Happy Sunday friends!

As promised, here's part 2 of what was supposed to be chapter 51.

Quick note to address MPrime's valid points about the torture. Agreed, humans wouldn't typically be able to withstand a month of ongoing torture without breaking. Keep in mind, this would not be every hour or even every day, unlike Erza who was subject to Kyoka and Yakadoriga constantly and had to face it alone. I will be making a couple small adjustments to the previous chapter so that is more clear.
MPrime, thank you for point that out! I sent you a DM as well further detailing my thoughts so we can discuss. :D

~Onward

52

-Captured, Part 2-

Leo walked ahead of them, his head swivelling back and forth as he led them through the dark forest. They moved in a close knot, ensuring they wouldn't be separated or ambushed easily. Not having the Twin Dragons to guide them to their target in such an expansive forest had proven challenging before Leo had appeared. The lion spirit was able to lead them based on the slowly strengthening pull of Natsu's celestial contract.

"It's dead ahead," Leo whispered, winding them through the maze of trees, rock and shrubbery single file now. The overgrown forest began to thin, parting to reveal a small castle maybe a hundred meters ahead. Its rock walls appeared worn and crumbling in sections, even from the distance. Thick roots and vines wound themselves over the walls, the odd tree even protruded from the castle itself.

It awed Lucy that a dark guild of this size could be hidden in Fiore that none of them, including the Council had been aware of. They'd never have found it if it hadn't been for Meredy's past connections with Tartaros' network. "Let's scope out the building, we should find a way in that will let us stay hidden as long as we can," Erza commanded. "Mira, Gray, Lucy and Leo go left, Jellal and I will go right…"

Lucy was about to confirm when Leo stopped abruptly, ears twitching, "We've got company—"

"Look out!" Mira yelled. Lucy didn't even have a chance to respond before Gray slammed into her, knocking them both out of the way of a series of spears that dug into the soil. Leo was at their sides in a second, unleashing his magic to block additional attacks as the group scattered to dodge arial weapons.

"Lucy, you okay?" Gray asked, pulling her to her feet with ice magic already swirling around his free arm.

They were quickly surrounded by a small army of dark mages and demons, all brandishing weapons and wasting no time in attacking. "Yeah, thanks Gray!" Lucy answered. She leapt back, lashing out with her magic whip to counter the strikes aimed her way as Gray blocked a flurry of arrows with his own iced version.

Continuing to knock back the sudden barrage of enemies, Lucy became aware of a daunting sensation settling over her. She had felt this kind of pressure before, at the Games, when she'd fought Vira… Someone very powerful was nearby, and whoever it was, wasn't a magic user. "Gray! Do you feel that?!" she yelled, scanning the fortress walls of the Succubus Eye guild.

Swinging the large blade of his sword into the gut of a foe, Gray replied without looking, "Yeah, unfortunately… keep your guard up everyone!"

A red line tore through the stretch of barren ground they fought on and erupted into a wall of intense flames just as the group turned to look. "Natsu?!" Gray called, searching wildly.

Lucy knew without having to look that those flames did not belong to Natsu… she knew his signature as well as she knew her spirits. She sprinted forward, snagging Gray's arm and ripped him back just as the fire swelled and began eating up the encroaching forest. Lucy wrenched him along with her as she and Leo put some distance between them and the fire. "We've been separated!" Lucy yelled, "damnit!"

"Not yet!" Gray said, spinning and throwing his fist into his open palm. The blue aura of his ice magic chilled the air all around them, a welcome sensation with the sweltering heat of the fire. "Ice Make: Shield!"

Instead of the usual shield, Gray threw his hands into the ground, freezing the dry grass and dirt in an expansive radius around them. A giant wall of ice burst from the ground, cutting straight across the wall of fire, Lucy had never seen him use a shield of that magnitude before. But the unnatural flames melted the ice down in mere minutes before he could even summon a second to cut them a path to their comrades. "What the hell?!" Gray asked incredulously.

Lucy shared that surprise, his ice was not so easily melted by your typical fire, not when he'd trained his ice against the likes of Natsu's fire for so many years. They didn't have the time to contemplate or strategize though, the fire continued to spread and behind them Succubus Eye had regrouped. "Erza and the others will be fine!" Lucy said, "we've got our own problems!"

Snapping to attention, Gray pivoted with her and Leo, each preparing for the next wave of foes that had pinned them against the fiery wall behind them.

Inside

Weak.

He was too damn weak. And not just physically, true he was utterly exhausted, but the biggest hit was his usually rock-solid mental fortitude. Right now, the despair was overwhelming.

How could he have possibly let it get this far?

Moments ago, Minerva—Minerva!—strode into the room with complete nonchalance and alerted Kyôka to Fairy Tail mages being spotted in the surrounding forest. The demoness had grinned wickedly, and departed with a snicker and a mocking 'Don't go anywhere now…'

The news had brought a wave of muddled emotions crashing through Natsu's head. On one hand, he could be hopeful that rescue was close at hand, his eyes flickered across the sparce chamber to where Haru hung unconscious. Haru needed help, and fast. Then there was the warring mix of relief and crushing fear. He would be shocked if it wasn't his team out there… and he was certain Lucy would be at the center of a Fairy Tail counterstrike. But at least that would mean Kyôka had lied about the attack on Fairy Tail. That, or Dragon Soul hadn't been in the hall at the time, not that he could think of a reason they wouldn't have been.

Natsu thrashed against his chains again, an inhuman cry of desperation bubbling from his throat, the metal bit into the already raw skin of his wrists. He needed to get free before Kyôka could get to Lucy.

Across from him, strands of messy dark hair hid Haru's face, but his limp weight against the chains confirmed he was still out cold. The Water Slayer had finally passed out just moments after Kyôka had left the room, as close to gleefully as she ever got. Haru had told Natsu not to worry, that he was confident Natsu could break them out… But he was failing his partner, Natsu hated the broken whimper that escaped his throat at the thought.

His partner's torso was littered in gashes, most of them shallow and not one would be threatening to his life if it wasn't for the number. The entire time, it had been Haru's conviction and confidence that had kept Natsu from caving to Kyôka's demands. He'd continuously reminded Natsu that he'd never forgive himself if he gave up information on their friends to an enemy of Fairy Tail, even as Kyôka added cut after cut.

What could he do? He needed to get free and stop the bleeding… And his team needed him… LUCY needed him!

Try as he might, the magic cancelling effects of his chains couldn't be overpowered, and the only curse power he could willingly call was that useless defense spell! Useless, when he'd already been captured. Red-black power flickering at his fists as he tried to manifest anything that might be helpful, his seals itched against his arm. Natsu cursed his lack of success, earning a dark chuckle not far from him that broke his concentration.

The only grunt Kyôka had left to watch them, sat with his legs kicked over the table. He had grey skin, a mane of black fur that fanned down over his neck and back in wild spikes. Long teeth that his lips couldn't contain and claws just as deadly, Kyôka had called him Skol. "You humans really are pathetic," he spat.

Natsu sunk his own sharp canine into his lip subconsciously, drawing a bead of blood and remained silent, none of his usual retorts on his tongue. The anger to fuel his biting retorts were there, but the despair of his situation certainly overwhelmed that.

"Your friend will be dead by the time Mistress Kyôka returns… Just stop fighting."

Still nothing. Natsu could feel the cold ripples of Etherious surging through him in response to his fear and his anger. So different from his fire. The seals on his arm burned gold through the bandages he still wore to hide them. His curse power crackled around his fists with renewed vigor, the same soft thrumming of power his shield produced on a smaller scale. But it wasn't helpful! Natsu screamed again, but the sound was marred more in anger this time, anger with his own progress and his own vulnerability.

Every Etherious had a core curse ability…one that all their abilities stemmed from. If that was the case, his shield had to be a manifestation of his real curse, but what was it. He reached inward, mindfully tracing the tendrils of his power and let it expand and contract within him. He always did seem to make the most progress under pressure, when threatened with the safety of his family…

"H-how are you doing that? You can't use magic right now!" Skol balked. He sounded more dumbfounded than concerned over the growing bursts of etherious. The power pulsed and burst outward around Natsu, surrounding him in the familiar red orb, black streaks rippling over its surface like liquid. "Wait… that isn't magic! What are you?!"

Natsu wrenched on his chains again but there was still no change, the orb he conjured was still just a defense spell, it couldn't free him. "Fuck!" he cursed aloud, eyes locking on the demon below him who seemed completely awestruck. The sound of an explosion further into the castle , rocked the walls of Succubus Eye. Natsu released another string of curses, wondering which of his friends had been pulled into a fight already. Hopefully they hadn't split up. Lucy…

The guard had recovered from his initial bewilderment at the sounds of battle outside. He postured, and dropped large paws onto his hips, "I bet Mistress Kyôka is tearing your friends—"

"SHUT UP!" Natsu shouted, "I'm getting out of here! And when I do, I'll string YOU up on this wall in my place! I bet your mistress will love having a target to direct her anger at when she returns!"

. . .

"Nat-su…" Haru mumbled, the world slowly coming back into focus as he came to. Natsu's familiar red-black power pulsed around him, he seemed to be in a standoff with their guard despite Natsu still being chained to a wall. It was odd. What had he missed while he was unconscious?

"Hang on Haru—"

The translucent black ripples thickened until no red remained, and the aura darkened until it was too black to see Natsu inside. "Natsu?!" Haru shouted, and then glowing white cracks fractured the orb, spreading until the space around it cracked as well. When it all shattered, Natsu's chains hung empty, not broken, just empty. In an instant that was completely lost to Haru, Natsu had reappeared behind the stunned demon guarding them. Haru would have chalked it up to Natsu's Flash Step, if he'd had access to his magic. But even then, Flash Step wouldn't have gotten him out of the chains so cleanly and it didn't explain the thin cracks that still marked the air around Natsu's previous location.

It would seem Skol shared Haru's confusion. Turning stiffly in a slow circle, he muttered, "What the fuck—"

Natsu's hand snapped closed around his throat, cutting his words off in gasp. "Natsu… how did…" Haru tried through laboured breaths.

The fire mage didn't answer, and Haru couldn't see his face with his back to him. Fear wiped the surprise off Skol's face when the entirety of Natsu's body ignited in flames. "Well, doesn't that feel good after weeks…" Natsu stated in cold acknowledgement of his magic being unsealed.

"I'm sorry, but I've changed my mind," Natsu decided, "as much as I feel I should leave Kyôka a departing gift for being such a lovely host… I realize I can't have you telling her about me."

"I—I won't say anything!"

Haru observed in increasingly muddled consciousness as Natsu's crimson scales flecked over his naked back. Then with an explosion of fire, Natsu wound back and launched a destructive fist straight into their enemy's face. Without the slightest sound, aside from a sickening crunch, Skol was sent soaring across the room and crashed into the wall where Natsu had been strung up just minutes earlier. Natsu followed with another burst of intense fire and connected a second brutal fist that broke through bone and wall alike, launching them both into the room beyond.

Despite Natsu's apprehension, Haru had always been confident the Fire Slayer could free them with etherious, but he'd expected the same fiery demonstration that he always associated with him. Contemplating the other Etherious they'd come in contact with, he noted that all of their known abilities tended to be manifestations rooted in a single curse type. Like Kyôka's sensory manipulation, or Tempesta's calamity, or Jackal's bomb… So then Natsu probably wouldn't be any different, right?

While he would have thought Natsu's curse would take on a fiery form of some sort—something like Hell's Fire, disintegrating everything in its path—burning endlessly—he also realized the curses seemed to suit each Etherious. As destructive as Natsu tended to be, he would never wield a power so uncontrollably catastrophic, one that could hurt his comrades or innocents. Haru also doubted what he'd witnessed could be as simple as spatial manipulation, curses just didn't work that way. Not as far as he'd seen, anyway. He eyed the hairline fractures still closing themselves slowly and swallowed thickly. Hellfire or not, each curse came with some very damaging repercussions to those around the user.

So, the question remained: What was Natsu's curse really?

It all made Haru's head spin, and he was still feeling delirious from the blood loss to begin with. Natsu's return put an end to his pondering anyway. The fire mage stepped over the pile of rubble that remained from the wall he'd obliterated and arched a brow at the wonderous look Haru couldn't keep from his face. "What?" Natsu asked as he slashed through the chains. Haru fell bonelessly, but Natsu had already stepped forward to catch him, meeting his eye as he crouched down carefully. "I'm still me…" he breathed.

Haru wasn't sure if Natsu was reassuring him, or himself. "I knew you could get us out of here," he replied simply.

"Don't celebrate yet. We got comrades out there… facing Kyôka's sadistic tactics in our place." Natsu absentmindedly requipped his medical kit, "and I'd bet my scarf it'll be Dragon Soul."

"Shit, Lucy…" Haru said, remembering Tartaros' fixation on her and the First's spells, "go—"

"You know better than that Haru, I'm not leaving you. Lucy and the others can handle themselves, until we get to them."

A hiss of pain escaped him as Natsu applied an antiseptic cream and proceeded to bandage his wounds enough to slow the bleeding. "Can you walk?" Natsu asked as he worked. If he was being honest, Haru wasn't sure he could, just holding his head up to talk to Natsu was demanding a fair amount of effort. With a knowing smile, Natsu requipped a large canteen and shook it, the sound of liquid sloshed inside. "How 'bout now?"

Chuckling weakly, Haru accepted and downed the water in large swallows, intensionally directing the water to his magic stores. It was barely a dent in the replenishment he desperately needed… but it would get him on his feet at least. Natsu hoisted him up, gripping his arm and stabilized him at the waist before slowly picking his way out of the basement in search of their comrades.

Outside

"Gray! Behind you!"

Gray spun, leaping back just in time to miss the large edge of an axe meant for his skull and answered with an ice lance before he'd landed. Lucy closed the gap between them, quickly turning back-to-back with the ice mage so they could better protect one another's blind spots. She slowly scanned the mass of opponents on her side, as Gray's magic pressure swelled behind her once more. "Let's make quick work of these jerks and find another way back to Erza an' the others, Lucy!"

"Right! Star Dress: Leo form!" Lucy called, letting the warmth of Regulus wash through her, "Leo!"

The lion spirit grinned widely, intercepting a strike, and smashed a fist into the demon's nose, "I'll follow your lead, Lucy!"

Behind her, Lucy could already hear the sounds of Gray unleashing pent up anger on the forces that had dared to prevent them from finding their friends. The fire still raged beside them as well, and Lucy could feel the blistering heat against her skin, even at their current distance. It would have been nice to have Natsu there to swallow those expanding walls of fire... she could only hope the rest of their team hadn't run into too much trouble. The trouble she was most concerned about, was the source of the fire… Fire that Gray's ice couldn't touch, screamed Calamity.

"Regulus impact!" Lucy and Leo yelled simultaneously, striking out with the orange hued light at a cluster of enemies pinned between them.

"Ice Make: freeze lancer!" Gray added quickly after, raining spears of ice into another large cluster.

Continuously compounding one another's attacks, they were making quick work of the Succubus Eye grunts, carving a path toward the ruined castle again. A pair of bulkier, bestial demons leapt into Lucy's path from above without warning, causing her to stumble back with a yelp. Whipping an icy grappling chain at the one furthest from him, Gray caught the demon in coils of chain and yanked back hard, smashing it into the second.

Gasping her thanks to her teammate, Lucy swapped to Taurus' star dress for the exponential strength boost and focused her star magic to her fists. "Star Reform, Strike!" Her punch crashed into the second beast's nose as he barrelled toward her in a heap with the first.

The two demons landed on top of the other at her feet and Lucy spun with a follow up kick, her heel finding the midback of the first, crushing them both into the dirt.

"What the f—"

Lucy whirled around at the sound of Gray's shout, but he was nowhere to be seen. The next words out of her mouth echoed Gray's before he'd vanished.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

She whirled again.

"Minerva!" Lucy spat. Black markings covered half the former Queen of the Tigers' face like a mask. Lucy eyed the horns protruding from her head, the unmistakable mark of Succubus Eye above her hip, and of course, her comrade, locked in a corrupted version of Territory. "Let him go right now!" Lucy demanded.

Tilting her head to the side, Minerva tapped a nail over a rubied lip, "What's in it for me?"

"How about me not throttling you to an inch of your life!" Lucy snapped back. The threat was unlike her, she wasn't usually so violent. But this was a woman who'd willingly given up her humanity, siding with Tartaros out of a purely egotistical drive for power. Minerva would get no mercy from her.

Minerva laughed, a shrill, hysterical sound that seemed far from the stoic regality she exuded during the Games. "We'll see about that, little star girl. But unfortunately, Lady Kyôka needs you dead, so we don't have much time to play… she'll be here soon."

"Guess we better make this quick then!"

Lines of gold wove together at Lucy's back to form her wings, and then she was in the air in a yellow blur. Star Reform concentrated at her foot as she flipped midair and drove a solid kick into demoness' ribs. She followed it up immediately with an uppercut under the chin. Minerva's body arced back through the air, and purple energy beat in waves around her hands, manipulating the space around her to slow her fall. As soon as she hovered stably in the air again, she was flying toward Lucy at a breakneck speed.

They collided midair; Lucy's hair fanned around her as she aimed a spin kick for Minerva's head. The former Tiger got a forearm up in time to block and unleashed a series of her shimmery purple spheres. She was surrounded in seconds. Cursing under her breath, Lucy snapped her wings and shot up just as they all exploded in quick succession. A shriek of pain escaped her when she didn't quite make it out of the blast range, the shock wave sent her whirling back through the air. Minerva was above her in an instant, orbs of power around her hands again as she clapped both together and brought them down in a hammer strike.

Lucy screamed again; the enhanced hit racked her body with pain. She hit the ground hard and released a soundless cry of pain when the air was ripped from her lungs. "Gods, that hurt…" she whined, eyes flickering passed Minerva to Gray, whose face remained pinched in pain as Territory drained him. Growling, Lucy jumped back to her feet, aiming both palms at the large sphere trapping her friend. "Star Reform: shatter!"

Gold light pierced straight through the energy field, and it exploded in shockwaves, "Leo!" Lucy yelled as she bent into her knees and shot straight at Minerva again.

"On it!" Leo sprinted forward, catching Gray before he could hit the ground. Lucy enveloped herself in light, Aquarius' symbol spread across her collar bones as she twirled out of the way of Minerva's assaults. Below her Gray gulped down air, forcibly shaking off his daze, as Lucy struck back with jets of water. Water and spatial energy collided, and the reverberations exploded outward, knocking down rows of the bordering forest.

Diving quickly, Lucy gracefully wove through the strikes that rained down around her, and skid to a stop next to Gray, who was back on his feet, and Leo. "You good Gray?" she asked, already whipping turbulent water together at her fingertips. He grunted in response, a thin layer of frost spreading out of the debris under their feet. "Good…" Lucy said quietly, voice raising as the power of her magic spiked, "let's take her down then! Aqua Metria!"

Inside

The halls were so empty it was getting disconcerting, had the entire guild vacated to confront their comrades? Haru's head felt fuzzy as he scanned their surroundings and he kept stumbling, despite Natsu's supportive grip. "Hey, don't you go passing out on me man," the fire mage said when he tripped for the third or fourth time. Natsu shuffled his weight against him and readjusted the arm he had around his waist for a better hold.

Chuckling dryly, Haru muttered, "Think you can just teleport me to Wendy with your new power?"

He'd meant it as a joke, making light of their situation, but Natsu's jaw tightened in response. "What do you think that was?" he asked.

"Wha? You're asking me?" Haru replied incredulously. Natsu was watching him intently, even as he searched for an exit.

"You must have some thoughts… you're Haru, that's what you do…"

Honestly, it helped to have a discussion to focus on, something to distract from the pain and from his concern for their team. If he thought he was capable of convincing Natsu to leave him, he'd keep trying, but he knew that would never happen. Knowing Natsu as well as Haru did, he figured it was likely his partner blamed himself for his current state too. So there was no way Natsu would abandon him, even if his instincts were driving him to get to Lucy as fast as he could. "Haru," he repeated, "come on, keep talking to me—so you think it's some sort of spatial manipulation?"

Ah. So, it was less about Haru's thoughts on his Curse, and more about keeping him conscious. Sometimes he didn't give Natsu enough credit. "Just thinking, Natsu," Haru said, "you didn't get any sense of it when you used it?"

Natsu hummed in thought, diverting attention to the hall before them again. "It didn't feel the same as Mest's magic. You know that head-spinney feeling when he moves us through space? It was more like…" he trailed off, facing a closed door. Tightening his grip under Haru's arm, Natsu gave a quick warning before slamming a boot into the wood and knocking the door clean off the hinges. Then he stepped over it and started up the flight of stairs hidden behind, continuing his thought as though nothing had happened, "…stepping through a door."

Haru couldn't help the rasp of laughter that escaped him at the timing of Natsu's descriptor. "But it does seem Spatial in nature. I saw the whole thing, one second you were in those chains, and then you were across the room…" Pausing when fresh air hit his nostrils, Haru briefly noted they were closer to a way out, but he still couldn't pick up any of their friends' scents. "How'd you get out of the chains?"

"Hard to explain, as I said, it wasn't quite the same as teleporting… it was like a portal around space, rather than through it?" Natsu made various sounds of frustration, "that doesn't make any sense. Does it…"

"Mm… Portal huh?"

Nodding, Natsu stopped and checked him out, "I've got Lucy's and Gray's scents, how are you doing?"

"Don't worry about me," Haru dismissed. He was a little caught off guard by Natsu's update because he hadn't noticed either of their scents. Even now that he searched for theirs specifically, he came up empty, but his body was slowly failing him now. Haru wasn't naive, if they didn't get out of here soon, he wasn't going to survive the blood loss. Maybe Natsu's Portal curse could help… that is, if he could use it freely. "Let's just get to them so we—you—" he corrected begrudgingly, "can help."

Outside

The Twin Dragons emerged from a thick knot of trees and caught sight of Lucy, Leo and Gray ahead, fighting in the clearing. "Well, we found Minerva," Natsu mumbled, "so if she's here… where's Kyôka?"

"I hope the rest of our friends are okay, seems unlikely Lucy and Gray came alone."

Natsu hadn't caught Erza's scent either and Dragon Soul rarely left without one of their own, certainly not in these circumstances. Haru was also sure Mira would be around as well… she was way too stubborn to wait for the others to return when he'd been captured. There was no time to worry about that right now though, Natsu had attempted to pick up their pace, calling out to them.

Blue and gold auras pulsed around their comrades as they both poured magic into high level spells to take down their foe. Gray appeared to be buying Lucy time, unleashing spell after spell to thwart Minerva's attacks. Neither one of them heard or noticed Natsu's approach in their complete focus. "Ice Make: ice bringer!" Gray yelled, rapidly closing in on Minerva. Two massive ice blades appeared in each hand, he leapt and slashed each out at her in quick succession, but she managed to block part of his attack last minute.

The forceful impact still sent her flying back when both spells exploded, and by the time the smoke cleared, Lucy was in the air overhead, the golden power of her magic around her. "Let's see you block this!" she shouted in an echoey voice, "Urano Metria!"

The devastating power of the spell Lucy rarely resorted to, overwhelmed Minerva, driving her body into the ground with a shriek of pain. Haru hadn't seen that spell since the S Class exam, it was still as beautiful and deadly as he remembered it. "Shit," Natsu cursed, "brace yourself Haru—Fire Dragon's ROAR!"

Haru cringed away from the proximal heat of Natsu's breath attack, only just noticing the straggling group of dark mages advancing from behind, trying to take their comrades unaware. The cone of fire overtook them in seconds. Lucy whipped around, her yellow and green skirts swishing around her hips with the movement. "Natsu!" she cried in relief, "Ha—Haru?!" The excitement broke in concern as she ran toward them, worried brown eyes taking in the blood covering both. It seemed she quickly came to the realization that the blood was not Natsu's, "Gods, Haru… what the hell happened to you two?!"

Gray and Leo both stopped behind her as well, "Shit man, you look awful!" Gray declared, before adding, "actually… you both look like shit." Taking in Natsu's unimpressed look, the ice mage gave a sheepish look and quickly took Haru's free arm, sharing some of his weight.

Ignoring Gray's comment, Natsu addressed Lucy's question, "Long story, you didn't happen to bring Wendy, did you?"

"No…she and Gajeel weren't back yet by the time we left." Lucy said apologetically. "Was the king in there with you?"

"Tomie's missing?" Natsu clarified. "Shit, no, he's not here…So then… Mercurius?" he asked slowly. Lucy hung her head a little, wordlessly answering. "Fuck… okay… well, first thing's first, we gotta get Haru outa here." Peeking at the Water Slayer sidelong, he suggested to him wearily, "I could try Portal…"

Natsu didn't reply to their team repeating 'Portal?' in curiosity. Haru mulled it over, it was likely the best option, even if he was a little concerned about the unknown ramifications of the curse. "Did Mira and Erza come too?" he asked Lucy. It was getting harder and harder to focus through the pull of unconsciousness, but he needed to know the girls would be safe too.

"Yes, and Jellal too, we were separated by a fire attack…" Lucy said gesturing to part of the forest still burning.

"Fire?" Natsu parroted.

Lucy nodded, "It could be—"

"Tempesta," Natsu and Haru finished together.

Chewing on his lip, Haru decided, "You can't leave them out there with Tempesta and Kyôka…"

"I can't leave you alone in this condition either," Natsu countered flatly.

"Wait, they're after me, so my presence just puts you all in more danger," Lucy interrupted, eyes locking with Natsu's, "I can protect Haru. I will get him to a healer, you and Gray go get our friends."

Natsu clearly hated the idea of leaving either of them, if the tight line of his jaw was any indication. His head dipped in an uncommitted nod despite that.

"Can you get us both out?" Haru asked weakly

"I'm sure gonna try."

. . .

Gray adjusted his balance, accepting the bulk of Haru's weight and watched in unease as Natsu took a few steps away from the group. His often-empty-headed rival seemed unusually focused and not his normal fight-centric concentration. It was a meditative focus. Gray knew immediately Natsu was not reaching for his magic power this time, but something that didn't come so naturally to him. A fact that was confirmed when his fiery magic signature flickered and faded. A heavy feeling settled over Gray, one that might temporarily paralyze him with fear, if he didn't know Natsu so well…

That didn't stop him from feeling sick at witnessing the fire mage tap into demonic power though. Etherious.

Gray had been trying hard to accept the revelations of Natsu's nature since he'd learned the truth during the Grimoire mission. He'd seen nothing to make him think Natsu wasn't the same old flame-brained, cocky bastard he always was. He'd even found himself confiding in Haru a couple times, trying to understand how, given their shared history, the Water Slayer easily accepted Natsu's ethereal half. "He's still Natsu," had basically become a catchphrase for the Water Slayer where Gray was concerned.

Hell, Haru had just asked Natsu to use whatever this Portal power was on him and Lucy, that took a lot of trust. Gray wasn't quite there yet, he trusted Natsu, really, he did… he just wasn't sure he could trust the gradually awakening Etherious inside him.

"You okay?" Haru mumbled as a blood-red aura gathered around Natsu. Gray flinched; he could feel Haru's eyes on him, but he couldn't quite answer. "He's still Natsu…" came the annoyingly familiar words again.

"Yeah but… how long has he been able to… I mean, he didn't tell us…" Gray asked, wondering if his reaction had affected Natsu more than the care-free mage let on. He didn't mean to hurt Natsu and he knew learning he was half demon could not have been easy for his friend either... Had he made Natsu feel like he had to shield him from his truth? Gray cursed under his breath, watching as Natsu seemed to weave tendrils of the curse power.

Haru was shaking his head, "He didn't keep…" he sucked in a few breaths, feeling more faint by the minute, "he just, for the first time… in Succubus…"

"Save your energy Haru," Lucy scolded, concern edging her reprimanding tone.

"Fuck… I think I did it!" Natsu declared breathlessly. He turned to them with red flecked eyes and ebony markings over one cheek bone that continued down his throat, disappearing beneath his scarf. Gray tried and failed to hide the shudder that stole his body when Natsu's eyes met his. The hurt that flicked over his face made Gray feel a tinge of shame and the need to apologize lodged in his throat, he said nothing.

Behind Natsu, a circle, a black void hovered in the air, a spiderwebbing of cracks spread from it as though space itself was fragmenting to his will. Natsu looked back at it, pursing his lips, "Gotta make sure it's safe…" he said absently. He snagged the collar of a downed dark mage not far from him, and walked into the portal, dragging his captive behind him.

Gray exchanged uneasy glances with the others when the etherious swallowed the pair, before settling back on the black hole. In less than a minute, the dark mage flew back through, landing face down and slid to a stop at Lucy's feet. Natsu casually emerged behind him, looking rather nonchalant about the whole thing. "Seems safe enough, it'll bring you to the outskirts of Clover Town… I'm not sure I want to risk a distance like Magnolia or Crocus," he explained apologetically. "Lucy, there's an old lady in town, a healer mage me 'n' Haru have seen before, get Haru to her."

"Right," Lucy replied, snagging a fistful of his scarf, she yanked him down and sealed her lips over his. Brushing a hand over his jaw as she parted from their kiss, she whispered, "be careful."

Gray shifted uncomfortably as Lucy left the fire mage's embrace and approached. "That goes for you too Gray, be careful," she repeated, carefully wrapping her arm around Haru's waist.

. . .

Natsu stepped aside and out of their path to his portal, Haru could tell he was still torn about not accompanying them. Preceptive as always, Lucy reached out and caught his hand in a loose grip, carding her fingers between his as they passed into the portal. She released it as the ethereal energy began to swallow them, an odd, chilled sensation crawling over Haru's skin. It felt familiar, like entering the Eclipse gate all those years before.

Next to him Lucy yelped in pain, and they were wrenched back abruptly. The arm Lucy had been supporting him with, whipped away to address an unseen attacker. Haru staggered back trying to catch his balance and found Tempesta behind them with a fistful of the stellar mage's ponytail. The demon's free arm swooped through the air in an upward motion, "Woosh."

A violent tornado born of the Calamity curse whipped up in a split second, ripping their escape apart at the seams. Then he pursed his lips, and blew fire into the cyclone causing the entire thing to explode sending all the surrounding mages soaring back. Lucy cried out in pain when Tempesta yanked her back to him with the hold he maintained on her hair.

"Oi! That's my trick!" Natsu yelled, rushing at them as he drew the flames in with a deep inhale. "Take your damn hands off Lucy, NOW!"

Fire exploded off him and he vanished, leaving a scorched patch of ground behind. Reappearing above the demon, he connected a downward kick at the wrist. Lucy released a sound of surprise as she fell forward, just as Natsu was reappearing on the other side, spinning in midair to kick Tempesta in the temple. "—You showed me yours, now here's mine… Lightning Flame Dragon's ROAR!"

As soon as the fire overtook the demon, Natsu was already giving chase, disappearing straight into the cyclone of his mixed elements. Bursts of fire and lightning pierced skyward from the fire that hid the fighting pair from Haru's eyes. He stayed on his knees with one protective arm wrapped around his middle as he watched.

"Haru!" Lucy skidded to a stop in front of him, as Gray and Leo observed the flames for an opportunity to back their comrade up. "Natsu's portal is gone…" the blonde mumbled, looking back over her shoulder to where it had been. She faced him again and released his shoulders long enough to work an orb of water between her hands, "Try to eat this Haru… we need to buy a little more time."

Water had never seemed like a challenge to him in his life, but inhaling the concentrated magic was a fight his body seemed unimpressed with this time. He got the last drops down and hinged forward, coughing as the ground beneath them quaked. Crevasses tore scars through the earth as chunks crumbled away in a violent shift, "What the fuck now?!" Lucy demanded the heavens.

"An earthquake, it's Temepest—"

Lucy snagged him by an arm cutting him off, leaping into the sky with the snap of her wings just as the ground collapsed into crater. Haru cringed in pain, his injuries screaming at the rough treatment, "Sorry Haru, I didn't have time to—"

"I'm fine Lucy!" he promised, as she descended back to an untouched section of ground. Across the field it appeared Gray had fed ice into numerous cracks allowing himself and Leo to get to safety as well.

A column of fire erupted beside Haru causing both of himself and Lucy to flinch away, and then Natsu extended a red-scaled hand to Lucy, "Help me out here Lucy?" he said.

Natsu looked rough, but then, so did Tempesta, as far as Haru could tell. Natsu shook dark red bangs out of his face, locking gold eyes back on Tempesta as Lucy took his hand. "Always," she agreed determinedly.

They thrust their joined hands forward, fire, lightning and stellar magic already dancing around them. Tempesta stood exposed now, at the center of the charred field, and at seeing the beginnings of the light-based spell, charged straight at them. "No, you don't!" Gray shouted, running at the Calamity demon, "freeze!" Throwing both palms into the ground, Gray froze everything around him as the magic rushed at his target. A thick block of ice trapped Tempesta to his hips in a fraction of a second.

"Nice going, Gray!" Leo praised.

Unison Raid at its threshold, Natsu and Lucy braced themselves behind the massive globe of their combined power, "Stellar Flame Dragon's shooting star!" The blinding light, seething with fire and lightning tore a path straight toward the struggling demon gate.

"Rumble."

Another earthquake rocked the area around Tempesta, and when the light of Shooting Star flickered out, he was nowhere to be seen. Gray ran over to the edge of a new gaping hole, peering inside, and looked utterly confused when he looked back at them. "I… Tempesta's Etherious signature is faint suddenly," Natsu said, approaching Gray to examine the crater as well.

"He must have retreated somehow," Haru breathed in relief as Lucy squatted down in front of him again. He watched as Natsu paced around Tempesta's previous position, trying to figure it out.

Then his head snapped in their direction, with piercing gold eyes sharpened in his focus. "LUCY!" he roared, a mix of panic and ferocity, "look out!"

Startled, Lucy turned but Natsu was already there, pushing her away forcefully. Lucy landed on her shoulder hard, sliding back a good distance with wide eyes on the fire mage. Natsu stood, his face pale in shock, Kyôka's deadly claws buried in his gut. The vibrant blue of her Curse activated as she planted a foot into his chest and ripped her claws free. Ribbons of electrified etherious cut him deeper as he was thrown back multiple meters in Lucy's direction. A spray of blood escaping his lips as he coughed out a lung of air. Lucy stumbled forward in her haste, catching him and both went down in a heap. Lucy cradled Natsu's upper body protectively in her lap.

It all happened so fast and so unexpectedly that it took Haru's mind a long minute to make sense of what he'd seen. "NATSU!" he screamed; he was vaguely aware of similar shouts from his comrades.

Everything seemed to freeze for that moment, the atmosphere would have felt deadly silent, if it hadn't been for Lucy's anguished cries. Haru's chest felt tight, and everything felt numb as he watched Lucy crumble over Natsu's form. The fire mage's bloodied hand lifted to cup her face, "Are you—okay Luce—" he choked out. Blood gurgled in his throat between his words. With wide terrified eyes, Lucy only nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love y—" he rasped, losing the sentiment to a short fit of coughs.

"Natsu, what were you thinking…" Lucy asked brokenly, holding his hand against her cheek.

"Do you love me?" he asked, even if he knew her answer.

She nodded frantically, sobs breaking with each breath she took, "Of course I do… idiot. I love you so much. Natsu, please don't leave me… we have too much left to do… please…"

Haru couldn't breathe, for reasons entirely separate from the steady blood loss. He was rooted to the spot Lucy had left him in, on his hands and knees, powerless to do anything but watch. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be… Haru watched Natsu's hand drop from her face, heard him breathe, "Good…". The faintest smile on his face as though he might be at peace with this outcome, so long as she was safe. A scream peeled out of Lucy's throat, and she collapsed over his body, burying her face in his blood-stained scarf, wailing.

Kyôka had remained still throughout the exchange as well, her head cocked with a notable level of fascination on her face. Like she couldn't understand the emotions they shared, the love between them, and maybe she couldn't. Her claws twitched as she flexed her hands absently, "Allow me to send you to death with him!"

"LUCY!"

She barely moved, except to tighten her grip on Natsu, resigning herself to a fate of joining him.

On pure adrenaline, Haru had flown forward, intercepting the demoness, clad in full Dragon Force. Dredged up from the last fumes of his magic reserves, power that seemed an impossibility just a second before, brought about by pure desperation. The water and ice tsunami of his secret arts thrashed around him, unleashed at point blank to submerge the slave demon. Haru's transformation broke immediately after, along with any hints of energy or power he had remaining. He landed hard, skidding forward on his side as Kyôka crashed into the wall of Succubus Eye's guildhall.

Laying in the dirt just a meter from Lucy and his fallen partner. Haru felt the moisture of his own tears now. Spires of ice and streaks of light shot over his head in the slave demon's direction. "We have to go!" Leo yelled to Gray, "we can't fight her and protect—"

"NO!" Lucy shrieked, her voice cracking under the strain, "I'm not leaving—"

Leo's voice sounded equal parts angry and devastated when he yelled back, "Natsu's gone Lucy!" His words dealt a crushing blow to Haru as well, just as he was ripped off the ground by the ice mage. But he could only watch Lucy, still clinging to his best friend in desperation, pleading with them to find a way to save him, somehow. "I felt it Lucy…" Leo repeated, sounding as shattered as the rest of them, tears glistening in his own eyes as well, "I was contracted to Natsu too…"

That celestial bond that gave Haru and Natsu hope all those years ago… The one that told them Lucy and therefore, the others, must still be alive, felt like a gut punch now. It seemed an undeniable conclusion to what Haru's mind was vehemently trying to deny, despite what his eyes had told him.

Nauseating power erupted off Kyôka somewhere behind him, deep purple auras pulsed off her in shockwaves, prompting Leo's expression to harden again. He grabbed Lucy's wrist and wrenched her away from Natsu, "I won't let Natsu's sacrifice be for nothing, you won't die here, even if you hate me for it!" He nailed a punch into her stomach, knocking her unconscious before she could react and pulled her onto his back.

"Regulus Impact!" Leo launched another powerful strike into the stone wall over Kyôka's head, destroying the upper part of the structure. Reacting perfectly, Gray took advantage with waves of ice, freezing the rubble that Leo had loosed to bury the demoness in a temporary grave.

"Ice Make: shields!" Gray added, spinning with Leo to retreat with Haru and Lucy on their backs as a series of thick ice-shields raised like dominos behind them.

Haru tried to look back, the gravity and devastation of leaving his partner behind, causing a deeper ache than his injuries ever could. Blue eyes flicked over to Lucy directly beside him, clinging to Natsu's scarf even in her unconsciousness.

A/N. Alright guys, don't hate me yet! Lots of loose ends there, but I will tie 'em up as usual, so no one panic! haha.
Anyway, that was quite possibly the most devastating thing I've written. I feel all heavy!

And before anyone scolds me over Fairy Tail never leaving behind a friend even [dead], their hands were pretty forced there, with Haru and Lucy out of commission and Leo not being able to draw off Lucy's power.

What happens next guys?

Shout outs to: FireShifter, MPrime, AliceCullen3, Valerioux, Joker D. Zero, kkitz, EternalFlame, LovesCurse and guests for your reviews! You all know how to make a writer feel loved!

'Till next time,

R&R

xx. Loka Muse