Chapter 5

Makarov Dreyer was just finishing his paperwork for the day when the guild doors suddenly swung open. The sound was unusually loud in the rare stillness of the last three days. Although the sound that caught his attention was the conversation taking place on the main floor below him.

"Lu's been...kidnapped?"

"How convenient."

"What do you mean, 'how convenient'?"

"I mean, she doesn't want anything to do with me for three days, and now that she needs help I'm supposed to go play the hero?"

"What's gotten into you, Natsu?"

The guild master let out a long sigh. He had thought it slightly odd not to see the celestial wizard among the group for the last few days, but put it out of his mind while he attended to guild business. Now knowing something nefarious was going on, he intended to find out more about the matter. Putting down his pen, Makarov rose from his desk and made his way to the balcony. Looking down, he saw that a small group had formed around Natsu, and the conversation had grown tense.

"We have to find Lucy. Right now," Natsu said to the group, eyes wide.

"And we will." Everyone turned and looked in surprise at the short-statured old man on the balcony. He hopped over the edge of the railing and effortlessly landed on the bar below. "Lucy has proven herself above and beyond to be a vital and irreplacable part of Fairy Tail." His voice softened. "I made a mistake last time when I let her battle Zeref alone...I will not allow her to endure everything alone again."

"Master..." Erza said quietly.

Strength returned to his voice as he raised his hand in the Fairy Tail salute. "Fairy Tail is a family! And those that wish to harm one of my children will pay dearly! Now who's with me!"

"Yeah!" came the response.

"Organize a rescue team at once. Loke, tell me everything you know."

"Yes, Master," Erza said, turning to her guildmates. "So, who's coming?"

"You know I am," Gray answered.

"You'll need me if she needs medical attention," Wendy said.

"And I go where Wendy goes," Carla responded.

"I'm down for busting some skulls," Gajeel said with a toothy grin.

Levy and Lily nodded.

"Natsu?" Happy asked expectantly.

Natsu looked around at his friends. Words from the distant past echoed in his mind.

'We're all family here, and family helps each other.' (Erza)

'Being in a guild means never turning your back on a friend!' (Natsu)

'What are you talking about? Of course we are. Natsu is my best friend!' (Lucy)

Whatever doubt he may have had was now long gone. Fists ablaze, he said with a grin, "I'm all fired up now."

Erza looked back at her friend with a smile.

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed joyfully. The old Natsu was back.

"Alright! Let's go show these guys why you don't mess with Fairy Tail!" Gray shouted.

"Yeah!"

Lucy had to dodge to avoid the glass of water that Brandish threw at her. It hit the wall behind her and shattered, a slurry of water and shards of glass on the floor. Lucy looked up at her with anger and confusion. "What do you want with me?" she asked. "I have done nothing to you!"

"Nothing?" Brandish repeated in a low and sinister voice. It sent chills down Lucy's spine. "Your mother is the reason my mother is dead!"

Lucy sat in silence, shocked and still very confused.

"Do you think you're the only one who didn't get to grow up with her mother by her side?" Brandish inquired, not really expecting an answer. "My mother's life was stolen from her, and it's all Layla's fault!"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy finally shouted. "You know, for once I wish you would just make sense."

Suddenly, Brandish was in front of Lucy on the floor, hands around her neck. Lucy's eyes grew wide as she fought to pry her hands away. "Layla had to use her life force in place of the missing key my mother was entrusted with. So in exchange, Layla sent someone to MURDER my mother," she snarled. "And the only way I can avenge her now...is to kill you."

Brandish's hands squeezed tighter, and Lucy started fighting harder, the panic growing on her face as she struggled to breathe. Slowly, her eyes began to close, and Lucy's grip on Brandish's arms grew slack as her body began to shut down.

"And with your little dragon slayer friend chasing your scent, the Emperor is free to carry out his true intentions. So, please," Brandish whispered through tears, "just die."

At that moment, a great wind suddenly swirled around the puddle of water on the floor, and a blinding light filled the room. Brandish fell back in surprise as Lucy gasped for breath. When the light faded, a beautiful mermaid with long flowing blue hair stood protectively over the celestial wizard.

"What were you saying about my key?" she asked.

Lucy looked up in shock.

Aquarius?

Loke turned to the old man. "The woman calls herself Brandish Miu. She is one of the Spriggan 12, Zeref's protection guard, and is known as 'Country Demolisher'." The lion spirit lowered his voice and leaned closer to Makarov. "She also claims that Layla was her mother's teacher."

"Hmm..." Makarov said thoughtfully. What interesting bonds we share...

Suddenly Loke paused. "We have to hurry. If she's looking to get some revenge from Lucy, she's in real danger."

"I couldn't agree more," Makarov said, turning back to the rest of the wizards. "You must start out immediately. Lucy could be in grave danger!"

"Aye sir!" Happy shouted, as he and the rest ran out the guild hall doors and out of town toward the mountains.

Hang on Lucy, Natsu thought, a look of determination on his face. We're on our way.

Meanwhile, in Vistarion, the capital city of Alvarez, there stands a gigantic palace with many towers and sections, towering over the city. And within, sits a young ruler upon his elaborate throne. As the throne room doors open, a man is escorted by two Imperial guards to His Majesty's throne.

Standing tall with his hands behind his back, his presence seemed to command respect, even from the Emperor himself. Of average height, the man wore his long white hair over his right shoulder in a low ponytail held by a golden clasp. His alert blood-red eyes looked through a pair of spectacles. The rest of his attire was very trim, consisting of a simple pair of dark dress pants, a white collared button-up dress shirt, an azure blue neck tie, a high-collared trench coat matching the color of his tie with white edging, and a pair of dark colored shoes with contrasting light soles. On the coat were dark marking diagonally branded from his left shoulder and sleeve and ran down the front and back. The coat was held closed by a beautiful belt looped twice around and fastened with a simple buckle.

As the guards knelt and bowed before the Emperor, he bowed his head slightly and placed his right hand over his heart. "You sent for me, My Lord?"

"General Invel," Zeref began, "All of my hesitation is gone. I have decided to destroy the world instead of myself, and with Natsu off rescuing his friend, there is no one left who can stop me now. I want you to prepare the troops for battle. Our target is Fairy Tail. We will take control of the guild and obtain Fairy Heart, the ultimate power."

"Yes sir," Invel answered, rising to his feet and taking one final bow before turning to leave.

"One more thing," Zeref called out. "Would you please acquire me a new set of clothes?"

"My Lord?" Invel asked.

His onyx eyes now scarlet and a grin on his face, Zeref answered, "Robes more befitting of an Emperor, that is."

Returning the grin, the general bowed once more. "As you wish, My Lord."

Brandish sat back against the wall, shocked and afraid.

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Lucy?" Aquarius asked gently.

The tears began welling up in her eyes, and Lucy didn't try to hold them back. Grabbing the spirit in a strong embrace, Lucy let herself cry. "Aquarius, you came back! I've missed you so much! I can't believe you're really here!"

"Well, I'm not exactly here on my own power," the water bearer replied. "You can thank the Spirit King for that. I came to let you know that my key has been reborn in the human world, so if you want us to be together again you're going to have to go look for it. I'm not going to just tell you where it is though," she said, crossing her arms. Then, looking over at the other woman in the room, she smirked and said, "I guess it's been awhile for you too, hasn't it Brandish?"

Brandish replied with a look of surprise.

"You two know each other?" Lucy asked.

"The little brat said so herself, didn't she?" Aquarius replied, still eyeing the other woman. "Her mother owned my key for a time. Used to play all the time, didn't we?"

Brandish's look of surprise quickly faded and was replaced by annoyed embarrassment.

Aquarius' eyes narrowed. "Oh come now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

The woman lowered her eyes. "The reason you are here does not matter. I can never forgive Layla for the death of my mother."

The water bearer's expression grew serious. "Lucy isn't Layla, Brandish. Besides, Layla didn't order the death of Grammi in the first place. She would never have wanted anything to happen to your mother. Not in a million years."

Both of the young women looked at Aquarius in surprise.

"Now, I'm only going to say this once, so listen good. This is what really happened to Grammi."

Making their way toward the mountains, Natsu could begin to pick up Lucy's scent. It was extremely faint, but it was there. Following not far behind, the rest of the rescue team raced to keep up. Every moment wasted was another moment Lucy was in danger.

Suddenly, Loke stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide. "It can't be..." he muttered under his breath.

The rest of the team paused to look back at the lion spirit. "Loke, what's wrong?" Wendy asked.

"She's here..." Loke stammered. "I don't know how, but I can feel her magic energy...Aquarius...She's here in the human world."

"But how can that be? I thought Lucy said Aquarius' key was broken," Gray said in confusion.

Erza scowled. "We need to hurry. We don't know what to expect once we arrive. If Aquarius passed through the gate on her own accord, Lucy may be in more danger than we thought."

Natsu turned back to face the mountains before them. Lucy, you better be okay until I get there, he thought. Because I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet.