Author's Note: Remember when I used to update every Saturday? Yeah, neither do I X3
It's been so long since I've updated O.o... I'm so sorry everyone, but with all of my school work that's been piling up, I haven't had the amount of time I would like to be able to write :/ Of course, my writer's block probably didn't help with the creation of this chapter, but whatever :p
I think this one is the best of the past few chapters I've written, but I probably have a biased POV seeing as I'm the writer and all :D Also, sorry for any mistakes I've made in the past few chapters, because I have a horrible tendency to never reread them DX Including this chapter actually... I know the rules, I promise, I just lose them with the speed I use to write XP
Thank you all for being so patient with me, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! :)
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Once they got within a mile of the villains hideout, Pakkun stopped to face the group, "Keep heading this way and you'll reach them soon. I'm gonna get out of here though, this place has too many weird smells that are beginning to make my head hurt. Not to mention I'd rather stay out of the fighting. If you need me, you know where I am." He told Kakashi gruffly, wrinkling his nose slightly at the mention of the scents.
The ninja nodded, "Very well, thank you Pakkun." With that, the small dog instantly disappeared into a poof of smoke, very similar to the way Lucy's spirits left with a flash of light. Kakashi turned towards his group, finding that they were all looking towards Erza as they waited for their orders. It was strange, really, that nobody was looking towards him for orders. Not that he minded, of course, it just felt weird having to follow someone else's instruction.
"Alright, I want us to stick together as we approach the building. We have no idea what's waiting for us when we get there, and for all we know, they could have amassed an army by this point. Nobody is to attack until we know that diplomacy isn't going to work, am I understood?" The red-haired wizard spoke clearly and with obvious authority as she gave each of them a hard look, silently daring them to defy her orders.
Natsu groaned, looking disappointed as he pouted at the team leader, "Why can't we just sneak up on them and blow the place up? That would be way easier, not to mention a whole lot more fun." He argued, Happy flying up to appear at his shoulder.
"Natsu's right, that would be a lot easier. The faster we get done here, the faster we can go home for some fish!" He agreed, looking to Carla for approval at his statement.
The white cat frowned in response, "Yes, it would be easier, but then we'd be no better than the dark guild we're facing. No, Erza's way is the most respectable approach to this matter, tomcat." She stated, ignoring the blue cat as he cried a little ways off.
"Yeah yeah, whatever, let's just get this over with." Gajeel grumbled, the dragonslayer already bored by the lack of excitement.
Gray turned to look at Erza, "Gajeel makes a good point. It won't be long until our time is up, and we already know they can teleport, so it's probably not a good idea to just stand around at this point."
The leader nodded, "Yes, that's enough talk for now. Let's get moving." She ordered, beginning her move in the direction that Pakkun had directed them too.
The entire group moving into a run, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh at the slow progress they were making. As a ninja, he was used to travelling at speeds at least twice this, and that was a leisurely pace for the average ninja. When he had travelled back to the village after rescuing Erza from Mistuko, they hadn't been in a hurry so it hadn't seemed like a big deal to travel a little slower than normal. Not to mention she was actually able to keep up a solid run for a good period of time. The others, not so much.
Glancing back, he saw Lucy already complaining as she huffed from exhaustion, her pace much slower than everyone else's. In the next instant, an orange haired spirit of hers appeared and began to simply carry her, easily keeping up. Sweatdropping at how she employed her spirits so menially, Kakashi turned back and couldn't help but be a little shocked at the building that began to appear before them.
It wasn't large like Fairy Tail's guild hall, but it was definitely not what he expected. Rather than the stereotypical 'villains hideout', the Bonegarde guild hall was actually relatively happy looking. Flowers surrounded the place and filled the air with a sweet aroma, the walls of the building white with dark green shutters. The door itself was dark green and round like a circle, a silver version of the guilds insignia resting in the middle. The skull was the only way he could tell the difference between this building and a Hobbits home. Well, that and the fact that it was as bigger than any normal house.
The group headed inside immediately, glancing around the open anterior as the waited for an enemy attack. It seemed deserted, the large, main room filled with a few couches and chairs as a cozy fireplace sat in the corner, currently unlit. It resembled a medieval tavern, only a bit modernized. They could distantly see a few doors on the visible upper floor, and he assumed that where the guild rooms were. Unless everyone one gone, it didn't seem like there could be that many people here. It definitely wasn't big enough for a giant guild, roughly being only a third of Fairy Tail's size.
Erza stepped further into the building, resisting the urge to summon a sword as she looked around, "I, Erza Scarlett, have come to discuss an agreement that will benefit both parties. Show yourselves, so that we may have a proper meeting." She called, eyes watching for the slightest hint of movement.
Footsteps were heard on the floor above them, and a moment later the three wizards from earlier appeared above them, each with a varying degree of emotion on their face. However, with the looks on the Efrain and Natalya's faces, Erza felt her instincts flare as she sensed danger.
"How nice of you to join us, Miss Titania. I hate to have you come all this way with hopes of victory, only to see them crushed before you." Natalya stated with exaggerated pity, a smirk beginning to form as the one named Gavin silently held out a hand.
Erza quickly moved to defend herself, only to find that no weapon or armor appeared when she went to use her requip magic. "Hey, what gives?! I can't make any fire!" Natsu exclaimed to her right, gazing at his hands in confusion.
Lucy sighed as she held a gate key in hand, confirming Erza's fears, "I can't use magic either." Gritting her teeth, it was then that Erza noted the small magic circle that had appeared on the top of her hand, a similar one gracing each of her friends.
Glaring at Gavin, the leader quickly demanded an answer, "What did you do to us?!"
Natalya laughed, not allowing her blonde teammate to speak as she grinned at them, "You see, Gavin here may not say much, but he has a really handy ability. He can cause select people to lose their ability to use magic energy, until he stops the block or runs out of his own magic energy, of course. Lucky for us, that isn't going to happen anytime soon. Now, hand over the book or you all will die."
Efrain seemed to take that as his queue, his entire body covering itself in silver as his arms formed into swords. "This is gonna be so easy, it'll be boring." He almost complained, his lips curved down in a pout.
"Stop acting like a child, Efrain." Natalya scolded before returning her attention to the group, "So, what'll it be?"
Erza glared threateningly, unable to do much more as she considered her options. She didn't have the book on her, but she couldn't have given it up so easily anyway. "Sorry, but I'm not letting you have that book."
Natalya put on a show of mock disappointment, shaking her head sadly, "Very well, I'm real sorry it had to turn out like this. Efrain." She ordered silently, not moving as the man grinned and leaped from the second floor, aiming his sword arms for Erza.
The red-haired mage quickly moved to block the attack with the guards on her forearms, but felt her eyes widen as Kakashi quickly dashed in front of her, kunai in hand as he managed to stop both of the man's arms from making contact.
The silver haired man grinned wider in response, seeming excited at the prospect of an actual fight. "A wizard who actually carries weapons on him, how strange and delightful." He commented, pulling his arms away before quickly aiming for his throat, crossing the blades while moving with all the speed he could muster. The swords sliced through the ninja, earning a satisfied smirk from Efrain as he then turned his attention to the others. "Who's next?" he taunted, ignoring the horrified expressions the others were wearing.
"Kakashi…" Erza whispered, staring blankly at where he used to stand.
Lucy's hand covered her mouth as the shock settled, leading her to tears as she realized what had just occurred. Wendy seemed to be in no better shape as she began to cry herself, Carla and Happy wide eyed next to her.
Even the guys seemed shaken as they gritted their teeth, "You bastard." Natsu growled lowly, clenching his fists tightly as he glared at the man. "How dare you hurt one of my friends!" He added with a shout, rushing forward as he aimed a punch at the man's face, only for it to be dodged as the man quickly turned to land his own attack on the dragonslayer's back.
Before it connected, a familiar face appeared above them, making a few hand signs before executing his attack, "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" he shouted, a large flame appeared as it engulfed the silver man.
Everyone stared in shock, including the enemies. "How did you perform magic when you clearly have the block on your hand?!" Natalya demanded, Gavin wide-eyed at her side.
"How are you not dead?!" Efrain added as the flames died down and he stared at him, knowing for a fact that he had killed him earlier.
Kakashi smirked, "I'm not a wizard in the sense that I don't use magic energy, instead I use something called chakra. It works differently, which means that your block has no effect on me. The jutsu that allowed me to survive your attack was merely a Genjutsu mixed with a substitution, a rather simple technique." He explained, looking to wear Erza was now smirking with her arms crossed. "Great acting." He added, referring to the shock she had displayed when he had begun his charade.
Erza grinned at him, "I have always prided myself on my acting abilities. I'm just glad I knew what was going on, otherwise I probably would've ended up like them." She admitted, gesturing to Lucy and Wendy, both of whom were currently collapsed on the floor after fainting from the shock of having the ninja come back to life.
Kakashi rubbed his neck sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry about that. I just knew your responses would be better if I didn't say anything." Turning to look at Natsu, he gave him a genuine smile of thanks, "I appreciate that you consider me your friend." Even if he hadn't liked him at first because of his petty jealousy, Kakashi could see why Erza respected this kid so much. He had heart, even if he was a bit rash at times. Kind of like Naruto.
Natsu seemed surprised at the remark but grinned anyways, "Of course. Any friend of Erza's is a friend of mine! Just... don't pretend to die again." He added, seeming a little put off by the fact that he hadn't noticed the ninjas movements.
Kakashi laughed in response, "Right, sorry." He agreed before looking to Erza, "May I take care of them for you guys?" he asked, gesturing to the three dark mages.
Erza nodded with a small smile, "Of course, but be careful. We only need you to incapacitate the one with the magic blocker, that way we can help out with the others."
The ninja nodded before turning to face the enemy, removing his eye patch with one fluid movement as he revealed his Sharingan to the rest of the wizards. Even if they weren't ninja, he could tell that it wasn't going to be an easy fight. They weren't just going to let him get rid of their trump card, after all.
Natalya gritted her teeth in anger as she tried to figure out who this man was, taking only a moment to jump down and join Efrain on the first floor. "Be careful, he may have some kind of eye magic." She warned her partner, keeping her gaze trained on his normal eye. In a mere second, she had her hand aimed at him as her spell began to work and thorned vines began to sprout from her fingertips, the plants rapidly weaving as they tried to catch the dodging ninja.
Efrain quickly joined in, swiping at him with his bladed arms when the vines weren't attacking him. Something told him that he didn't even want a scratch from the plants that were now chasing after him, and quickly performed another fireball jutsu to scorch them, still dodging the silver mage. The vines came back however, still fixated on ending him.
This was going to be a tough fight, that much was certain.
A/N: In reference to the lotr references: No, I did not just watch the Hobbit or lotr, for some reason that was just the image that came to mind when I considered their guild hall X3 I know, I'm odd XD