updated 15/11/2024, replacing chapter 20
Phoenix(1), Phantom Lord has arrived! As well as something else! Yeah, I think it's definitely an idea with a lot of potential if you go about it the right way. If there's any questions you have about the Legend of Zelda, just let me know and I'll do my best to answer. Yea, her story is pretty good isn't it. Ooh, there's an idea. I might mess with some of the wording a little, but that's looking good. That kinda reminds me of a joke (setting the bar that is) Natsu and Gray walked into a bar. Happy laughed and walked under it. Phew, yes, no death please. I don't want to be convicted of murder!
Guest, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, The tower is finished, no feat was small, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, Ur has gone missing, Natsu dropped the ball, All the Kings horses and all the Kings men, Phantom Lords starting, and it's starting then, couldn't put Humpty together again, by the time I'm done writing, I'll update by ten! Phantom Lord has begun! Ur… We'll find out about Ur and Lyon probably at a later date. Hmm, there's a point. I could do that, and also a separate story. See, I'm thinking for the main plot of it Natsu learns Crash Magic from Guildarts like maybe a week after joining the Guild? And then because he ends up so much stronger than everyone else he sort of isolates himself, and then because Lucy joins he's slowly drawn back into the guild, and then I'd push the plot from there. No? Yes? Eh, I'll figure something out. I actually have a couple chapters prewritten, but I like to leave time for people to review before I update. Wait no no exploding people I don't want to be an accidental murderer.
Phoenix(2), I literally just found out that Phoenix was pronounced 'fee-nix' instead of 'foe-nix' and I feel like my whole life has been a lie. My school is gonna be starting up right near my birthday. Lucky me! Yea ma- dud- friendo! I'll crank out a few chapters for ya, plus all those toppings. Hey, I'm never one to say no to toppings. Toppings are great. (Not as awesome as you reviews!)
Shou sits, trembling, in the wreckage of what was his life. He doesn't know what's happened, who won. Memory slips through his cards used to, when they were shiny and new and he was fumbling with hands that had only been used to work.
He kind of feels the same, right now.
He remembers the agonized conflict between Jellal and Erza, remembers the resolution that had settled over him like a shroud. Then nothing. Then a flare of brilliant anger, and then he was on his hands and knees next to Simon, who's unconscious and stuck in a card.
Shou doesn't free him. The tower is rattling, shaking like it's going to come apart. A card has better odds of getting out than a person.
He curls in tighter to himself, knees tucked up to his chest, arms locked around his shins, back pressed against the glowing blue of the tower.
A card has better odds of getting out than a person.
.•.•.•.
Juvia wakes up mostly because whoever was carrying her managed to drop her into the ocean. The water is frigid, but not unwelcome; a balm against her bruises. She pulls herself out swiftly, though, because she has not for a second forgotten anything of what was going on.
"Where is Gray?" She asks.
.•.•.•.
Ur does consider following the blue-haired woman. She's a strange, distant sort, and she doesn't notice Ur watching her— she walks in, looks around, and retrieves a card from the ground. She tears the card in half, and suddenly, there's Gray.
So.
That's why Ur stays put. She— gods, she wants to see Gray, to speak to him more than anything. He's grown up. She wants to know everything.
But she absolutely cannot let him think that there's a chance he could cast Iced Shell and come out of it again. Ur doesn't know how she's here. She cannot guarantee a rescue for Gray.
She'll figure her own way out.
.•.•.•.
It's so frustrating to see so much work go down the drain. So frustrating! But Ultear has to preserve herself, and without a sacrifice the tower will explode, and without Jellal to get the sacrifice there won't be one. Her connection to Shou is too weak— she can pull his strings, but she can't push him like she could Jellal.
What a waste.
At least it would take any ghosts with it.
.•.•.•.
Natsu hits the ground not long after Jellal. Whatever was going on with his magic fades, scales shrinking back into skin. There's a scary moment where Lucy can't tell if he's breathing or not, but that passes quickly. Erza hands her a bundle of clean bandages from her requip space, as well as some disinfectant. Natsu's shoulder wound is the kind that will need stitches, but they don't have the time or the equipment to do that right now. Lucy trades her the armband, and sets to work. It's a tricky spot to bandage, but Lucy is pretty resourceful. She doesn't look up until she's done.
Doesn't see Erza sinking into the lacrima until she's done.
"WHAT are you doing!" Lucy shrieks, lunging for Erza. She manages to catch Erza's arm, tries desperately to brace against the liquid crystal. It rejects her, interested only in Erza.
"What I have to," Erza says. Her expression is nothing but calm and peaceful. "I'm not giving up here, Lucy," she glances down, "I have too much to keep going for."
Lucy follows her look, sees the armband clutched close to her heart. In that moment, it's more than something precious to Natsu— it's a promise. There's no way Erza would go through all of that to get it back just to take it with her.
Slowly, Lucy lets go. "Okay. I'll see you outside, then. I had better see you outside!"
Erza smiles, "of course!"
Lucy summons Horologium to carry Natsu, and passes a trembling guy on the way out. He doesn't look hurt, so she feels no guilt in dragging him with her. They make it down the tower and to the docks in record timing, where the guy is recognized by several people waiting.
"Erza?" Gray asks, even as he hauls the unconscious Natsu out of Horologium and onto the boat.
"She'll catch up," Lucy says, with nothing but complete faith in her friend.
.•.•.•.
Natsu wakes up grimacing, barely aware that they're on a boat. He recognizes the steady rocking, feels a curling of nausea— but it's nowhere as bad as it usually is. Like exhaustion has ground it out of him.
Through blurry eyes he makes out Erza and Gray, leaning against each other and asleep. There are several people that he varyingly recognizes, including that Simon guy.
He tries to sit up, and immediately someone pushes him back down— Lucy. Happy is perched on her shoulder, scowling.
It takes a second to get his mouth working.
"Sorry," he says, "didn' wan' Jellal to hurt you. Sorry, Happy."
"Jeez," Lucy says, even as her face softens. "You're so far past magical exhaustion it's a wonder you're awake, and you're worried about apologizing to Happy?"
"… sorry?"
Happy huffs, but there's no attitude to it. "You could have been a little nicer! Still, I guess, apology accepted."
"I'll get you a fish later," Natsu says, and that just seals the deal.
Exhaustion strikes at him again, but it brings with it a wave of grief— Whirl's armband is gone forever now. Because he fucked up.
"Oh!" Lucy says, completely oblivious to the turn his thoughts have taken. "I should give you this, now that you're awake." She leans over to Erza, and pulls something out of her hands, which were clasped on her lap. Erza shifts, eyes opening slightly to assess the situation, and then she lets go and drifts back to sleep.
Lucy hands him his armband. Miraculously whole. Undamaged.
To say he felt disbelief would be underselling it, but there it was— a miracle.
"Thank you," he says, and he doesn't care at all that he's crying.
.•.•.•.
Thankfully, the resort has a number of on-call doctors, though they're usually just treating much, much smaller things than the injuries that they bring in.
Out of all of them, Natsu comes out in the roughest shape, but that's little surprise. While they wait for the doctor to finish stitching and cleaning his shoulder, Erza explains the blackmail situation, backed up by her childhood friend, Simon.
Man, Natsu sure had it rough, huh. Well, they're on the up-and-up, now. Master Makarov has already been contacted, and there's no doubt in Lucy's mind that she's going to get to go home and soak in a long, luxurious bath.
All it will take is a matter of time.
A few other conversations happen.
Lyon and his group are quiet when they leave, introspective. There are no words exchanged between Lyon and Gray, but there is an extended look, and then a firm nod. Gray seems to get everything out of it that he needs to, so he doesn't push.
Milliana, Shou, Wally, and Simon all decline to join Fairy Tail, citing that they want to see the world properly before tying themselves down somewhere. Erza cries a little bit about that, but promises to give them a proper Fairy Tail send off.
Juvia, a while later, awkwardly blurts a request to join Fairy Tail that they, of course, accept on the spot. She explains that she grew up close to Magnolia, but never felt worthy of joining Fairy Tail, which is a notion that they're quick to put out of her head.
The doctor makes an appearance to explain that beside his injuries, Natsu has a magical fever, which they connect to both how much magic he used and the fact he ate a piece of the tower for a power up, unaware of the slightly earlier incident of Jellal force-feeding him a ball of heavenly magic.
He'll be okay, the doctor says, but he'll have to take it easy for a while. He's returned to their care, and they all return to their rooms, which the resort provides free-of-charge.
They give Erza's childhood friends as much of a Fairy Tail sendoff as they can manage on such short notice.
Makarov arrives sometime the next day, afternoon-ish. Natsu, who's been awake and apologetic to everyone for a couple hours now, immediately attempts to resign from the guild, only to get the exact same shutdown that Erza hit him with before this whole mess.
"If you truly, truly wish to leave Fairy Tail," Makarov says, "then I will not stop you. But you have to tell me that that is what you truly want."
Natsu opens his mouth, hesitates. Closes it again.
Erza hooks an arm around his shoulders, and slams his head into her breastplate.
They wind up staying at the resort for a couple additional days, instead of heading straight home. Finding out that Siegrain was a plant has thrown the magic council into upheaval, Makarov tells them, so they can probably slip right past them without worrying about getting arrested again. So they're to spend their time at the resort relaxing, having fun, and healing.
They get to know Juvia, who Makarov welcomes in a non-official capacity— even as the guild master, he isn't allowed to carry around a stamp, for a variety of reasons.
Makarov takes turns speaking to them individually, and if Erza returns from her talk watery-eyed and snot-crusted, no one says anything about it.
Natsu puts his magic to work to catch maybe the most impressive fish Happy has ever seen, and in a completely unprecedented move, he insists on sharing it— which turns into a full scale beach barbecue.
Without the magic council breathing down their necks, the resort is actually a lot of fun.
However, no one complains when it's time to go home.
.•.•.•.
Lucy stretches her way off of the train, enjoying the fresh Magnolia air. "It sure is good to be home," she says, earning a chipper agreement from Happy, who's helping drag Natsu off the train.
Erza and Gray are two steps behind, with Makarov and Juvia bringing up the rear.
"That was a nice break," Makarov says. "Hopefully those idiots back at the guild haven't broken anything too badly."
"I'll accompany you," Erza offers immediately.
"So will Juvia," Juvia says, clearly excited out of her mind to get her guild mark.
It's a little odd, seeing Erza walk away, after spending a month and change in such close quarters. Lucy shakes that thought out of her head, turning to Gray as he speaks up next.
"I dunno about you guys, but I'm going home."
"That sounds good to me. Come on, Natsu, Happy. Let's go home."
Natsu gets his feet back under him remarkably quickly, though he still looks shifty. He's been unsettled since this whole ordeal began, and while Lucy doesn't want to pry into why, she can't deny her own curiosity. What Siegrain said has stuck with her, and she keeps turning it over in her head, looking for new meanings… but there aren't any, really.
Well, whatever. Makarov will handle it, and Natsu will— or won't— talk to them about it on his own time.
Just outside her apartment, while she's fumbling for her keys, Natsu perks up. Sniffs at the air inquisitively. Narrows his eyes.
"What's up?" Lucy asks, hoping that he's about to say something along the lines of 'the neighbours have burnt their dinner' and not—
"Something's wrong," he says, and he turns towards the direction of the guild. He sniffs at the air again, and then starts walking.
Lucy stands outside her apartment, watching him go. Her keys are dangling from her fingers, the promise of a hot bath one simple movement away.
She drops them back into her bag and jogs to catch up with him. Which quickly turns into jogging with him, as he picks up the pace.
Closer, Lucy starts to smell it too— it's kind of earthy, a bit like blood. There's a collection of dark shapes where the guild hall should be.
They start running, Happy flying ahead.
The Fairy Tail guild hall is destroyed, pierced through a dozen times over by gigantic, metallic poles. Of the doors, only one remains, hanging loose from its hinges. They step inside.
The interior is no better, and Erza, Gray, Juvia, and Makarov are all already there, each various shades of furious— except Juvia, who just looks pale.
There's a banner strung up over the bar, words dripping from it in black paint.
Phantom Lord says hello.