Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.
I do own the Original Characters –OCs- that appear through the story and the idea for the story.
Knowing it from the beginning.
(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)
Chapter 15: Final Answer.
(Near Brammingmont's lake.)
"Where…? Where are we?" Nova questioned out loud, her eyes finally distinguishing something about her surroundings; she remembered her father saying something about "Knights" and she and Kaki "out" before her vision blurred and the battlefield around them vanished from her sight. She was now on her knees, her arms supporting her as her head scanned what was around her, she was at the beach with Kaki lying unconscious next to her and her father standing a few meters away from her in front of them; he had his back facing them as his right arm raising with its fist clenched.
"Away from danger." It was all he gave as an answer. She tilted her head; not getting why he wanted them away from the fight this late in the course of events, she fought against him and was defeated, Kaki fought against and was defeated! Why would he want to take them away from the fight when he swatted them like flies before more of his partners arrived? He finished with Kaki like he would against a normal enemy and let one of his lackeys destroy her mother's armor! She was about to give him a piece of his mind but his next words caught her by surprise. "Take care of yourself while I'm gone, okay? And look after your mom…"
Her body froze, her eyes widened and her breathing stopped, she wanted to move and reach him to ask him what he meant with that… no! That she understood what he was saying and that she didn't wanted him to do it! She didn't want to lose her father again after being with him for an hour and just fighting! She wanted to know who he was! What the others in the future told her about the persons that he and her mother were! She moved to stand up, extending one arm with her hand open to reach him, feeling every muscle in her being aching for the blows received earlier but she continued, anyway… only to feel air in her grasp as her father's figure disappeared in front of her. Another shock. 'High…! High Speed magic!'
She fell to the ground face first, the fall being cushioned by the sand and the arm that wasn't extended to grab her father's clothes; she felt like crying at her luck, and cry she did, feeling all the pain in her body gone and replaced by a strong sorrow in her heart. It felt like somebody clutching the base of her feelings tightly, squeezing it by mere fun to make her suffer.
She felt the feeling once, a long time ago…
…when she was a newborn and her parents died.
(Brammingmont; north side, crash site.)
The place was quiet. The wind blowing swiftly moved the dust over the stoned floor of the plaza with one single swept, making noises when clashing against the objects around the place, cleaning the place of the smoke that came from the burned buildings enclosing a large boulder that lay in the middle of it; figures lay and stood there, being clear proof of what caused all the chaos around them.
Closing in on a pair of figures, the sight of broken swords, axes and other weapons appear, the view showing that an intense fighting took place and that the parts involved did their best to outwit the other; one figure laying on the ground with the other standing in front of it showing clearly that a winner was decided, either by chance or skill, but that the confrontation was over.
"Surrender." Pierre stated as he pointed a sword at the now defenseless Titania's throat, her swords lay broken around her, part of her Heart-Kreuz armor was broken, her magic reserves were almost depleted; she couldn't understand how the state of the fight changed so much in a few minutes, they were on an equal level and here she was lying on the ground at his mercy. The black-armored man continued to eye her with those emotionless brown orbs of him, the hold on his sword firm and his figure still as he waited for his opponent's response.
Erza clenched her teeth in impotence, she couldn't move with that sword threating her neck and she couldn't call for her telekinesis to use one of the lying swords behind the man to make a diversion that could distract the black knight enough for her to change into another armor set. Damn that Natsu! If it weren't being because of him, she wouldn't be in this situation. "Pierre, lower your sword."
Speaking of the devil. There he was, appearing behind the enemy in a flash, magic that Erza immediately identified as something like Jet's High Speed magic, with a look that could rival one of her sterner faces; Pierre nodded at the command and withdrew his sword, making it disappear before turning to face his leader in expectation of new orders, uncaring about the fact that he was exposing his back to his enemy.
Natsu didn't divulged his new orders right away, the pink-haired was inspecting the battlefield to see who were left in the place, a great wave of guilt hitting him as he saw the outcome of the battle he started; Asis still unconscious, Hyde frozen with Gray knocked out at his side, Fran sitting calmly close by and Literio lying with tattered and burned clothes in front of Lucy's panting and kneeled position. Turning his gaze to the side, he saw Erza still lying on her back with her arms supporting her, glaring daggers at him as she waited for him to say something.
"Pierre, go and retrieve Asis and Literio's bodies, leave them close to Fran and Hyde." The red-haired nodded again and moved to do as told, leaving Natsu alone with Erza and the now approaching Lucy; he cleared his throat and sat cross-legged on the ground, staring at the entry of the plaza that leaded to the north, where he was expecting the Rune Knights to appear at any moment. "You're safe now."
"Safe?" Erza questioned, not believing his words, safe from what? They were defenseless as normal persons in front of this group of renegades! Safe in what sense? "Safe? You've left us defeated and exhausted! If you're aiming for an easy kill then do it now!"
He shook his head with his eyes closed, waiting a few moments until Lucy was at ear's reach to explain his actions. "I did this for two reasons; one, to avoid getting the Knights the wrong idea, we fought against you and defeated most of you, they'll get that we're enemies."
"You did this to avoid getting us in prison?" The stellar mage asked a little surprised, she wasn't familiar with this smart side of their pink-haired friend, even if he had showed them enough of his new found intelligence with the explanations and revelations of the day; he nodded, standing up and going to the center of the battlefield, were Pierre dropped the unconscious bodies of Asis and Literio. "W-wait! And what's the second reason?"
Fran eyed the remnants of their leader's friends with some pity, Pierre just watching the pink-haired for new orders, Natsu remaining quiet as he couldn't muster the strength to tell them; biting back the urge to yell his reasons, he sat on the floor with his eyes closed, waiting for the ones to take him and his collaborators away from there with such calm that could rival an old monk's.
The blonde felt a drop of sweat travelling down her jawline as she waited for an answer, her eyes showing her that Gray was waking up behind Natsu's group and that he still couldn't move; he opened his eyes, closing them and blinking several times to adjust them to the afternoon light before the memories came back to him. He got up from the ground and looked to his left, finding Natsu and the rest of his group there, Fran being the only one eyeing him with disinterest.
He turned to look around and found Erza and Lucy a few meters in front of the group of mages, both exchanging glances between him and the pink-haired sitting in middle of the black knight and the mismatched-haired guy. "W-what happened?"
"You better go to that side of the field, stripper." Fran recommended, tiredly leaning on his back and arms to see the sky showing the first star of the night; Gray blinked once and then twice, an angry snarl coming from him before his fist and palm met and created an ice prison around the group of foreigners and Natsu, the people inside not caring for his actions.
"Now, you'll answer our questions!" The ice mage screamed victoriously, Lucy smiling unconsciously at the move of her friend while Erza's glare remained on the sitting Natsu. The half-naked man walked to stand in front of the cage he created, his back facing his female partners, he was thinking about which question was better to ask first when he saw Natsu's eyes opening, Pierre's face moving to see the north entrance of the square as Fran said what the three of them were thinking.
"They're here."
And he was right about what he said, in less than what Gray could notice, the army of the Council entered the square through the debris of the north buildings and streets; a man with glasses and long black hair commanding them as he surveyed the field of operations in front of him.
"I want ten of you to surround them! You five stay here and guard the exit! You two with me and the rest check the surroundings!" Lahar and his unit appeared from the north, his knights moving at the voice of his commands and doing what they were ordered, the symbol of their organization, the Ankh, showing itself perfectly to the people present. The sudden appearance of the Knights surprising the Fairy Tail mages, that didn't expect them to be there at the moment; as always, the army of the Council appeared when one least wanted them.
Walking firmly in between his men, Lahar stood still when reaching the ice prison containing his objectives, a satisfied smile almost working its way to his authoritarian exterior before he subdued it and diverted his attention to his surroundings again, they spared him the need to use his magic to forbid the objectives from running away; there were 5 foreigners inside the cage with the Fairy Tail mage, Natsu Dragneel, and 3 other mages from the same guild that he recognized as the ones that were mentioned by previous records to be part of his team, five years ago.
Looking back at the pink-haired man eyeing him from over his shoulder, Lahar cleared his throat and stated his reason for being there.
"Natsu Dragneel, for order given by the Chairman of the New Magic Council himself, Guran Doma, you and your collaborators are to be taken into custody and interrogation for the crimes across the Kingdom of Fiore; in between them, attacking legal and illegal guilds, harming mages, eluding law's forces and attacking them, and causing chaos in several cities on your path," Tilting his head downward, he said some last words almost in plead, barely an audible whisper for he knew that the man surely had some good motives for doing what he previously named. "Please, do not resist."
Natsu stood up from his position, eyes hidden by his pink bangs, calling the attention of those around him; his old friends, thinking that he was about to fight against the ones there about to take him, moved to stop him; Gray opening his mouth to yell at him while Lucy and Erza got near to prevent any catastrophe from happening… but they stopped when he answered, raising his arms with his wrists touching towards the shocked bespectacled man.
"Let's go."
(Brammingmont; north side, hidden in between the rubble and debris of fallen buildings.)
"Oh? So you aren't going to fight? That's interesting, indeed." An amused deep voice said aloud on his hiding place, in between some scorched remnants of what used to be the biggest house of the place; he was witnessing everything that was happening down in the square with a grin on his face and mischief in his eyes, a small wicked snicker escaping him when he thought about the next that could happen. "Déjà vu! Certainly, I was not wrong when Master told me to follow you! You're everything I was expecting! So unpredictable until the very end! So loyal to your friends even when you've showed them that you're not one to trust anymore! Natsu Dragneel…"
His face turned grim serious.
"…You surely are one of a kind…"
And he released a wicked laughter after saying it, disappearing from the place as he already knew what was going to happen.
(Brammingmont; north side, crash site.)
"What…?" Gray's question was heard all over the place as he grabbed the bars of his ice-make prison cell, glaring with shock and disbelief at the man inside, that didn't please with a meeting of eyes or a signal; he just stood there, waiting for his capturers to take him away in the same position. The black-haired man clenched his teeth in frustration, dispelling the prison to get near and force the other man –his old friend and rival- to look at him in the eyes; when turning Natsu around he just faced a calm-tired face, uninterested eyes staring back at his angering ones while the Knights moved to prevent any route of escape. "You must be kidding me! You'll just turn yourself in! After all that you've told us!"
"…" Words remained inside Natsu, as he waited for his friend to let out everything that was bothering him; that could be the last time they ever see each other.
"Talk to me, damn it!" He screamed and shook his friend's shoulder, still no receiving an answer that could put him at ease.
"You better say whatever is troubling you, Dragneel, this might be the last time you see any of these people." Lahar advised dryly, turning his head to avoid intruding with the personal affairs of his target, even if the conversation spiked his interest into knowing the dragon-slayer's reasons to attack his own countrymen and guildmates.
Lucy stepped closer to his friends, laying a hand on Gray's shoulder to ease his anger a little before looking at Natsu pleadingly, her voice telling him that she was also confused by his actions. "Natsu… why are you doing this?"
"…" The mentioned man met with both his friends' eyes, staring at them for a moment long enough to build expectation before voicing out his thoughts. "I understood… thanks to you, guys… that my way isn't the only one… I'll try and seek help from them…"
"…are you nuts?" The ice-mage yelled again as he removed one hand from his friend to punch him on the face.
"Gray!" The blonde reprimand, not liking the action, thinking hard about what Natsu was telling them; the man just shrugged the hit and returned his eyes to them, finishing what he wanted to say.
"Perhaps… perhaps she was right… perhaps, if I tell the truth, I-we can gain more help…" Gray felt a nerve breaking before landing another jab to the man's face, releasing his hold on him to let him fall on the ground.
"Natsu! They won't believe you!" He said in between pants, his body not liking the idea of fighting after resting just a bit.
"It's worth the try!" Natsu screamed to the top of his lungs as he rose from the ground and gave the shocked Gray an uppercut with a flaming fist, now the ice-mage landing hard on the ground as the other glared down to him. "I won't know until I try!"
"Tch… Just do whatever you feel like, asshole…" And he stood up, wiping the blood from his mouth before Lucy could do anything to help him, walking to the south entrance of the square to lean against a piece of debris that looked like the rooftop of one of the houses. Lucy exchanged glances in between the two; she finally faced Natsu, who seemed to be calmer after releasing what the other couldn't understand of his motives. Sighing and shaking her head in disapproval, as she used to when the two fought for meaningless things, she gave the pink-haired a small smile and some parting words before going to see if Gray needed anything.
"Just… be careful, Natsu…" And she left.
And so… again… there were just two… surrounded by a unit of Rune Knights, that is. He looked at her from his spot, she averted his gaze, he opened his mouth to say something that at the end didn't come out and she waited in vain for something that would not come… Fran rolled his eyes. "Hey! Council guys! Can you arrest me already and spare me from this soap opera?"
"Quiet." Pierre told him sternly as a sword materialize on his hand and the blade stood dangerously close to the mood-ruiner's throat, the mismatched-haired man nodded slowly and remained quiet as ordered.
Seconds seemed minutes, minutes seemed hours, the two remained quiet as the time flowed and the hour for him to go drew closer; he was at a loss, everything that could be said died down on his throat, his mind couldn't think about something to tell her that could explain his actions, what he did to them that day, what was revealed…
She was hesitant, yes, hesitant. After finally grasping what could be his reasons for the actions of before, she didn't know what to say to him, a few things came to her mind but they were the kind that she wanted to hear in another situation. He had her support on what he was planning to do, saving the world, not, freeing Jellal through force, mind you. But… what was there to say?
A loud cough brought them back to reality, Lahar called the attention of everyone to him and finally ordered his men to move and take away the ones they came for; casting a look of pity towards the two that were not able to say words of good-bye if the worst-case scenario showed up for him. He looked at her in distraught, wanting to force the words out of him as the Knights cuff his hands and deprived him of using magic to escape. She shared his state, but her mind went blank at thinking about it.
"Finally! I was dying of boredom!" Yelled Fran as he was handcuffed and escorted by two Knights to the carriage that would take them to the trial waiting for them at Era; other two Knights moved to handcuff Pierre, but when the soldiers moved to do it, he simply asked.
"May I?" Pointing a finger at the loudmouthed man, receiving a nod from his jailers, he walked close to the eye-patch-using man and gave him a strong hit on the top of the head with his steel-gloved hands, the man dropping unconscious after receiving the fierce attack without knowing. Pierre nodded to himself and turned to let the Knights handcuff him, receiving nods of appreciation and understanding from them before being escorted to the carriage; Fran following close behind with both jailers supporting his weight.
"Time to go, Dragneel." The head of the unit told Natsu as he and two Knights escorted him with the others, Asis and Literio being carried in stretchers with their hands' cuffed as they were still unconscious but dangerous, while four Knights dispel the ice trapping Hyde before handcuffing him and transporting him on a similar way. Erza watched with a hand clutching hard on her arm and biting her lower lip to restrain any tears from escaping her eyes, how Natsu followed the others close behind with his mind trying to figure out what could he say to the person he held deep inside his heart…
…his eyes widened, just when he was taking the first stepped into the carriage.
"Natsu… I… You… Do you like me, Natsu?"
He smiled at the memory, turning his head at breakneck speed to yell at the surprised Titania, startled by the calling of her name from the man that she wasn't sure if she was ever going to see again. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Erza…! I don't like you!" Many of the witnesses face-palmed or sweatdropped at the sentence, Erza feeling like she wanted to kill the bastard before they could take him while people like Lahar, Gray and Lucy preferred to close their eyes and pretend that they didn't hear that… but then again; the man was unpredictable. "I don't like you! I love you!"
Lucy gaped at the witty confession.
Gray felt his eyes coming out of their sockets.
Lahar chocked with his own saliva.
Erza looked at him surprised for a moment before feeling a blush and a smile creeping on her face...
...and he entered the carriage with a smile on his face.
The End…
well, no… it'll be continued…
…on the Epilogue.
Yeah, I know, you all hate me for cutting the chapter there and choosing this part to end the story before the Epilogue; but what can I say? I like the idea of you all scratching your scalps furiously while cursing my name -penname- and thinking about sending an assassin to force me into changing my end on this chapter.
It was a long road, people, one that I'll gladly do again when I have gathered ideas for the sequel. 15 chapters, I never reached so many! And imagining that I've been writing since I was 15...! Oh! What a coincidence! Hahaha!
Nice to see a work done, I hope to end the rest now and take a little break to write one-shots or song-fics in a more leisurely way before committing myself again to this suici... HMPF! I mean...! ...before committing myself to "such an arduous task" again. Hehehe!
Rest assure, nonetheless, my mind still drowns itself with NaZa ideas, so there's no freaking way that this'll be my first and last story about the pairing! Remember! I still have work to do before reaching the 20 pages for the archive!
Okay, too much rambling, I guess.
Until next time, a warm virtual hug from me!
Saludos!
PS. I changed its status to complete cause I felt like it... got a problem? :P