They managed to alert the people and get them travelling to a safe distance as much as possible. Frankly, they'd already gotten off to a fairly good start – already a mile and half away from where the fighting had been going on, roughly. But as they moved along, Jellal and Meredy couldn't help watching the brilliant spherical flash of light that suddenly appeared and grew to distressing levels. If Natsu couldn't pull off a miracle here…
"He really is quite amazing." Jellal mused with a remorseful smile as the sphere stopped in its growth. Eyeballing it, Jellal estimated the radius to be about a mile – maybe a mile and a half. If it had gone a quarter of a mile further… Well. There would be no 'if', because they would be dead.
Meredy's lips were pressed into a thin line as she watched with wide, worried eyes. Not particularly out of concern for her own life, but for the brash Dragon Slayer literally taking the blow for them.
"There should've been another way…" The pinkette whispered, to which Jellal squeezed her shoulder comfortingly as he leaned on her. They'd been through this same scenario with Ultear, and back then they didn't even know where she was or what she was doing.
Hopefully they wouldn't lose him, too.
No more words were exchanged as the explosion continued to go off for what seemed like an eternity. It didn't grow in size, but it would without Natsu's intervention. It was the only thing keeping the hope in their hearts alive. When the light finally did die down, shrinking below the line of trees until there was nothing left to see, Jellal switched over to leaning on a villager while Meredy ran off to check up on Natsu. He wouldn't hold her back from doing that. Jellal only hoped that Erza and Mira would forgive them…
Natsu had been a sight to behold when Meredy went back for him. The fact that the Dragon Slayer was covered in severe burn marks all over showed just how powerful that explosion had been; his clothes were in tatters, and he was lying on the ground unmoving. The only thing that kept Meredy from breaking down was the subtle falling and rising of Natsu's chest, and even then, the Maguilty user cried over his wounded state.
Obviously, their priority was getting him to Porlyusica. Wendy was taking the S-Class Trials, so the aged woman was their only hope of getting Natsu immediate help. The villagers were kind enough to at least take them back to Magnolia – and with their guidance, to Porlyusica's home on the outskirts. It was an uneasy trip for the Fairy Tail mages; Meredy was keeping a keen eye on Natsu, and Jellal wasn't sure what he could say. He wanted to comfort his friend, but the words failed to come to him. So for a time, he wrapped the pinkette up in a hug; it was the only assurance he could offer, since he refused to just sit there helplessly. Natsu didn't stir in the slightest on the half day trip back, but he gave no sign of getting worse either.
Nevertheless, he managed to stay stable, somehow.
"… Bring him in." Porlyusica patiently declared when they reached her home. That was a quality of the aged healer that the mages of Fairy Tail had come to appreciate and rely upon. Perhaps to a degree she could seem reluctant or bitter at times, but ultimately she never lost her loyalty to the Guild, even after Makarov's passing. She wouldn't turn anyone from her doorstep if they truly needed help. Once they were inside, she first turned to Jellal. "Now… Is there anything I can do for you first? You appear to be in a lot of pain as well."
The azure-haired mage merely shook his head.
"I'll be fine; if the Guild's infirmary won't patch me up, I can afford a few days' bed rest until Wendy returns. Natsu… should be the main priority." Jellal sighed tiredly. At Porlyusica's expectant gaze, Meredy gave a basic rundown of the Quest.
Toward the end of the tale, the elder pinkette rubbed her chin as her brow furrowed. She had lived on Earthland for many years, seen and heard many things. It might not have been Natsu's case especially, but perhaps something about the beast that they faced… Something was tugging at the corner of her mind. A very distant memory, but she couldn't quite place it.
… Regardless, that peculiar familiarity could afford to wait.
"I will do what I can. Go and get some rest."
At Porlyusica's dismissal, Meredy instantly moved to object.
"C-Can't we stay here while he…!" She looked to Jellal when he placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slowly.
"It will do none of us any good if we hover over his bedside, Meldy. Let Porlyusica do what she can; we should return to the Guild, anyway. We can't let them worry about us as well."
Meredy chewed her bottom lip and stole a glance at the unconscious Dragon Slayer before reluctantly agreeing to take Jellal back to the Guild. But she would return – it wasn't fair to Natsu otherwise. Mira, Lisanna, Wendy… Most of their friends were off on Tenrou Island. No one should have to wake up and feel alone… Of course Porlyusica was a friendly face, but that would make it seem like they dumped him at her place and left him there. Meredy didn't want Natsu to feel that way at all.
It was those kinds of thoughts that kept the Maguilty user from fretting over any possible… side effects that might befall Natsu for saving them.
A few days later, everyone had returned from the Trials on Tenrou Island. As anticipated, Juvia and Gajeel regained the rank they once held as members of Phantom Lord, long ago. And while the atmosphere in the Guild was cheery and celebratory, it soon became apparent that something (or someone) was distinctly missing. Seeing Jellal and Meredy sitting at a table with Cobra and Kinana helped Erza to connect the dots, and she frowned as she made her way over to them.
"Where's Natsu?" The redhead asked with a fraction of trepidation creeping into her voice. Any trace of levity in the group instantly vanished when this question was posed; Meredy chewed on her lip, Cobra grimaced, Kinana winced, and Jellal fell silent. It was his silence that Erza found most unsettling. "Jellal… please tell me Natsu is okay."
"Natsu is… alive." The azure-haired mage chose his words carefully. Mirajane noticed this the most when she made her way over. "He contained an immense explosion when the creature tried to take us and the villagers with it, but as a result… He is currently comatose, and Porlyusica determined he absorbed too much Magic. Far more than even his theoretical 'container' should have managed to take in. Yet… he did. He saved us."
No one missed how Mira had run off the moment he mentioned Natsu's condition. Really, it was to be expected; if she was volatile enough later on, Jellal was anticipating a physical confrontation. After all, the whole reason he and Meldy had been sent along as backup was to prevent this sort of situation. And Jellal willingly accepted full responsibility for his failure. He hadn't felt so helpless in such a long time; and yet even so, Natsu never gave into despair. The Dragon Slayer was far better of a man than he.
"Couldn't you have run… or… anything…?" Erza whispered in a shell-shocked, worried tone. Jellal shook his head, but it was Cobra who answered for him.
"Apparently, that thing would've covered ten kilometers – that's around six miles. No way they woulda been able to outrun that."
Erza winced and conceded the Poison Dragon Slayer's point. Even so… She couldn't help feeling an immense sense of guilt as her heart seemed to constrict on itself. Bringing her clenched fist to her chest, Erza stared off blankly as she tried to process her emotions. Of course what happened was terrible, and she would likely blame herself for some time… but… Natsu made it back. He was alive. No matter how roughed up he was, Natsu made it back to her… them. To them. She didn't really have a right claiming any sort of ownership, especially because he was with Mira, but… The relief in his return was palpable. Of course he had to make a full recovery still, but Erza would not, could not entertain the notion that he might not make it. Natsu was more, far more than just a friend to her… hell, was he even family? Fairy Tail was her family – Mira, Bisca, Elfman, even the old perverts like Macao and Wakaba… Every one of them was family to her. But Natsu transcended even that, because he'd done so much for her, even ignoring all the times he'd saved her both literally and metaphorically. Erza would sooner cut off a limb than lose Natsu.
And what has she done to honor that bond ever since becoming Guild Master? Trampled all over it. She gave him the shiny promotion he'd been pining after for years, and then she just… took him for granted. Disregarded his feelings. Put a chasm between them because she got so caught up in the new duties required of her – and even that was a weak defense in itself. After all, she had the time to deepen her relationship with Jellal. Why in the world did it take her this long to see it? It was almost as if… the moment they didn't have an imminent threat, or some grandiose competition to dominate, Natsu… receded into the back of her mind. While that may in part be truthful, it wasn't totally accurate. After all, she took Quests with him, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Happy, and Carla all the time, back before Alvarez and Tartaros.
What was wrong with her? Surely becoming Guild Master hadn't jaded her… There had to be something else to it. Something she wasn't seeing… or acknowledging…
"You should go see him, Erza." The redhead blinked as her boyfriend pulled her out of her thoughts. Her eyes immediately panned over to him. "Porlyusica says he should wake up soon – his condition has been getting better day by day, despite the excess of Magic. He'll have to deal with that when he wakes up, but I'm sure he'll want to see you."
"…" Erza failed to formulate a response to that encouragement. At least, a vocal one. Her mind was still awhirl with thoughts and feelings. The scarlet knight's eyes fell to the floor once more before she ambled off, essentially placing her body on autopilot. Jellal, Meredy, Cobra, and Kinana stared after her in various degrees of concern, but didn't otherwise do anything to stop or go with her. Some things you just had to sort out on your own.
Mira's eyes softened when they landed on the slumbering Dragon Slayer. Porlyusica had been kind enough to give her some time alone with the pink-head, even though he hadn't awoken yet. Well, she wasn't quite alone… But she couldn't bear to ask who was perhaps Natsu's best friend to leave his side for a while.
"Are you sure you're okay, Mira? You guys just got back from Tenrou, didn't ya?" The blue exceed asked with a touch of concern as he nibbled on a mackerel. The silver-haired mage mustered her biggest smile, but he could tell that it didn't quite meet her eyes.
"I'm fine, Happy… I just... I wanted to see Natsu as soon as I could." Mira answered quietly, her eyes lingering on Natsu. She was still a bit worried for him after what Cobra said, but as usual the aged healer had done a pretty good job in attending to Natsu's injuries. The Dragon Slayer was all bandaged up and looked to be fitfully resting, and not like he'd been through another life-or-death battle.
Even so… There was that 'small' matter of the surplus Magic in his system. Porlyusica cryptically warned that something would have to be done about that when he woke up; it was too early to tell what possible side effects it could have, as there had never been such an extreme case as Natsu's. Control over his Magic might be the least of his worries – but that would most certainly be an issue, regardless of what else happened. It would be like trying to take a drop of water out of a lake… with a bucket… that had a massive hole in it… Yeah, that's the kind of picture Porlyusica painted when she described Natsu's case. How could Mira not be concerned for the Pyro?
"I shoulda been there…" Happy remarked sullenly as his ears drooped. "Natsu wanted me to stay behind 'cause he didn't wanna put me in danger, but we do everything together! I've always been there for Natsu!"
He looked up at the silver-haired mage when she patted his head consolingly with a slightly sad smile on her face.
"It wasn't your fault, Happy… Natsu had his reasons, I'm sure." Mira's smile morphed into a frown as the gears in her head began to turn just thinking about those 'reasons'… Doubtless it had to do with his teammates… or teammate, singular. Natsu and Meldy got along swimmingly from what the silver-haired mage could tell; it always comes back to Jellal, though.
Just what had Erza been thinking, sending those two on a mission together? Trying to make amends by sending someone you can trust is all well and good, but did Erza even take into account their history? Did she consider Natsu's feelings even remotely? The answer to all of those questions was most likely a resounding no. Erza probably saw what she wanted to see – that Natsu wasn't outright aggressive with Jellal anymore. Everything must have been forgiven and forgotten, right? Wrong.
Mira knew Natsu a lot better than Erza currently did. Better than she probably had for quite some time. Back when they were fighting the Balam Alliance and Alvarez, Natsu didn't have that much interaction with the azure-haired mage. Much of that could be chalked up to how battlefields unfolded, but Mira knew better. Sure, she wasn't there for the fight against Oracion Seis, or even that first battle against Jellal at the Tower of Heaven, but she'd heard bits and pieces of both incidents. The first one Natsu was rightly pissed off at Jellal for trying to sacrifice Erza and using her friends against her – hell, Mira would've knocked the azure-haired mage's block off if she'd been there. That anger didn't fade away after Jellal's supposed 'death'; they'd all just assumed the man had perished, Natsu especially, and that should have been the end of that.
But then Oracion Seis did the unbelievable and brought him back – or more accurately, recovered his comatose body and used Wendy to awaken him. Of course Natsu's anger flared again; why wouldn't it? Never mind the countless people he tortured and killed in his mad scheme to 'revive' Zeref, the blue-haired bastard had hurt, on multiple levels, someone very dear to Natsu's heart. And what was the end result of the Oracion Seis incident? The Council had the man arrested, as was within their rights. Mira heard from Gray and Lucy how Natsu spearheaded the effort to stop the arrest, but it didn't take much guesswork for Mira to deduce what really happened. It wasn't for Jellal's sake that he spoke out against the Council. Even though the blue-haired amnesiac, at the time, had helped to defeat the leader of Oracion Seis, those bitter, furious feelings of Natsu never truly dissipated. It was displaced until such a time they could properly 'talk it out'.
It was all for Erza's sake. Natsu tried to do what Erza struggled to hold back, all because things were left unresolved between the two childhood 'friends'. Because despite all the pain that Jellal put her through… he was still someone dear to her heart, against all the odds. And him failing to recall his past actions put a damper on the whole issue of resolution. Despite how dimwitted Natsu can be at times, he isn't brainless nor is he ignorant to actions and events going on around him. You could say he's especially sharp when it comes to what is important to his precious people. Hell, if it's within his power, he'll put aside his own feelings and even his own wellbeing and make it so you can be happy. That's the kind of man Natsu Dragneel is. That's the kind of man Mirajane Strauss fell in love with.
And that's the kind of man Erza Scarlet had been taking for granted, to put it nicely. Mira preferred the term 'glorified doormat' as a more accurate description.
"Hey, Mira… You're not angry with Natsu, right?"
Mira blinked as she turned back to the Exceed, her frown unconsciously lessening while her furrowed brow smoothed out.
"Hmm? Why would I be angry at Natsu, Happy? He did nothing wrong."
"Yeah. Just wanted to make sure." Happy smiled tentatively at the silver-haired mage, which she willingly returned. Almost as if flipping a switch, Happy's eyes expanded as he batted his eyelashes and made a cute pose. "You looove him!"
Mirajane's cheeks pinked just a smidge as she tried to play along with Happy's game of cheering her up. No, she wasn't mad at Natsu. She'd probably never be truly mad at him. But Erza… If she didn't clean up her act soon… They might need to have 'words', and not the friendly variety.
Erza, meanwhile, had made it out all the way to Porlyusica's home, but she couldn't bring herself to enter. Never mind the guilt that gnawed away at her – Erza just couldn't disrupt Mira's time with Natsu, regardless of whether he was awake or still asleep. The redhead had no right to intrude – or at least, that's what she thought.
In the end, Erza indecisively stood outside Porlyusica's home for over an hour before turning around and leaving. She wasn't going to hold off their meeting forever, just… just until Erza could muster the strength to approach him. Which would probably be when he was alone… or at least when Mira wasn't around.
Kami, this would probably be a while…
Well, a week passed, and Natsu only woke up in brief spans of time, always relapsing into an unconscious state before he could maintain a conversation with any of his friends. This now included friends outside of Fairy Tail, as the Guild Master of Sabertooth and one of his closest confidants rushed out to Magnolia when they heard of the Fire Dragon Slayer's condition. When you reeeally think about it, it was bound to happen at some point. It was only a marvel that it took more than a week for Sting Eucliffe to catch wind of it, considering he was… well… to put it delicately, a fanboy. Of Natsu Dragneel, that is.
"What's yer problem, punk? You don't get cutsies just 'cause of rank!"
Blondie butted heads with the raven-haired Dragon Slayer that was… negotiating with him.
"Hey, I've gotta hurry and get to a Masters' Conference! I didn't think you guys would have a line that went way past the front door!" Sting grouched as he suppressed the urge to punch Gajeel in the face. Barely.
"Considerin' he's been waking up sporadically… YEAH, THERE'S A LINE!" The Iron Dragon Slayer bellowed as he gritted his teeth.
Indeed, even as the two Dragon Slayers were on the verge of beating the snot out of one another, there was a fairly lengthy line extending outside of Porlyusica's home. Now normally, she would have forbidden such a thing, as she could barely stand being around several humans for lengthy periods of time, but seeing as how they were all worried for Natsu, and she needed to keep monitoring him, well… The worst she did was devise 'visiting hours'. No one earlier than nine in the morning, everyone had to go home by five – no ifs, ands, or buts.
Well, a small exception was made for Mira and Happy, but in fairness they rarely abused that small allowance. With this kind of system in place, combined with Natsu waking up occasionally, of course there were going to be people who wanted to get in to see the Pyro. Lots and looots of people…
"E-Easy now, Sting… If all else fails, we can just come back after the Conference." Rogue tried to assuage his longtime friend… mostly so he wouldn't trade blows with his idol. Rogue couldn't comfortably say who he would side with if such a match broke out – frankly, he'd probably sit helpless on the sidelines. No desire to hurt either his idol or Sting.
Isn't it funny how a fan of Natsu can't get along with one of said Dragon Slayer's rivals? It was quite amazing that Sting and Rogue got along as well as they did.
"No way! I only just heard about Natsu, and I gotta show my support! This chump has probably been in there to see him plenty of times!"
"HEY!" Gajeel growled, but was stopped when Sting went on while easily disregarding him.
"And anyway… What's Loke doing here? Ain't he that blonde's Celestial Spirit?"
Loke, who was a few spots ahead of the squabbling Slayers, smiled and waved back at the blond.
"Yeah, well… Mira's in there with Lucy right now… and Lisanna, Levy, and a few of the other girls… I thought it best to just wait out here, where there's little, ah, temptation…" To flirt, that is. Mira was still Demon Mira, after all.
Both Iron and White Dragon Slayers stared deadpan at the Celestial Spirit. Even Rogue's stare was a bit dry now.
"You were kicked out, weren't you?" Sting grumbled, to which he received a sheepish chuckle in return. Wasn't his fault he had to keep up his game… Oh wait. Yes it was.
"Don't think I'm lettin' that comment slide, punk! You ain't gettin' ahead of me!" Gajeel's face widened into a sinister grin as he began pummeling the blond. Of course Sting began fighting back… which inevitably drew a few more people into it due to a mixture of violation of space and boredom.
The little red Exceed just cheered his best pal on.
"You got this, Sting! Show him he's messin' with the wrong guy!"
Panther Lily stared up at the raven-haired Dragon Slayer who was massaging his temples in concern.
"Aren't you going to join the fight?"
"No… I can't choose between them. It wouldn't be fair to either of them!" Rogue groaned.
"Fro thinks so, too!" His little Exceed buddy piped up with his usual innocent grin. Panther Lily merely shrugged as they watched the fight begin to escalate. This wasn't madness… This was Fairy Tail.
Author's Note: I wanted to write a bit more, but… with the mood changing abruptly, it didn't feel right to go back to serious. We'll get back to that next time, though. For now, let's end on a slightly happier note… even with Natsu's condition. :P
That said, I have some ideas for how things will progress from here. It's not all gonna be happy and warm and fuzzy. There's still wonderful, wonderful angsty goodness to come. A lot of the introspection here is brought to you by thoughts exchanged by Tempest35 and myself as we chatted about… Jerza. I'm sure you can imagine the kinds of things we discussed as we looked at it somewhat objectively. The overall verdict is that we feel that it's fine with Erza being Jellal's redemption, but… don't pair them at the same time. Tempest35 especially remarked how 'illogical' Erza's infatuation with Jellal was, considering their brief history together (compare how long she's been around the guy with how long she's been around Natsu, go on; the difference in years is striking) amongst other factors; I wholeheartedly agreed. XD
That all said, maybe some will argue the amount of time together isn't relevant… Well, I assure you we had a lot more to say about the Jerza ship. Which I may or may not vent through here (yeah… already did a little…).
I digress, though. Lots going on in the manga that I could talk at length about but won't. The gist you all need to get is that as a Natza shipper, I have not given up hope even this late in the game. It helps immensely that Nalu was never Mashima's original plan; we don't know what he'll do, in the end, so try and stay positive, eh? … Even when Jellal and Erza meet up again somewhere toward the end, because I know it's gonna happen. Grr.
Point is, don't let other shippers get you down. We're approaching the end, so it's only gonna get crazier from here on out.
I will say I'm happy OVA 8 came out, like… almost a month ago. ^^; Probably my fav omake of FT. I know, I know… 'YAXON, you perv!' … Try and say that with a straight face, I dare you. Can't, can ya? Not with this series. We're aaall perverts here. It's inevitable. XD
Lastly, I just wanna thank y'all for tuning in. View count is pretty consistent in that it's past 1k for every chapter, so I gotta be doing something right. lol And even Kjblau has joined us – welcome, welcome. :D 'Slayer's Pride' is one of the best fanfics out there, and he penned it, so go check it out if ya haven't. Muuuch better than this, at least in my opinion. I tried to keep the Natza ship alive while we went into a slow period these last few months, but I've got nothing on the likes of Kjblau, Kuroyagi, SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan, dude932, SamuraiFlash344, and heck, I'll even throw in Tempest35. Hehe. Quantity's nice, but quality's sooo much better. That's what sets them and me apart – but don't worry, I'm doing my best to improve.
Also… I talk a lot about Natza, even though this fic is NaMiZa. Just goes to show what I'm most passionate about, though.