Hey guys! I'm finally back with the next chapter for this fic. I apologize for the longer than average wait for this chapter, but several things have been keeping me very busy lately. Between summer classes (which has been absolute bitch so far), work, Overwatch, Dark Souls 3, and console mods for Fallout 4 I've had very little time to write. But I want you all to know that I will never plan to abandon this fic, even if it takes me several years to finish. It may take a while for chapters to come out sometimes, but they will come, just be patient. Well this chapter will delve deeper into Tower of Heaven arc. Actually the Tower of Heaven arc is much shorter than I originally thought, only spanning around 25 chapters. So it shouldn't take too long to finish this arc, but I won't be speeding through it like the Galuna Island arc. As usual since you've all waited so diligently I'll be writing a few chapters in quick succession for this fic, so look forward to that. Before I get to the chapter I want to say a few things. With the way the manga is going right now it's looking more and more likely that Brandish will end up in Natsu's harem. She hasn't fully switched to Fairy Tail's side, but she's helped them a few times and is likely one good push away from joining Fairy Tail's side. I think this meeting with August will be that turning point and with this encounter Brandish will switch sides. The next thing I want to talk about is regarding Eileen. I won't spoil who she is for those who haven't been keeping up with the manga, but ever since she was first shown I've been awestruck by her, Hiro Mashima absolutely hit it out of the park with her design and personality. But I bring up Eileen because she might be another possible candidate for Natsu's harem. Like with Brandish, I'll have to see how Eileen is once she's a little more fleshed out in the manga. If she's just a total evil, sadistic bitch who blindly follows Zeref and won't even consider helping Fairy Tail, then she's out. But! If she shows signs of possibly switching sides, which might possibly happen considering who she might be related to, then I will definitely add her into Natsu's harem. Because I love Brandish and Eileen and I think they'd make great additions to the harem. Also for those of you who have been keeping up with the manga, holy shit! Chapter 488 was a fucking emotional rollercoaster and I'm still can't believe what happened! Again I won't spoil what happened, but I can almost guarantee the shocking thing that happened won't be permanent, especially with what happened between those two characters and how important that one character is to the overall plot concerning Acnologia. I'm trying to keep it really vague for those who haven't read the chapter, but those who have will know what I'm taking about.
P.S. Since my Naruto fic will be ending after the next chapter, I've created a poll to help decide what series I should write a fic for next. The poll has been up on my profile for about two weeks, so when you're done reading the chapter head onto my profile and vote for the series you want to see a fic from. There's no guarantee I'll write the fic, but I want to know what you all would like to see next.
P.P.S Just like with Gray, I'll be skipping over Erza's backstory in the Tower of Heaven because we already know all of it and I wouldn't change it very much. So no point writing something we already know.
Well that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the chapter!
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of its characters. They're all still in Hiro Mashima's capable hands.
"W-What did you just s-say Natsu?" Erza asked in a shocked tone, her eyes slowly widening. The scarlet haired knight must have been hearing things. There's no way Natsu had said something like that. "I don't think I heard you quite right."
"I said...I'm not the only man you love." Natsu said, as he avoided Erza's gaze and stuck his hands into his pockets.
"But, I love you Natsu!" Erza exclaimed, pressing her hands against Natsu's chest. The scarlet haired knight could feel tears stinging her left eye again as she tried to to get Natsu to look at her. "I've been in love with you for years now Natsu. You're the only one my heart wants." Erza's voice was slightly shaky and lacked her usual conviction and determination.
"Erza, I know you love me...and I couldn't be happier knowing that. But..." Natsu said, as he gently push Erza away. "There is someone else you love. You can deny it all you want, but I can tell."
"How?" Erza asked, tightly balling her fists as she felt a sudden wave of anger. "How can you be so sure when I don't even believe it?!"
"I figured it out about a year and a half ago." Natsu explained, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Back then my feelings for you were starting to get serious and I wanted to try and start a relationship with you. But...every time I tried to cross that line between friend and lover, you would always deny me or push me away. Whenever I tried to discuss my feelings with you, you'd quickly change the subject and act as if it never happened." Erza's eyes widened when Natsu said this. Had she really done something like that? "And I knew you had feelings for me. I saw the way you looked at me and how you treated me compared to the other guild members. How you'd always hug me so tight, as if you were afraid I'd disappear or something. Or how you're always so worried about me and rush to my side when I need help. I knew you loved me Erza, but you never wanted to cross that line and I couldn't figure out why. Then one day it just seemed to click. That there was another man and your feelings for him were preventing you from being with me."
"N-No...that's not-"
"You can deny it all you want Erza, but deep down you know I'm right." Natsu said, as he placed a comforting hand on Erza's shoulder. The scarlet haired knight didn't want to admit it, but deep inside her everything Natsu said made sense. She had always been hesitant to act on her feeling for Natsu, and until now she didn't know why. It took Lucy becoming Natsu's mate for her to realize that if she didn't act she might lose him for good. But was what Natsu was saying really true...did she still have feelings for 'that' man? A man who existed in a part of her life that she desperately tried to forget. Erza was shaken from her thoughts when Natsu suddenly brought her in for a tight hug. Erza was immediately comforted by Natsu's overwhelming warmth, and was extremely disappointed when he let her go. When the dragon slayer released her from his embrace, he was smiling brightly at her. "Listen Erza...how about we talk about this more when we get back home? We're supposed to be having fun here, not spoiling our vacation. Why don't we head down to the casino now and join everyone else?"
"Alright Natsu...we can pick this back up later." Erza said with a small smile, wiping the tears from her eye. "Now why don't we have some fun, I'm already dressed up so we might as well go. Plus, I'm feeling pretty lucky right now." Natsu blushed brightly when Erza hugged his right arm between her glorious breasts. "Now my big, strong dragon lead the way."
"A-Anything you for you E-Erza." Natsu said, as he gulped audibly, doing his best to fight against his raging hormones.
(Five Minutes Later; Resort's Casino)
"Come on 17 black!" Natsu exclaimed, watching the small ball spin around the roulette table. "Come on! Come on!" The ball started to slow down and looked as if it would land 17 black. But just as the ball was going to land on 17 black it unexpectedly jumped two space over.
"22 black!" The dealer announced, as he began to collect everyone's chips.
"That's bullshit!" Natsu yelled in irritation, slamming his hands onto the table. "It was definitely on 17 black, but then it some how bounced two over! What's up with this stupid thing!?"
"Yeah, that's not fair!" Happy exclaimed, as he backed Natsu up.
"P-Please calm down sir." The dealer said, putting up his hands defensively. "It's called roulette for a reason."
"Natsu please calm down." Lucy whispered into the dragon slayer's ear, as she draped her arms around his neck. The blonde celestial spirit mage enjoyed the flustered look on Natsu's face when she pressed her large breasts against his back. Lucy seductively smiled and gently nibbled on Natsu's ear. "Don't cause a scene, okay?" Natsu dumbly nodded his head in response to Lucy's question. "Good boy." Lucy gave Natsu a quick kiss on the lips before she began to walk away. "I'm gonna go check on Erza."
"S-Sure thing..." Natsu breathed out, watching Lucy walk off. His eyes firmly glued on her beautiful, round ass. "Holy shit...you have no idea what I'm gonna do to you tonight Luce."
"Hot damn." The dealer said, as he gazed at Lucy with lustful eyes.
"Oi!" Natsu yelled, slamming his fists onto the table again. "Keep your eyes off my girl you bastard!" Natsu pulled out a handful of chips and roughly placed them on the table. "Now do your job and give me 200 on 36 red." As the dealer placed Natsu's chips, the dragon slayer was glaring a hole through his head. "And I'm watching very closely this time. If I see any cheap bullshit I'm kicking your ass."
"Haha, what a stupid bumpkin!" Gray laughed, as he pulled the arm of the slot machine was at. As Gray watched the slots spin he felt a presence approaching from behind.
"Gray-sama..." A timid and soft feminine voice said.
"Hm? What is-" Gray turned to see who was talking to him, but his eyes shot open when he saw that it was Juvia.
"I...I tagged along..." Juvia said, as she slightly fidgeted with her dress. The former member of Phantom Lord was wearing a beautiful blue dress, which showed an ample amount of her cleavage, and a gold Fairy Tail pendant around her neck.
"Y-You're...what...why...huh?!" Gray sputtered, staring at Juvia in shock.
"Damn Gray..." Natsu said under his breath, as he watched both mages from his spot at the roulette table. "Why couldn't she pick me instead of that ice prick? *Sigh* If she wants Gray I won't force her to love me. All I can do is wait and try to win her heart, I guess."
"Oh Natsu..." Lucy thought, seeing the longing look in Natsu's eyes as he stared at Juvia. "You'll win her over eventually. Just be patient and she'll see how much you love her."
"What the hell!?" Natsu yelled, as he shot up from his seat. He had taken his eyes of Gray and Juvia to see that, once again the small ball had landed on his number only to bounce out again. "It did it again! I saw it for sure this time! What kinda shady bullshit is this!?"
"Listen here boy..." A cool voice said from behind Natsu. The dragon slayer turned around to see the weirdest look man he had ever seen in his entire life. The man's entire body appeared to be blocky and square. "When you're in a place for adult entertainment, you should enjoy it in a dandy fashion."
"What...the hell?" Natsu said, staring at the strange man with immense curiosity. "It's a square man."
"Let me give you some advice boy." The strange man said, as he rapidly spun around in his swivel chair. "There's only two paths for a man to take. He can live in a dandy fashion..." Suddenly the man sprung out the chair towards Natsu. The dragon slayer's eyes shot open when the square man grabbed his scarf and stuck a loaded revolver in his mouth. Natsu began to sweat when the man cocked back the revolver's hammer. "Or he can just keel over and die. That's all."
"He's got a gun!" The dealer yelled, all the surrounding patrons running for cover.
"What's with this guy!?" Natsu thought, as he stared down the barrel of the loaded weapon.
"I'm only going to ask you once boy." The man said, giving the chamber of his revolver a quick spin. "Where's Erza Scarlet?" Natsu didn't say a word, he merely glared at the man. "Ain't talking, eh?" Without warning all the lights in the room went out and everything was plunged into pitch blackness. The only thing Natsu could see was the smoldering end of the square man's cigar. "Nighty night boy..."
"Shit! I gotta act fast!" Natsu thought, as he completely covered the barrel of the gun with his mouth. Then before the square man had a chance to pull the trigger, Natsu filled his mouth with intense flames. The revolver's barrel melted almost instantly and the rest of the gun turned red hot. The square man howled in pain as he dropped the searing hot firearm.
"Ya little shit!" The square man yelled, holding his burned hand. "That was my favorite fucking gun!"
"I'm gonna do more than melt your gun this time!" Natsu exclaimed, as bright orange flames exploded off his body. "Now start talk...Where the hell did he go!?" The dual dragon slayer growled as he searched for the square man, but he had seemingly vanished into thin air.
"Are you okay, Natsu?" Happy asked, walking up to the dual dragon slayer.
"Yeah, I'm fine buddy." Natsu replied, as the flames encasing his body died down. "But we have to find Erza quick! That bastard was after her and I don't think he was working alone!"
(Three Minutes Earlier; With Gray and Juvia)
"So I heard Phantom Lord disbanded..." Gray said, casually taking a sip of his drink as he sat at the bar next to Juvia.
"Yes..." Juvia said, as a slight blush spread across her face. "Juvia is once again an independent mage."
"So...I'm guessing you wanna join Fairy Tail?" Gray asked, eyeing the pendant around Juvia's neck.
"Yes! Very much so!" Juvia exclaimed, as she rapidly nodded her head. "Juvia would like to join Fairy Tail!"
"Well with what you guys just did..." Gray said, rubbing the back of his head. "I wouldn't mind too much and I know flame brain would be happy...but I don't know what master would say."
"But Natsu told Juvia that Fairy Tail is a very welcoming guild." Juvia explained, as she slightly cocked her head. "But if what Juvia has done is a problem then Juvia will do whatever Juvia needs to do to get in!"
"Even if you say that..." Gray said, sweatdropping at Juvia's enthusiasm. Before Gray could say anymore both mages felt a large presence looming behind him. Juvia and Gray turned their heads to see a man as big as Elfman standing behind them. Without warning the unknown man slapped Juvia, sending her flying across the bar. "Juvia!" Gray growled and turned to glare at the imposing man. "You trying to pick a fight ya bastard!?"
"Gray Fullbuster I presume?" The large man asked, as he towered over Gray. "Where's Erza Scarlet?"
"What?" Gray asked, as his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I won't repeat myself again." The large man said, taking a menacing step forward. "Where is Erza?"
"Just who the hell are you?" Gray questioned, as he prepared to possibly fight this stranger.
"Stay away from Gray-sama..." Juvia said, reforming out of water directly in front of Gray. "Juvia won't let you lay a finger on him...Juvia will be your opponent." Before Gray could say anything Juvia turned to him. "Go find Natsu and Erza-san, they're in danger."
"Hm?" The large man muttered, as he slightly flinched. Juvia and Gray watched as the man pressed his index and middle finger onto his temple. "You've already found her? Oh really? Is that so..." The large man's eyes darkened as he looked at Gray and Juvia. "If that's the case then I'm going to tidy things up here." Without warning the entire room was plunged into pure darkness. "Lineage of Darkness Magic: Dark Moment!"
"What the hell's going on?!" Gray exclaimed, stumbling around in the dark, before he entered a world of pain.
(Five Minutes Earlier; With Erza and Lucy)
"Wow! Erza you're amazing!" Lucy cheered, witnessing Erza win yet another game of poker. "You've won like five games in a row! You're rolling in jewels now!"
"Heheh, lady luck appears to be on my side tonight." Erza said with a satisfied smirk, as she stared at her ever growing stack of chips. The scarlet haired knight was on an absolute hot streak and she didn't plan on stopping anytime soon.
"Hey it's time to switch dealers." A new mysterious dealer said, pulling away the bewildered and shocked previous dealer.
"Right now I feel like I can't lose to anyone. I'm so glad Natsu convinced me to come down here." Erza said, as she placed her next bet on the table. "Hell yeah! Let's play another round! I ain't leaving until I've robbed this place blind!"
"Uh, you might wanna choose your words a little more carefully Erza." Lucy warned, as she nervously eyed the nearby security guards. "Now I know why Natsu warned me about Erza's gambling...she may have a little gambling addiction."
"I like your enthusiasm ma'am." The dealer said, hiding his face from everyone as he rapidly shuffled the cards. "In that case why don't we play an extra special game. This time we won't be playing with chips." Suddenly Erza was dealt her cards and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw them. Each individual card had a letter on them, all the cards spelling out 'death.' Erza's eyes widened even further when she noticed a familiar tattoo underneath the dealer's lower lip. "Let's bet with our lives..." The dealer fully lifted his head, revealing a face Erza hadn't seen in almost a decade. "Erza-neesan."
"S-Shô..." Erza breathed out, as she stared at the man in shock.
"It's been a while...nee-san." Shô said, smirking at Erza.
"You...you're safe?" Erza asked nervously, as she began to break out in a cold sweat.
"Safe? That's not quite the word I'd use." Shô replied, gazing darkly at the scarlet haired knight.
"Ah...no...that's not what I meant..." Erza began to stutter, as she felt herself becoming more and more flustered. Suddenly all the lights went out, causing Lucy to yelp in surprise and latch onto Erza's arm.
"What's going on!?" Lucy yelled, tightly holding Erza's right arm. "It's pitch black all of a sudden!"
"What the hell is happening!?" Erza asked, just as the lights slowly began to come back on. Erza and Lucy had to squint as their eyes readjusted to the lights suddenly coming back. The first thing Erza noticed was that Shô was no longer in front of them. "Shô?!"
"Right over here, nee-san." Shô spoke up from behind Erza and Lucy, dropping his stack of cards all around him. Erza and Lucy's eyes widened when they heard soft screams apparently coming from the cards. Lucy gasped, seeing that all of the casino patrons that had been around them were now trapped within Shô's cards. "Don't you think it's a coincidence?" Shô's smirk widened as he held up another card with a person in it. "I learned magic as well."
"Just...what do you..." Erza said, as she struggled to find what she wanted to say.
"Don't worry guys, I'll help you!" Lucy said, picking up the cards that were scattered on the floor. Lucy had only managed to pick up a handful before she suddenly felt something tightly wrap around her and pull her across the floor. The blonde celestial spirit mage immediately began to struggle against the fur covered rope that was binding her. "What is this thing?!"
"Lucy!" Erza exclaimed, as she reached out to the blonde.
"Meow!" Erza's eyes once again widened when she heard a familiar voice. Turning around, Erza saw a brunette girl with cat ears, who was holding a still bound Lucy up. "Super strong, right?"
"Milliana?" Erza breathed out, stunned to see yet another person appearing from her dark past. "You can use magic as well?"
"Long time no see, Er-chan!" Millianna cheered with a wide smile, as she energetically waved at Erza.
"What's the meaning of all this?!" Erza shouted, feeling a wave of anger as she watched Lucy struggle against Milliana's bindings. "Lucy is my nakama! Let her go!"
"Meow? Nakama?" Milliana repeated in a confused tone, as she put a finger to her chin.
"I thought we were your nakama as well, nee-san." Shô revealed, causing Erza to freeze in place.
"These people...were Erza's nakama?" Lucy thought, as she felt the bindings around her body slowly being to tighten.
"That is...until you betrayed all of us." Shô said in a menacing tone, glaring at the flustered knight. Erza could't help but squirm and fidget underneath Shô and Milliana's gaze. Erza grit her teeth and hugged herself, as she avoided looking at Shô and Milliana.
"Don't make her too upset Shô." A third voice said, as someone started to materialize out of blocks next to Lucy and Milliana.
"How many people from my past are here?" Erza thought, recognizing who the voice belonged to.
"Dandy men know how to maintain their composure...unlike that pink-haired punk back there. Little bastard burned my hand real good." A square looking man said, as she smirked lecherously at Erza. "Mmmm, you turned out to be quite the looker Erza."
"So...you're here to Wally?" Erza asked, as she gazed at yet another blast from her past. "And I see that you can use magic too."
"No need to be so awestruck, Erza..." A fourth voice said from thin air. The ground next to Shô began to glow and a moment later a massive man appeared. "Once that man gets his hands on you anyone would be able to use magic, right Erza?"
"Simon!?" Erza exclaimed, not believing her eyes. "They're all here...the only person missing is him..."
"Erza, who the hell are these guys!?" Lucy asked, before she was roughly shoved to the ground by Milliana. "Ugh, why's that Shô guy calling you nee-san?!"
"He's not my brother or anything..." Erza replied in a quiet voice, as she nervously rubbed her arm. "They're all my former nakama."
"Nakama...But I thought you've been in Fairy Tail ever since you were a kid...that's what Natsu told me! You both joined together!" Lucy said, looking up at the flustered knight. Lucy couldn't understand why Erza was acting like this. She was usually so proud and confident, but now she looked afraid and racked with guilt. "What's going on Erza?"
"This...was before I joined Fairy Tail...before I met Natsu..." Erza replied, as she turned to face her old nakama. "What are you all doing here? Please let Lucy go."
"We came to bring you back." Wally said cryptically, his smirk widening.
"Let's head back, nee-san." Shô said, as he extended an arm out to Erza.
"I can-"
"If you insist on being stubborn..." Wally said, pulling a new revolver out of his coat pocket. Lucy squeaked in shock when Wally pulled back the hammer. "I'll kill your little blonde friend here."
"Stop it!" Erza screamed, the fear and worry in her voice surprising her old nakama. "I'm begging you! Don't hurt Lucy! If you hurt her you don't know what Natsu will do to you!" Before Erza could say anymore a loud bang rang out and she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back. Slowly turning her head, Erza saw Wally's gun had warped behind her. "What the..." As soon as the words left Erza's mouth she collapsed into Simon's arms.
"ERZA!" Lucy yelled in a mix worry and anger. "If they killed her Natsu is going to kill all of them!"
"Don't worry, it's one of my sleeping bullets." Wally said, putting the revolver back into his coat pocket.
"We got our target." Simon said, as he hoisted Erza over his shoulder. "Let's head back now."
"Hey! Where the fuck do you think you're going! You can't just take Erza like that!" Lucy yelled, her face red in anger as she fiercely struggled against her bindings. "Give her back now!"
"Meow. Keep your mouth shut." Milliana said, as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly the ropes binding Lucy began to tighten even further, making it harder for her to breath. Lucy screamed in pain as her body was stretched even further. "Another five minutes and you'll be cat food..."
"Oh Milliana that reminds me..." Wally said, just as Happy materialized into his arms. "I got you a little gift. I managed to snag him from that brat from earlier."
"Meow! A cute kitty!" Milliana cheered, hugging the unconscious Happy tightly. "Meow! Can I really keep him?!"
"Happy!?" Lucy yelled, shocked to see the blue cat in Wally's possession.
"Nee-san..." Shô said, as tears built up in his eyes. "You're finally coming back home...to the Tower of Heaven. I bet Jellal will be smiling ear to ear when he sees you."
"T-Tower of H-Heaven?!" Erza thought, feeling her consciousness slipping from her. "They actually finished it?!"
Then in a bright flash of light Erza and her old nakama disappeared from the casino, leaving Lucy struggling to free herself and the other patrons still trapped within Shô's cards. Lucy huffed and grunted as she strained her muscles to reach for the celestial spirit keys in her pocket. The celestial spirit mage let out a slight cheer when she finally managed to snag the keys from her back pocket.
"Open Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" Lucy's eyes widened when she didn't feel her magic pour into Cancer's key. "How!? Why isn't it working!? Taurus! Virgo! Loke! Anybody please help quick!" Lucy grunted when the ropes tightened once again. "I can't use magic!? This rope is getting tighter every second!"
"Luce!" Lucy's head whipped around, blonde and pink locks sticking to her face. The blonde celestial spirit mage's eyes lit up when she saw her mate running towards her. Natsu came to a skidding stop and kneeled down next to Lucy. Then, showcasing his impressive strength, Natsu ripped apart the ropes that were holding Lucy. The busty blonde's face tinged bright red when Natsu suddenly pulled her in for a tight hug. "Are you okay Luce?! Are you hurt at all!?"
"No! No! I'm fine Natsu!" Lucy reassured her lover, returning his embrace. However, Natsu was slightly surprised when Lucy suddenly pushed him away. "We have to hurry Natsu! These people saying they were Erza's old nakama took her and Happy!"
"WHAT!?" Natsu roared in fury, as he shot to his feet. The dragon slayer could feel his rage building by the second. How dare they take his mate away from him! "Where are they?! Where did they take MY knight!?"
"They said they were going to some place called the Tower of Heaven." Lucy explained, collecting all of the cards that were scattered on the floor, which still had people trapped inside them. "They also mentioned someone named Jellal being happy to see her." Natsu immediately froze in his tracks when he heard this, something that wasn't missed by Lucy. "What's wrong Natsu?"
"What did you just say?" Natsu asked in a shaky voice, not believing what Lucy had said. "There's no way she just said Jellal."
"I said Erza's old nakama mentioned a guy named Jellal would be happy to see her." Lucy replied, walking up to Natsu and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Natsu is everything okay? You looked really shaken up when I said that Jellal guy's name."
"I'm fine Luce, really." Natsu said with a forced grin, as he placed his hand on top of Lucy's. The blonde celestial spirit mage didn't buy it, but she decided it was best not to push the subject right now. Whoever this Jellal person was, he had some type of history with Natsu, that much was obvious. "Come on, let's find Juvia and the ice princess, so we can go save Erza."
"I'm sorry everyone, but we have to get moving." Lucy said, placing the stack of cards on a nearby table. "That spell should wear off soon, but just in case it doesn't I'll alert the magic council and have them send someone over to check up on everyone."
"There's no way it's actually Jellal." Natsu thought, as he walked through the trashed casino, his mind racing. "As far as I know Jellal never met Erza, so why would he be happy to see her? Why would he want to take her in the first place? Wait...if that blue-haired bastard is at some place called the Tower of Heaven...where the hell did he leave Wendy?! I swear to God if he just left her somewhere I'm going to give him a fucking earful! Great, now I gotta kick his ass for taking my girl and for ditching Wendy."
"KYA!" Natsu was yanked from his thoughts when he heard Lucy scream in terror. In an instant the dragon slayer was by Lucy's side and he immidiately saw why she had screamed. Gray was a bloodied mess, sitting in the destroyed remains of a table. A bloody pipe was jammed through his chest and he didn't appear to be breathing. "Gray! Please say something! Gray!" Natsu took one whiff of Gray and realized that it wasn't actually him. Then to Lucy's utter shock Natsu kicked Gray in the head, causing him to shatter into dozens of ice chunks. "What the hell Natsu!?"
"Calm down Luce." Natsu said, crossing his arms over his chest. "That wasn't really Gray, it was an ice clone." Lucy's eyes widened when Natsu said this. Natsu then gestured behind them, where something seemed to be materializing out of water. "The real ice princess is over there."
"Don't worry Lucy-san." Juvia said, as she pulled herself out of a puddle of water. Without warning a coughing and sputtering Gray fell out of Juvia's liquid body. "Juvia protected Gray-sama with her body."
"In your...body?" Lucy repeated with a weirded out look on her face. The blonde celestial spirit mage squeaked in surprise when Juvia was suddenly right in front of her.
"Yes, Juvia's body, not yours." Juvia said with a victorious smile, knowing that she had a leg up over her love rival.
"Okay..." Lucy said awkwardly, as she turned her head away from Juvia. "Can't she tell I'm not interested in Gray?"
"Good thinking Juvia." Natsu said with a grin, giving Juvia a thumbs up. Juvia's face flushed bright red at the dragon slayer's sudden compliment. "You protected the ice princess."
"Well to avoid being discovered by the enemy Juvia had to-"
"You didn't have to do anything! I had it handled!" Gray exclaimed, as he began to wring the water out of his shirt. The ice mage's angry tone shocked Juvia and Lucy, and made Natsu's brow twitch in irritation. "You let that bastard get away, and if I was in your body any longer I might have died!"
"Gray-sama, Juvia is sor-"
"Save it!" Gray cut Juvia off, tossing away his soaked shirt. Juvia looked genuinely hurt by Gray's sudden rude behavior. The water mage was on the verge of tears, but she held them back because she didn't want to look weak. Natsu noticed that Juvia was fighting back tears and this caused his anger to spike once again. But Natsu would have to kick Gray's ass later, because time was of the essence right now. "We don't have time to be dicking around here! Now where's Erza!? We have to go after those bastards!"
"Silence your anger for now."
"You can deal with the ice mage later."
"First you must save your other mate."
"Those guys from earlier took Erza to some place called the Tower of Heaven." Natsu explained, as he began to sniff the air. After a few moments Natsu picked up the blockheaded man's scent. "I got a lock on them! Follow me and don't lag behind!" Natsu began to sprint out of the casino, with Lucy right behind him and Gray and Juvia lagging slightly behind. "Don't think you assholes can get away!"
As the three mages followed after Natsu, Juvia noticed something different about Lucy that she hadn't picked up on before. Because of all the commotion in the casino, Juvia hadn't paid much attention to the streaks of pink hair amongst Lucy's normally blonde locks. But now that things had calmed down slightly, Juvia finally noticed the pink locks as Lucy's hair blowing wildly as she ran behind Natsu.
"Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, getting the ice mage's attention. Gray's irritation had gone down considerably since exiting the casino, but he still frowned when he looked at Juvia. "Why is Lucy-san's hair like that? Juvia remembers Lucy-san's hair being purely blonde when Juvia last saw her."
"It's because she's Natsu's 'mate' or something." Gray replied in an uninterested tone, not noticing that Juvia's eyes widened briefly. "They're dating now I guess...if you want all the details talk to flame brain himself."
"Okay..." Juvia muttered quietly, as she turned to look at Lucy once again. "So Natsu is in love with Lucy-san...that's a good thing right? Now Juvia won't have to worry about Lucy-san being a love rival anymore...but why does Juvia's heartache when she thinks of Natsu being with another girl? Juvia loves Gray-sama, but Juvia can't help but feel sad when she sees Natsu and Lucy-san together."
"This is where the trail leads." Natsu's voice pulled Juvia from her thoughts. The water mage was surprised to see that the dragon slayer had lead them onto the beach near the resort. "Wherever those bastards took Erza...it's out on the water somewhere."
(Same Time; Tower of Heaven)
"Jellal-sama..." A man with dark flowing hair said, approaching the cloaked man's thrown. "We've just received word that Erza Scarlet was successfully captured. The team you dispatched should be back soon." The cloaked man going by the name Jellal smirked from underneath his hood. "But...at this point, why bother capturing that traitor? With your power getting rid of her should have been quite easy."
"Oho, we can't have that." Jellal said in an amused tone, which caused his henchman to quirk an eyebrow. "This world would become quite boring. But now that the Tower of Heaven is complete, letting her live would be quite troublesome. The time has finally come." Jellal's smirk became twisted and evil. "Become my perfect sacrifice...Erza Scarlet."
(Same Time; Waters North of the Resort)
"Ugh...my head." Erza groaned, as she slowly began to awaken. The scarlet haired knight was immediately aware that she was on some type of ship and that her hands were tied. "Where the hell am I?"
"We're on a ship nee-san." Shô said, walking down the stairs next to Erza. "We're headed to the Tower of Heaven."
"Really?" Erza asked with a said smile, as she released a calming breath. "Is that so...could you please release me? I promise I won't fight."
"No can do nee-san." Shô replied, placing his hands in his pockets. When Erza heard this she immediately began to struggle against her bindings. "You're a traitor nee-san, so you can't be trusted right now. And don't bother trying to break out of those ropes. Milliana's bindings have the power to seal away magic. Not even a powerful mage like yourself could break free."
"I understand...then please let me at least put on my armor." Erza said in a shaky voice, as she hung her head. "Without him...without Natsu...I'm so scared to go back to that tower...he was the only one who could make me forget about that awful place...he's the only one who was able to stop all of my nightmares...he made me feel safe enough to not need my armor...but without him by my side I feel so helpless...if I can put my armor on...I can at least feel a little secure...please I'm begging you..."
"But those clothes suit you too, nee-san." Shô said, crouching down next to Erza. The scarlet haired knight's eyes widened when Shô suddenly hugged her, with tears in his eyes. "I didn't want to do this you, nee-san. I wanted to see you so bad...I really did, nee-san." Erza's eyes filled with guilt and sadness as she listened to Shô "Why...why did you betray us? Why did you betray Jellal!?"
"Jellal..." Erza thought, as she remembered her time in the Tower of Heaven. Her heart seemed to beat just a little bit faster when she thought of Jellal and how he used to inspire them as children. How he used to look out for them all and take care of them. Then Natsu's words from earlier that night suddenly hit her like a freight train.
"I said...I'm not the only man you love..."
"There is someone else you love. You can deny it all you want, but I can tell."
"Then one day it just seemed to click. That there was another man and your feelings for him were preventing you from being with me."
"You can deny it all you want Erza, but deep down you know I'm right."
"Natsu...Natsu was...right." Erza thought, feeling tears sting her left eye. "I think...I am in love with Jellal...my feelings for him...have been stopping me from moving on to Natsu..." Erza chocked back a sob as tears freely flowed from her eye now. "Natsu...I'm so sorry...I had no idea. After seeing you with Lucy I now know how you must have felt when I never reciprocated your feelings...Please come save me from this place Natsu...I promise that when we get back I'll try being in a relationship with you and other girls...I'll try to not be jealous and be accepting of any girls you choose..." Erza raised her head to look at the ceiling above her, tears still pouring from her eye. "Please Natsu...I need my dragon now more than ever."
And done! The Tower of Heaven arc is now officially underway! Erza has been captured, Natsu has learned that the man who wants Erza is possibly his old friend Jellal, and the gang is hot on Erza's trail. I know this isn't a super long chapter, but I felt it was a good place to stop. So what did you guys think? Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (There's over 1,200 followers, let's see if we can get a lot of review for this chapter!), and PM me any ideas you have for this fic.
Also, don't forget to vote in poll on my profile. And let me know what you think about Brandish and Eileen possibly joining Natsu's harem. The next chapter should be out soon, so be ready for that.
So until next time, I'm outta here!