"Open, Gate of the Virgin, Virgo"
Blinding lights quickly erupted from the tip of the key, engulfing the whole ground that was supporting her and seconds after, a maid with metal cuffs in both wrists connented by a chain appeared, bowing before her.
"Is it time..."
"I'll punish you all you want, however you want. But right now, I want you to dig passed this barrier. You can do it, right?" Lucy abruptly said with a look of desperation in her eyes. "I want you to do everything in your power, please Virgo. We are all counting on you,"
"Understand, Princess," the celestial spirit answered with a bow before diving head on and quickly vanishing under the ground.
"Lucy.."
"It's better than doing nothing, than waiting for them to kill each other. I don't want that. I still need to apologize to Natsu, Mira,"
The Take Over mage smiled sweetly as she drew the sobbing mage in a comforting hug as her eyes scanned the clearing for signs that would give way to the exact location of the two rampaging mages. In the eye an ordinary people, the clearing and the whole forest would appear just normal; but for mages, it wouldn't take long enough for them to figure out that something fishy, enormously dangerous is going on. Just what on earth is happening right now inside that barrier?
Minutes before, albeit the heat that was terrorizing Magnolia, her family was, though not as rowdy and as noisy as before, were all smiles and warmth until Happy came wheezing passed her, colliding himself againsts Cana's barrel. She was worried for the poor Exceed but that feeeling quickly went down the drain when Happy told them what was about to happen inside the silent forest. To make matters worse, they learned that Freed lend a very generous hand. Mira, no, everyone knew how good of a Rune Mage Freed is, even managing to defend the whole Magnolia from the attack from Alvarez, sustaining a few minor injuries in the process. If it were not for him, only a handful of people would've survived, probably all mages as the town's people have no match against Zeref's army, with their muddy scythe, hoe and guns combined. And after two yeras, Freed is showing them just how much his power have improved more and more in the pinch they where in. For no matter how they attemp in breaking the barrier, all went into the ditch, making Mira a little bit proud of Freed. She knew that it wasn't the right time to entertain those thoughts as their family is being put to the test right now. Now of all time, when all of them were just balancing themselves at the brink, where everything could happen, and where their bond could be severed for good, and anything could break.
"Ms Mirajane,"
It was Warren, connecting them via telekenesis.
"Any news?" Mirajane asked, pulling her arms out from the celestial mage who was stiffling a sob.
"Did you found Freed?" Lucy asked hopefully.
"Yes,"
"ICE DEVIL'S RAGE!"
A large purple, blizzard of cold air and ice bursted from Gray's wide opened mouth, directing it to Natsu who was charging at him through inhuman speed, successfully dodging Gray's attack before pulling back in a safe zone.
As the blizzard started dissipating, Natsu cursed to himself, taking in the damage Gray had caused: a massive part of the forest was clearly obliterated, save for some faithful stones that were pulverized and falling like tiny frozen raindrops. Had he been hit by it, he was sure that it wouldn't be a nice feeling.
"Pay attention, E.N.D,"
"You bastar..."
"ICE DEVIL'S ZEROTH DESTRUCTION FIST!"
It was all that Natsu managed to hear as a pair of cold, hard blow from a frozen gauntlet hit him consecutively in his chest, knocking his breath out, throwing him hundreds of kilometers away until his feet found support, facing Gray's attack force head on with his arms covering his eyes as hundreds of frozen projectiles flew at him. Realizing that he will not be able to defend himself at the same time from Gray's simultaneous attacks, Natsu ignited his whole body with the idea of melting all projectiles aimed at him.
"ICE DEVIL'S RAGE!"
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"
A blast of crimson fire and a purple blizzard clashed with each other, it's force sending both rampaging mages tumbling backwards; Gray taking hold of a protruding rock that proved futile as it was rooted from the ground together with Gray, throwing him a good distance until his back hit the base of a massive boulder that immediately collapsed upon contact. 'Fuck,' was all he could said as he slammmed face first on a group of wild poison ivys'. As the force died out, Gray quickly untangled himself from the thorned vines, frantically looking around for any sign of the dragon slayer, the black lines in his arms and face slowly fading.
"What the fuck, Natsu," Gray hissed, clutching his broken nose that was bleeding profusely again. Making his way of out of the remnants of the massacred trees, he squinted his eyes as clouds of dust and smoke together with bits of melting ice obscure his line of vision. Left, right, up and down he turned his head until a familiar piece of cloth caught his sight. Ignoring he pain that was beginning to hammer his head, he ran as fast as his feet would carry him and what met his eyes made him froze on his spot.
Natsu laid motionless, blood dripping from a large gash in his forehead. His clothes were burned except for the scarf that was miraculously unscathed. He was breathing heavily and his stomach was badly burned, but in his eyes Gray swore he saw grief and anguish.
Releasing a heavy sigh, Gray dropped his exhausted body on the ground beside Natsu, also catching his breath. "That was stupid, idiot," Gray hissed, feeling his bleeding nose.
"Yeah," Natsu managed to reply, coughing blood in the process. It was a few of those precious moments where Gray would say a thing and Natsu would agree and vice versa.
"You were supposed to go all out. That was the rule," Gray retorted, closing his eyes as he thought how he almost killed his friend. "I was in full Devil Slayer mode and then you suddenly shifted to your normal self, which is abnormal, dumbass,"
A pregnant silence swallowed the two of them as Natsu continued his labored breathing. A couple of times Gray would quirked an eye open to look at him and sigh. They continued like that for a few minutes more until Natsu spoke through labored breaths. "It was the least I can do, after that,"
Gray flinched, hearing Natsu's broken voice, then he scowled. "No one's blaming..."
"Shut it, Gray," Natsu snapped, wincing as a sharp pain coursed through his exhausted body. We all know who's fault it is. That Master Makarov died. That she..."
"Don't you dare finished that sentence," Gray growled, fisting his hands. Trying to calm himself, he pushed his body up in a sitting position and, trying to hide the hoarseness of his voice, he continued. "It's wasn't you. It wasn't E.N.D. either. It was me. I wasn't strong enough to defeat Invel without a sacrifice. Even if E.N.D.," he spat and paused, the name leaving a bad taste in his mouth, "even if we never realized who E.N.D. was, back then we were still in a compromising position, and she...she just had to act quickly, faster than me. And with a back up. It was her decision. And Natsu, you are a fucking idiot, you know that flame-brain?"
"I've been called worse by Luce, no need to tone it down, squinty-eyes," Natsu grinned, knowing too well that the tension was long gone.
"I know," Gray snickered, a playful, genuine smile gracing his bruised face. "Had no idea you can, uhm, use that if you want,"
"Well, it wasn't that bad. I mean, to me, nothing's changed, except now that I have a new name. Hell, who needs another name with a bad reputation. As if mine's not enough,"
"Fairy Tail's barely surviving, you know,"
"I could live with that. So, truce?" Natsu asked, stretching a badly burnt hand towards Gray, who took it with a smirk.
"I'm still gonna tell them I'm just the victim of your stupidness," he added, jabbing his free thumb at the direction of the obliterated forest, to which Natsu grimaced.
"Fair enough, just put some clothes on, stripper,"
Both mages quickly turned to the direction of the voice, Gray almost cricked his neck in the process.
"Hey, Gajeel," Natsu casually greeted him, desperately trying to pull himself up to a sitting position.
"You better managed with that, pinky, I ain't carryin' yer sorry ass," Gajeel flatly said, throwing a spare cloth to Gray who caught it with a silent 'thank you.' "I say that was stupid," he added, pointing to Natsu who was then steeling himself on his feet. "If ye pull that prank on me I swear I'll kill you ten times," referring to him switching from E.N.D. to his normal self.
"You saw that? But Freed said no one can pass his barrier,"
"Barrier?" Gray raised a brow, adjusting his belt.
"Yeah," Natsu cheekily said. "He said something like meeting a condition...urgh, I forgot the rest."
"Seriously, you dumbass," Gray exasperatedly said. "Think what would had happened if the barrier didn't deactivated."
"Nah," Natsu dismissed. "That won't happen as long as we fight,"
"That transvestite never said we cannot pass underground. Gihihi. Bunny girl was kind enough to lend a chick,"
It was then that the both of them saw the presence of Lucy's masochist spirit Virgo.
"Master Natsu, Master Gray," the spirit bowed.
"Yo, Marco,"
"It's Virgo,"
"Whatever."
"Oh, shut it," Gajeel irritably said. "Sorry to cut yer show, but there's something we need you to know, especially you, stripper." He waited no reply and signaled the spirit to step beside him. "Yer nose think can function well?"
"Try me," Natsu sneered and Gray just sighed. He will never wish to be a dragon slayer.
"Please smell this, Master Natsu," Virgo said, opening a flask and handing it to the dragon slayer, who, upon nearing the flask's opening to his nose, stiffened.
"Gajeel," Natsu said, hoarsely, looking at the studded dragon slayer and the flask of water in his hand.
Gajeel met his eyes with his steely one. "Try this one," he then pulled another flask from his pocket and tossed it to Natsu. "That one was from Amefurashi Village."
If Gray was trying to look unaffected, he greatly failed as Gajeel caught the clenching of his jaw and the furrowing of his brow upon hearing the name of the village were he and Juvia used to live when Fairy Tail disbanded. Feeling the steely gaze fixed on him, he decided to divert his attention by asking a question.
"What's with those water, anyway?"
A defeaning silence echoed through the air for a couple of minutes. Gajeel was still looking at him. Virgo was quiet as ever, to Gray's mind she was thinking of ways to be punished, until Natsu called him.
"Gray," he bagain, eyes boring holes in his head.
"What now?"
"The water. Both has Juvia's smell."