Hey guys!

I'm so so so SO sorry I've been missing for a while.

School became a hassle and was super busy.

Also, I knew where the story was going, but I couldn't put it into words, so that took a long time too.

Anyways, I'm back and I'm going to try and put out a chapter every two weeks, but no guarantees!

Also, I made this chapter extra long since I've been gone so long

Feel free to favorite/follow/review!

*Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and all the characters*

*I own Aria (OC)*

Enjoy the story!

The cloaked brunette trudged through the forest, huffing as she repeatedly glanced over her shoulder to check for a certain stubborn dragon slayer.

"Dammit, Natsu. I'm not doing this to be a bitch. I just want you to stay safe and out of danger's way. I don't have time to solve my problems and babysit you. And heaven knows, if you're anything like your kid self, you consistently find ways to get into trouble." Aria sighed before slowing to a stop to face the town she just left behind. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Dragon Boy. I wouldn't forgive myself for that. Especially since I— "

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before closing as a competitive smirk decorated her face. She heaved a lengthy sigh, sensing the impending magic, and she opened her eyes with a large grin growing on her face.

"Alright, Dragon Boy," Aria hummed. "If that's how you want to do this, things are gonna get a little more fun."

Instantaneously, she generated a tall shimmering wall. After knocking on the mirage twice and snapping her fingers, her figure became enveloped in a pastel blue and purple mist. With one final look at her illusion and changed appearance, she swiftly flipped back around and began to run off opposite of the pink haired dragon slayer closing in on her location.

"Let's see if you can keep up, Natsu. You may have gotten stronger, but I'll always outwit you" Aria mused as she looked forward, set on her next destination.

"C'mon Happy! Her scent's getting stronger, so we must be getting close." Natsu hurried forward, a hopeful look gracing his features.

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed as he hovered beside his partner, glancing at him and his determined expression. "Hey, Natsu. She said that it was dangerous, right? That we could risk our lives? Are you sure we should go? I don't want to die yet!" Happy noted while dramatically crying and whining about the upcoming adventure.

"It'll be fine, Happy! I won't let anyone hurt you! Besides, Aria needs our help, even if she doesn't say it. She's always been that way. She does everything by herself and is always strong for others, fearing nothing at all. Just cause she says that she doesn't need help, doesn't mean it's true. So, let's go show her how awesome we are, right!" Natsu beamed at his flying blue partner, who grinned back.

But those smiles were quickly smacked off their faces, quite literally, as they ran straight into what seemed like an invisible wall.

"Owww. Natsu, what was that?" Happy questioned while rubbing his face.

Natsu glanced at the forest ahead of him, squinting his eyes as if to try and see the wall. "I'm not sure Happy, but I bet this is one of her tricks. It's like that one she made when she was fighting that dark mage."

Happy looked back at the "wall" and reached his hand out to try and touch it. "Maybe we can break through it?" Happy offered, looking back at Natsu, who was already cranking back his fire-engulfed fist.

"I'm way ahead of you, Happy! Let's do this!" With that, Natsu punched the wall, only to be blasted back a few feet, dazed from the impact. Happy immediately flew over, hovering by the dragon slayer's side, gently trying to shake him back into sanity.

"Natsu, are you okay? C'mon get up Natsu!" Happy whimpered as he continued to nudge his pink haired friend. However, the sound of loud footsteps caught his attention as he looked up to see the rest of the guild running towards him and Natsu. "Everyone! Natsu won't get up!"

Lucy and Wendy immediately ran up beside Happy and Natsu, looking down at the stunned dragon slayer. The rest of the guild members crowded around the four, wondering what Natsu got himself into this time.

"Happy, what happened? What did Natsu do this time?" Lucy asked, glancing at Natsu and Happy.

"Well, there's this wall, but we couldn't see the wall so we ran into it. And then I thought we should try and break it, and Natsu was already thinking that too so he punched the wall, but he was blasted back and now he's on the ground like this." Happy rambled on.

The three looked back down at Natsu, who was just now beginning to stir.

"Did…did I break it, Happy?" Natsu mumbled.

"I think it broke you more than you broke it," Lucy stated as she helped him to his feet.

Erza cautiously walked over to the wall and placed her palm flat on it. "It looks identical to the one she formed back in the city. Master, do you know what kind of magic this is?" Erza questioned, looking back at the short, old man.

"Illusion magic, most likely." Makarov mused as he craned his neck upwards to look at the wall. "I don't believe brute force will be the answer to this problem, as evidenced by Natsu. However, perhaps there could be another way to break through it."

"Hmmm. What about runes? Levy, Freed! Could you find a way to make an opening using runes?" Lucy offered.

"Perhaps. I'm sure there's something that could be written." Freed stated. "Shall we then, Levy?"

"Right! We won't let you down!" Levy added.

The group watched as Freed and Levy diligently formed the purple runes across the face of the wall. Seconds passed and then minutes as everyone waited anxiously. Finally, with a loud poof and a navy-blue mist falling to the ground, a clear opening appeared in the wall.

"There. We should be good to cross now." Levy confirmed.

"Alright! C'mon Happy! We've got some catching up to do!" Natsu grinned as he ran through the new hole in the wall. However, on the other side, he screeched to a stop. With a twitch of his nose, he furrowed his brow. "Her scent is gone. Wait. I've got something new. Let's go, Happy!"

With that, Natsu and Happy led the Fairy Tail crowd to their next unknown destination.

"I finally found you," Aria grunted as she gazed at the ominous building in the distance. The waning moon in the night sky only helped to accentuate the massive guild ahead. She slowly approached it, taking each step with caution as she began to replay her "detailed" plan in her mind.

Enter through the hole in the roof. Stay in the rafters. Get what's mine. Maybe beat up a few guys if necessary. Get out through the roof…Easy Peasy. Alright. Let's do this.

She effortlessly navigated her way to the back of the guild and quietly made her way onto the roof via the multiple vines and surrounding tree branches. She crept closer to the source of the boisterous laughter and arguments and peered down at the legion of assassins, thieves, and rogues.

Protect.

Ugh not now. He's nowhere near. He'll be fine. Get ahold of yourself, Aria. There's nothing to worry about. Aria carefully lowered herself through the hole and among the rafters. Alright, enter through the hole. Check. Stay in the rafters. Check. Now, to get back what's mine.

Protect.

STOP WORRYING. He's fine. Besides, there's no way he could've gotten through that barrier. Knowing him, he would've tried to smash through it. He's not coming. Aria looked back up at the night sky. Right? She jolted her head towards the faint sound of a flock of ravens flying away. Her eyes widened, and her brow creased with worry. His friends. But if his friends helped, could…could he have made it through? Does that mean…Could he be coming? Natsu. PLEASE don't be an idiot this once. Don't follow me. Not this time.

Protect.

With a sharp inhale and a rough shake of her head to clear her mind, she scanned the room below, hoping to find the item she so desperately coveted. Her gaze landed on whom she assumed to be the master of the guild, but more specifically, the small trinket grasped between his mangled digits. There. She continued to scan the room, searching for a way to take the item, until a deep, malicious voice brought her gaze back to the man in the center of the room.

"For years, we've trailed behind the Balam Alliance, doing their dirty work and getting nothing in return. At least, that is until now. I hold the key to infinite power in my hand; the key to being stronger than the Balam Alliance ever was or will ever be. From this day forward, we will stand on our own and will be known as the most powerful guild of all time. Not even Zeref nor his demons will be a match for us." The guild roared in agreement as the master finished his spiel.

Aria squinted her eyes and huffed with annoyance as she watched the guild rally. Great. Another power-hungry guild who's overly cocky and doesn't know what the hell they're talking about.

"Now that the pieces are all in place, we can finally achieve this infinite power." The master bellowed to the crowd.

Aria rolled her eyes then focused back on the master, oblivious to the growing smirks and mischievous chuckles of the guild members.

"So, let us begin by welcoming our dear guest to our guild. What do you say, Miss Aria?" The master eyes gleamed as he looked directly up at Aria, whose face had shock written all over it.

Shit.

As she felt a presence behind her, she swung from the rafters knocking over the table and chairs in her landing zone. Upon landing, she immediately prepared herself for any incoming attacks.

"Come now, Miss Aria. We don't want to cause you any harm. We simply need you to unlock the power hidden within your precious necklace here." The master said with a vile grin.

"Cause me no harm? Yeah right. I knew you guys were idiots, but I never thought you were this damn stupid. Like I told your men who stole that, there is no 'infinite power' in that necklace. You're just wasting your time…and mine." Aria snarled at the guild master.

With a quick jerk of the guild master's head, the members abruptly launched themselves at Aria, sending magic and weapons flying in complete disorder. Aria deflected and backfired all the incoming attacks, a scowl permanently decorating her face. "Tch. I've had enough of this," Aria growled. "It's time I get this over with."

An iridescent purple cloud began to swirl around Aria and, within seconds, nearly all the members enclosing on her were blown back. "Not so strong now, huh?" Aria scoffed, looking at the masses of unconscious mages lying about like rag dolls.

Unmindful of the figure in the shadows, Aria continued to fight, sending illusion spells this way and that, dealing damage to the seemingly unending group. With a final smirk gracing her features, Aria released a large destructive mist, knocking the remaining members unconscious.

"Even if my necklace did have the key to infinite power, your guild wouldn't even come close to wielding it." Aria sneered at the guild master while trying to catch her breath.

"But we will have the power, thanks to you." An icy voice echoed behind her, creeping closer and closer along with its owner. Aria quickly flipped around to face the impending mage but was met with nothing but the empty room and piles of unconscious mages. The voice again began to swirl around her as she frantically searched for the source. "You may be powerful, illusion mage, but you will never be as quick as I am."

Almost instantaneously, Aria felt strong magic around her wrists, drawing them together as if to bind them. She struggled to no end, attempting to break the magic seal around her arms. Her eyes widened and then squinted in slight pain as she felt her knees buckle beneath her and a forceful pair of hands grab her shoulders to keep her in place.

"'Not so strong now, huh?'" The voice teased her, hot breath on her neck. Aria roughly struggled, trying to loosen her captor's grip, which only tightened in response.

The guild master sauntered towards the two with a malicious smirk growing on his unpleasant face. "Try and deceive us all you'd like, my dear, but we will achieve that power and you will help us. Besides, if it didn't contain infinite power as you said, why would you care so much to make a point of coming to retrieve it, in a disguise no less?"

Aria felt the magic bonds get stronger and winced in response. Slowly her disguise melted away, resulting in her normal appearance, only much, much more annoyed. "Do what you will, but I'm getting that necklace back. Believe me or not, there is no power in it." Aria quipped. "And no matter what you do, this will all end with my necklace back in my possession and you two on the ground unconscious like the rest of your repulsive guildmates."

Protect.

NOT NOW. You've kind of got more important things to worry about right now. Besides, it's been long enough now. He's not coming. It'll be fine… And even if he does, you'll figure something out…Right?...You always figure something out.

The guild master harshly grabbed Aria's messy ponytail and jerked it backward, earning a wince of pain from her. "Don't be so sure of yourself, my dear. Just what exactly makes you so sure that you could ever hope to beat a guild master and master assassin?" He dangled the necklace in front of her face and swung it like a pendulum, back and forth and back and forth. "Now, let us begin, shall we?"

He raised his hand which began to glow a deep crimson. As his hand crept closer and closer, Aria struggled more, trying anything to escape the assassin's death grip. The guild master's vile grin grew as the distance between his hand and Aria shrank. Just as his hand hovered over her chest, a resounding crash was heard throughout the guild hall. The three heads snapped towards the source of the crash, where the remains of a splintered door barely hanging on its hinges and a large shadow stood.

Protect.

"Oi, get your hands off her, bastard." A familiar voice growled as he and his companions stepped into the dim lighting of the guild hall. Their faces were stained with angry and determined expressions, though none matched the level of anger the pink haired dragon slayer leading the group held.

Protect.

The dark mages squinted their eyes and scowled at the obnoxious interruption, while Aria felt her spirits sink into the pits of the earth. Worry, panic, anger, fear, and sadness filled her eyes as she looked at the group before her, specifically the man in front.

Protect.

No…Natsu…You idiot. Why…why the hell did you come?

Protect.

I told you not to come. Why can't you just listen to me?

Protect.

I'll figure something out. I always do. I just…have to think of something. Come on, Aria! Think!

Protect.

"And who, exactly, do you think you are?" The guild master hissed as he glared at the intruders.

Protect.

"We are Fairy Tail and we ain't leaving until Aria is with us," Natsu roared, his fists becoming enveloped in glowing flames. His companions all prepared their magic and weapons and braced themselves for the imminent fight.

Protect.

The guild master looked at Aria and then at the man and back again before a devilish smirk grew on his face. "How sweet. Your little friends came to save you. It's too bad that they won't survive though. Now, you get to watch as we show them our true strength. Then we'll take that infinite power of yours and destroy you as well." The guild master swiftly put the necklace on his belt while the assassin shoved Aria behind them, preparing for the fight.

Protect.

'They…won't…survive…'

Protect.

Natsu glared at the two, teeth and fists clenched in blinding anger. "Like hell that'll happen. I ain't gonna let anything happen to Aria. I promised I would protect her from dark guilds and anything else, and nothing will get in my way."

Protect.

'Protect' 'Protect' 'Protect'

Protect.

I GET IT! Protect him. I know! I promised, didn't I?…Besides, this is my mess. And it's about time I clean up it up.

"Natsu. Take your friends and get out of here. I told you, I've got this. Don't worry." Aria ordered.

Everyone looked back at the bound woman who exuded a calm sort of confidence.

"Don't get cocky now, Miss Aria. Like I said before, what could you possibly do?" The guild master snickered as he looked down at her.

"Like hell! We're not leaving until these bastards are taken care of." Natsu barked back defiantly at Aria, all the while still glaring down the dark mages. He lunged forward, ready to make the first punch with flame-engulfed fists until he was knocked back by a protective shield.

Deafening silence took over the room. However, a determined voice shattered that silence with its piercing words.

"No." Aria started. "I promised. I promised that I would always protect you, Natsu. That I would always protect my family and friends."

The air throughout the guild became thick, making it almost difficult to breathe. The surrounding pieces of wood and weapons and rubble began to shake and hover off the ground ever-so-slightly. Aria's hair began to blow as if a breeze had blown by, while a blue aura formed around her, tracing her every outline.

"I swore to protect you. And that's what I intend on doing." With a deep breath, Aria released a large wave of mist out across the hall, knocking over the dark mages and any furniture in the way.

The guildhall was hidden amongst an expansive cloud, obstructing nearly everything from sight. "Where are you, Miss Aria? Don't think that you've won just yet." The guild master snarled as he searched through the clouds. Upon colliding with the assassin, the two angrily stood back to back, looking for Aria intently.

A bold voice resonated through the hall. "Won? Oh, but I have already won."

The illusive mist disappeared and presented a freed Aria standing confidently at the entrance of the hall in front of Natsu and the others. She looked over her shoulder at Natsu and, with the snap of her fingers, the protective shield disintegrated.

"Hey, Dragon Boy, what do you say we fight together? Just like the good old days?" Aria proposed with a satisfied smirk gracing her face as she looked back at her childhood best friend.

Natsu's toothy grin grew and he cranked his flaming fist back, ready for a fight. "Hell yeah! Now, I'm fired up!"

Within seconds, the two ran forward, aiming their magic attacks at the two dark mages. As the battle between the four mages ensued, the members of Fairy Tail fought off the multiple dark mages that had woken up and come to their senses.

Many of the Fairy Tail members watched Natsu and Aria fight seamlessly together. Their attacks were timed perfectly as they fought side by side. Their every movement and every breath worked in complete synchronicity. The Fairy Tail members watched, amazed, as they hadn't seen Natsu work so harmoniously with anyone before.

As the number of dark mages dwindled, the fight finally began to die down. Natsu and Aria stood beside each other facing the guild master and assassin.

"Impossible. Somehow you're achieving infinite power, even without the necklace. You will reveal its power and we will wield it." The guild master gasped through labored breaths. Both the master and assassin began to charge up their power, creating massive dangerous auras surrounding them.

"Not because of the necklace, no. You're just too afraid to acknowledge that this is my regular potential." Aria clarified. "You simply don't want to lose. That's all. Make whatever excuse you want, but you're scared. And now, I think it's time we end this." Aria looked to her left at Natsu and, with a curt nod from both, they looked back at the two dark mages.

"Illusion of…" Aria began.

"…the Fire Dragon!" Natsu finished.

Together, they sent a shimmering red flame disc straight for the two mages, resulting in the destruction of the remainder of the guild. Aria and Natsu stood back, with satisfied looks spreading across their faces as they watched the final attack of the battle unfold. Both the master and the assassin laid in a heap, unconscious, among the other guild members and rubble of the guild hall.

Finally. We did it. Now to take back what belongs to me.

Aria carefully walked over to the guild master and gently grabbed the necklace from his belt. Her soft gaze examined the necklace for any damage then finally restored it to its original spot around her neck.

Get what's mine. Check. Maybe beat up a few guys. Uhhhh. Definitely, check…There. Everything went as planned.

With a smile on her face and a bounce in her step, Aria turned around and met eyes with her "knight in shining armor".

Solved one problem. Now to solve another.

She briskly walked over to Natsu and paused no more than a foot in front of him. They stood there, both smiling at each other for what seemed like an eternity. And with one loud smack, that eternity was demolished.

Natsu stood hunched over, rubbing the back of his head and wincing in pain, while Aria stood with a smug smile on her face.

"Oww. What the hell was that for?" Natsu whined, looking at Aria accusingly.

"What was that for? You didn't listen to me, idiot! I specifically said for you to not follow me and yet, you did! It's no wonder you keep getting into trouble." Aria ranted while tugging on Natsu's ear. "How your friends have dealt with you for this long, I have no idea. And look at the place! It didn't look half this bad when I arrived, and you completely destroyed it."

"Well, technically, you helped," Natsu muttered under his breath while crossing his arms.

A navy-blue aura appeared around Aria as her magic and temper began to spike. "What did you say?" she hissed, glaring at Natsu.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Natsu denied, scratching the back of his head.

What began as a slight chuckle turned into a full-blown howl from Aria as she watched her best friend react. Soon enough, Natsu and the whole group were laughing equally as hard. The group eventually began to walk back out of the guild and on the road again, returning to their hometown.

"It's good to have you back, Natsu," Aria said sincerely.

"You too!" Natsu cheered. "Hey, Aria, I've got a great idea!"

Aria looked over at Natsu with a raised eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what would that be, Dragon Boy?"

Natsu's toothy grin grew three times its size as he threw an arm around her shoulders. "You should join Fairy Tail!"

Aria froze.

And for the second time that day, she felt her spirits sink into a bottomless abyss.