All rights to Hiro Mashima

~ Nineteenth ~

-Erza-

Watching Kageyama check the seal on the lacrima is as exciting as watching paint dry. So, naturally, my team lost interest within the first five minutes. Levy is talking about the finer points of seal breaking with Freed and Lucy is slowly petting a napping Happy while slightly leaning against Natsu's shoulder in silence. Gray is sculpting something with his ice magic, seemingly engrossed in the task before him.

Sitting quietly and conversing with each other about nothing and everything seems to be something that we can do now. No longer are there a lot of fights in public over silly nicknames or destruction of property caused by the insufferable fire and ice duo.

I must say that the silence is nice, I can hear myself think.

But this isn't what my team is. Quiet and polite is just not our nature. We are irrational and clumsy. We break things and have fun, most of the time.

I look down at the wooden table and trace one of the knots in front of me with my finger. I do hope that Kage can rectify this problem, I actually miss the stupid pyromaniac. My little brother isn't whole and it doesn't sit right with me.

A sharp splintering noise rips through the midmorning air, like glass breaking against stone.

"What the Gods names was that?" As I voice my concerns, Gray points towards Kageyama, and more specifically, towards the lacrima that he holds cradled between both of his hands.

A deep thrumming fills the air, magical power so condensed into one spot that it feels like I am trying to swim through the air as I lift my right armour clad arm up to test the 'waters'.

I have only felt power like this within S class mages. I have no doubt in my mind that Natsu would have passed the S class exam if Acnologia and Master Hades hadn't interrupted us on Tenrou Island all those years ago.

A surge of pride swells within me. That crazy, wild, pink headed little boy that I remember is so powerful now. I know that he will protect us with that power, and I will endeavour to do the same.

In some ways I emulate him, just as I know Romeo does. He instills us all with the will to destroy our enemies to protect that which we love dearly.

In his case, his family, the guild, and now more specifically, his Lucy.

Another much larger cracking noise rents the still air. And then…nothing.

"I'm done, I've removed all five seals from this lacrima. It's safe now." Stunned at Kageyama's voice we all sit in dumbfounded silence.

"Are you sure Kage? We've only been here for an hour and a half." He just grins towards Lucy, a hint of pride in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm positive. I did dispel the seal on Zeref's demon flute in less than a day. This was child's play for me, after all, it is my magic." He seems a bit smug now, but I cannot deny that knows what he's doing.

Time to put this gift he gave us into action. "Levy. It's time to get Natsu back."

Snapping out of their dazes, the team snatches up the lacrima in record time singing their praises to Kageyama and shouting out their thanks towards him as they exit, no one more excited at this prospect than Lucy hand in hand with a laughing Natsu, Happy twirling around above their heads.

I hope that fate smiles upon them soon so that they can be together. No one deserves that more than them.

I am left alone with Kageyama at the large table. The silence deafening in the wake of my team's exit from his abode.

A little voice speaks up from the arch that leads to a spacious kitchen. "Papa, who are all these people around the house?"

Ah yes, Celia, Kage's daughter. A beautiful young girl with big expressive navy blue eyes. Her hair, done in twin braids down her back is an unusual shade of dark green.

She reminds me of Asuka, so I smile at her. "I am Erza, nice to meet you Celia. All those people are my friends, we have come to ask the help of your father. A very special quest that only he could help us with."

She blinks at me and then a large grin almost splits her face in half. "Nice to meet you too miss. My Papa will help you for sure!" She happily skips over to her father who lifts her up onto his lap, adoration and love shining on his face.

"How are you Princess? I'm sorry we haven't played much today. But I'm all done now." She giggles at her father.

"It's alright Papa, you only missed the tea party. We can just have another one." I smile again. What a bright child.

"Alright Princess. Go set it up, I won't be more than ten minutes, alright?" Celia nods enthusiastically and bounds away up the stairs again, waving to me before she disappears.

"She's beautiful Kage. I must say that fatherhood looks like it did wonders for you."

"I know, she's everything to me Titania, I would give her everything if I could. Her mother died just months after she was born coming back from Crocus. Her train derailed, it was a stupid accident. Celia is all I have now."

"She is like so many of our guild then. Only knowing one of her parents. But I can tell that she loves you very much."

He smiles at me, but his eyes are distant. "Unfortunately, the work here is sparse, with no guilds, I can't really work with my magic. Manual labour pays the bills, but I don't know for how much longer. Celia is showing signs of magic now and then when her emotions are high, I need to have someone train her, and I don't want her to hurt herself."

I make a split second decision, but I know that it's the right one, I can feel it. "Come to Fairy Tail then. You could find work, make a team even and Celia would have a place to hone her magical skills. She might even make friends with another little one we have running around, Asuka Connell."

He looks skeptical. "Would they really take me in? I was a member of a dark guild."

"We know. Our guild prides ourselves on the fact that we help everyone who might need a second chance. You have found yours in Celia, don't let it go to waste." He frowns in contemplation, musing over my words. "May I ask what magic she is showing?"

"She can control the weather, to an extent. Bringing about storms, thunder and lightning, and high winds. She can push back clouds as well, conjure up blue skies just so she can play outside some days. Two days she made it snow just so she could build a snowman."

"She is powerful then. A true gem. I believe that she would be trained by Juvia of the Great Sea, The Thunder God Laxus, and Wendy the Sky Maiden. All powerful mages and wonderful people. We would all help as much as we can of course, her magic must be cultivated properly. Our Master would see to that, he loves dotting on his 'grandbabies'."

He takes a minute to answer. "If you say that you will help and that we would be allowed to join you then we will. Clover is a nice town, but I just have too many memories here with Celia's mother. I believe it's time to move on. We will come with you to Magnolia. When do you leave?"

I give an approving nod. "Not for at least a day's time. We have to give my guild mates time to put Natsu back in order. We have a dark guild after us, for reasons unknown to us at this juncture. They are stripping magic away from specific mages, but they made a blunder the first time in taking Natsu's away. According to our sources, it was Lucy's that they were after."

He stands up from the table. "I see. Well, I need to get to packing. Thank you for all your help…Erza."

"We will contact you when we are ready to leave. Good day Kage."

I make my way out of his house, letting the door swing shut behind me.

-Lucy-

Our group, minus Erza, is standing in a large clearing in the forest outside of Clover. Natsu is in the middle of the dirt, while Freed and Levy draw a gigantic magic circle around him in charcoal, curtesy of Natsu and the large amount of wood surrounding the area.

As the circle is completed, all the unneeded mages stand around the outside as Levy hands a page of words to Gildarts.

"Read exactly what's written here. This is the reversal spell that will hopefully put back Natsu's magic inside of him" Levy then hands the lacrima to Natsu to hold.

I stick my hand up in the air. "Uhhh…hopefully? Levy, just how much chance is there that this 'magic transfer' won't succeed?"

She looks bashful, and a little scared. "LuLu, Freed and I estimate that there's about a ten percent chance that this won't work at all. I wrote in safe guards for that into the spell. That way if his magic is not binding to him like it should, it will flow back into the lacrima."

"But that means…"

"Yes, he would need painful surgery to implant the lacrima into his body, which has only a fifty-fifty chance of succeeding." Freed flips pages of notes almost in a frenzy, checking and double checking the work on the magic circle, muttering to himself and tapping the ground with his right foot.

Natsu just looks at me, hope and fear warring in his eyes, his face an expressionless mask. If I didn't know him any better I would say that he couldn't care less about the proceedings. But I do know him, just as he knows me.

I hold Happy in my arms as tight as possible to combat my own fear. Natsu needs to make it out alive and with his memories. I send up a silent prayer, begging with the Gods for a miracle. I close my eyes and breathe out slowly. When I open them I stare into deep onyx, holding his gaze until I feel myself calm down.

I nod at him and I can see his resolve harden.

He's ready.

Levy points to the first character on the page in the Crash Mages hand. "Gildarts, you can begin now."

As he speaks in an unknown magical language, the large magic circle slowly glows a dark blue, swirling patterns glimmering with power. I whisper in Happy's ear, "Look! It's working! Natsu will be back with us soon…"

As soon as I say that the light starts to dim. The transfer must be complete. I look to Levy for confirmation, happiness bursting out of me as I lift my foot to run into the circle.

But, instead of happiness on her face I see a frantic expression. My heart stutters in my chest. Gray grabs my arm pinning me into place.

Levy starts yelling over the sound of the wind whipping through the clearing. "Fuck! I thought he would have enough power, but it isn't enough! Laxus! We need you!"

The lightning mage strides over to Gildarts quickly and adds his deep voice to the incantation.

The magic circle glows blue again and the wind picks up, swirling around us all, creating a small tornado around the seated Natsu. His salmon hair blows around his face.

As the last words are said, Natsu's eyes fly open, glowing a brilliant red and scales start to ripple along his arms and exposed cheek bones.

His dragon is coming back to him.

The magic circle explodes with white light, shooting a pillar into the air so high that it is lost within the clouds. It effectively blinds everyone present and I can hear confused shouts all around me.

"What the hell was that Levy? Did it work?" Gray says to my left. My vision slowly comes back to me as I blink away the dark spots clouding my eyes.

Her voice drifts over to us from the other side of the clearing, small and slightly muffled. "I…think so? We will need to assess Natsu though, I can't be completely certain until we actually ask him some questions." I see that Gajeel had pressed her face into his chest at the last minute, shielding her from the light.

"Is it safe Levy?" She just gives me a nod.

'Natsu.' It's all I can think. I run up to his prone body and drop to my knees in front of him.

"Natsu! Wake up!" Nothing, not a twitch. I feel around for a pulse and almost keel over in relief as I find his heart beat steady and strong. The scales start to recede from under his eyes leaving behind tanned unblemished skin in their wake.

I shake his shoulders hard while Happy crawls unto his chest, prodding his in the face with a paw. "Get up you stupid Pyro! Happy's eating all the food!"

Again, no movement. 'Huh, that usually works.'

Okay, last resort time. I steel myself, and slap him full across the face. Everyone around me jumps a bit and the crack of skin-on-skin contact resonates around the clearing.

"Was the strictly necessary?" The question comes from Erza, who has joined our ragged circle. I just nod at her, not daring to speak. We all hold out breath.

We hear a groan from below us and as a singular unit, our heads all whip down towards Natsu. He brings up one hand and rubs his face with it, his eyes scrunched close in either pain or concentration.

Cracking his eyes open, squinting a bit from the light of the sun, Nasu looks around at all of us.

No one says anything. I know I'm afraid of what he'll say. I'm completely and utterly terrified.

And then he speaks.

"Who the hell are you?"

Black spots cloud my vision and I faint dead away.