where he lies."

Lucy shivered, "Geez Gray, that's a little harsh."

"It's true though." He turned his head to look at he Dark Mage, "If the crazy bastard thinks he can change everything in his life by killing a bunch of old geezers, then let him think that with the rest of his twisted guild."

"You think you understand us?" Kageyama growled as Lucy flinched in fear, "You and your little guild just follow the rules and listen to whatever you're told. You're like cattle. You can barely even think for yourselves. You could never begin to understand the turmoil of people in Dark Guilds!"

It was silent in the vehicle as Kageyama coughed in pain, overworking his beaten body and bloody mouth from the harsh yelling. Gray just sat there silently as Lucy looked over to him, wondering what he was thinking. He closed his eyes, "You're right, I don't know what it's like being in a Dark Guild."

He continued, "I also don't know what it is like to be utterly terrified of the rest of my guild and the idea of making them angry if I screw up." He put a hand over his chest where his insignia was, "I don't think that everyone else who isn't in your guild should have to suffer just because your guys made some bad decisions. I don't even think you should have to forfeit your life for men who probably don't even value it. That isn't what a guild is supposed to be like."

Kageyama and Lucy stared at the Maker Mage in silence as his words started to hit them.

"DITCH!"

The entire vehicle jumped up when Erza ran over a small hole in the track and they were flung out of their seats. Lucy hit the door and popped it open, flailing her arms as she fell out, "KYYAAAAAAA-"

"Hold on!" Gray leapt forward and grabbed the back of her skirt before pulling her in and saving her life. Lucy fell back on his lap and he sighed, "Way to ruin the mood Lucy."

"It's not my fault I almost died! Don't blame me!" Lucy responded while clutching her chest to make sure her heart didn't jump out.

Kageyama watched the legal mages bicker between each other before he looked down at the floor. He didn't want to admit it. He didn't even want to think about it. But...

What if these people were right?

########Hunter########

Naruto kneeled down and placed the tired blue cat on his butt before looking around. He asked, "Where's Natsu? You didn't leave him in a ditch somewhere, did you?"

"Naruto! It's bad!" Happy looked up at him with watery eyes, "That shirtless jerk blew Natsu off the rails and into the canyon! I-I couldn't reach him because I was so tired! And-and he kept saying that Natsu was dead but-but..." Tears started to pool under Happy's eyes as he thought the worse of what could have happened.

"HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa! That's right! I already killed Salamander! So you should take note and be weary Hunter!" Erigor pointed at him, "This is the fate of anyone that stands between me and my goal! Certain death by the Shinigami!"

Naruto looked over at him for a second before looking back at Happy. He patted the blue cat's head and smiled, "Don't worry, Natsu's all right. He wouldn't die from something like being thrown into an abyss. Hell, he'd be in more danger arguing with Erza than he would fighting this guy."

Happy blinked while looking up at him while Erigor fumed, "What did you just say?"

"I said..." Naruto stood up, "There is no way in fucking hell Natsu would lose to a self-righteous, absorbed, arrogant prick like you that cares more about himself than his comrades." Naruto glared, "And plus, you're too weak to kill someone like him."

Erigor started to see red as a vein popped in his head, "W-weak?! Weak!" He threw his hands up and back down, launching countless Wind Blades at the blond and cat, "I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK!"

Naruto stood like a wall as Happy panicked watching dozens of razor sharp blades head straight for them. Naruto took in a deep breath...

"Tempest Wave!"

Naruto blew out a mighty gale of Wind chakra that blew away all of Erigor's attacks. As Naruto's breath attack calmed down, Erigor and Happy looked at the whiskered man with expressions of surprise and disbelief.

Naruto shook his head, "You can't beat me with wind. So don't even try."

Erigor was shaking in shock before he threw his hands up and created a vortex under Naruto's feet, "Stormbringer!"

A tornado engulfed Naruto from under his feet and blew Happy away screaming. Naruto felt the wind currents smother him but he calmly formed a layer of Armor magic over himself. He brought his arms up and with a mighty roar brought them back down and dispersed the attack.

Naruto then chambered his fist and channelled his magic into his fist, "Flying Gauntlet!"

Erigor saw the massive ball of magical power soar at him and jumped off the rails to protect himself. Naruto's attack traveled down the railway for dozens of meters before it landed against a rock formation and exploded, reducing it to nothing but rubble.

Erigor started to twitch in anger as his fingers started to move in unnatural ways. His anger reached its peak as he started to wave his fingers in a magical pattern. He gathered a massive amount of magic and yelled with spittle coming out of his mouth, "EMERA BARAM!"

A small cyclone was shot from Erigor's fingertips, completely demolishing the railway and destroying the steel beams in the way. The violent onslaught of wind came straight at Naruto but he still did not falter from the sight of the powerful attack. Just before the spell hit him, he jumped into a low stance and gripped the hilt of his black blade.

"HA!"

Naruto pulled the sword out of its sheathe in an instant and with the power behind his swing, destroyed the power building up in the front of it. Before Erigor could react, Naruto summoned a cleaver from his Requip space and pierced the rubble between his feet. He let out a mighty roar as the gravel and rock around him started to quiver and shake.

He ran the blade through the ground and aimed it at the Dark Mage as countless pieces of rock and earth started to converge on his position. Erigor raised his arms to protect himself as he was flooded with rocks in each and every direction.

Moments later, dust started to settle around where Naruto's attack struck and he stood watching the cloud silently. Happy lifted his head up when he realized the danger had stopped and looked at the older man, "I-is it over?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "No. Not yet."

The dust cloud started to swirl and get blown away as a large figure could be seen through the haze. When it disappeared, Erigor's body was covered from head-to-toe in an hurricane-like armor. His voiced was distorted as he chuckled, "I'll give you this Fairy, you've pissed me off more than I thought imagineable. I resorted to using my Storm Mail to deal with you. And believe me, now that I've used this, there is nothing but pain and death that awaits you when I am done."

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." Naruto responded before he started to bend his knees. He sprinted forward at great speeds as Erigor charged in return. They were just a foot away from reaching-

"-HAAAAAAAAAA!"

A flaming rocket exploded from out of the ground and the two mages jumped back from the explosion between them. The fire was streaming off of a certain pink-haired Mage that pointed at the ace of Eisenwald and roared, "THAT WAS A CHEAP MOVE YOU FUCKER! YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME THAT EASILY!"

They were all surprised by his sudden appearance and outburst.

Happy cheered, "Natsu! You're okay! Thank goodness!"

Natsu calmed down a little and looked behind him, "Happy! And...Naruto? Hey man, when did you get here?"

"A minute ago." Naruto motioned towards the canyon, "They said you fell over and were never coming out."

"Yeah well I grabbed the beams that went all the way down to the ground and I climbed my way up. I heard a bunch of racket goin' on and I thought that bastard was attacking Happy!" He sighed in relief, "I'm glad he was just attacking you though. Now I don't have to be so worried."

"Geez, thanks asshole."

"Now step back Naruto." Natsu punched his hand and released some flames, "I've got some unfinished business with this jerk."

"Hey." Naruto stepped forward and caught Natsu's eyes, "In case you didn't notice, I was in the middle of a fight you left. It's my turn."

"What?!" Natsu hissed, "It was my fight first! I get to finish it!"

"And I was here while you were off climbing like a monkey!" Naruto held out his fist, "If you want, we can settle this with Rock Paper Scissors."

"No way! You always win when you play that! You cheat or something!"

"I don't cheat. I'm just way better than everybody else." Naruto started shaking his hand, "Ready? Rock, Paper, Scissors-"

"Fire Dragon's..." Natsu jumped over the blond and puffed out his chest before he spewed flames, "Roar!"

The fire attack blew towards Erigor before they started withering away and disappearing. Natsu landed back on his feet before looking at him in surprise, "What the-"

"Surprised?" Erigor laughed as he held out his hand, "Storm Mail sucks up all the wind and air around me and makes a powerful armor that can't be beaten. And since all of it is circling around me, any fire or explosion you try to make won't even start to cinder since the air is so uncontrollable. Your attacks are useless."

Natsu gritted his teeth as Naruto noted, "Natsu, it might be better for me to take this guy on."

"No! Stay back Naruto!" Natsu turned to look at his older friend, "I said I was going to make this guy pay for what he's doin'! Just cause he can take my flames doesn't mean that has changed in any way! If I hit the ground, broken body and unable to move, then I guess you can take up after that!"

Naruto stared back at him for a moment before scoffing, "You idiot, I'm gonna stop the fight way earlier if you start getting your ass kicked." Naruto sheathed his sword and sent the Earth sword back to his Requip space before stepping back, "It's all yours. Teach this prick a lesson."

"RIGHT!" Natsu charged forward and started engulfing his arms in flames. But before Natsu could even get near him, his flames whimpered out and disappeared. He looked between his arms before he heard Erigor laugh and raise his hand...

"Storm Shred."

A multitude of sharp wind blades shot from Erigor's hands and fell down towards the powerless Dragon-Slayer. Natsu jumped off the rails and landed on a spire of rock before he jumped off it to give himself a boost. He dodged the bulk of the cutting attack before he came close to Erigor's flying form and tried to grab him. But he was blasted away by the power of Erigor's armor.

"Haha, gonna have to do better than that punk!"

Natsu slid against the gravel before he clicked his tongue and looked besides him. He noticed a piece of the railway's steel was warped and broken from Erigor's constant attacks and grabbed the end of it that was sticking out. With a roar he pulled it out of the ground and hefted it up on his shoulder.

He let out a battle cry before he charged forward and threw the beam into the air and straight into Erigor's chest. The metal beam stopped short of hitting the Dark Mage's chest but Natsu followed after and kicked it, trying to push it further in. But his attack was countered and he was blasted into the ground, bouncing off the railway and feeling blood settle in his mouth.

"Ready to give up?! Because I still want to settle things with Hunter over there! And you can't do anything else Salamander! Face it you've lost!"

Natsu lifted himself off the ground, looked up at Erigor in anger and...ran away in the opposite direction.

Natsu ran past Naruto and Happy and continued sprinting for several meters. Happy looked at him in worry, "Natsu?"

Natsu finally stopped running before skidding on his feet and entering a starting position. He yelled, "Naruto! Ready!"

Naruto waited for a moment before he realized what he was probably going to do. He turned around and placed a foot back before yelling back, "Set!"

"GO!" Natsu shot off like a bullet with a fire trail behind him. They all watched as the blazing bullet lost his flames but didn't stop charging for even a moment. He came close to Naruto and Happy's position before he jumped in the air with his feet out ready to pounce.

Naruto lifted up his leg and Natsu landed on it like a perch. When Erigor finally realized what was happening, Naruto jumped up and leaned back before kicking Natsu at full speed towards Erigor's flying position.

Natsu reached out, "WRAAHHHHHHHH!"

Natsu's hand finally pierced through the wind armor, but he immediately felt his skin start to shred and peel away.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Natsu yelled in pain as blood started gather in the wind surrounding Erigor. But Natsu ignored the pain and pierced his other hand through the veil, and finally kicking his feet in until he had a tight grasp of his opponent.

Natsu stifled the pain while Erigor laughed, "W-what now you idiot?! Gonna wait until all the skin along your bones starts to peel off?! If you want, I'll save you the time and-"

"Shut up." Natsu growled lowly as he started to shake, "I'm so sick of your voice. Always chattering. Always gawking. Spouting off shit like the arrogant prick you are. Just hearing you...is pissing me off!"

The Storm Mail around Erigor started to slow down and fade until it disappeared all together. Erigor looked around in shock until Natsu's entire body burst into blazing hot flames. His eyes widened as he realized that the overwhelming power and heat from Natsu's flames had completely snuffed out his winds. He looked up at the burning devil grabbing onto him...

"This is for making us run around all damn day!" Natsu pulled his right fist back before planting it in Erigor's stomach, making the 'Shinigami' gag and cough up blood.

"This is for ruining the name of guilds everywhere!" Natsu dug his left fist into the same place, Erigor's eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he felt the iron fist dig into his gut.

"And this..." Natsu raised both hands over his head.

"IS FOR FUCKING WITH FAIRY TAIL!"

Natsu brought both hands down on Erigor's chest and roared, "FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!"

Erigor screamed in pain as his whole body was covered in Natsu's explosive power. They were both covered by a flaming orb before Erigor's body shot out at vast speeds and skidded against the steel beams and gravel. When Erigor's body finally started to slow down, his legs were up in the air and he was twitching before falling over defeated.

Natsu landed on his injured feet and flinched in pain before he looked over himself. He shook his head, "This is gonna sting tomorrow."

"Natsu!" He looked over just in time to see Happy barrel into his neck for a hug. The blue cat rubbed his cheek against Natsu's, "I was so worried! Things were looking bad for a minute! But you kicked his butt!"

"Damn straight I did! What were you expecting?" Natsu said with a grin as he patted his friend's head.

Naruto walked over, "Good job man. Took a little longer than I would have like, but hey, each their own."

"Shut up you jackass!" Natsu yelled back before pointing at him, "If I wanted, I could have beaten him without your help! But I wanted to beat him quickly so that's that!"

"All right, I get it." Naruto smirked before he raised his hand up. Natsu looked at it before he grinned and high-fived his friend back, "Way to go Natsu."

"Heh, it's nothing."

"Guys!" They all looked back to see a four-wheeler appearing from the horizon and making its way to them at crazy speed. Naruto waved them over and after a few moments they finally arrived. Lucy jumped out the door as Erza and Gray followed at their own paces. She looked Natsu over, "What happened to you?"

"Things gotta bit messy while I was fighting that shirtless asshole. But I totally handled it."

"Pfft, sure." Gray scoffed as he looked at the damaged area around them, "You sure Naruto didn't pop in at the end to clean up your shitty performance?"

Natsu growled as Naruto laughed and helped Erza down from her seat, "I might of intervened somewhere in the middle but Natsu took that guy down himself. Granted, it got messy and bloody, but he definitely won."

"You guys doubted me?" Natsu asked indignantly with a scowl.

Erza smiled, "Great work all of you. It was a hard day's work but I'm glad we all made it." All of them smiled and grinned at their accomplishment as the red-head started making her way to Erigor's unconscious body, "Let's take Lullaby, arrest Erigor and-"

A wall of Shadow magic surrounded Erza and the rest of the group as they were caught off-guard by the sudden block. Kageyama started the four-wheeler and drove past them, using his Shadow Hand to grab the death flute lying besides Erigor.

He tossed it to himself and looked at the flute before looking ahead towards Clover, "If he can't save us, I will."

Kageyama and the four-wheeler faded out of sight and left the dome of Shadow magic around the heroes. The dome expanded before it blew up from the force of Fire, Ice, and Armor all destroying it.

The Fairy mages looked around in surprise before Natsu looked at the trail Kageyama had made in such a hurry. He gritted his teeth and ran forward, "YOU BASTARD! I SAVED YOUR ASS!"

Erza narrowed her eyes, "I guess gratitude isn't a characteristic he's very well suited with."

Lucy was scared, "What should we do?!"

"Chase him!" Naruto yelled before he started running after him, everyone else following close behind before it was too late.

########Hunter########

Kageyama was panting heavily after turning the four-wheeler on full speed right from the get go. He just knew that the Fairy mages were on his tail and if he slowed down for even a minute he would probably get caught. And he knew they were gaining up on him fast because their yells of anger were getting closer.

Right as he weaved through the trees, Kageyama finally spotted the building at the edge of the mountains that housed the guild master meeting. He jumped out of the vehicle and cringed from his injuries before he started running like his life depended on it.

The Fairy mages all ran around the corner and spotted the injured Dark Mage. Natsu immediately fumed and charged after him, "YOU SONUVA BITCH! WHEN I CATCH YA I'M GONNA-"

A pair of hands popped out of the bush and grabbed Natsu before pulling him in.

The rest of the team looked at the phenomenon in confusion. Lucy looked around, "Natsu? Where'd you-EEP!"

A pair of hands pulled Lucy in.

And then Gray.

Then Erza.

Then Happy.

Naruto got into a stance and looked around to sense any malice or ill intent but couldn't find any. Before he knew it, a pair of large, hairy hands grabbed his feet and pulled them out from under him.

"NO-" Naruto grabbed the dirt and tried to save himself before being pulled in.

Kageyama spared a glance behind his shoulder to see there was no one there. He stopped running and looked around for the people that had stopped chasing him, "What the-"

"*BLARGH*!" Kageyama was shaken out of his stupor at the sound of someone vomiting. He looked to the side to see a short man in a funny hat releasing the contents of his stomach into a nearby bush. The short man wiped his mouth, "Oh god, there has to be a healthier way to deal with my problems than looking at the bottom of a bottle. Ugh...but I still can't find one. Damn, if I come home and those kids have caused a catastrophe."

Kageyama blinked in confusion as the small man grabbed his mouth again, "Oh no...breathe. Breathe. Breathe." He avoided throwing up before he noticed the young man standing just a few feet away from him. He fixed his appearance, "Sorry. I didn't know there was someone here. What are you doing all the way out here young man? You look kinda pale and...is that blood?"

Kageyama's eyes widened when he realized who was talking to him, 'This man...he's Makarov Dreyar! The master of Fairy Tail!' Kageyama couldn't believe the coincidence that was happening, 'Why is he out here? How did he-no, this is perfect! If I can take out this man, one of the Wizard Saints, then the rest of those old geezers will be no trouble at all! This is my chance!'

"Yoohoo, kid? You in there? Come back to reality. Helloooooooo?"

Kageyama shook his head and looked down at the old man before giving him a fake smile, "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just day dreaming. It's a nasty little habit of mine."

Makarov shrugged, "Whatever. You should probably get to a clinic or hospital kid, you don't look to good."

"Oh I'm fine. I just got back from my job and decided to practice with my instrument before I went back home." He held up the Lullaby flute, "I play the flute you see."

Makarov looked at the terrifying flute, "Geez, that thing is uglier than sin."

"Oh, it may not look very pleasant, but I assure you, the melody it releases is one of a kind." Kageyama held the flute closer to his mouth, "Do you mind if I play you a tune?"

Makarov thought for a moment before giving an indifferent groan, "Eh, might as well. Maybe a good song could ease my stomach." He waved his hand, "Go ahead kid."

Kageyama smiled and raised the flute to his mouth.

From behind a bush, Erza saw the Dark Mage make a move and prepared to pounce, "I have to stop him."

"Wait Erza-chan." Bob stopped the Requip Mage from running out by grabbing her shoulder, "I already told you we got your message. Makky-chan just wants to talk with him before anything else happens."

Lucy looked at the man(?), "Are you sure?"

"Trust us." Goldmine said from his spot between Natsu, Gray, and Naruto, "Makarov has a plan. Granted, it might go bottoms up, but it's still a plan."

The rest of the Fairy mages looked at the scene in front of them cautiously. Naruto shook his head, "Geez, Jiji is cutting it pretty close."

Goldmine nodded, "That's always been his style of doing things."

Kageyama prepared to play the melody of death and seal the fate of one of his targets. Finally! When he was done here, he would go into the building and play for everyone there. And then, his guild will have had their revenge.

...

Then what?

Kageyama stopped short of pressing the flute to his lip as his mind started to wander.

What would happen next? Would Erigor and the rest forgive him for any mistakes he made? From past experiences, that seemed very unlikely. And what happened after they killed all the masters? They would be wanted and hunted by every legal guild in the nation, even more so than they already were!

Was this really the answer to all their problems? Would killing these people really bring them happiness? Dammit, why were all those miserable Fairies flashing through his head! Shut up! Shut up!

"Having second thoughts?"

Kageyama opened his eyes again and looked down at the small Wizard Saint as he casually scratched his head. Makarov looked up at him, "Yeah, I can see it plastered all over your face. Believe me, I'm used to seeing troubled looks on people because I have to deal with a whole guild that always causes trouble. You wouldn't believe how often I call them out on wrecking a town or destroying a landmark."

"So, you think that if you can snuff out me and the rest of us crusty old coots in there, that all your problems and worries will just disappear, right?" Kageyama froze in horror when Makarov easily predicted their plan, "Well I'll just tell you now that it won't. You aren't the first person to believe that if he takes out the people that have caused him problems over the years that those problems will just disappear. And sadly I'm sure you won't be the last."

"If you feel so powerless and weak, I can tell you now that you won't find an answer or strength by relying on that flute. If you think you are weak, then find a proper way to gain strength, and people that you can truly rely on to help you gain it. Don't succumb to the fear you feel from someone stronger than you. Don't believe that using dirty tactics and underhanded methods will bring you salvation. Make your own path. And your own decisions."

It was silent between the young Dark Mage and the old Wizard Saint before he made a wrinkly smile, "That said, do you still want to play that flute?"

Kageyama shook uncontrollably. He looked at the flute in his hands and the man in front of him, "I...I..."

Kageyama dropped the flute and fell to his knees, "I can't, not like this."

Makarov grinned, "Good, looks like you've taken your first steps towards your own path. Congrats kid."

"WOOHOO!" The Fairies all popped out of the bush and cheered, "WE WON!"

Makarov saw them run towards him and panicked, "You guys! What was with that message earlier, huh?! Dealing with a Dark Guild in the middle of town?! I swear, if you kids broke something!"

"Master, you were amazing!" Erza kneeled down and hugged the short man, "I'm so glad you are safe!"

Makarov wheezed painfully, "E-Erza, your armor, it's crushing my lungs!"

Natsu and Gray crowded around them, "You were awesome Jii-chan!"

"Yeah, way to go!"

Lucy sighed in relief, "Thank goodness. Things were looking bad there for a second."

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah, so let's just keep all the details about the destruction we caused to ourselves, okay? We don't want Jiji to have a heart attack."

Bob walked out of the bushes and watched the little group celebrate. He placed his hand against his cheek, "My, they are always so rowdy, don't you think?"

Goldmine nodded, "Yeah, but that's just the way they are I guess. Nothing can change that."

The group all laughed and cheered together for their success and finally beating Eisenwald.

"No. Not yet."

They all went silent when they heard a strange, distorted voice reach their ears. They looked around for the source of the threat.

"All of these chances passed. All of the souls I've been denied. No more."

They all looked down at the skull flute where they heard the menacing voice come from. The three eyes started to glow red.

"If no one shall feed me, then I shall just indulge myself."

A thick, purple fog started to rise from the skull's mouth. It went higher and higher into the air until it started to twist and gather together in one spot. All the guild masters from inside the building saw the purple mist start to form and ran outside. Everyone looked up in horror as the fog started to grow into a solid form.

The fog disappeared, and in its place was a massive wooden figure with a three-eyed skull for a head. The monster raised its hands to examine itself before it looked down at the people below, "It's been some time since I last took this form. I hope all of you will be enough to slate my appetite."

The Fairies were silent before they all spoke at the same time, "Holy shit(x7)."

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

"IT IS THE DEMON FROM ZEREF'S FLUTE!"

"IT IS LIVING MAGIC! THAT MONSTER CURSED A DEMON TO DESTROY EVERYTHING!"

"RUN!"

Lullaby chuckled, "Yes, run away. Try to save your pitiful little lives. But when my melody reaches your ears, there will be nothing but oblivion awaiting you."

"EEYAHH!" Lucy shrieked in fear as she embraced Happy, "WHAT DO WE DO?!"

Gray looked up at the monster, "He's really big."

"And loud too." Natsu said as he cracked his knuckles, "But I'm kinda happy that I can actually beat up on the thing that's been annoying us all day."

"Don't take this thing likely Natsu." Erza's body glowed before she appeared in her Black Wing Armor, "It's still a demon created by 'Black Mage Zeref'."

"And now...we can break it." Naruto pulled his Kokuryū out of its sheathe and covered his body in Armor, "So let's bring this big bastard tumbling down."

All four of them charged forward towards the massive demon. Erza and Naruto ran besides each other before holding their swords back. When they reached Lullaby's feet, they swung their swords and left deep slashes along both of its legs.

Lullaby cringed in pain before it noticed the pink-haired man climbing up its body. It tried to slap Natsu off but he stayed attached, resilient and unyielding. When Natsu finally reach Lullaby's neck, he pulled his flaming fist back before slamming it into the demon's cheek, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Lullaby stumbled from the strong hit before turning towards the small human and shooting several blasts of magic from its mouth, "Damn fly!"

Natsu jumped off Lullaby's shoulder to dodge the multiple attacks, falling towards the ground before grabbing a branch to stop his descent.

Gray slammed his fist into his palm and gathered his magic, "Ice Make: Lance!"

Dozens of pointed spears flew out of Gray's hands and impacted against Lullaby's chest. The demon stumbled while Erza flew around its chest. She grabbed her sword with both hands and started slashing across its entire body. Naruto stuck to the ground and destroyed the massive demon's footing, strike its feet and knees with the full power of his punches.

Lucy looked up at her friends while they fought the monster off, "Oh man, do you think they'll be all right?"

"If you're so worried, why don't you help?" Happy asked while he cheered Natsu and everyone else on.

"What the heck am I supposed to do? I can't fight like the rest of them!" Lucy said as she started looking at her keys, "Maybe if I summon Taurus or Cancer they might be able to help but..."

She stopped talking long enough for Happy to look up at her in worry, "Lucy?"

Lucy grabbed one of her golden keys and held it out, "Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"

A flash of light appeared and the pink-haired maid was summoned before her wizard. She bowed, "Hello again Princess, how may I be of assistance?"

"Virgo, how well can you dig a hole?"

Virgo raised her head, "I believe my skills at digging are top-notch Princess."

"And you can make them big too?"

"Whatever size you want."

Happy looked up at the blonde, "Lucy, what are you thinking?"

"Virgo." Lucy pointed up at the massive demon as it fought off the other Fairies, "Can you dig something big enough to stop that?"

Virgo looked back at her summoner, "Of course I can."

Lucy smiled, "Then start digging!"

"You insufferable little ants! You shall pester me no more!" Lullaby kicked its leg out and nearly blew away Naruto, Natsu, and Gray from where they were attacking it on the ground. It waved its arms and forced Erza to give the demon a wide space. Lullaby started gathering magic into its mouth, "I shall end this battle here and now!"

"Oh no you don't!" Naruto pulled the Earth cleaver from his Requip and stabbed it into the ground, causing several spires of rock to pierce through Lullaby's legs and limit its movement.

Lullaby struggled for a moment before pulling its legs out and breaking the rocks holding it down. It stumbled back, "Puny human! Believing such a simple distraction would be enough to hinder-"

Before it could finish, a massive patch of ground beneath its feet collapsed and caused the demon to fall over. While falling over, Lullaby accidentally unleashed its magical attack into the sky and away from its intended target. The demon panicked, "What?! How is this-"

"Yahoo!" Lucy cheered before grabbing Virgo's hands and jumping in excitement, "We did it Virgo!"

"Are you going to punish me now Princess?"

"Please stop that!"

"This is our chance! Attack!"

Naruto and Natsu charged forward to attack while Erza flew up in the air. Gray stayed in place and started to use his magic to create a powerful weapon. A massive bazooka appeared in his hands, "Ice Make:..."

"Naruto!" Natsu jumped and landed in Naruto's intertwined hands just in time for the whiskered man to toss him up in the air and over Lullaby's head. He placed his hands together and gathered his magic, "Fire Dragon's-"

Erza flew over the trees in a maneuver to gain speed before she started flying towards the demon with her sword at the ready.

As Lullaby finally pulled itself out of the hole, Naruto summoned his Wind sword and pumped his magic through the blade. A vortex of wind started to gather around him as he swung the blade at the demon's legs. Naruto roared...

"INFINITE STORM BLADE!"

"HYAAHHHHHHH!"

"CANNON!"

"BRILLIANT FLAME!"

Naruto's innumerable blade attack completely shredded through Lullaby's legs. Erza's blade sliced through the wood and nearly cut the demon in half. Gray's long-range attack impacted against its chest and left a crater along its body. And Natsu's blast blew up the head of the Zeref creation.

Lullaby's body started to crumble and break as it fell backwards, "I-impossible. Humans cannot be...this...strong..."

The guild masters, Lucy, and Happy all watched in amazement as the massive demon fell and crumbled away. Some of them started whispering, "Incredible."

"I've never seen fighting like that."

"They beat one of Zeref's demons so quickly."

Makarov smirked, "Well they aren't my biggest trouble makers for nothing."

The four mages walked out of the dust and everyone cheered. Lucy and Happy ran up to their friends, "You guys were amazing!"

"Natsu!" Happy barreled into his best friend's chest, "You beat that stupid demon!"

"Of course I did!" Natsu gloated, "I brought that stupid wooden freak down with my flames! No problem!"

The other three mages all took exception to this and glared at the pink-headed moron. Gray grabbed his shoulder, "Hold on dumbass, did those flames fry you brain too? My attack was the one that brought Lullaby down. You've gotta attack the body to get any real results!"

"The body?! You attack the head, not the body! Are you stupid?!"

Natsu and Gray glared between each other before Erza stepped in, "Now now you two behave. If it wasn't for all of us working together, who knows what that demon would have done. That's all that matters." Things calmed down between all of them as they took what Erza said to thought. Erza then showed a small smile, "Besides, it was over by the time I cut through it."

"It was over?!"

"No way!"

"What the hell Erza?!"

"If this is going to be a debate about who did the most damage then I believe I would be the winner."

"Okay, we need to straighten something up." Naruto interjected as he looked between all of them, "It's true, we all did some damage that could have beaten that thing first. But this is what matters...I let you guys fight."

"WHAT(x3)?!"

"Yeah, if I wanted to, I probably could of beaten that thing all by myself. I just let you guys fight because you would've been mad if I took all the glory."

"That's bullshit!"

"Yeah, if anyone could have beaten that thing all by theirselves, it was me!"

"I have a dozen armors specialized for sealing darkness and defeating monsters! I dare any of you to try and best me!"

Lucy looked at them with a tired glare, "They aren't seriously arguing about who beat the deadly demon first, are they?"

Happy nodded, "Aye."

Makarov laughed at his kids antics before looking back at all the other guild masters. But he was surprised to see that all of them still had the same shocked, dumbfounded look on their faces. He followed their gazes...and felt his jaw unhinge.

Taking a moment to calm herself down, Erza quickly glanced to the side. When she spotted their handiwork, her eyes turned into white plates and her body went ridged. She quickly grabbed Naruto's sleeve and pulled his attention away from fighting long enough to point behind them.

Before the demon had faded into mist, Lullaby had fallen backwards and completely destroyed half of the regular meeting building. Everyone was silent from shock as they looked at the aftermath their heroes had caused.

Feeling their piercing stares, Naruto clapped his hands and nervously stated, "W-well, we beat the Dark Guild, saved everyone, and there is still half-"

More of the building crumbled behind him as he tried to save face for Fairy Tail.

"-at least a quarter of the building still standing. It looks like a job well done for us."

Gray and Natsu cheered, "Y-yay!"

Happy jumped in the air, "That's all ya need!"

The guild masters angry glares did not change.

The Fairies all took a step back away from them while Lucy looked over her shoulder, "Master, do you think you can calm them down by talking to them?" She received no answer and then noticed that the short man wasn't behind them anymore, "Master?"

"What are you idiots doing?!" They all looked back in time to see their guild master already down the dirt path and waving them over, "The old people are angry! Fucking book it!"

"AFTER THEM!"

The Fairies all ran away from the angry mob of guild masters as they yelled for them to pay for the damages.

After a long day of fighting, the strongest team in Fairy Tail had successfully completed their first mission.

Sort of.

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Done

I just opened up an account on deviantART, and so far all I have done is save pictures I thought are cool. I'd like to change that.

Sadly, I have the artistic ability of a limbless monkey throwing crap so I doubt anyone would want to see that. So if there is anyone out there that would like to draw art about any of my stories, please contact me. I could give you details about what they should look like or you can show me what you've done.

I'd feel very honored if someone took the time to draw something up like that.

As always.

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Thank You and Bye