Natsu stared at the large cast iron door in front of him, it had surprisingly intricate brass work curving around the outside, he watched it for a few more minutes leaning his weight to his back leg and slamming into the door, the thing snapped off its hinges and embedded into the wall on the far side of the room, Natsu entered the large circular room, the Lacrima in the centre pulsed and bathed the room in an ominous blue light.
"Welcome back, Little brother." Jellal announced darkly from the chair he occupied in the back of the room, the black of that area seemed to envelope him only a small portion of his chin and mouth visible beneath the hood.
Natsu dropped low and gritted his teeth "JELLAL!" He roared as he flew forward, Jellal rolled out of his chair sending a small chest board scattering along the floor as Natsu's hand entered the wall up to his elbow, Natsu ripped his arm free pulling a large chunk of concrete with him, he spun around and launched the large chunk of stone at Jellal, who rolled out of the way.
"You've never been able to beat me before, little brother," Jellal almost laugh "Why do you think it will change today?"
Natsu kept his glare fixed on Jellal "There's a first time for everything." He growled, the pair engaged in a series of kicks and punches, Natsu caught a kick aimed at his ribs and held the leg in a vice-like grip, moving his other hand around Jellal's neck he threw him across the room, Jellal flipped around cloak flying off his shoulder's as his feet hit the wall, his knees bent slightly before he flew back towards Natsu, Natsu crossed his arm's in front of him, Jellal slammed into him driving Natsu back a few meters, Natsu flipped his hand's locking Jellal's arm's before slamming his knee into the older man's stomach, Jellal took the blow in stride sliding his foot behind Natsu's leg and flipping Natsu's guard over his head slamming an open palm into Natsu's chest sending him over his legs and sliding along the ground as his balance was lost.
"I taught you everything you know little brother," Jellal taunted "You will never be strong enough to beat me."
Natsu's armor disappeared leaving him in his black cloak as he got to his feet "Not everything." He growled back flying forward, Jellal raised his hand's preparing for Natsu's barrage of punches. Natsu focused and lifted a small paper thin platform under Jellal's feet, as his feet began sliding forward Jellal leaned back in attempt to balance himself out lowering his hand's, Natsu fists collided with his jaw sending him into the adjacent wall.
"You have finally decided to make it interesting!" Jellal chuckled as he pulled himself falling onto the ground with a soft thud, Jellal's eyes widened manically as gold light enveloped him, the ground shook slightly at the magic power he was exerting.
Natsu watched his brother carefully.
"This is the power of a god!" Jellal roared disappearing in a bright blur. Natsu closed his eyes and whipped around bringing his arm up as a kick embedded into his wrist, Jellal disappeared as fast as he appeared, Natsu focused intensely on the magic power surging off of Jellal's body, it was almost like he couldn't control it, He gritted his teeth as another strike landed on his arm.
The tower shook and Erza placed her hand on the wall to steady herself, she turned to Simon "I think you should get your friends and get out of here."
Simon stood stoically watching her with his uncovered eye "What about the four of you?"
Erza smiled "Have a little faith, we are the strongest mages in fairy tail."
Simon nodded "Okay, I will collect the others."
Erza nodded and took off up the stairs. Simon placed his hand on his head and focused on the link he shared with the remnants of his childhood group 'We are getting out of here, meet at the boats.' He commanded.
Natsu jumped back as Jellal slammed the hell of his foot into the ground, before setting upon the airborne Natsu in the blink of an eye, Natsu blocked a few, before taking a hard hit to the stomach, he coughed as the air was forced out of him, he took another set to the chest before being slammed into the ground. He started to get shakily to his feet.
"Just stay down, little brother," Jellal commanded landing in front of him deftly "No use killing you now."
"You seem to think I am beaten," Natsu wheezed "I'm just getting started."
Jellal scoffed, he said nothing as he raised threw another punch at Natsu who was still barely on his feet, Natsu closed his eyes and braced for a blow that never arrived.
"Was I late?" Raken asked a little cockily as he pulled Natsu to his feet.
Natsu smirked "Well, you did take your time getting here."
"The Family reunion," Jellal growled from the corner as he got to his feet "Forgive me if I don't cry."
"You never got over the fact that I am faster than you." Raken taunted
"I am stronger than I was back then," Jellal growled "I have discovered true power."
Natsu and Raken slammed their fists into the palms as their magic power flared, whipping the cloak's out from behind them.
"I think our big brother has gotten a little power hungry Natsu," Raken announced coking his head to the left "What are we going to do with him now?"
A few pop's sounded as Natsu rolled his neck around "I guess we are going to have to pull him down a notch."
Raken nodded enthusiastically "Mm, that's the right thing to do."
"I'd love to see you try!" Jellal yelled angrily charging forward. Natsu spun out of the way of the punch and raised a pillar of energy into Jellal's chin, the man lurched back as Raken lead with a powerful roundhouse as Natsu dissolved the bar, Raken's foot slammed into the still airborne Jellal. Raken right himself and dropped low, rifling forward at Jellal, he gripped him by the collar and flipped throwing him into the air, Natsu went high slamming into Jellal with his fists, before rotating in the air and embedding his heel into Jellal sending him hurtling to the ground. Natsu landed toward Jellal's feet Raken stood a few meters from his head, both watched him carefully and waited. Jellal's eyes open and he laughed loudly, it echoed around the room. Natsu and Raken glared at him, Jellal raised his palms to the sky before closing his fists. Natsu felt something wrap around his arms and legs before constricting painfully, He gritted his teeth and forced his body to remain upright, he stared at Raken and noticed the same predicament.
"Ah, you two have always been predictable." Jellal announced loudly, as if to solidify his point the spell tightened again, Natsu groaned in pain and Raken openly shouted as he fell to his knees.
Jellal strode over to Raken "You never should have come here."
Raken lifted his head and glared at him defiantly "And you should never have become this weak." Jellal recoiled slightly as the words hit with venom.
Raken forced his way to his feet despite the protests of his body and glared at Jellal "It was always the three of us, we were as unstoppable as an Avalanche. Then you and Natsu disappeared, I knew you two would be alright because I had a feeling you were still together…then you become this," He spat "You've disgraced our entire family by succumbing to a demon…I expected more from you."
"Quiet!" Jellal snarled forcing the spell to tighten more on the two mages.
Raken remained on his feet and didn't remove the glare "And you forgot something very important." He said threateningly
"And what's that?" Jellal sneered in amusement.
"Them." Raken indicated with his head. Jellal barely had time to register there were more people in the room before he was met with a fiery fist to his face, sending him deep into the wall. Wendy flew past Natsu barely touching the red rope with her palm the thing cracked and Natsu snapped his arm's free, she did the same with Raken.
"What would you do without me?" Erza smirked as Natsu panted
"Lots of things," Natsu responded breathlessly "but none of them would be half as fun."
"The Dragon Slayer's," Jellal growled, his voice had changed it held a deeper darker edge, the new sound caused the hair on the four to stand on end "I will eliminate my only enemies today."
Jellal spun to face them, his canines seemed larger, a large blood red side-ways Z symbol twisted his left eye and he smiled wide and manically "I am going to destroy each and every one of you painfully and slowly…I will revel in your screams of agony."
The air heated and swirled, the sound of static filled the air as the pair of dragon slayer's glared at Jellal, the air erupted in red flame around Erza and the soft blue glow enveloped Wendy, Raken rolled his shoulder's as he stood to Wendy's left and Natsu glared as he stood beside Erza.
"You really were weak enough to get possessed." Raken growled
The eye changed and flickered momentarily, Raken let out a chuckle "Look's like your host isn't too happy about not being in control."
Natsu raised a questioning eyebrow and shot Raken a look Rake responded with a knowing smile "I did a little research."
Natsu turned as the three looked at him "Don't kill him."
The three nodded as the inner struggle ceased, leaving the eviler Jellal staring at them "Jellal, I know you can hear me! You keep fighting in there, we can hold him off for as long as you need."
"Really?" Jellal chuckled a deep and rumbling sound from the chest "As we speak the one who put me in this poor excuse for a host is currently convincing the council to turn the Etherion cannon on this building."
Natsu growled.
"Can you really hold out long enough? You believe yourself to be immortal boy?!" He spat.
"I'm not immortal," Raken fired back "But I have faith in my older brother."
"Since you are the last remnant's my host has to take his body back," Jellal growled "I shall merely destroy you."
With that Jellal charged, Erza ducked under the blow and slammed her fist into Jellal's rib's, Jellal grunted but showed no other sigh's the blow had even landed, He slammed his palm into the ground forcing Erza and Wendy to dodge, he whipped his hand around into the stomach's of the two airborne girls sending them into Raken and Natsu who rolled around them sliding along the floor, Jellal had two on either side of him and he glared at each pair in turn.
The roof started to shake and Jellal looked up, the manic grin returned, the group turned their head's to the roof, a blinding white flash broke through and Natsu pulled Erza's head to his chest before crouching over her and squeezing his eyes shut. And then the light was gone and Natsu was suddenly off the ground, Erza flew across the room sliding to a stop next to Wendy and Raken, who got groggily to their feet, Natsu clawed at the firm hold around his neck, glaring down the arm at Jellal. Jellal raised his free arm and a small pulsation red sphere appeared around the group across from them, Raken slammed his fist against it and it barely reacted at all, Erza got to her feet and ignited her hands slamming them into the wall over and over again, Wendy's hand less than a millisecond behind as the three pounded against the barrier that contained them. Natsu bared his teeth as air got scarce in his lung's forcing him to focus on sucking as much as he could in over trying to free himself, he rotated his head and looked at the group stuck in the sphere.
"You are going to make the world anew, you will rip apart the old and usher in the new age," Jellal recited in that same evil dark tone, a large section of the now Lacrima formed tower rose behind him, His face twisted into the manic grin again "You will be ripped apart over and over again….It will be painful for you."
Natsu glued his eyes on Erza's, her hand's beat against the sphere slower and she looked at him tear's welling up in her eyes, he smiled a there reassuringly 'I love you, Erza Scarlet. I always have and I always will.' He thought strongly, he doubted she knew what he was thinking, but he thought it regardless.
He turned his head back to Jellal and glared at him, The man pushed him into the Lacrima slowly, Natsu lat out a pained scream as the magic energy inside cut at his skin like he was being lit on fire, He gritted his teeth against it.
Jellal's eyes narrowed "Trying to hide your pain, admirable in your last moment's…Why not beg for your life?"
"Jellal, I know you are in there…You protect Raken, you protect Erza…I mean it," Natsu wheezed out "I will personally come back from the dead to rip your head off if they get hurt."
Jellal's eyes flickered and the Demon shook's it's head as its eyes stayed the same.
"I'm leaving it to you….B-big brother." Natsu managed to get out before blackness took his vision.
Jellal watched as the pink haired boy fell limp against the Lacrima that he was steadily being absorbed by, he turned his eyes to the red head, and when he attempted to move his leg he found it oddly glued to the ground, and his left arm held Natsu by the collar no longer around the throat keeping him from being completely taken by the Lacrima. Inside the his mind, Jellal let out a guttural growl from the large Sarcophagus that kept him from controlling his own body 'This is my body! She shouted loudly into the recesses of his mind he clenched his fist and let out a surge of energy the wall's of the prison shattered and he rushed to the forefront of his consciousness as the spell he was under was lifted, broken by the power of his own will.
He used the last movement's he had to pull Natsu from the Lacrima his body felt like he hadn't slept in year's and he was struggling to make anything work, Natsu hit the ground with a thud and Sphere contained the other's evaporated and Erza shot to Natsu side lifting his arm and slinging it over her shoulder, his head still hung limply. The tower shook.
"What now?!" Raken growled.
Jellal looked around himself "The tower can't contain the Etherion…This Lacrima is going to explode."
Raken through his hand's into the air in defeat and anger "Death is being a stubborn fucker today."
"Raken, how many times have I told you to watch your language," Jellal chuckled out leaning on his knee's "Besides…You four are not dying today."
"I don't think I like your tone." Raken said suddenly very serious
"If I go into the Lacrima I should be able to direct the magic power saving you four and countless others." Jellal retorted.
Raken stared at him angrily "We just got you back…Now you are going to do this?"
Jellal smiled warmly at him "Let me be a big brother…Just this once….I have failed for so many year's."
A loud cough brought their attention to the weak form of Natsu "You didn't fail," He cut off as he coughed again "It may have been me in your shoes," another fit of coughing "If you hadn't gotten me out of here."
Jellal stared at the ground "It doesn't matter. I am going to be the one to do this."
Natsu managed a weak smile, lifting his head slightly "Don't use that as an excuse…How about you just want to save us."
Jellal chuckled "Always over the specifics."
"He's out again," Erza said worriedly as his head fell limply down "Natsu Dragneel, I swear to every god under the sun if you die before you use your voice to tell me you love me I am going to drag you back out of hell myself."
Jellal chuckled "Take care of my brother's….Both of you." Erza gave him a firm nod and Wendy followed suit.
Jellal rammed his arm through the Lacrima gritted his teeth against the urge to scream, Raken watched as he moved into the Lacrima more before he was completely enclosed "We will see you when our clocks time out…Big brother." He moved over to the small huddled group and used what was left of his magic power to create a large lightly blue circle above them, the group glowed brightly before winking out of the room and landing with a soft thud on a beach, the sand crunched under them Raken just stared off over the ocean. Wendy having used all over her power to try and get out of the prison, walked over to him slowly, he turned his head and gave her a sad smile, lacing his finger's in between hers, a loud boom echoed out over the ocean and the waves grew as a powerful gust of wind hit them, before a brilliant blue beam of light split the sky.
Natsu's eyes cracked open slightly, his throat burned and breathing hurt, he noticed the red hair of Erza Scarlet above him
"E-Erza," He strained out gritting his teeth against the burning pain in his throat "I love you." He got out, before pain forced him back into unconsciousness.
Erza smiled down at the unconscious face of Natsu Dragneel, she leaned down and pressed her forehead against his "I love you too."
A/N: What did ya think? The second time Natsu has told Erza he loves her (I'm pretty sure) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and just a little explanation, the spell that took over Jellal's mind will be explained in the next chapter, gotta keep some intrigue in this :P