Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima

Lucy's POV

It was like this, the same routine for the past few weeks. I would break out, he would find out, we would fight, and then he would trap me. Honestly, it was quite annoying, but he knows not to underestimate me. Well, I definitely know not to underestimate Kukyo. I broke through the lacrima and climbed out. Smirking, I prepared myself for him, and when he walked in, I wasted no time.

"Open, Gates of the Zodiac!" I yelled, summoning all of my keys. Charging forward with all of them, we raced forward, managing to get a lot more hits than usual. Catching him by the leg with my whip, I promptly dragged him towards me, and my magical whip restrained him from using his magic. I delivered a swift Holy Judgement straight to the face, sending him flying into a wall.

"You've gotten stronger, this will be troublesome for me, but will prove well for the plan" Kukyo said as he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Running towards me, he used his regular dark charms.

"Dark Charm: Blood Vines!" he yelled, and vines filled with thorns came after me. I swiftly cut them down, and managed to get a solid stab on him thanks to my teleportation.

"Urano Metria!" the spell only grazed him, but it was enough to hurt him so he couldn't stand. Instead, he kneeled.

"Who said I had to move to fight?" he questioned, and I put my guard up as vines, shadows, and beams shot at me. Barely dodging them, I started to slowly make my way over to him. One of his Shadow Beams hit me in the back, though, and I smashed into the opposite wall of him. Knowing not to close my eyes, I chewed on the inside of my cheek, resisting the pain. Getting up shakily, I held out my sword, sending back my spirits.

"I won't give up, you know?"

"You're very stubborn…"

"I know"

"Tch"

"HEY! Don't 'tch' me! Fight me!" OH lord, I was beginning to sound like Natsu…

"Heh, if you want to get pummeled, you've asked the right person"
"What was that?!" I exclaimed, running, unsteadily, at him. He did the same, and we clashed swords over and over again, though he eventually fell, his stab wound bleeding profusely now. I smirked, but it wasn't long before I had to set my sword down to rest. Catching my breath, I shot a glance over to the tired mage. When he wasn't looking, I bolted. Nope, no warning, no epic speech, just straight up ran. He didn't notice, I think, until about half a minute later, where I heard a distressed 'HEY!', but I was already out of the exit. The only problem was that I was in the middle of some unknown forest in a town i didn't know existed...

Wandering slowly, which probably wasn't the best idea, I stumbled a bit, inhaling the fresh air. At least I was out of that hellhole, even if it was temporary, because I know that that wasn't going to be last I would be seeing of Kukyo. Sighing, I laid down in a clearing, letting the grass caress my cheek as I stared up at the sky. It was still so blue, so bright, but right here, right now, there was something off about it. Maybe it was because my vision was basically swimming in circles because of my wounds. Summoning Virgo to heal me, I plopped back down on the grass and relaxed a bit.

After a while, I had woken up from an apparent nap, and I stretched out, looking around. No Kukyo here. Walking a bit, I saw that my wounds had healed, and my magic was at full strength. Putting on some of the limiters I had taken off, apparently I hadn't taken them all off, there was this one forgotten earring, which I actually thought was a legitimate earring. In my head, I could just imagine Aquarius face palming at my idiocy. Hehe. Sometimes I missed her, well, of course I did. I wasn't going to not miss the key that I had my entire life. Now, well… her key was broken, and she's been reborn somewhere else… Shaking my head, my thoughts returned to the problem at hand. Escape. Well, that was going to be a tough one.

Natsu's POV

Cana said that she was somewhere in Flower Field, a neighboring town, and that she was somewhere in a forest. It was very vague, but it was the best that we could get at the moment. However, Saber's fortune teller showed some very… disturbing images. There was Lucy, and she was crying in a blood soaked battlefield, but then, she was in a hospital, and there were these really old people, and she was holding their hands, crying. I saw one old man with a flash of pink…

I growled. Whoever made Lucy cry will pay, for sure!

"What are we waiting for?!" I shouted, punching the air.

"Come on Fairy Tail! Let's go find her!" I exclaimed running out of the hall. I heard faint cheers behind me as I ran at full speed, not even minding the fact that I was about to ride a train. Luce was all that mattered right now. I can't stand to see her cry… It just hurts so much. I ran faster, feeling the blood pump through my veins, with Erza and Gray close behind. Pushing through crowds and jumping in the train, we all sat impatiently as the train, quite slowly, might I say, departed. I tapped my foot, imagining all of the pain Lucy could be in right now. Sting and Rogue were going to head there a day after us, so they could arrange some things as to who will be in charge of their guild while they're gone. Looking out the window, I kept my eyes glued to the railroad tracks, occasionally glancing up at the gray, stormy sky.

Lucy's POV
Great, now it was raining. Running to a cave, (Man, I had good luck with caves), I scrambled inside, warming myself up as I studied the inside wearily. It was very large, and I was pretty sure that it was haunted, but it wasn't like I had the privelege to complain right now. Plopping myself down, I sat, watching the rain start to puddle up outside. Hugging my knees to my chest, I started to wonder if my friends would ever come. Stroking my keys to calm myself, I willed myself to stay awake while I listened to the monotone whispers of the rain. I thought I could handle this, but I guess I was wrong. I really am hopeless, aren't I? I'm not sure what the future holds anymore…

Sting's POV
I ran to the inn, meeting the others there. Smelling the air, I knew that Lucy was definitely here. I was going to save her, no matter what. I had to, after all she's done for and shown to me. Don't lose hope, we'll be there soon. I'll definitely save you… I thought, clenching my fists even harder as I heard reports from the others.

"Any luck?" Rogue asked, his eyes showing quick flashes of many emotions, his eyebrows creased in worry.

"No, I have her scent, but it's all over the place… like someone warped it or something. I can't seem to track her down… damn it!" Natsu yelled, punching a hole into a nearby wall. I bit down on my tongue, hoping that the pain would distract me, but it didn't work.

"SCREW THIS!" I yelled, and started to run into the forest.

"I agree, we can't just stand here!" Rogue yelled, running after me. Hearing more footsteps, I turned around, and saw everyone running after us. I managed a small smirk, knowing that with all of us, Lucy could be saved.

Rogue's POV
This was no time to get frustrated. Lucy was the only thing on my mind. She was strong, that much I knew, and I knew that she would always have faith in her friends. There was no way she was going to give up. The thought of her being hurt angered me. There was no way that I was going to let her be hurt. I've never seen her cry, and I wasn't planning on going to. This made me run faster, cutting down leaves and trees in my way, trying to trace her scent.

"Did you pick up anything?" I asked as I caught up to Sting.

"No, Natsu was right, her scent is all over the place!" He shouted, cutting down another large tree. This probably wasn't the best for the environment, but I didn't comment.

"Yeah, but the weird thing is, sometimes my ring will glow, you know, the ring that Lucy gave us?" I said, glancing at the currently ruby dragon on my finger. Sting looked at his, and the ring was also glowing, except his was a sapphire blue.

"Maybe it's a sign!" Sting shouted, and I considered it. There was a high possibility, so that meant if I was correct, she should be somewhere around here… we broke through some bushes, and came face to face with a run down building. I sniffed the air, and Lucy's scent was really strong here. Silently high fiving Sting, we ducked down, and used the communication lacrimas that we always had on hand.

"Psst, I think we got the location" Sting whisper yelled into the device. Natsu nodded, and using his dragon senses, started to make his way towards us. Turning off the lacrima and putting it away, we smirked as we heard a roar, signaling that Natsu was telling the others of our location. Cracking my knuckles in anticipation, I was preparing to swoop in and save the day, but then the door swung open, and out came a tall, muscular black haired man. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and started tapping his foot.

"I know you're there, so come out already you morons… Lucy isn't here, she escaped, but I'll just catch her again. She's very stubborn… but makes a good playtoy" the man said, and it angered me.

Jumping out with Sting, we charged at the man, who all of a sudden disappeared somewhere. I growled in frustration.

The others came up a bit later, and we explained the situation.

"What did he look like…?" Makarov asked, and I thought back.

Master's POV
"Well, he was muscular, had black hair, and he had this weird spider tattoo on his forearm" Sting said, and I became angry just at the mere mention of the cruel man.

"That man in known as Kukyo, and has taken many lives in the process of using Time Ark magic, a lost magic. I believe that Lucy will be his final, as well as successful, victim" I said, venom in my voice. The situation was worse than I had originally thought.

"Oh~ you've done your homework, Dreyar-san~" an all too familiar voice chanted, and I turned around to be face to face with the man we were just talking about. Both of his hands were behind his back, and I heard something rustle as he walked up, but he kept on his cool face.

"Kukyo-" I began, but started to feel light. Looking down, I saw that my body was fading, and I snarled.

"What did you do, you bastard?!" I yelled in anger as my body began to fade even more.

"Oh, you're to much trouble, so I'm sending you home. See ya~" he waved, and I disappeared in a flash of light. Opening my eyes, I was back at the guild, and I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. This was a battle that the kids would have to win…

Natsu's POV

My eyes widened as I saw what Kukyo was hiding behind him. IT was Lucy. She was unconscious, but was gagged and tied up. Without a second thought, I had run forward, my fist on fire. Rogue and Sting followed suit, except with their respective magic types.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, diving in to hit him in the face. He blocked it with one hand, and threw me, making me smash into the building.

"WHITE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Sting yelled, but he soon joined me in my crumpled state.

"SHADOW KATANA!" Rogue lunged, only to have his katana broken, and most likely his face as well as he was smashed into the ground with one hand. Jumping back up, I continued to attack, while Erza and Gray started to sneak in from behind.

"Lighting Empress Armor!" Erza shouted, slashing with all of her might as she joined Gray, who had wielded a sword made of ice.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"

"WHITE DRAGON'S ROAR!"

"SHADOW DRAGON'S ROAR!" All of us lunged at him at the same time, knowing that there was no way that he would come out unscathed. However, he disappeared, and we all hit each other, wounding each other severely with the uncapped magical power. I had been stabbed in the gut, Sting had been burned with my flame, Gray had been consumed with shadows, Rogue was electrocuted, and Erza was bleeding from multiple places. We simultaneously fell down, panting. Then, Kokyo reappeared, unscathed and not even breaking a sweat. He burst into laughter.

"HAHA! PITIFUL! WEAK!" He shouted, clutching his sides, still laughing. I glared at him, and stood back up, not giving in. Sting held onto the wall for support, Erza and Rogue leaned on their swords to stand up, and Gray had steadied himself with his free hand.

"ICE MAKE: CANNON!"

"BLUMBENBLATT!"
"HOLY RAY!"
"SHADOW CRAZE!"
"DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ART: CRIMSON LOTUS!" We all yelled out our attacks, and charged.

Lucy's POV
I opened my eyes sleepily. Using my magical energy to singe off the gag that I had on, and the ropes that bind me, and I shook my head in frustration, knowing that I had let myself be kidnapped. My eyes widened, though, when I saw the sight in front of me. Everything was all smoke and ashes. My blurry vision was focused on Erza, throwing attacks while bleeding heavily from her stomach. I saw Gray stab and slash with icicles, where he had cuts all over his own body, and a dark aura occasionally surrounded him, making him choke out in pain. I cringed. Sting and Rogue were launching powerful combination attacks, but both were bleeding from every area of bare skin, and they had burns all over them. I almost threw up. Natsu was throwing punch after punch, kick after kick, missing multiple times and making a wound from his gut open wider while he was covered in scratches, burns, and stab marks. My eyes darted to an injured, yet amused Kukyo. Seething with anger, I watched as the said man started to cut all of my friends down, one by one. He was laughing, and went into that crazy state of his that I had only seen once. Standing up steadily, I ignored the pitiful croaking's of my name from everyone, and went to stand behind the attacker. He turned around, eyes wide at first, but then he broke into a wide smile.

"Come to join the party, have you?" he questioned as he looked at me straight in the eye, that is, after stabbing Erza one more time. I looked at him with disgust, taking my sword and stabbing him in the shoulder, in which he responded by laughing even more. There was something wrong here.

Then, I realized what was happening. He had thrown my keys and whip off to the side, leaving me to fight without the advantage of 2 against one, or even better, 13 against one. Seeing the way e recklessly threw my keys, though, angered me. And it did a lot. Stepping back, I glared at him, a glare that had only one thing in mind: extermination.

"No more nice Lucy, you've crossed the line this time, Kukyo" I said quietly, taking in his reaction with hatred. Without a second glance, he punched Sting in the gut behind him, and continued to talk to me.

"Oh, is that so? How interesting…" he chuckled, finally managing to get Erza and Gray to faint from the blood loss. Mavis knows how Sting and Rogue were standing, but at least they were.

"Celestial Dragon's… Blinding Star" I whispered, breaking all of my limiters. Bright orbs of light surrounded me, and temporarily blinded my opponent. Taking the opening, I dived in, throwing some knives I had hidden in my boots. They hit him in multiple areas in his chest, and he looked taken aback for a moment. He's too distracted, I thought as I landed a kick onto his lower back.

"All right, I've been too lenient… Dark Charms: Death's Door!" he yelled, knives made out of shadows appeared, aiming for me while chasing me around. I couldn't use my gate keys, but I could still transform since my keys were close by…

"Star Dress Transformation: Saggitarius!" I yelled, and promptly shot down all of the knives by merging holy magic with my arrows. Kukyo used it as a lure, though, and he punched me into the ground, creating a good sized crater. Jumping back up, I tried to use my elemental magic, but it didn't work.

"What the…?"

"Hehe, I have some nullifiers, you know. But it only works for your weaker magic types, like elemental magic. Well, it makes things more exciting, doesn't it?" Kukyo purred, seemingly unfazed as he stabbed me with my own knives. I staggered, holding my hand over an open wound. I ran up once again, refusing to give up, seeing that Natsu, Sting, and Rogue were helplessly watching now, stuggling to get up.

"Aquarius Star Dress! Tidal Wave!" I shouted, sending pulsing water towards a very amused Kokyo.

"You think water can hurt me?" he mocked, and I growled.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT AQAURIUS!" I yelled, and the water turned boiling hot, burning him.

"URANO METRIA!" It successfully hit him right after my water, and I was proud.

"Hah, what do you say now?" I taunted, running up from behind and tripping him up with a low roundhouse kick. As he was about to fall, I propelled him back up into the air with another attack.

"CELESTIAL DRAGON'S ROAR!" The attack sent him flying into the air, and when he came back down, he hit a tree. I took out my katana, preparing for a comeback.

He stood up slowly, and cracked his neck. I was about to charge again, but I stopped short when I finally took in my surroundings. I was being so selfish. I was totally ignorant to the state that my friends were in. They were all bleeding profusely, covered from head to foot in cuts, and here I was, leniently taking my time in defeating Kukyo. Delivering a swift kick to the head, I backed up and picked up my discarded keys.

"Celestial Spirit World: I contact thee, let thy pass through the gates!" I yelled, and in a golden flash, we all disappeared and reappeared inside the guild hall. Everyone rushed towards us in a panic, especially Master, and I just made sure that my friends got to the infirmary.

"Lucy, what happened?" Master asked worriedly.

"I'm pathetic, I can't even protect myself, and this happened all because of me…" I spat, punching a table. Everyone looked surprised, though some looked sorry and others were just plain confused.

"No, it wasn't your fault. Even I had a hard time defeating Kukyo…" Master said, his eyes filled with truth. Mine widened, and I put a hand over my mouth. He wasn't done with us, not yet…

"I-I need to go…!" I exclaimed, scrambling out of the guild as a new realization dawned upon me. He's toying with us…We've fallen straight into his trap… How did I not see this coming? I need to find Igneel! Running through the streets of Magnolia once again, I ignored the looks I got from strangers who watched as I practically flew to my apartment, my magical energy in a frenzy as my limiters were broken and I was in a panic. This isn't good…