A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter.

Satsuki will be showing up in this arc again!

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, I only own my OC.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: PHANTOM LORD STRIKES

Team Natsu cheerfully returned from a mission. "Whew! That was a great job!" Natsu happily said.

"The client was really generous, too!" Happy commented.

"And you have me to thank for making such quick work of it." Aira mentioned.

"Huh?! What are you talking about? You just butt in without asking!" Natsu stated.

"I just thought it'd be too much for you guys to handle." Aira commented.

"Want me to show you if it's too much or not?!" Natsu asked, clashing his head into Aira's head.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Aira said.

Erza breaks up the fight by pushing them away, cracking their necks. "Enough playing."

"Uhh, I'm sorry to interrupt, but..." Lucy said. "I had originally planned to do this job myself..." She shows them the flier with the 500 Jewel reward while carrying Plue. "Why did you all come along?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Natsu asked.

"How do you figure?" Lucy added.

"It's 'cause we're the strongest team in Fairy Tail!" Natsu happily responded.

"There you have it." Aira said as Erza smiles at her.

"Well, okay!" Lucy hugs Plue tighter.

"Between me, Happy, Erza, Cain, and Water Breath, we can pull off any job at all!" Natsu laughed.

"Don't call me that." Aira commented.

"Yes. We make a reassuring team." Erza said.

"What about me?!" Lucy asked.

"We're just teasing! Don't cry, Oopy!" Natsu laughed.

"I'm not crying, and I'm not "Oopy"!" Lucy stated.

"My apologises. I let myself get carried away. I hurt an ally. I will never feel at ease until I make amends. For now, could you please hit me?!" Erza clenches her fist.

"I'm not sure if it's okay to make a joke or not..." Lucy commented.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Natsu and Aira added.

Happy and Cain notices the townspeople of Magnolia are looking at them empathetically. "They're Fairy Tail wizards..." One of them whispered. "They must not know yet..." Another whispered. "I feel bad for them."

"Everyone's staring at us for some reason..." Aira muttered.

"I got a bad feeling about this..." Happy said.

"That's something we can agree on." Cain added.

"They're afraid..." Erza said. When they finally reach the guild building, they see weird pillars. "What...? The guild doesn't look right..." They see metal rods and rock pillars, surging out of the center of the guild.

"What the...?!" Aira stares at the destroyed guild in utter shock.

"What happened here?!" Erza asked.

"Wh-What the...?" Lucy puts her hand up to her mouth, gasping at what she sees. They all stare at their broken and destroyed guild.

"Our... Our guild...!" Natsu gets angry.

"What on earth happened?!" Erza asked.

"Phantom..." Mira muttered.

"What did you just say?" Aira asked.

"Did you just say "Phantom"?" Natsu asked, glaring at her.

"It's frustrating to admit, but they got us good..." Mira said.

Mira directs them to the basement, once a storage room, where all of the guild members are.

"We've always been on bad terms with Phantom..." Jet muttered.

"Wanna go crush 'em?" Droy asked.

"Stop that. We're talking about Phantom Lord here." Levy stated.

"Yo! Welcome back!" Master Makarov greets them back, drunk.

"We have just returned." Erza said.

"Gramps! How can you be so carefree?!" Natsu asked.

"How was it, Lucy? Did the job go well?" Master Makarov asked, ignoring Natsu.

"Uhh, yes..." Lucy replied.

"Master! Do you understand the current situation?!" Erza asked.

"The guild's been demolished!" Natsu stated.

"Now, now. Calm down. It's hardly worth fussing over." Master Makarov takes another drink of his booze. "Phantom, huh? Is that the best those fools can do?" He set his drink down. "Dunno what they're so happy about, attacking an empty guild like that..."

"They apparently attacked at night." Mira said.

"Then no one was hurt? I guess that's one thing to be thankful for." Erza said in relief.

"There's no point in fretting about people who can only do sneak attacks! Forget about 'em!" Master Makarov brushes it off.

Natsu punches the wall, making a hole in it. "I can't agree with that! I won't feel satisfied until we've destroyed them!" Natsu angrily yelled.

"That's enough of that subject. We'll handle our job requests down here until things are fixed upstairs." Master Makarov doesn't focus on the topic that Natsu is complaining.

"Th-This is no time for work!" Natsu yelled as everybody stares at him.

"Natsu! That's enough out of you!" Master Makarov slaps Lucy's butt.

"Why my butt...?" Lucy asked.

"Don't make me angry, Master!" Mira warned. Master Makarov removes his hand and laughs to himself as he runs away.

"Gramps!" Natsu called out.

"Just a sec. Nature calls..." The Master leaves to the bathroom.

"How can Gramps be so calm about this?!" Natsu asked, looking at the ground.

"Natsu. The Master feels just as frustrated as you do. But the council forbids physical contact between guilds." Mira confessed.

"But they started it!" Natsu yelled, thrashing around.

"This isn't the issue." Mira said.

"If that's what the Master wants..." Erza said. "...then so be it."

Lucy returns home, talking to Plue about Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail. "After all, Fairy Tail is..." She opens the door and is greeted by her team.

"Welcome back!" Her team greeted, complimenting about her place.

"...the greatest!" Lucy screamed. She throws her suitcase at Natsu. "There's too many of you!"

"Concerning Phantom... The fact that they've come all the way to this city..." Erza started.

"...means they probably know all our addresses, too." Aira finished.

"Huh?!" Lucy shuddered. Natsu sits on the ground with his arms crossed in a grimace.

"So Mira-chan said it'll be safer if we all stick together." Aira said.

"Everyone is having a bunch of sleepovers now!" Happy stated.

"You're a very young woman. I would feel uncomfortable letting Natsu and Aira sleep here unattended so I decided to stay here as well." Erza said.

"Just so she could relax!" Natsu finally spoke.

"So Natsu and Aira were already going to stay here?" Lucy asked. "But why my house?!"

Happy goes through all her stuff as Plue eats a lollipop. "Her laundry!"

"what are you doing that for?! Why are you both doing that?!" Lucy shouted.

"Whoa, Plue! Where'd you get that food?! Lemme have some!" Natsu asked.

"Oh! Look, Erza! I found some sexy underwear!" Happy shows Erza.

"W-Wow... She wears this?!" Erza's heart pounds fast, blushing a bit.

"I'm gonna sleep now. Keep it down." Aira lays on Lucy's bed, shirtless.

"You guys are making yourselves at home a little too much..." Lucy sweat dropped.

"That said... you guys reek of sweat." Erza turns around and glares at the guys. "We're sleeping in the same room. You can at least bathe."

"Forget it! Too much work!" Natsu refused.

"I'm sleepy..." Aira complained.

"Fine. I guess I could bathe with you, just like in the old days." Erza grabs their shoulders, not minding taking a bath with the guys at all.

"What kind of relationship do you guys have?!" Lucy asked.

"They're the strongest team!" Happy commented.

"More like the strangest team!" Lucy yelled.

Team Shadow Gear are walking around town at night. Two people from above watch them, secretly attacking them to preserve silence.

Lucy is taking her bath. After she finishes, she asks Natsu who is resting his head on the table. "Hey, Natsu. Why don't you go in next?" She gets no response from him. "How about you, Aira?" He was busy reading a couple of papers on Lucy's desk.

"That hot water was nice." Erza is wrapped in towels, sitting on the bed after a nice and warm bath.

"Erza... You guys are making yourselves a little way too comfortable..." Lucy said, exasperated.

"Oh, pardon me." Erza requips into her purple pajamas. "Is that more tasteful?"

"You can even requip your clothes?!" Lucy asked. "Why did Phantom suddenly attack, anyway?"

"I don't know." Erza replied. "We've had many brushes with them in the past, but there's never been such a direct attack as this."

"Gramps should quit being a wimp and just kick their butts!" Natsu growled.

"You were awake?" Lucy sweat dropped.

"You know he's not afraid of 'em. He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, you know." Aira stated.

"Wait, why are you reading that so nonchalantly?!" Lucy snatches the papers out of Aira's hand. "Urgh!"

"Hey! I wanna know what happens next!" Aira reaches his hand out.

"No! Levy-chan is going to be the first person to read my novel!" Lucy hugs the papers, refusing to give the papers back to Aira. Erza holds out her hand so she can read Lucy's novel. "What's that supposed to mean?!" She shouted at Erza, refusing to give the papers to her. "What are the Ten Wizard Saints, anyway?"

"A title given to the ten most skilled wizards on the continent as determined by the head of the Magic Council." Erza replied.

"Oh, wow!" Lucy commented.

"Phantom's Master is one, too." Happy said.

"So is he..." Erza thinks about Siegrain.

Natsu slams his hand on the table in anger. "He is afraid! The one thing Phantom has is lots of members!"

"Calm down...!" Lucy sweats a bit when she sees Natsu angry.

"I'm telling you, he's not. The master and Mira-chan are trying to avoid a fight 'cause they know what'll happen if our two guilds clash." Aira stated. "They're trying to uphold order in the entire magic world."

"Phantom is that powerful?" Lucy asked.

"Those guys are nothin'!" Natsu brushes off her words.

"No, if it came to an actual battle, mutual destruction would be inevitable. Our offense strength is equal. Thei Master Jose is a Saint Wizard said to be just as powerful as Master Makarov. They also have a group called the Element 4, the equivalent to our S-Class wizards. The two deemed most dangerous of all is Black Steel Gajeel and Satsuki Fujitora. We believe they are the ones responsible for the attack on our guild." Erza stated. "The Iron Dragon Slayer and the Earth Dragon Slayer..."

"Dragon Slayers?!" Lucy exclaimed. "So Natsu and Aira aren't the only ones?! Does that mean he eats iron and stuff while the other one eats rocks...?!"

In the Phantom Lord's hall, Gajeel is eating iron while Satsuki is next to him eating rocks. They are interrupted by an ally, whom Satsuki punches away. Master Jose comes and congratulates Gajeel and Satsuki on their progress. Gajeel says that the "trash" won't react from just that, so he left an extra present with the help of Satsuki. Master Jose is delightful, but reminds them to keep "that person" alive.

The next morning, at the South Gate Park, all the townspeople are in shock to something chained to a tree. "Pardon us. Please let us through. We're guild members." Erza and the others walk through the crowd. They are surprised and speechless to see Levy, Jet, and Droy nailed against the tree, beaten and broken.

"Someone, please let them down...!" A townsperson said. "But... Look at that mark...!" Someone pointed out. "We can't get involved...!"

"Levy-chan!" Lucy cried out for her injured friend.

"Jet! Droy!" Aira called out.

"Phantom...!" Natsu growled, feeling anger boil up inside his body.

The Master of Fairy Tail walks in on the scene, looking at the incident. "Having our pub demolished was one thing... But no one can remain quiet after seeing their children's blood!" Master Makarov tightens the grip around his cane, causing it to break in half. "This means war!"

Lucy visits Levy, Jet, and Droy at the Magnolia Hospital. Lucy remembers about the time when she met Team Shadow Gear for the first time in the guild.

"She even worked so hard to help us just the other day..." Lucy thinks to herself. "They're..." She starts to shred tears. "...unforgivable!"

A/N: There you go!

Hope you enjoyed!

~Kyle