Hey guys, I'm finally back with the next chapter for this fic. I'm sorry about the long wait for this chapter, but I started my second semester of college a few weeks ago, and that has been eating up a ton of my time. Well the good news is that I just finished my Naruto fic, so I should hopefully be able to get chapters out a little more quickly, because I now I have one less fic to update. This story has passed 1,400 followers, 1,300 favorites, and is close to 700 reviews, which is fucking awesome! Thank you all for your continued patience and support. This chapter will have Lucy's little fight against Juvia, which I have a little twist for, and will further advance this arc. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the Tower of Heaven arc within the next two chapters, which means we can start moving into the Battle for Fairy Tail arc, I have some special things planned for that arc, especially between Natsu and Gajeel. Because of the long wait you all had to endure, I'll once again be posting a few chapters in quick succession, hopefully. So without further ado, let's get to the fic!
P.S. I recently finished a Gurren Lagann oneshot, it's titled Exploring New and Old Feelings. So go check it out after you finish this chapter, and leave a review and favorite if you enjoyed it.
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of its characters.
(With Lucy and Juvia)
"HAHAHAHA! I'm gonna drag your sorry ass down to the darkest pits of hell!" Juvia exclaimed, as she began to laugh maniacally. "Ya little bitch~~!"
"Juvia! You need to get ahold of yourself!" Lucy cried, tightly balling her fists in anger. "Snap out of it!"
"She's my little 'succubus' now..." Vidaldus explained with a twisted smile on his face. "She'll only take orders from me now!"
"Screw you! Juvia's will is stronger than you think! I'll free her from your damn spell!" Lucy declared, just as a realization suddenly hit her. "Wait...the sound from guitar is what did this to Juvia...then why am I not affected?"
"Hehehe...that's an excellent question little missy." Vidaldus said, chuckling lightly as he flipped his hair. "But you see the answer to your question is actually quite simple..." Vidaldus' twisted smiled returned as he burst out laughing. "This would just be no fun at all if both of you were under my spell! I want to see you girls duke it out in an epic catfight! A battle of tears, emotion, and torn clothing!"
"You're disgusting..." Lucy muttered, as she felt a chill run down her spine. "God, you're lucky Natsu isn't here right now. If he heard you say that, you'd be on your ass right now, begging for mercy."
"I'm 'disgusting' you say..." Vidaldus said, before he began to chuckle darkly. "Why that's the greatest compliment I've ever received!"
"Haha! If you're not ready to rock out..." Juvia said, jabbing her finger towards Lucy. "Then just die already!" Out of nowhere a wall of water materialized in front of Juvia and raced towards Lucy.
"Shit!" Lucy exclaimed, as she dove out of the water's path. But Lucy had no time to rest, because Juvia suddenly sprang out of the water that now littered the floor.
"Now where should I start my feast!?" Juvia exclaimed, grabbing ahold of the front of Lucy's dress. "I think the answer is pretty obvious!"
"Juvia! Get ahold of yourself!" Lucy shouted, as she struggled against Juvia's surprisingly strong grip.
"We gotta start with these huge tits of yours!" Juvia yelled with a twisted grin, trying to tear open Lucy's dress.
"Hands off!" Lucy exclaimed, as she headbutted the possessed bluenette. The sudden strike had caught Juvia off, so she was unable to turn her body into water to avoid the attack. Clutching her head, Juvia took a few stumbling steps back, water continuing to rage around her. "Only Natsu is allowed to see my girls! They're off limits to anyone else!" At the mention of Natsu's name, Juvia's eyes seemed to soften slightly and the water around her began to calm. However, Lucy was too wrapped up in her current fight to notice these subtle changes.
"What are you doing ya stupid bitch!?" Vidaldus screamed, strumming his guitar to hit Juvia with another burst of his mind-control magic. "Get in there and kick her ass~! I wanna see some real fighting~!"
"Haha! That's right! This little slut needs to be sent to hell!" Juvia exclaimed after violently shaking her head. Then a moment later, Juvia charged towards Lucy, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks. Lucy had very limited hand-to-hand fighting experience, so she did her best to dodge and block Juvia's strikes, but because of her lack of experience a few hits managed to land.
"Didn't you say you wanted to join Fairy Tail?!" Lucy asked, as she blocked a roundhouse kick that was aimed at her jaw. "If you meant that, then stop attacking your own-" Lucy was cut off when she suddenly found herself encased in Juvia's Water Lock. Just as Lucy began to run out of air, she felt herself being dragged out of the sphere of water by her hair. Once free of the Water Lock, Lucy was roughly slammed to the ground. Lucy strained to look up, she saw Juvia standing over her, locks of blond and pink hair falling from her fingers.
"Yeah~! That's what I wanted to see~!" Vidaldus exclaimed, strumming his guitar once again. "Keep it up~!"
"Water Cane!" Juvia slapped Lucy across the back with a solid stream of water, causing the blonde to hiss in pain. "There's much more where that came from~!"
"Juvia! I know you're in there!" Lucy yelled, quickly rolling away from another one of Juvia's attacks. "I know that you can hear my voice!" Springing to her feet, Lucy lunged forward and enveloped Juvia in a tight hug. Lucy knew that she wasn't strong enough to beat Juvia in a straight up fight, so she had to try and bring the possessed bluenette back to her senses.
"Ya little bitch!" Juvia exclaimed, as she tried to push Lucy off, but the blonde continued to hold on tight. "Let go of me now!"
"No way! I won't let go until you're back to normal!" Lucy shouted, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Natsu would never forgive me if I didn't help one of my nakama!" Again Juvia reacted to Natsu's name, starting to struggle less against Lucy's embrace. "Come back to us Juvia! Come back to me! Come back to Gray! Come back to Natsu! Come back to Fairy Tail!"
"F-Fairy Tail..." Juvia said barely above a whisper, as she started to go limp in Lucy's arms. "Gray-sama...Natsu..."
"That's it Juvia! Remember!" Lucy exclaimed, tightly grabbing ahold of Juvia's shoulders and locking eyes with her. "Fight it! I know you can do it!"
"L-Lucy...san?" Juvia said in a dazed voice, as she immidiately closed her eyes in pain. "Ya little bitch! I'll drag you to hell by your fucking hair!" Juvia roughly pushed Lucy away and fell to her knees, clutching her head. "GAH!" Juvia screamed out in agony as she rapidly shook her head. "Get out of Juvia's head! Juvia won't let you control her anymore!"
"Don't fight it girly~!" Vidaldus exclaimed, as he flashed Juvia a twisted smile. "You'll never break free~!"
Not knowing what to do, Lucy fell onto her knees and hugged Juvia against her chest. The possessed bluenette continued to thrash and scream in pain, as tears started to pour from her eyes. As Lucy held Juvia close, she could almost feel the pain that the bluenette was experiencing. Lucy desperately thought of a way to help Juvia and ease her pain, she frantically searched her mind for any possible solution. Then it hit her, Lucy remembered something from a story Natsu had told her a few days earlier, from when he had first met Juvia, it was a long shot but it just might work. Lucy closed her eyes and leaned closer, so that she could speak directly into Juvia's ear. When the blonde celestial spirit mage next spoke, she had a small smile on her face and her voice was soft and gentle.
"Rain, rain go away..." Juvia's eyes slowly opened when Lucy's beautiful voice graced her ears. She almost immidiately stopped screaming and struggling, as she began to relax in Lucy's arms. "Come again another day. Little Johnny wants to play. In the meadow by the hay..." As Lucy continued to sing, Juvia pictured that it was Natsu singing to her once again, underneath the bridge on that rainy day. Slowly, with each word, the dark fog that had been clouding Juvia's mind began to dissipate. "Rain, rain go away. Never show your face again..." Now Juvia was singing as well, easily matching Lucy's pitch and speed. "Rain, rain pour down. But not a drop on our town." When Lucy finished her song, she opened her eyes to see that Juvia was looking back at her. The crazed look in Juvia's eyes was now gone, and she appeared to be back to her senses.
"T-Thank you Lucy-san." Juvia said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you for freeing Juvia."
"It wasn't all me." Lucy said with a bright smile on her face. "Thank Natsu, he's the reason I knew to sing that song."
"Natsu...saved Juvia again." Juvia thought, as she clutched a hand over her heart. "He's always saving me somehow, even when he's not here."
"Impossible~!" Vidaldus yelled in anger, staring at Juvia in shock. "No one's ever broken free of my control before~!" Vidaldus' twisted smile returned as he prepared to play his guitar once again. "Fine by me~! Play time's over little girls~! This time I'll make sure you're both under my spell~!"
"Juvia, we don't have any time to waste..." Lucy said, reaching for her celestial spirit keys. Finding the right key, Lucy raised it above her head. "So I'm sorry about this, Juvia!"
"What are you talking abo-" Juvia was cut off when Lucy shoved the key into her to water body.
"Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!" Juvia's eyes widened as Lucy's celestial spirit magic flooded her entire body, her entire body starting to glow brightly. Then in explosion of golden light, Aquarius appeared out of Juvia's body.
"You...you used Juvia's body...to summon a spirit?" Juvia asked, staring at Lucy in shock.
"Sorry about that Juvia..." Lucy said, as she rubbed the back of her head in embarassment. "But...your body was the closest source of water."
"Will you both shut the hell up already!?" Aquarius roared, raising her vase and flooding the entire corridor with a massive cyclone of water. Lucy and Juvia quickly became separated in the swirling water vortex.
"Not a chance!" Vidaldus exclaimed with a maniacal laugh, as his hair began to absorb all of the water. "I already told you, my hair absorbs all water! This won't stop me!"
"Juvia!" Lucy shouted over the roaring water, reaching out to the bluenette.
"Lucy!" Juvia yelled, as she grabbed ahold of Lucy's hand, their fingers interlocking. Instantly their connected hands were bathed in a golden light, and a large surge of magic exploded off them.
(Same Time: Jellal's Throne Room)
Jellal continued to smirk as he stared down at his chess board. Natsu defeating Fukuro so easily was quite the surprise, but Jellal was certain Vidaldus would have no trouble defeating those two girls. He was prepared to knock of both girls' chess pieces, but his eyes slowly widened when he saw that Vidaldus' chess piece had cracked.
"W-What?" Jellal muttered, sensing a new, large magical power coming from where Vidaldus was. "This...This power..." Jellal quickly realized what was happening. "Those little brats are achieving...magical fusion?"
(Back with Lucy and Juvia)
"Oi! Wait a minute!" Vidaldus pleaded, as he felt Aquarius' water starting to become infused with Juvia's own water, increasing the amount and making it more powerful. "What the hell is happening to this water!? There's way too damn much!"
"You ready Juvia!?" Lucy asked with a grin, locking eyes with the bluenette.
"Yes!" Juvia replied in a determined tone, as she flashed Lucy a smile of her own.
"Then let's hit him with everything we've got!" Lucy exclaimed, both girls unleashing as much of their magical power as they could. Just like with Natsu and Erza, Lucy and Juvia's magics had melded together perfectly. Their hearts and mind were now in perfect sync, as their magical powers combined. "I'm doing it!" Lucy thought as she watched Vidaldus be pushed back by their attack. "I'm doing a Unison Raid!"
With a pained scream, Vidaldus was sent flying back by the incredible vortex of water, becoming pinned to a nearby wall. When the water began to die down, Vidaldus fell to the ground unconscious, and now very much bald.
"We did it!" Lucy cheered, as she pulled Juvia in for a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're back to normal Juvia!"
"Juvia is happy to be back as well!" Juvia exclaimed with a large smile, returning Lucy's embrace. "It's all thanks to you, Lucy-san!"
"Oi!" Lucy froze stiff when she heard Aquarius' furious voice. Slowly turning her head, Lucy squeaked in surprise when she saw the fierce glare Aquarius was giving her. "Don't you, EVER, summon me from a place like that again!" Lucy flinched when Aquarius got right in her face. "Where the hell are you gonna summon me from next, huh?! A damn toilet?! I'll fucking kill you if you do something like that."
"I-I'm so very sorry..." Lucy muttered in a nervous tone, as she did her best to avoid Aquarius' piercing gaze.
"She's very frightening." Juvia said underneath her breath, but this wasn't missed by Aquarius.
"Eh! You got something to say to me!?" Aquarius exclaimed, pushing past Lucy and quickly floating over to Juvia. "Because if you do, say it to my face!"
"I-It was nothing, Juvia swears!" Juvia yelled in a panic, as she frantically waved her arms. "Juvia didn't say anything at all!"
"That's what I thought." Aquarius said, giving Juvia one last glare before she turned to leave. "Well I'm out of here. I'm going on a two week trip..." Aquarius smirked and leaned closer to Lucy. "With my boyfriend."
"Uh...Aquarius...I already have-"
"Shit wait..." Aquarius said, as she rubbed her chin. "You're banging that pink-haired guy, right?" Aquarius' crude way of speaking caused Lucy and Juvia's faces to burn near neon red. "I guess I can't tease you about never getting a boyfriend anymore." Aquarius growled as she was bathed in bright gold light. "I'll think of something later! Just don't bother me for a while!" Then in a brilliant flash of light, Aquarius was gone.
"*Sigh* Well that's a relief." Lucy said, falling back into a large puddle of water. "We've managed to take out one of the bad guys. Looks like Jellal isn't going to get his way so easily."
"No...you were the one who defeated him, Lucy-san." Juvia said with a small smile, as she looked down at Lucy. "Juvia didn't do very much."
"You're wrong." Lucy said, getting back onto her feet and placing her hand on Juvia's shoulder. "We did it together." Lucy suddenly flashed Juvia a bright smile. "You called me Lucy when you grabbed my hand, right?" Juvia's face slightly flushed red. "It made me so happy, realizing that we were really starting to get along. You don't have to use '-san' with me anymore. We're nakama aren't we?"
"Nakama..." Juvia breathed out, as tears began to fall from her eyes. Despite her tears, Juvia smiled at Lucy. "Yes Lucy, we are nakama...thank you." Juvia chuckled as she wiped away her tears. "Heh...rain was falling from Juvia's eyes."
"Hey, now that's a cute way of putting it." Lucy said with a smile, leaning against a nearby wall, slowly sliding to the ground. "But anyways, that whole fight really wore me out."
"Juvia is quite tired as well." Juvia said, as she sunk to the ground next to Lucy.
"Then let's relax for a few minutes, then we can get back to searching for Natsu." Lucy suggested, earning a nod from Juvia.
"That sounds good to Juvia." Juvia said, as she closed her eyes and rested her head against Lucy's shoulder.
(Back in Jellal's Thrown Room)
"Unison Raid, eh?" Jellal muttered, studying the chessboard played out before him. "I've heard tales of mages wasting their whole lives trying to achieve that...only to never achieve their goal..." A small smirk spread across Jellal's face. "That's quite the impressive stunt they've pulled. They may just be weak, little girls, but they are Erza's nakama after all." Chuckling lightly, Jellal turned to gaze out a window at the setting Sun. "I guess it's my turn to advance a piece on the board as well..."
(A Half Hour Earlier: Magical Council Meeting Room)
"On the matter of firing upon the Tower of Heaven with Etherion..." Org addressed his fellow council members, as he clasped his hands on top of the table. "There are four votes to fire, versus five against. Because of these results Etherion will not be fired."
"Wait!" Siegrain exclaimed, slapping his hands onto the table and shooting up from his seat. "Do you all really understand the situation that we are in?!"
"Just give up Siegrain..." Org growled, as he slightly glared at Siegrain. "This debate has gone on for quite some time. There are peaceful ways to approach this situation as well."
"Peace?!" Siegrain shouted, slamming his fist down. "While we're sitting here wasting time debating petty morale victories...history is about to be altered forever! Jellal is going to resurrect the dead! Do you not see the horrible repercussions that could have!?"
"You keep saying that, but we have no information on whether the R-System is even functional yet." Gran Doma said, as he stroked his beard. "It is far too early to resort to an all out attack."
"Can't any of you feel it?" Siegrain asked, his voice lowering as he leaned forward. "The dark magic spilling out as we speak...the sheer terror of the man that Jellal is trying to resurrect...the dark mage Zeref." All of the council members', minus Ultear, eyes shot open when Siegrain said this.
"Y...You...what did you just say?!" Belno exclaimed, as she stared at Siegrain in shock.
"Siegrain..." Gran Doma exclaimed, glaring fiercely at Siegrain. "How could you possibly know a thing like that!"
"I didn't want to cast any unnecessary suspicion upon myself, so I didn't say anything." Jellal explained, as he stared down at the table. "I know the man named Jellal. And I know what he means to do."
"Siegrain...you've just made us all the more suspicious for withholding such information from us." Gran Doma growled, tightly clenching his fists. "Now you will tell us everything you know. Now." After Siegrain had explained everything he knew, the votes were quickly recast. "In light of this new information the new voting count is eight in favor to fire Etherion and one opposed. That will be all. The firing upon the Tower of Heaven by Etherion has been approved." Yajima shook his head disapprovingly, and with a deep sigh turned to leave the council room.
"Yajima-san..." Siegrain said, which stopped the elderly man in his tracks. "I understand you may find this difficult to accept...but you can at least see that we must not allow Zeref to be revived, right?"
"It is no longer my right to resist this decision..." Yajima replied, not turning around to face Siegrain. "But I pray you are ready to take responsibility for you actions, yes?"
"Of course..." Siegrain said, as he placed hand over his heart. "I will take full responsibility."
"I am talking about innocent people's lives here Siegrain!" Yajima exclaimed, whipping around to face Siegrain with fury in his eyes. "All the blood that is about to spilled is upon your hands, and your hands alone!" Siegrain simply remained silent and watched as Yajima stormed out of the room.
"Etherion will be fired in one hour." Gran Doma announced to all of the magical council members. "So everyone prepare yourselves."
(A Half Hour Later: With Gray)
"Shit! Where the hell did that bastard go?!" Gray yelled, as he sprinted down another winding corridor. "When I find that Shô asshole, I'm gonna break his fucking nose!" However, when Gray rounded a sharp corner, he stopped in his tracks when he felt the air fill with static electricity. "Wait this sensation...it has to be Natsu!" Running down the corridor, Gray spotted Simon holding Natsu upright and a large unconscious owl-headed man in crater a few feet away. "What the hell happened here?"
"Oh Gray, it's only you." Simon said, releasing a sigh of relief. "I thought it might have been another member of Death's Head Caucus."
"Death's Head Caucus?" Gray repeated in a confused tone, as he quirked an eyebrow.
"That man over there..." Simon said, gesturing to the still unconscious Fukuro. "He's a member of the assassin guild Death's Head Caucus, but Natsu managed to beat him on his own."
"Flame-bran beat that guy...by himself?" Gray asked, staring at Natsu in shock. However, Gray was surprised to see that Natsu appeared to be in serious pain, despite his lack of injuries. Crouching down next to the dragon slayer, Gray placed his hand on Natsu's forehead. "Is something wrong with Natsu? He keeps clutching his heart."
"I don't know what's going on with him." Simon replied, as he gazed at Natsu with a concerned look in his eye. "He didn't actually get hurt in his fight with Fukuro as far as I can tell. But then suddenly he cried out in pain, and said something about Lucy and Juvia being in trouble."
"Lucy and Juvia are in trouble?" Gray muttered, turning his attention back to the dragon slayer. "Oi Natsu, what did you mean Lucy and Juvia were in trouble?"
"They're in danger..." Natsu said in a pained voice, as sweat formed on his brow. "I can sense it. They're fighting-" Natsu stopped mid-sentence when the pain his chest began to fade away, and was replaced by an overwhelming feeling of relief. "The...The aching pain in my chest...it's gone."
"That's strange..." Simon said, rubbing his chin. "Why would it disappear so suddenly."
"It's pretty obvious." Natsu said with a small smile on his face. "Lucy and Juvia beat whoever they were fighting. I don't sense that they're in trouble anymore."
"So are you alright now, Natsu?" Gray asked, earning a nod from the pink-haired dragon slayer.
"Yeah, I think I'm good now." Natsu replied, as he quickly stretched his muscles. With a toothy grin, Natsu punched his flaming fists together. "I'm ready to kick some serious ass now!"
"Great, let's get moving so we can find Erza." Gray said, walking ahead of Natsu and Simon. "I have a bone to pick with that Shô bastard."
"Wait..." Natsu said, as he grabbed ahold of Gray's shoulder. "I know you're not gonna wanna hear this Gray, but can you try and find Lucy and Juvia, then get them out of this tower." Gray looked like he was about to argue, but Natsu stopped him. "Gray please, I know we don't get along all the time, but just do this one thing for me. I won't be able to relax until I know that both of them are safe." Gray opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped when he saw the look in Natsu's eyes. The dragon slayer's eyes were full of determination, however Gray could see hints of worry. Gray fully knew how much Natsu cared about Lucy, and Juvia as well apparently, so he could understand why he was worried about them. "They were probably just in a big fight, so they must be exhausted. I don't want an enemy to find them when they can't properly fight back."
"Alright, alright I get it. You don't have to say anymore." Gray said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll do it. But you owe me one."
"Sure thing Gray." Natsu said with a small smile, as he watched Gray walk off in search of Lucy and Juvia. Releasing a light sigh, Natsu turned to the large man behind him. "You ready Simon? Happy?"
"Aye sir!" Happy cheered, flying into the air next to Natsu.
"I'm ready whenever you are Natsu." Simon replied, as he offered his hand to Natsu. "If you want I can help you walk for a bit."
"I'm fine now Simon, really." Natsu said with a grin. "Let's get going."
(Same Time: Magical Council Headquarters)
Deep below the magical council's headquarters, a flurry of mages rushed around to prepare Etherion to be fired.
"Target has been acquired."
"I'm adjusting spacial coordinates now."
"The mountains in that region are causing wavelength complications, which is causing calibration issues."
"Then up the altitude a little more."
"Magical charge is now at 60%."
"Etherion system integration complete."
"We've got twenty-seven minutes until Etherion is fired."
"To think we'd be forced to make such a terrible decision at a time like this, with the council president in such bad health..." Org muttered, as he watched the mages below working to get Etherion ready.
"We had no choice." Michello said, releasing a light sigh. "While the president is away, full responsibility for maintaining order in the magical world falls upon the remaining council members." Michello glanced at Org out of the corner of his eye and saw how worried he looked. "You shouldn't worry so much Org. This may be an unannounced attack on a foreign nation, but situations like this are provided for in article 27, clause 4 of the national security act."
"This isn't about simple legal implications..." Org said, his whole body shaking slightly. "We're talking about deploying Etherion here!"
"Well Zeref is the devil incarnate." Michello reasoned, as he rested against his cane and released another sigh. "All we can do is pray that Etherion is enough to destroy him."
In a different part of the magical council's headquarters, Siegrain and Ultear were watching Etherion being prepared as well. Siegrain had his arms crossed behind his back as he continued to watch the mages below work, while Ultear stood a few feet behind him, gazing into her crystal ball.
"It appears that time is almost upon us..." Ultear said, gazing up from her crystal ball. "Siegrain-sama. The feelings you've hidden for the past eight years are finally going to be realized."
"Are you afraid, Ultear?" Siegrain asked, not turning to face her.
"Not even a little." Ultear said with a small smile on her face. "After all, I've always trusted you completely, Siegrain-sama."
"Yes, I understand..." Siegrain said with a light chuckle. "But it's not your life that's in danger here."
"That's true." Ultear said, as she suppressed a giggle. "Although I do miss the rush of danger."
"Personally, I find myself trembling." Siegrain said, tightly clenching his fists around the railing he was leaning on. "If this plan fails...I die." As Siegrain continued to stare down below, he and Ultear failed to notice that Yajima was was close by, listening to their conversation. The elderly man had used his Flattening magic to hide his presence against a nearby wall.
"If we fail...he dies?" Yajima thought, as he quirked an eyebrow.
"But this is worth putting my life on the line." Siegrain said, an evil look filling his eyes. "After all...this is my dream."
"Quite." Ultear said, as she turned her attention back to her crystal ball.
"Something strange is going on here." Yajima thought, rubbing his chin as he snuck away. "I'll have to try and investigate further."
"By the way..." Siegrain said, as he glanced at Ultear out of the corner of his eye. "You seem to have become quite smitten by Natsu Dragneel."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ultear said without missing a beat, turning head indignantly. However, she couldn't hide the slight blush that spread across her face. "I could care less about that man."
"Hmm, whatever you say." Siegrain said, as he shrugged his shoulders. "However, I'd still advise you not to fraternize with our enemies, you'll only end up getting hurt."
"I understand." Ultear said, slowly nodding her head. "But you're different, aren't you Natsu Dragneel?" A small smile spread across Ultear's face, as she observed the pink-haired dragon slayer through her crystal orb. "You wouldn't care if someone was your former enemy, you'd still welcome them with open arms. I saw that first hand after your fight with that man Gajeel. After you defeated him, despite him harming your guild and loved ones, you offered him the opportunity to join your guild without hesitation." Ultear gently caressed the image of Natsu with her thumb. "You're such a fascinating man Natsu Dragneel. Every time I observe you I see something new and become more intrigued. And I can only imagine..." Ultear briefly glanced up at Siegrain, before returning her attention back to her orb, a sudden smirk spread across Ultear's face. "That I'm going to see something truly amazing from you today. So Natsu Dragneel the question is...can you keep my interest piqued?"
(Same Time: With Shô and Erza)
"Jellal...that bastard!" Shô hissed, as he ran down a long hallway. "Shit...Shit! How dare he lie to us like that! Even hurting nee-san!"
"Shô! Listen to me!" Erza screamed, pounding on the card that was keeping her prisoner. "Shô you have to calm down! Let me out of here!"
"Don't worry nee-san..." Shô said, as he ignored what Erza was saying. "I'll protect you no matter what."
"Damn it! Shô!" Erza exclaimed, just as Shô came to a skidding stop.
In front of Shô stood a beautiful woman with light pink hair, which was tied on top of her head in two large buns. She had a curvaceous figure, peach colored skin, a beauty mark underneath each eye and sported red lipstick. She wore a long, slightly loose white kimono with a red stripe in between two black stripes around the waist as well as a red triangle at the bottom of her dress, decorated by flames and skulls motifs, open at the top to reveal her shoulders and a fair amount of her cleavage; it was closed around the waist by a large black belt adorned with a horned skull. Her guild insignia was incorporated into her kimono and seen at the end of both of her sleeves. As the woman walked towards Shô cherry blossoms seemed to fall around her.
"My name is Ikaruga." The woman introduced herself, as she revealed that she was wielding a large katana. "Greetings."
"Move out of my way!" Shô growled, gritting his teeth in irritation. "Who the hell are you supposed to be anyways!?"
"Oh my..." Ikaruga said, as she giggled into her hand. "Such a rude young man."
"I don't have time to waist on annoying hags like you!" Shô exclaimed, hurling several razor-sharp cards at Ikaruga.
"A hag you say?" Ikaruga muttered, as her brow twitched in irritation. In the blink of an eye, Ikaruga unsheathed her blade and sliced all of Shô's cards, straight down their paper-thin middle. Shô's eyes widened in fear as he watched his cards slowly drift to the ground.
"N-No way..." Shô said, taking a frightened step back. "I could barely see her sword moving."
"There is nothing in this universe that I cannot slice." Ikaruga said, as she grabbed one of Shô's sliced cards out of the air and sheathed her katana. Shô gasped when Ikaruga shot him a fierce glare. "And I don't very much like being called a hag." Before Shô could utter a reply, he suddenly felt an excruciating pain coming from his chest. Glancing down, Shô nearly screamed in horror when he saw a large x-shaped cut across his chest. Moments later blood erupted from the wound, causing Shô to collapse to the ground.
"AH!" Shô screamed in pain, dropping Erza's card as he fell to the ground. "When...When did you even..."
"Shô!" Erza shouted, as she frantically pounded on the card.
"Oh my, so that's where you were hiding?" Ikaruga said with a small smirk, gazing at where Erza's card had fallen. "Erza-san."
"Shô! You have have to listen to me now! Get me out of here right away!" Erza exclaimed, as she pressed herself up against the card's edge. "She is definitely not an opponent you can beat!"
"D-Don't worry...nee-san...that card has a protection on it..." Shô struggled to say, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "Nobody on the outside can possibly hurt you."
"Oh?" Ikaruga said, as she reached for her blade once again. "Care to test that theory?"
"Shô! Let me out now damn it!" Erza screamed with a panicked look in her eyes. "That woman's sword isn't normal!"
"I told you not to worry...she can't-" Shô was cut off when Ikaruga began to slice at the card Erza was in. He was about to reassure Erza, but his eyes widened when he saw that Erza was forced to block Ikaruga's attacks. "She...she cut inside the card! But that means she's cutting into a completely different dimension!" Ikaruga only sped up her attacks, forcing Erza to equip another sword to block her rapid attacks. Shô began to panic when the card Erza was in was suddenly cut to pieces. "Nee-san!" But in a blinding flash of light, Erza landed in front of Shô with a dull thud. The scarlet-haired knight was panting slightly, as she unequipped her second sword. "W-What?!"
"Thanks to that woman, there was a distortion in the card's space." Erza explained, as she glared at Ikaruga. "I sliced through that and made my escape."
"That Ikaruga woman has a sword that can surpass dimensional boundaries, which is pretty amazing." Shô thought, staring at both Erza and Ikaruga in awe. "But to be able to take advantage of that in an instant...nee-san truly is incredible. She's so magnificent that I'm at a loss for words."
"I have no quarrel with you." Erza said, as she pointed her sword at Ikaruga. "So I will ask you to kindly step out of my way..." Erza's eyes hardened as she tightened her grip on her sword. "If you don't I will force my way through."
"Hoho." Ikaruga said with an amused smirk. "I rather like that look in your eyes. Maybe you will end up being a worthy opponent after all."
"What are you-" Erza stopped talking when she heard several loud creaks. Looking down, Erza's eyes shot open when she saw that her armor was falling apart. Then with one loud crack, Erza's armor and sword both exploded into pieces. Both Erza and Shô watched in shock as the pieces of metal clattered onto the ground. "H-How?"
"That was my way of greeting you." Ikaruga said with an evil look in her eyes. She couldn't help but chuckle when she saw the disbelief on Erza's face. "Oh? Don't tell me...you couldn't see me move either? Maybe you won't be a worthy opponent after all."
"This woman..." Erza thought, as she tightly clenched her fists in fear and anger. "She's unlike any opponent I've faced before." Suddenly Erza clutched a hand over her racing heart. "Natsu...lend me your strength."
(Same Time: With Natsu and Simon)
"Are you okay, Natsu?" Simon asked, noticing that the pink-haired dragon slayer had suddenly stopped walking.
"Yeah...I'm fine." Natsu muttered in reply, as he clutched a hand over his suddenly aching heart. He wasn't sure, but Natsu swore he had briefly heard Erza's voice. "Erza...she's fighting someone right now...I can feel it." A small smile formed on Natsu's face as he tightened the grip over his heart. "I believe in your strength Erza...you're one of the strongest people I know. You'll win and come back to me and everyone for sure, just like you always do."
And done! I felt that this was an appropriate stopping point for now. Next chapter will have the Erza vs. Ikaruga fight and her confrontation with Jellal, and possibly even Natsu's fight against Jellal. There are nine chapters remaining in the main part of the Tower of Heaven arc. So I should be able to finish this arc up either next chapter, if I do that it will be a longer chapter, or the chapter after that for sure. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK), and PM me any ideas you have for any of my fics. Also remember to check out my Gurren Lagann fic when you get the chance. I should hopefully have the next chapter out soon. So until next time, I'm outta here!