[Re-Edited 05-02-22]

Thank goodness the weekend is here!

Life is getting busy and I am slowly losing my buffer chapter gap. Gotta get some major writing in! Without further rambling, here's a long one for ya, enjoy!

~Onward

14

-Infiltration-

"Frog!" A few random calls sounded around the guildhall and Erza swivelled on her bar stool to look over her shoulder to where Ultear and a council emissary now stood in the doorway. Erza had been enjoying a slice of strawberry cake and the Twin Dragons' company prior to the intrusion and her expression immediately betrayed her irritation. Ultear wasn't due for another hour, and Erza did not appreciate having to slide her cake back toward Mira for safekeeping to enjoy later. The tone of the Guild promptly became subdued, as everyone put a lid on their rowdy behaviour and tensely watched the council associates, wondering what brought them here this time.

Erza stood, adopting her stern, no BS persona and walked over to the council woman. "Ultear," she stated in place of a greeting and the other woman responded with her name in an equally unimpressed tone.

"If you'll follow me," the redhead instructed, offering no warmth to the time mage as she spun on her heel and marched off in the direction of the master's office.

Mira giggled as she placed the slice of cake in the fridge to save for the redhead later, "To come between Erza and her cake… I hope none of our guildmates end up in her path when she gets out of that office..."

Natsu flinched at the thought, laughing slightly. "You aren't wrong there, Mira," he said, as Haru nodded in agreement.

The arrival of Ultear was not actually surprising for Natsu or his present company. He'd been chatting with Makarov earlier that day about Leo's sudden appearance and the looming threats the spirit had expressed during his and Lucy's last mission. When they were done discussing precautions for Lucy's, and the Guild's safety, Natsu had made to exit the office, but Makarov had stopped him and alerted him that Ultear was also due to visit the guild that afternoon. A council emissary had sent him formal notice of the visit the previous day, it seemed Ultear was requesting a meeting with himself and Erza. Though, 'request' was just a pretty word, there was never any real choice involved when dealing with the Council.

Makarov had told Natsu that he may have to fill in, as Erza wasn't due back for another week and Laxus was also away on a mission. But with uncanny timing, Erza had called to report in from Hargeon as she waited for the train, having finished her two-week request in record time.

With Erza's news, Natsu had taken his leave, telling the master he'd let him get back to work on the piles of complaints he had spread over his desk. Makarov had barked back that half of them were Dragon Soul's fault, but Natsu had simply turned a lopsided grin and a wave on the master as he exited.

Leaning against the bar top and lounging across two stools, the light glinted off the gold details on Natsu's boot as he lazily swung his leg, watching as the two women ascended the stairs. Natsu shot a mischievous grin over his shoulder at Haru and Mira before bounding out of his seat and taking off across the hall, hearing their laughter to trail after him. His comrades had probably seen that coming a mile away. It was no secret around Fairy Tail that he took a certain enjoyment in irritating council members.

Natsu caught up behind the time mage, "Surprise, I'm coming too," he announced, leaving no room for discussion. Ultear turned and fixed him with narrowed eyes, but chose not to take the bait. She continued to follow Erza who didn't seem at all affected by Natsu's declaration.

The trio entered the master's office and the girls took the two chairs in front of the desk. Natsu crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall by the door. He had no particular interest in the meeting, but he had no trust for the Council either, and he was on edge with the shit going on between Lucy and her father.

Before Makarov could even welcome Ultear to Fairy Tail, the councilwoman addressed Erza bluntly, "I have come to retrieve the second demon book you received from the cultists in Seven." Erza's unreadable expression wavered for a split second, caught off guard by the sudden demand.

She recovered just as fast, "I gave both books to the Magic Council in Seven, I would have imagined you'd have them in Era at the headquarters by now."

"Don't give me that. We only have possession of Deliora's book, and that one has proved entirely useless." Ultear turned a disapproving look on the fire mage who only smirked back, taunting her with a wink and the snap of a fiery thumbs up.

Leaning forward in his chair, Makarov's eyebrows knit together, "What does the Magic Council want with the books of Zeref?"

In reality, Fairy Tail did actually have possession of Lullaby's book, it was in the vault in the library below the guild with a few other rare magic tomes. But there was no way they were going to offer that information up to the Magic Council without knowing what their motives were. Ultear had claimed that they were not enemies, but the elderly man had seen too much in his life to ally himself with anyone who would rely on Zeref's power, regardless of their intentions.

Ultear just turned a sly smile on the master, "I am not required to disclose that information to you, even as a member of the Saints." Erza growled out about treating Fairy Tail's guild master with the respect his titles warranted but she was promptly ignored. Ultear simply leaned in toward the redhead, who had her arms crossed under bust, posture closed off and completely defiant. "Well Erza? Are you going to tell me where you are keeping the book?" she asked.

"We don't have the book you seek," Makarov interrupted, the barest hints of anger lacing his tone, "perhaps Seven's branch chose not to turn it over to you. After all, you did invade their country… that must be damaging to inter-council trust, no?"

Ultear broke the gaze of a silent power struggle with Titania to glare at the smug look on the master's face. "Fine, understand that if you are hiding that book from us, you will be facing trial for discord against the National Magic Council of Ishgar."

Natsu laughed behind them, breaking a heavy silence that was stretching between the three that were locked in a tense stare off. "You know, I think the Council needs to find some new hobbies, outside attempting to find fault with our guild. Especially seeing as you all are so epically bad at it."

The time mage clicked her tongue at the insubordination of the guild members, it was apparent that Fairy Tail would continue to be major a thorn in the Council's side. However, she could tell she wasn't getting anywhere with them, so she requipped a new stack of complaints and bills onto the master's desk, revelling in the way his eye twitched. If she couldn't see victory over the unruly guild today, then she'd at least enjoy that little piece of revenge.

As she exited the office, she made a passing joke that if the book were to magically appear, then maybe the complaints might magically disappear. Natsu glowered as she walked by and she tauntingly blew him a kiss in retaliation, just to see the rage flicker through his eyes.

The News

Lucy sat with Dragon Soul lounging about a table, their eyes all focused on the small guild master perched on the railing of the second floor overlooking the hall, Mira stood to his left with her hands clasped in front of her. Lucy glanced around the room, she'd never seen so many of Fairy Tail's members gathered in the guild at one time, even more shocking, was how quiet and pacified everyone seemed to be. In light of the meetings Makarov had had earlier this week, the master had sent out a summons to all Fairy Tail mages out on missions and in Magnolia to finish up any outstanding jobs and be in the guild on Friday for an announcement.

"I thought I'd met most of the guild by now, but there are so many faces I don't recognize," Lucy whispered and Erza explained that about 90% of the guild was currently present. She pointed out that as the most powerful guild in Fiore, it also tended to be the most popular, though a lot of members didn't make regular appearances. Due to a never-ending influx of mission requests, many members would take multiple requests at a time and finish them back to back, disappearing for extended periods of time.

After calling for their silence, Makarov relayed every detail they knew of a potential attack being orchestrated by Lucy's father. He followed that up with a full disclosure of the meeting he'd had with Ultear and his suspicions concerning the Magic Council. It still felt weird to Lucy that everyone knew her past now. She'd been so nervous to share her story with them, worried they might treat her like some pampered aristocrat or a spoiled brat. But to her slight surprise, not one of her guildmates treated her any differently than 'Lucy of Fairy Tail,' had been treated from day one.

When their master finished relaying all necessary information, he fell silent, taking a large swig of the beer he still had hold of. Then the air warped subtly, and a tall dark-haired man appeared next to the master out of thin air. Neither Makarov, nor Mira seemed the least bit surprised by his sudden arrival. Makarov gestured toward him, "Everyone, meet Mest, a member of our Fairy Tail family, not that any of you will recall." Shocked murmurs went up around the guildhall and the volume of conversations slowly increased in quantity and noise, until frustration got the better of the elderly man. Titan hands expanded to stretch out into the air above them and clapped twice, "shut up you brats," the master boomed, his voice echoing. Everyone snapped to attention again, "as I was saying, Mest is a member of our guild, he used memory manipulation magic on all of you to avoid any chance of having his cover blown. For the past two years, under my direction, Mest has been working for the Magic Council under cover."

The new mage pivoted slightly, displaying the dark red emblem on his shoulder to the guild. Makarov went on to explain that he summoned Mest home because his suspicions were meeting their peak where the Council was concerned. Thankfully, their memory mage had plenty of information to share, so it was worth the risk of losing their council infiltration.

Mest then explained to the entire guild that the NMC was consistently struggling to maintain an iron clad control over Ishgar's magic wielding population, and their anxiety was growing as more and more powerful guilds sprung up around the continent. The individual council branches didn't boast many powerful mages among their ranks. Each branch boasted just one of the National Council members to represent it, with a handful of mages under their direct authority. The Ten Wizard Saints were technically allied to them as well but were not necessarily bound to follow their commands.

So, with Fairy Tail's and other guilds' power totally eclipsing the Council's own and the general population's faith lying with guild mages, the Magic Council knew the reach of its authority was being eroded. It became theorized that if they could control some of Zeref's powerful demon creations, that they could impose their will on the guild network more soundly, as their power would be on par or greater than that of the guild mages.

Trying to absorb the shocking information that the Council was involved in such corrupt behaviour, the Fairy Tail mages sat in stunned silence, waiting for Makarov's thoughts. "I am going to get in touch with Council member Yajima and see what light he may be able to shed on these developments. Mest and I believe that the council is likely divided and may have been infiltrated by others with more malicious intentions than ours. We can only speculate how high up this corruption goes..." The elderly man's eyes swept over the tension marring his usually carefree children and he sighed, "worry not, for we are Fairy Tail, and nothing will take us down! For now, continue to live your lives, keep each other safe, and when we have more information to go on, we will act."

Change of Plans

Planning to take a quick job request, Natsu, Haru and Lucy had woken early that morning and strolled to the guild together. Since his announcement a few days ago, Makarov hadn't had any new information regarding the Council. So for the most part, it was business as usual for the Twin Dragons, aside from having Lucy living with them again. The master had recommended that she stay with the boys or at Fairy Hills, until they had more to go on where Lucy's father was concerned.

Lucy already had enough trouble paying for one rental property, let alone Fairy Hills' high fees, so she found herself back at the guys' home temporarily. Sharing a bed, (platonically, she'd remind anyone), with Natsu had become fairly normal since the Seis incident anyway, so it wasn't much of an adjustment.

So, there they were, just another mundane day, until they found themselves standing stunned in the entrance or their guild, taking in a scene none of them could have predicted.

Before them, tables and chairs were toppled and broken, liquor bottles and glass lay shattered and strewn about the hall, the mission request board appeared to have been scorched along with various surfaces around the guild. Natsu took it all in with his emotions spiking in response, immediately wishing he knew where to direct his fists in recompense for their vandalized home. Large puddles dotted the hall, and the soaked wood planks of the floor squeaked as he and his companions slowly made their way into the mess. No one said anything.

Mira and Cana were making their rounds with brooms and pans sweeping up glass and debris. The barmaid looked up as Haru approached her with Lucy on his heels, and offered a small smile that didn't meet her eyes. "What happened here?" the water mage asked.

"We have no idea, someone ransacked the guildhall overnight, there no one was here to defend…" she trailed off, dropping her eyes to the pile of glittering glass shards in her pan. "I don't understand how they could have broken in, the guild is protected by Freed's enchantments, only Fairy Tail members should be able to enter."

"They have a Spatial Magic user."

"Gramps! Have you figured out who the fuck trashed our guild?!"

Coming up from the guild's basement library, Makarov replied, "Yes Natsu, I believe I have." The master's gaze flickered around the few mages currently present in the hall that were gathering around him. "Lullaby's book has been stolen and only spatial magic could have breached our vault."

Natsu's body burned with renewed fury. He noted the familiar heat that would swell under his skin when his anger hit a certain threshold, a physical response that often alerted him to reel in his emotions. In that moment though, he had zero desire to do so. "This was the Magic Council then," he spat.

"It appears that would be the most likely explanation."

"Great, I've always wanted an excuse to knock those blowhards' teeth in!" he exclaimed as he slammed a fiery fist into an open palm.

"This is still the Council we are talking about, Natsu. The highest authority governing mages, we need to be delicate in how we proceed," Makarov interjected.

Natsu rounded on him, his arguments already primed and ready on his tongue, when Mest materialized into the middle of the hall. Their own spatial mage unwittingly dropped himself right on top of a broken chair and tripped forward. He landed on his hands and knees, nearly falling flat on his face, and his usually stoic persona faltered as his cheeks coloured in embarrassment. "What the fuck?!" he snapped, "what the hell happened here?" He took them all in along with the damage as he peeled himself off the floor, clearly daunted by the state of the hall.

Makarov began explaining what had happened again, for Mest's benefit, and as he did more members began trickling in for the day, each expressing their shock and concern as they entered. The elder's eye twitched at the ongoing interruptions that delayed actually sitting down to discuss what to do about the attack on their hall. "Alright enough of this. Haru!" he called, commanding the Water Slayer's attention, "can you reach Warren to send out a debrief to all our members? I don't feel like repeating the same conversation a hundred times today."

"Yes Master, I'm on it." Haru turned away, two fingers already at his temple as he focused his telepathy.

Mest's eyes shifted from Haru back to the master, "I regret to inform you that my mission wasn't a success. We need to talk."

The short man looked up at Mest with a grimace. "Haru! Contact Laxus and Erza when you're done. Tell them to get their asses to the guild and meet us in the library as soon as they arrive." Haru waved a hand in confirmation, and Makarov turned toward the basement, "Mest, Natsu, with me."

Lucy had taken to clinging to Natsu's arm at some point, and he wasn't sure when it had started becoming a natural action for both of them. Anytime she felt uneasy, her hand seemed to subconsciously find his biceps, and at some point, he started taking comfort in the small gesture too. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a bright smile in silent reassurance and she reluctantly released her grip.

He fell into step behind the other two and disappeared into the basement library. Books had been tossed about and shelves knocked over, the library was as much a disaster as the common area. Levy would be devastated, Natsu thought absently as his eyes landed on the large vault that seemed unaffected in the back.

Makarov hopped up on the table in the center of the room that remained unscathed, but the boys continued to stand, both brimming with too much energy to be still. The master observed Fairy Tail's spatial mage, there was an obvious layer of anxiety in his posture that had him more nervous than the wreckage upstairs. Makarov had sent him on a stealth mission to Era to get in and find Yajima, who hadn't responded to any of his attempts to contact him. Yajima happened to be the only Council member Makarov fully trusted, and he was terribly worried for his friend. It wasn't like him not to answer. Releasing an exacerbated sigh, the elderly man's eyes trailed after Natsu next, the fire mage was pacing back and forth, growling under his breath. A dragon in chains, if Makarov had ever seen one.

Heavy footsteps sounded above, and then light filtered over them as the door opened and Laxus started down the stairs, Erza right behind him. "Thank you for joining us so promptly, I trust Warren has caught you both up on our situation?" Receiving simultaneous nods, he addressed the raven-haired male, "okay, tell us what happened on your mission... And then," he glanced at the three S Class, "we plan our counter strike."

Era

It was a beautiful autumn day, vibrant blue skies with the occasional smear of white cloud, crisp air and golden trees blew in a light breeze. A flash of light split space itself and a group of four appeared out of nothing, hidden by the foliage of the courtyard gardens that framed the pristine building of the NMC. Mest took his hands off Natsu's and Laxus' shoulders and Natsu released Haru's. Without a word, the four men faced each other in a huddle. "Okay, everyone knows the plan?" Mest began, eyes shifting over the Dragon Slayers, "I will drop Natsu in the north wing, Laxus, west, Haru will take south and I will take the east. As I was unable to locate Yajima due to interference, I imagine he is likely in the prison that is set between the North and West wings, but that remains speculation."

Laxus broke in next, "Gather any available intel, if the opportunity to retrieve Lullaby's book presents itself, then go for it. But, above all, we find Yajima, and we get out," he added with the authority of their senior S cClass. The remaining trio nodded once, and Mest gripped the Natsu's shoulder again before space was warping around them again.

Natsu's head spun briefly and then they were instantly inside the polished halls. Pressing his body into the shadow of a stone pillar that lined the wide marble hallway, the Fire Slayer closed his eyes as he willed the nauseating spin to settle. When he reopened them, he focused his attention back on his comrade and gave him a thumbs up to tell the other he was good. Returning the gesture, Mest fixed him with a confident look and then vanished to collect their teammates.

Still leaning into the pillar, Natsu immediately began focusing his senses on his surroundings to try to get his bearings. As he did so, he subconsciously ran a couple fingers over his bare neck, he felt naked without his scarf. All four of the mages on the stealth mission were currently clothed in skin-tight black long-sleeved tops, loose pants and combat boots, effectively hiding their guildmarks. This was to all ensure non descript appearances, should they be seen. Though Natsu's hair was distinguishing enough, he didn't see why couldn't wear his scarf...

Despite the destructive power of Dragon Slayer magic, the three slayers also happened to be the most effective at infiltration missions due to their abilities to vanish into their respective elements and track with their naturally heightened senses. Running his hand over the back of his neck one last time, Natsu shifted and peered around the edge of the pillar, a pair of amphibian council emissaries were moving in his direction. He released a breath, followed by just enough magic to dissolve into his fire and reappeared behind another pillar halfway down the hall. Checking to confirm he hadn't been seen, the fire mage hugged the outer wall, moving quickly but silently toward the interior of the building.

He slid to a stop behind another pillar as another emissary approached, slinking behind the smooth stone with the frog's blind spot until he was clear again. Natsu had never been a fan of the delicate nature of stealth missions, despite possessing an innate talent for them. He was much more partial to throwing fire and fists around to get the information he wanted, it was effective and had the added bonus of being much more fun.

As he hid behind the pillar, he found himself desperately wishing he could just start blowing the building apart until he got the attention of someone who could be forced to lead him to Yajima. He reined his impulses in and glided forward again. Straining his dragon senses to their limits, he searched for familiar and unfamiliar smells and sounds as he navigated the space. His patience was rewarded when he caught Ultear's scent. That was as good a lead as any, and given her meeting the previous week, she seemed a deserving target for his growing frustration. If only he could just fight her and be done with it... Stupid stealth missions.

Following the scent led him to a closed door with a black emblem of Fiore emblazoned upon it. He assumed it would have to be her office as Fiore's Magic Council representative. Fortunately, two pillars framed the doorway giving him cover. "Haru, I've stumbled on to our old friend Ultear."

"Copy that, be careful Natsu."

Natsu leaped up, pressing his back into the wall and his feet into the pillar in front of him to brace himself above the door frame and out of eye level of any stragglers in the halls. He suppressed his magic power completely to disguise his magic signature and focused his senses to listen in beyond the door.

"The tower is coming along well, the Death Head Order have arrived back with a fresh batch of workers," a male voice spoke stoically. Natsu cocked his head, wondering what the hell a tower could have to do with anything and why an assassin's guild would be assisting with gathering workers.

'Once again, no black and white recon. Can anything ever just be as it seems?' Natsu thought irritably.

"Are we making progress in gathering the power we need?"

"Yes, Lord Siegrain," came Ultear's voice, "our elite magic unit was successful in retrieving Lullaby's book from Fairy Tail. Our beneficiary was also able to use his resources to secure two additional books, Franmalth and Vira."

"Excellent, see that you get to work on that, right away."

"Of course, sir."

Natsu heard footsteps moving toward the door, and he slunk back further into the shadow of the pillar. A head of bright blue hair appeared just a meter from him, and the fire mage held his breath as he watched Siegrain pivot and disappear down the hall. Peering around the door frame carefully, Natsu caught sight of the time mage slumped over a thick tome. He had to assume it must be Lullaby's judging by the heavy dark energy he could feel emanating from the book, even at the distance. Allowing just enough of his magic to spill out to Flash Step into the office, he materialized behind Ultear, slapping a hand over her mouth and an anti-magic cuff around one wrist.

She gasped into his hand, her eyes snapping to him in alarm. Without removing his hand, Natsu fixed the other cuff to the leg of her desk. He relieved her of Lullaby's book and held it up before her with flames dancing at his fingers, singeing the book's cover. "Don't go doing anything stupid, or I turn this book to ash as well," he instructed as he cautiously removed his hand from her mouth.

She shifted, looking over her shoulder and bared her teeth at him, "How the hell did you get in here?"

Natsu leaned in until his mouth was next to her ear, "Same way you, assholes broke into my guild." Ultear seemed to notice the barely suppressed rage he knew to be lacing his words. She eyed him as though he were a rabid dog, that might snap at any moment, caution would be her friend right now or she might have another useless book on her hands.

"Where. Is. Yajima." Natsu stated each word harshly through clenched teeth and the time mage's eyes widened in surprise. She seemed confused about his motives, likely expecting him to inquire what they wanted the books for again, but Natsu didn't care at the moment. If he could keep the books from their grasps, it wouldn't matter what they had planned and Yajima's safety had to come first.

Arching his brows at her silence, he let fire lick at the book in his hand again, and she swiped for the book in panic. Natsu requipped it away and spun her chair to face him. Leaning in until he was barely a hand's width away from her, he fixed her with a deadly look and repeated his previous question. "Yajima is enjoying top rate accommodations in his very own prison cell for defying the Council," Ultear informed him haughtily.

Natsu's mouth opened to demand further information when Haru interrupted, cool voice washing through his consciousness. "Natsu, Laxus needs back up, he made it to the prison looking for Yajima and ran into trouble, you are the closest. Mest is caught in his own battle, I am on my way to him now."

"Got it."

The Fire Slayer turned back to the woman in front of him and adjusted the cuffs to secure both wrists around her desk. 'So much for simple get in, get out,' he thought irritably as he tore a strip of cloth off the bottom of her own kimono and wrapped it around her mouth. At last now, he might get to hit something. He smirked at the thought, and turned that expression on the raven-haired woman. "Don't go anywhere now," he told her smugly as she ground her teeth around the cloth gag.

. . .

Spinning on his heel and sprinting down the hall toward the west wing, he sniffed at the air, searching for the lightning mage's scent. He was less concerned about getting caught now, but he still kept close to the wall. Natsu heard a group of Rune Knights heading his way before he saw them. Vanishing into his Flash Steps, he skipped through the center of a group of four knights in an undetectable blur, snagging a large ring of keys off one of their belts as he did so. Natsu smirked to himself, twirling the ring of keys around an extended finger as he continued to sprint silently down the hall.

Locking onto the sounds of more people, he abruptly ducked down a wide passage, avoiding a couple groups of council employees that would have converged on his location. This corridor led further into the interior of the council building and fortunately, seemed to have less employees moving about than the outer halls that the offices were situated around. It made his job a hell of a lot easier, though at this point he was almost itching to get caught just so he could unleash his pent up anger.

His eyes shifted back and forth over the path before him, the hall was still polished but very simple compared to the decorative architecture he had just come from. A heavy steel door broke the clean plain wall on his left and he slowed to a stop in front of it, no doubt it would lead to the prison he was looking for. He ran a couple fingers over a thick lock on the door, it was marked with magic runes and would likely respond in any number of ways, to a show of force. Laxus must have found a different entrance, because this one was still fully intact. He didn't think that likely if the Lightning Slayer had been faced with the door.

Due to the unknown effects of the runes, Natsu was thankful, for once, that he had a more tactful way of breaking in than his typical show of fire...

Natsu tried a few keys in the solid lock before it gave way with a resounding click. Pleased with himself, he pressed the door open and was momentarily stunned to find himself in a large airy room that stretched several stories high. He had been expecting to walk into a dank dungeon-like prison, but what he entered was anything but. Natsu surveyed his surroundings, the room was large, open and circular, and appeared to contain multiple levels of floating lacrima cells that held various criminals. One he even recognized as a dark guild master that he and Haru had apprehended not so long ago.

A sudden sharp burst of lightning crashed between two of the cells, missing Natsu by mere feet and effectively pulled him out of his observations. He whipped around, taking in the sizeable charred hole in the wall behind him. 'Looks like I found Laxus…' he deadpanned internally.

Natsu leapt up on top of one of the lacrima cubes, skipping forward over subsequent cubes to make his way to the center of the strange prison. He immediately laid his eyes on the Lightning Slayer, framed by two unknown assailants. Laxus was looking a little battle worn, but Natsu guessed that had more to do with his focus on protecting the elderly man to his side, then it had to do with the other two mages' strengths.

Keeping himself hidden a while longer to try to determine the powers of the two enemies, the fire mage watched as the duo launched themselves at his comrade. Laxus threw two simultaneous, thunder laden punches out to his sides, landing brutal hits on both of his attackers. A smaller man with white and black hair went flying with a cry, colliding with the corner of a cell that sent his trajectory spiralling into an unmoving heap a few feet away. A second large-framed man was thrown back as well, but he disappeared completely, and Laxus' eyes widened as he moved Yajima behind him.

Natsu picked that moment to intervene.

His fire exploded behind Laxus as his Iron Fist connected with the large foe's jaw, cutting his attack short. It had been clear the man had been attempting to attack his blind spot, taking advantage of the blonde's divided attentions. Laxus flinched forward at the explosion, bringing an arm up to ward off the waves of heat that followed. With a startled sound of his own, Yajima ducked in front of the tall lightning mage as he looked over his shoulder. "Natsu, 'bout damn time."

Natsu fixed his snarky friend with an equally snarky grin and a thumbs up, "You're welcome, sparky."

The S Class mages turned as their opponents crawled back to their feet, moving to stand back to back and instructed Yajima to stay between them. "Natsu, watch that one," Laxus gestured to the man in front of him, "'Totomaru of the Conflagration,' he commands control of all fire, according to him anyway."

Natsu's eyes shifted to his comrade and back to Totomaru. "We'll see about that," he responded with a cocky smirk.

"The other is Aria of the Heavens, he will try to drain your magic if he catches you off guard, he almost got me once," Laxus added. Without so much as a step in their direction, Aria shifted an arm, palm out and bursts of air exploded in the space surrounding the trio. Without missing a beat, Laxus reflexively tossed Yajima over his shoulder and zapped upward, depositing the old man on top of a lacrima cell and out of harm's way. Natsu now stood a small distance back, having leapt up and spring-boarded off the wall of a cell to dodge the series of attacks. He was simply observing the duo as the Lightning Slayer materialized out of a bolt of lightning and crashed a brutal kick into Aria's chest.

Seeing that Laxus had the other mage under control, Natsu focused on his own fight. He charged the other fire mage with a magic coated fist that was promptly coursed back into his own chin, throwing his charge off. The Fire Slayer flailed, tripping into a wall and massaged his sore jaw.

He turned onyx eyes glittering in amusement on the his opponent looking completely unfazed. "Huh, so your powers weren't entirely exaggerated then, however…" he trailed off, further releasing his magic until he'd lit his entire body ablaze. He let the fire burst off him in greater and greater volumes to see just how much fire his opponent could manage to manipulate. Totomaru smirked arrogantly at first, and began spinning the flames Natsu conjured, back at him.

To his foe's clearly growing concern, Natsu merely watched unimpressed as his own fire continued to roll off him in a torrent that blocked any incoming flames. It appeared to Natsu, that he'd already found the limits of his enemy's control and disappointment ate at him. "Too bad," he muttered, "I was hoping for a better challenge, just wasn't meant to be."

Giving Totomaru a wild smile, he flashed into fire, appearing behind his fellow fire wielder and spun a brutal heel kick into his side. The fire erupting off Natsu's leg whipped into a swirl of flames that further propelled Totomaru across the room. Conveniently, the man collided with the air mage that Laxus had just sent flying at the exact same time. The Fairy Tail mages watched as their opponents crashed, flames and static clinging to their bodies as they slumped onto the ground, white eyed and twitching.

"Well, that wasn't much fun," Natsu grumbled as he nudged Totomaru's shoulder with the toe edge of his boot before making his way past them to Laxus.

The blonde chuckled and shrugged, "They can't all provide a challenge, I suppose."

South Wing

Haru stood tensely watching the mage across from him, the hall was flooded, and they were both standing in knee deep water. "This fight is fairly pointless, wouldn't you say?" Haru inquired blandly. "I will eat whatever attack you throw at me, granting me excess power, and your water body absorbs any of my attacks, thus boosting your power."

"Yes, Juvia would have to agree, it would appear that we have reached a stalemate," the bluenette commented simply. Honestly, it hadn't seemed like she'd wanted to fight at all to begin with, as far as Haru could tell. He watched as she absently kicked a leg through the water, transfixed on the ripples that slowly expanded outward.

Her blue eyes shifted back up to meet his, "But, stalemate or not, Juvia will not tarnish the Element Four's name," she shouted resolutely. She whirled around again, the end of her arm dissolving into water as she slashed out at him with a long tendrils of water, "water whip!" Haru dodged to the side, sending a barrage of water bullets back at her, but they just melted into her body with no damage again. He cursed under his breath, he knew his regular attacks wouldn't work against her, but he had a feeling his more powerful Dragon Slayer magic could deal serious damage. He just didn't want to hurt her if he didn't have to. After all, she simply seemed to be doing what she believed to be right, just like him.

"We don't need to fight, the Element Four is being manipulated by a corrupt Council, please, just trust me," he pleaded, but she scoffed dismissively and snapped her whip at him again. The bluenette launched forward as he stepped back to dodge, she appeared in front of him, throwing an elbow strike toward his head that he blocked with a forearm. He shot an open palm into her sternum to force her back, causing her to gasp as the air was knocked from her lungs. Juvia recovered fast though, engaging him again with multiple precise punches, the last caught him in the gut just beneath his rib cage. Haru buckled forward and she threw another uppercut into his jaw, using his momentum to her advantage, the strike sent his body arching through the air before landing with a large splash in the water.

Haru sat up slightly dazed, shaking the water from his hair and glared at the decidedly unreasonable woman before him, not that he couldn't appreciate her team loyalty. "Fine. Have it your way," he growled.

Flipping back to his feet, Haru darted straight for her once more. He ducked under her high kick and nailed her with a punch of his own into unguarded ribs. Twirling behind her as she stumbled, he quickly wrapped her in a choke hold, trying again to get her to give up the fight, but she simply struck back with an elbow aimed for his ribs. Releasing her before it could land, he disappeared into an arch of water over her head and she copied the action. Bursts of water crashed down the hall, sending out large splashes each time they collided. Emerging from his own jet of water, Haru kicked off a wall and flipped over the other water mage as he finally, and begrudgingly, released his magic power completely. Cerulean scales crawled over his cheeks and down his arms as he raised his fists and eased into his offensive stance.

Natsu had just alerted him that he and Laxus had vanquished two of the Element Four and were on their way to him now, with Yajima in tow. Juvia reappeared out of her own streams of water, faltering briefly as she warily eyed his newly draconic appearance. She hesitated a good minute, before apparently deciding long range combat could be safer without knowing the abilities transformation afforded him. She widened her stance, bracing her weight and shot multiple slashes of water at him.

Haru inhaled the onslaught easily and sent it back at her in new form. "Water Dragon's whirlpool," he called, whipping up the knee-deep water they were standing in, into a violent torrent of spinning water. Even in her water form, she'd have trouble escaping the power and reach of the spell with all the excess water in their environment at his current disposal. The power of the spinning pool would divide the waters forming her body if she tried to pass through it. Haru couldn't even see inside the whirlpool it was so dense, the large volume of water made it far more powerful than usual. He knew her only option would be to attempt to escape out the top of the storming waters, and he'd be ready for that.

His magic spiked exponentially, and a the visible aura of his power cast the space in a cool, blue glow. "Dragon Slayer's secret arts:" he began, eyes searching the whirlpool for movement. As predicted, Juvia burst out the top of his watery cage and Haru bent into his knees, launching at her with blinding speed, "ocean's vengeance, storm blades!"

Still partially surrounded by streams of water and without time to react, the bluenette took multiple slashes of high-pressure water that cut right through her water body. Her eyes widened in shock as she shrieked in pain, and her body dropped heavily to send up a spray of water on contact. Haru landed next to her, sighing regretfully as he lifted her body out of the water and propped her against the wall. He brushed the bangs out of her face, she was out cold, her face slack. With another elongated exhale, he began assessing her injuries.

He had just begun turning her forearm over in his hands, cautiously palpating her inflamed wrist when her eyes slowly opened.

. . .

Her foe's eyes trailed up to meet hers with a gentleness that gave her pause. "Hey, stay still, my comrades will be here soon and one of them has access to medical supplies," he said softly.

Juvia searched his face skeptically, looking for deception, looking for the trap she was sure he was setting for her. She only found sincerity. He gave her a warm smile that had her arching a brow as he released her broken wrist, "Why help Juvia?! She is your enemy!" she snapped at him with a fury she couldn't find reason for.

Haru only shrugged, "I haven't considered you an enemy since we first engaged in battle," he told her flatly. Juvia argued back, telling him he was just naïve, but he cut her off, "you're not a bad person Juvia, that is all I need to know." The Dragon Slayer shifted, sliding down the wall to sit next to her in the water, they were both soaked through from their fight, so sitting in the water didn't really matter. "You should know, we at Fairy Tail are certain there is corruption, possibly even mutiny, taking place within the Council. I personally believe you and the Element Four have been manipulated."

"That's nonsense. We have already locked up the rogue Council members."

Her flippant comment earned her an intense glare and a level of conviction that startled her, "Yajima is not an enemy of the Council, and certainly not of Ishgar. Siegrain is behind this."

The surety in his rebuttal threw her off momentarily, but she shook it off, denying his claims fervently. She had never belonged anywhere before joining the Element Four and the Council, that couldn't be a lie, she wouldn't believe that. Haru continued to watch her with an irritated expression until his attention was abruptly diverted down the hall, and Juvia picked up on ripples of movement through the water as someone approached.

Juvia followed his line of sight, peering down the corridor as well. The sudden change in his demeanour confused her. She'd have thought the comrades he'd spoken of earlier, must be arriving, but he seemed on edge. Then a blue-haired man came into view, striding calmly toward them, apparently unfazed by the water he was wading through.

"Lord Siegrain," Juvia greeted cheerily. She glanced up at the Dragon Slayer next to her, he'd gotten back to his feet and was assuming a defensive posture. "Juvia is sorry to have let you down Lord Siegrain," she apologized with a bow of her head.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked coldly, casting a malicious grin her way that set an icy shiver down her spine. "You have played your part perfectly, my chess pieces are all set in motion and I no longer have need of the Magic Council, or you." Juvia's eyes widened, an ache filled her chest and Haru's words took to playing on repeat in the back of her mind.

'You're being manipulated.'

"What do you want?!" Haru demanded, stepping between Siegrain and herself. "Juvia," he whispered, without looking at her, "I told my comrades to speed it up, but I don't know how long I can hold him off... You should run."

Juvia gaped at him, she could feel the stifling magic pressure wafting off the man before them, and she knew Haru must be low on magic due to their fight. She wondered why he didn't just inhale the water surrounding them before quickly realizing he probably couldn't power up on his own water magic... And so much of his own water had collided with hers that the water had been rendered completely useless for bolstering his stores. Siegrain smirked, dismissively waving a hand at them and turned to leave, ignoring them as if they weren't even worth his time. Haru immediately arched over the man's form and materialized in front of him out of rippling water, blocking his path. "I asked you a question," he bit out.

Siegrain placed a palm on his chest, and it exploded in bright golden light sending Haru's body careening back. Recovering reflexively, he flipped in the air, his feet planting onto the wall behind him and sprung back at Siegrain like a bullet, aiming a water-coated fist at him.

Juvia still watched the developing altercation numbly, her mind racing at the Council member's declarations as she watched the two men clash in a barrage of brutal strikes. As far as she could tell, the battling mages appeared to be fairly evenly matched, but she nervously noted that Haru was slowing as the toll of his battle with her must be affecting him. She cringed when he took a nasty kick to the ribs that sent him soaring back again. His body dropped forward limply after crashing into the wall, and Siegrain met him with a well-timed knee to the gut. Haru fell foward, coughing as he dropped to a knee, and spat out a glob of blood. It was only then that Juvia noticed Siegrain's first strike had taken a hole out of the Water Slayer's shirt and deep bruising was already marring the muscle beneath.

She was terrified for him, she realized.

At what point did she subconsciously wish for the Councilman's defeat?

Haru didn't deserve this, he'd helped her despite her refusal to listen to his reasoning. Haru choked out another lung full of air as he struggled back to his feet, wavering in his stance and Juvia shook herself from her thoughts. "Haru!" she screamed for his attention, and conjured a massive wave of water to unleash on the two. The wave submerged both men knocking Siegrain away as Haru gratefully accepted the magic in greedy gulps.

He stood, hinged forward with his hands on his knees and releasing a satisfied exhale. The thumbs up and grateful smile he threw her sent an unfamiliar warmth through her, which was followed by awe as he released his magic again. "Water Drive." Juvia gazed in wonder at the glittering blue scales that reappeared over his skin, observing the only water spell that had ever done her damage, let alone ended in her defeat.

Haru charged at the Council member again, and they exchanged blindingly fast blows with renewed vigour until the Water Slayer finally found an opening. Spinning with the power of the Secret Arts he'd used on her, slashing water blade strikes rained down on Siegrain's body. Juvia found relief when a scream of pain was finally torn from his mouth and with a final powerful kick, the man's body flew back and collided hard with a wall, causing a webbing of cracks around the impact point. Haru's body remained tense, staying prepared for the counterstrike that was inevitable. A Wizard Saint did not go down that easily. It wasn't long before Siegrain lumbered back to his feet, stumbling forward a couple steps before regaining his balance. He fixed Haru with an absolutely furious expression and slammed his forearms together in an X over his head summoning a giant magic circle to erupt between them. The two water mages flinched back as their shadows bent abnormally and the look on their enemy's face became increasingly deranged.

"Alteria!" Siegrain shouted, whipping his arms down and apart to release a massive ball of magic that coursed with the appearance of the night sky itself. The spell burst forward with cataclysmic potential and the walls on either side of the spell rumbled and cracked against the sheer level of magic pressure exerted in the small space.

Haru's eyes blew wide in terror and the next thing Juvia knew, he was lunging toward her, "Water Dragon's lair!" he called in desperation. A swirling dome of water surrounded them both just before the devastating spell could overtake them. The Water Slayer above her gritted his teeth as he fed the remainder of his power into maintaining their shield, until if finally shattered and they were both thrust back in a spray of water. Panting for breath, and appearing to be on the edge of consciousness, Haru glared defiantly at Siegrain. Juvia tried to force her body to move, to return the favour in protecting her fellow water mage, but failed.

She could only watch as the other man walked toward them, toward Haru specifically. Siegrain cradled a heavily bruised arm that was exposed where his jacket had been torn away. A noticeable limp carried the councilman closer until he stopped directly over Haru, looking down at him with an emotionless expression. "I won't underestimate the power of a Dragon Slayer again," he promised.

Siegrain's eyebrows drew together as he considered the Water Dragon Slayer and the greed behind his eyes gave Juvia a sinking feeling. Then he smirked and vanished, leaving the two of them alone in the flooded hall.

A/N. Oh hi Juvia, nice of you to join us, can you tell me where Gajeel is?

For those of you wondering where Leo is at after his brief appearance last chapter, don't you worry your pretty heads, he'll be back soon.

It's off to Heaven on Earthland next chapter.

'Till next time!

R&R.

~LokaMuse