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Time is the Path to Strength	By : Repiece Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 47113 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
Chapter 24: Natsu's Death?

Dear Okaa-san,

When I and the others, that being Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza, were given tickets to a resort to relax from Loke, who turned out to be Leo the Celestial Spirit, we assumed it would be filled with us just having fun and laughing the entire day. However...things didn't turned out as planned. In fact, they became worse than anything I ever expected. When we were enjoying ourselves, we met Erza's past and that led us to go to this tall creepy tower. There we fought against not only Erza's childhood friends, but also these other creepy looking characters. I managed to beat one of them with Juvia, but we passed out after that and the next thing I knew, I was under water, swimming to get some air. I wasn't sure what was going on, but when I was told, I couldn't believe it. Natsu was fighting this guy named Jellal, who apparently, according to Erza and her friends was possessed on reviving this evil mage named Zeref.

When the Etherion fired, I really thought I was going to die. You wouldn't believe how much magical energy I felt coming from that Etherion blast. However, nothing happened to us as the tower turned out to be a huge lacrima that absorbed all of the Etherion. My eyes still couldn't believe it. Then, a large explosion occurred and the next thing any of us saw was Natsu fighting against someone who I assumed was Jellal. Their fight was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was like it was on a whole new different level. Erza eventually joined us after she escaped from the tower, which I presumed was requested by Natsu. A little while later, the waves starting rocking back and forth as we saw dust escaping from each level of the lacrima tower until we felt ourselves shaking when something hit the last floor of the tower.

After that, the tower started to break down. I was scared. I was worried about the pink haired dragon slayer inside, the same person who brought me to this guild that I love so much. Then, a bright light came out of nowhere and just as it came, it was gone and the tower...was no longer there. I was confused at what happened, but I suddenly had this weird, worried feeling in my chest. Then, I saw it. The white scarf that I could recognize like the back of my hand. The scarf that belonged to Natsu. It glided down toward us and then fell into the water. Then, Erza let out a scream.

After wards, we spent day after day looking for the owner of that scarf. However, no matter how hard we looked, we couldn't find him. Eventually, we gave up, except for one person, Erza. I didn't want to give up, but if we couldn't find him after days of searching, we knew that Natsu Dragneel was gone. Erza, just couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe in the fact that Natsu was dead. We pleaded and begged her to just stop, but she wouldn't listen. It wasn't until Simon, one of Erza's childhood friends, slapped her across her face that she stopped and just gave into the fact that Natsu was dead.

I wasn't sure how long she cried for, but eventually she stopped and it was time for us to head back to the guild. Simon and the others decided that it would be best if they didn't join the guild and set out to seek out their future by themselves now that they were no longer building that tower. Erza understood and bid them a tearful farewell. The trip back to the guild was the most awkward and silent one I ever been on. Erza sat by herself, while I, Gray, Juvia and Happy, who had the saddest expression I ever seen on his face, looked down at the scarf that belonged to his best friend in the whole world. When we arrived at the guild...

"Hey look! Erza and the others are back!" Max shouted as everyone in the guild turned their heads to greet the returning members with grins and smiles. Mirajane, who was in the back, heard Max and stopped what she was doing to rush to the guild and see the man she loved after so long. When she entered the main hall, she had a wide smile at first, but slowly, it disappeared. She looked around and saw the expressions of shock on everyone's faces. Even Makarov had a look of horror.

'W-What's going on?' She wondered as she walked past the others toward the door. When Elfman saw his older sister, he panicked and rushed over to her. "Hey, what's going on?" Mirajane asked as she saw Erza, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Happy and...no Natsu. "H-Hey...w-where is...Natsu?" She asked and at the mention of his name, the five cringed.

"Nee-chan..." She heard her younger sibling speak to her from behind.

"Natsu..." Erza was the one to speak up. "He's...he's..." She had tears run down her face. "He's dead..." Mirajane's eyes widened as far as they could. She felt her entire body shake. She felt her body get cold. Her legs could no longer support her and she fell.

"Nee-chan!" Elfman cried out as he ran over to her and knelt down beside her. His eyes widened at her appearance. It reminded him of the time Lisanna died. He never wanted her to experience the same thing back then and he figured that Natsu would help him, after all he did promise. However, now he was dead.

"You're lying..." She finally spoke as tears started to slowly run down her cheeks. "You're lying..." She repeated, but the expressions on their faces told her other wise. Mirajane literally felt her heart shatter into pieces. Every single person she loved was dying. Happy slowly walked toward her, the scarf of his best friend in his paws.

"M-M-Mira..." The blue exceed cried as tears ran down his face. He then lifted his paws and she looked down to see the scarf of the man she fell in love with. The same man who was now dead. "I-I'm...sorry..." He apologized. Mirajane stared at the scarf for a moment before lifting her shaking, weak hands to grab it. She looked at it for a few more moments before she erupted in a cry. She clenched the scarf and held it tightly against herself as she cried. Soon, the entire guild did the same. Most cried, others had a look of sadness and regret. This was one of the saddest moments the guild had ever experienced.

The once rowdy guild that I loved was never the same. I wasn't too sure about why Happy gave Mirajane his scarf, but I didn't question it, since it was not my business and the fact that this was probably the saddest moment of my life since you died, Okaa-san. But...in my heart...I felt as if Natsu's death meant a lot to me. I wasn't sure why, but it did. It hurts...Okaa-san...why d s it hurt so much...why...w ...I just don't understand...N ...why did you h e to die...why...?

Lucy couldn't write anymore. As she looked down at the paper, her tears smudged some of the ink making the last part hardly readable. She just couldn't believe that Natsu was dead. Not only that, but she was taking it hard and yet she didn't know why. The tears continued to run down like two waterfalls. She raised her hands and cried into them. "Natsu...you idiot...why did you have to die...?"

"Wraaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Gray roared as he slammed his fist into a tree and kept punching the bark and continued, even when blood started to seep through his fists. "Damn it!" He roared again as he just punched the poor tree. "You fucking dumb ass! How dare you get yourself killed!?"

"G-Gray-sama..." Juvia whispered as she was spying on him from behind a different tree. She hated seeing the person she loved in so much pain.

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist one more time before it broke in half and fell to the ground. He clenched his bloody fists tightly and gritted his teeth in anger. He dropped to his knees and then let out a yell. 'I won't...I won't never...let anyone die again!'

Erza sat on her bed, knees pressed against her chest and arms wrapped around them. She was still in her pajamas and in fact, never left her room ever since she came back home. All she did was coop up in her room, locked the door and laid on her bed. Her room was destroyed with many of her belongings on the floor due to her venting out her anger. She wasn't angry at Natsu, no, she was angry at herself. 'None of this...was your problem...I should...I should have been the one...why Natsu...why?' She lowered her head and started to cry again into her legs.

She blamed herself. She blamed herself for his death. No matter what anyone told her, she knew it was her fault that he was dead. It was all her fault.

"Hey! Are you sure this is normal?"

"Of course I do. This isn't my first time seeing this!"

"Really?"

"...Okay maybe it is, but I at least know that this is normal."

"He looks like he is in a lot of pain."

"Of course...that's what he gets for doing something so stupid like that."

"Well, it's not like he had no choice..."

"Maybe...but...at least now he will be able to do something about 'him'."

"Is he on the move already?"

"Yeah...especially now..."

"That's bad..."

"I know...but we can't rush anything...hopefully they can hold him and those 'monsters' of his off until he wakes up..."

"Yeah..."

"Damn it! What the hell are those things!?" A blond haired man, with a scar on his face yelled as he ran away from something. The man was none other than Laxus.

"Wryaaaaaahhhhh!" Laxus' eyes widened at the shrieking sound of whatever it was that attacked him and the others of the Thunder Tribe. No matter what he did, he couldn't do anything to stop or even hurt the monster like thing. None of his magic worked and all of his attacks just went through it like nothing. It wasn't long before Laxus ran out of room to run as he stood at the edge of a cliff. He panted heavily as he hoped to run back and go in a different way, but as soon as he turned around, he met face to face with this monster.

"No...you bastard! I don't what you are, but take this this!" He shot a long bolt of lightning at the monster. However, the attack just went through it. Laxus was just shocked. Considering how strong he was, seeing something that was not affected by his magic stunned him. "W-What the hell are you?"

"Wryaaaahhhhh!" The monster roared and then charged at Laxus.

"No...get away from me!" Laxus shouted before the monster struck him, making him yell out an ear drum piercing scream.

A man with spiky hair and a large scar that traveled down his left eye to his chin and down his neck glared at Magnolia Town, a scowl on his face. "These humans...are nothing but weak and pathetic species...I can't wait to let their blood spill all over this worthless planet...especially after finally being revived after so long..." He chuckled and smirked. He then heard the sound of someone walking toward him. He turned around and smirked. "So, you four have successfully done it?"

"Yes, Master." The man smirked widened before he laughed. He looked up to gaze at the moon. "Well done...now then, let's head over to the next target..." He told the four and they nodded as they followed him.

"That stupid brat! How dare he get himself killed!?" Makarov yelled and then burped. Porlyusica sighed as she was watching Makarov go on a tirade for the past couple of house. She was confused at first on why he came to see her, but when his drunk personality told her why, she understood why Makarov was acting this way. He lost a guild member. A member who he considered as one of his children. "Damn him!" He yelled once again, making her sigh again.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened to Natsu, but I would really like to have some peace and quiet, especially seeing how late it is." She told him.

"No! I will never forgive him!" Makarov yelled in response. Porlyusica was about to yell at him to get out of the forest, but she suddenly sensed something approaching nearby and it didn't feel welcoming.

"What is this...?" She whispered.

"Hmm? Oh Laxus, what are you doing back so early? Did you run away from your mission?" Porlyusica eye's widened as she turned around to see Laxus standing in front of his grandfather.

'What the...something is not right...' She thought, glaring at the younger man. "Makarov, get away from him..." She told him.

"Huh? Why? He's my grandson! It's not like he's some mysterious stranger...actually he kind of looks like one..." He commented and laughed. Laxus then suddenly kicked his grandfather, slamming him into a tree.

"Makarov!" Porlyusica screamed as she saw Makarov slide down the tree. She then turned back to Laxus. 'Something's not right with him...what is this feeling...?'

"You're Porlyusica...are you not?" She widened her eyes when she turned in the other direction and saw the source of the creepy and calm voice.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" She asked as the man smirked.

"I know everything about you and anyone you are affiliated with, Porlyusica." He told her. "However, I am not interested in you."

"Then who are you after?"

"Makarov of course." He replied.

"What do you plan on doing with him?"

"That is none of your concern."

"What about Laxus? What did you do to him?"

"Again, none of your concern." Porlyusica got ticked off.

"Just who the hell are you?"

"I am someone who you do not want to interfere with. I guarantee you that if you do, you won't live the sun rise." He told her. "As such, it's best if you don't interfere with our plan." Porlyusica furrowed her eyebrows at him. Suddenly, she sensed someone's presence behind her and turned around. Next thing she could remember were dark brown colored eyes and she was turned to stone.

"Alright then, let's get this done quickly." The man said as Laxus arrived, dropping Makarov on the ground. He walked over to the man. He smirked and turned his head to look at the shadow that was on the ground. "Alright then, you know your job, go find the one who has the weakest heart." The shadow suddenly moved and disappeared. "Now then..." He looked back at Makarov. "...let's get started."

Mirajane continued to cry. As she laid in the bed that she and Natsu first made love to each other, clenching the scarf in her hands, she felt the saddest she had ever been since Lisanna died. She just couldn't take it. 'Why...why does everyone I love die? Why?' She wondered as she wanted to know the answer. For some strange reason, some God out there was killing off the people she loved, leaving her only with Elfman and few others at the guild.

However, she loved Natsu more than she cared about anyone at the guild. He was the man she was in love with. She was deeply in love with him. She couldn't believe that this Death God would take him away from her, just like Lisanna. She didn't know how she could handle it. She missed him so dearly. She missed that grin of his, that pink hair, his fiery personality, everything about him she missed. Why was life so cruel to her.

Was she cursed? Was she not suppose to feel love? Why her? It just wasn't fair. She missed him so much. She never thought that he would die also, but it happened. He promised he would do anything to make sure she never felt this miserable. Yet, he broke that promise as she cried her heart out on his bed.

She opened her eyes halfway and when she did, she gasped when something went past the window. She sat up abruptly, clenching Natsu's scarf to her chest and turned around, but saw nothing. The tears continued to fall down her face. Her eyes widened when she felt something appearing behind her and turned around, but saw nothing.

Suddenly, a large shadow appeared on the wall behind her, next to the window. A monster began to come out of the shadow, glaring it's eyes at the white haired mage on the bed. He then jumped out of the wall toward her. Mirajane turned her head at the exact moment the monster reached, her eyes widening in horror and releasing a gasp.

Five figures stood looking down at the bustling Magnolia Town. Their bodies completely covered in darkness. They just stood there, overlooking the town as several lights started to turn off for the night. Soon after wards, a sixth figure appeared. The man in the middle, turned toward the new person and smirked. "So, you found someone?" The figure nodded their head. "Good." He turned his head back to Magnolia Town. "Look at these simple and idiotic fools...soon, they're precious and problem free lives will be filled with their blood all over the streets of this worthless town. Our time of reckoning is coming! All of this, is for one person and one person only. For Zeref!"

"Ugh..."

"Hey! He's waking up!"

"Huh? Oh...okay..." Ticked off at his response, Eve threw a chair at him that knocked him into the wall.

"What was that for!?"

"You could at least be considerate since he's your pupil!"

"That's just how I am!"

"Well, then change!"

"Ugh..." The two of them, both quelled their anger as they looked over at the person laying on the futon. He started to open his eyes and the first thing he saw, after recovering his vision, was a wooden ceiling. "W-Where...am I?"

"Your dead."

"W-What?" He responded when he heard a voice. "Well, everyone you know thinks you're dead." He moved his head so that he could see what was in front of him and his eyes widened. He sat up abruptly and instead of screaming the person's name, he winced in the extreme pain that was coursing through his body.

"It's best if you don't move." He heard a female voice and opened his eyes as saw someone place a hand on his back.

"Y-You're..."

"Shhh...your body is still in bad shape...it's best if you rest for now..." Eve told him.

"I'm afraid he doesn't have the time to do that." The two turned their heads toward him.

"What? But he's..."

"I know. Normally, I would give him time to rest, but, they started to move."

"You mean?" He nodded his head.

"Yeah...Sekrom has already infiltrated Magnolia with his pets."

"W-Who the hell is that?"

"Right, you don't know him, I'll explain everything later, but right now we have to do something first." He said and walked over to him.

"W-What?"

"We need you to fuse all the Etherion you absorbed from that tower, Natsu."

"F-Fuse...how?" Natsu asked as he looked at the man who taught him during the two years he was away from Fairy Tail.

"There is a certain spell that I know that will let you fuse with the Etherion, however, it will cause you a tremendous amount of pain. If we're not careful, you could die." He explained.

"I can't die just yet..."

"Yes, you made that perfectly clear. Every freaking day..." He said the last part in a whisper. "Anyway, we don't have much time so, are you ready?"

"But there is a lot I want to ask you about..."

"Then ask me when you fuse the Etherion." He suddenly clapped his hands together and a magic circle appeared under Natsu.

"W-Wait, I'm not ready..."

"Ooops..." The magic circle glowed a bright red color and the marking on the magic circle appeared on Natsu's body and it was at that moment that he shrieked in pain. Eve had to close her ears at the scream the pink haired dragon slayer let out as he shook erratically.

"Hey! Is this supposed to happen?" Eve asked, trying to settle Natsu down.

"Of course. Right now his body is trying to get used to the Etherion that he absorbed. Earlier the Etherion in his body was stable, however, Etherion is poisonous and if it stayed in his body, then he would have eventually died. The magic spell I put on him is one that has been forgotten today, but it was used to control Etherion over a couple of centuries ago. Right now, you could say is that his body is creating antibodies for the Etherion, but it's a very painful process."

"How long will it last?"

"A couple of hours, or less if he decides to give up." Eve glared at him.

"Hey, that's the only way he could die." He responded shrugging his shoulders as Natsu let out another cry of pain. 'Don't die...Natsu...'

Elfman knocked on the door to Fairy Hills. He knew how much Natsu's return helped Mirajane cope with the loss of their younger sibling, so when he heard the news of Natsu's death, he became worried about his sister. She told him that she was going to stay at Fairy Hills until their home could get fixed so this was where he was. He was worried about his sister so much that he couldn't get any sleep last night. He had the urge to go see her, but didn't because he was sure Mirajane didn't want to see anyone. He knocked again when there wasn't a response.

The door then opened. "Who is it?" It was Laki.

"Laki, good morning." Elfman greeted.

"Oh? Elfman! What are you doing here?" She asked, surprised of his sudden visit, especially so early in the morning.

"Sorry for not being manly and waking you up so early, but I was wondering if I could talk to Nee-chan." He said and Laki's confused expression got even more confused.

"Huh? Mira? But, she isn't here." She responded.

"Huh? Then where did she go? Did she tell you?" He asked.

"But Elfman, Mirajane never lived here..." At this, Elfman was now the one who was confused.

"W-What? But she told me that she was temporarily staying at Fairy Hills..."

"Well, as far as I know...she hasn't been living here...I'm sorry Elfman..." Laki apologized.

"N-No, no need to apologize..." He told her. "Thanks anyway, see you at the guild." He told her and she nodded, closing the door. 'Nee-chan...w-what's going on?' He didn't know why she lied, but he was going to get to the bottom of this. He then made his way toward the guild.

Everyone at Fairy Tail was silent as Natsu's death still hit everyone hard. The festival that they held annually was going to be talked about first thing in the morning, so everyone woke up bright early just to attend this discussion. Makarov was already inside as he waited for a good hour and by that time, the guild was almost full with members. He then stood up.

"Alright brats, listen up!" He yelled as the guild all turned to him. Some of the noise that they made started to fade away. Makarov got their attention and he cleared his throat. "Alright, as you all know...Natsu's passing was unexpected and a tragic one. His funeral is going to be held two days from now...but before that, we have to talk about the Harvest Festival. As many of you know, the festival is held annually and has never been missed..." The guild all had looks of sorrow on their faces as they knew where the master was headed. "...and that will stay. We will still be hosting the Harvest Festival."

Everyone was shocked at what their Master just told them. The most angry one was Erza as she slammed her hands down on the table she was sitting on, breaking it in half. "What is this, Master?" She growled. She never got angry at the Master, mostly because he was wise and always right about everything he said and done, but this time, she had every right to be angry with him.

"My mind has been made up, Erza." He responded and it only made her angrier.

"Don't give me that!" She screamed, glaring at the master. "How can you say that when you know what has happened!? We lost a member of this guild, a member of our family and you still plan on hosting a festival! We shouldn't be doing anything, but mourning Natsu's..." She couldn't finish that sentence.

"Yes, I know. However, we have an obligation to this town and..."

"I know that! But still..." Erza clenched her hands tightly.

"Hahahahaha! What's wrong there Erza, Happy got your tongue?" The entire guild turned their heads at the familiar voice. Erza's eyes became daggers as she glared fiercely at Laxus.

"Laxus..." She growled.

"Why so angry Erza?" He asked. "Oh that's right...that fire breathing idiot died...hahahahaha, I knew he was weakling!" That did it for Erza's anger as she rushed toward Laxus, equipping a sword and trying to stab Laxus right in the chest. A large hand then suddenly smashed the raging woman down to the ground as she groaned in pain.

"That's enough Erza!" Makarov told her. "Laxus, I advise you to be careful with your words..."

"Hahahahaha! Oh come on, can't I have some fun!"

"You bastard!" Erza screamed. "Just what did you think Natsu's life was!?"

"He was nothing but an annoying little insect." He told her. Everyone at the guild gasped at his words. They even starting calling him names. "Go ahead, call me whatever you want, but you all know I am far stronger than any of you and so none of you have the guts to challenge me! Especially you, Erza. If I'm correct...isn't it your fault he's dead?" Erza gasped and widened her eyes.

"No...I..."

"Face it, Erza! It's your fault he's dead and you are just using me as an excuse for that!"

"N-No...that's not true...I...I..."

"It is true! It's because of you! You killed Natsu!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Everyone turned toward the angry voice that just called out and it belonged to Gray Fullbuster. "I had enough of this..."

"Gray-sama..." Juvia whispered while frowning.

"Gray..." Lucy did the same as Happy cried next to her.

"I had enough of your bullshit Laxus! You and me, let's fight! I'm going to kick your ass!" He pointed a finger at his fellow guild mate.

"Hahahaha! Do you really think you can beat me, huh Gray? Come on, don't waste my time on something as this." Laxus told him.

"Do you think I give a fuck!?" He glared at him.

"Oh..."

"I will not allow any fighting amongst each other!" Makarov roared as he glared at Gray and Laxus. "Laxus, I will speak to you after I'm done with my announcements." He glared at his grandson who just scoffed and crossed his arms. Gray continued to glare at him, but sat back down as he didn't want to face the master's wrath. Erza just stayed on the floor as Laxus' words were on repeat in her mind.

"Now then, regarding the festival before I was interrupted...I..."

"I think we should host it." Everyone turned to look at Mirajane as she looked down to the floor with a frown on her face.

"Nee-chan..." Elfman whispered as he looked at his sister.

"I'm sure that...Natsu wouldn't want us to cancel it...I'm sure he would want us to host the festival..." She told them, clinging to the scarf that once belonged to the pink haired Dragon Slayer.

"Mira..." Happy cried as he wiped his tears with his paws. "I...I agree..." Happy spoke out his opinion as Lucy looked at the blue exceed and smiled at him.

"I agree." After that, several more guild mates approved. Gray eventually agreed as Makarov nodded his head.

"Very well then, that will be all." Makarov told them. He jumped off of the bar and walked over to Laxus. "Come on, we need to talk."

Laxus looked at his grandfather and just sighed, getting up from his seat. The two of them walked out of the guild as everyone watched them. Gray walked over to Erza and bent down to offer his hand to her. "He's right...it's my fault..." She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"No, he's not right. Don't listen to that asshole." He told her. Erza's frown deepened.

"So, how did I do?"

"You did very well, but if it wasn't for her response, we might not have gotten them to host their stupid festival."

"Well, you are the Master so, I'm sure they would have to have done anyway." Makarov smirked.

"Yeah, I guess that is true. Just make sure you and the others are prepared."

"Of course." Laxus responded and disappeared as Makarov turned his head to look at the guild. A mischievous smirk on his face.

"He stopped moving..." Eve said as Natsu's body stayed motionless.

"Hmm...it's either complete...or he's..."

"Don't say that!" Eve screamed at him.

"Sorry, but since he hasn't moved then we can assume that he's..." He didn't finish and just skipped over the word. "...looks like it was useless..." Just then, Natsu coughed. "Oh thank whatever God there is!" He quickly responded getting down to his knees. "He almost gave me a heart attack..."

"Right..." Eve stated with a sweat drop. She then turned back to Natsu as he continued to cough. He then opened his eyes and saw Eve staring down at him with a frown. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I feel like I threw up..." He responded as he tried to sit up. Eve helped him as he felt sweaty and tired. "Am I...done?"

"Yes...seeing as how you are still alive and feel nauseous...it means you completely fused with Etherion." His teacher told him and he put on a weak grin.

"That's good..."

"Now you are much stronger...not only that, but the antibiotics that were made in your body to resist the Etherion and let you use its power, will also help you with any poison known in the world."

"Huh? R-Really?"

"Yep, Etherion is considered to be very poisonous, which is why hardly anyone ever uses or tries to control it's power. If you get hit with any other poison, the antibodies will be able to fight it off. Pretty neat, huh?"

"I guess..."

"You're confused about my whole explanation, aren't you?"

"Well, I get the part of me getting more powerful, so I don't really care much about the other part." He answered as his teacher sweat dropped.

"R-Right..."

"Anyway...you said I could ask you some questions..." Natsu said.

"Yeah, I did. So, ask away?" His teacher said as he sat down on the chair.

"Okay...but first..." Natsu suddenly did his best to get to his feet, despite protests from Eve.

"Hmm?" His teacher hummed as Natsu walked over to him slowly. Natsu then punched his teacher in the face, sending him to the wall. "Ow! What was that for!?" His teacher yelled as he got up, a hand to his cheek.

"That's for burning down my home, you bastard!"

"I did it for you, dumb ass!" He yelled back. "I mean at least I didn't burn down all your things!"

"I don't care! I didn't ask for a new home to live in!"

"If this is what I get for being considerate then fine, this is the last time I do something nice for you!"

"Good!" Natsu panted as he felt kind of dizzy from all the yelling. He grabbed the chair his teacher was sitting on and sat down. "My head..."

"That's what you get..." Natsu glared at his teacher. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Before I ask you about this Sekrom guy, there is something I want to know..."

"What is it?"

"What happened to Jellal?" The room got silent. Natsu was confused so he looked back and forth between his teacher and Eve. "W-What?"

"Natsu...he's..." Eve began as she frowned.

"W-What? D-Don't tell me...is he...?" Natsu felt his chest tightened at the thought of Jellal's fate.

"He's..." His teacher paused for a minute or two before speaking again. "He's...sleeping in the next room." Natsu blinked and blinked some more. It took a while for his mind to process what he said.

"Huh?"

"I said he's sleeping in the next room." He pointed a finger to the wall on his right.

"Then...what was with those faces...and the silence..." He asked confused.

"Oh...that...I'm not sure about Eve, but I thought it would be funny to see your expression." He responded.

"Bastard!" Natsu punched his teacher again. "That's not funny!"

"Hey! I do agree that it wasn't funny, but I thought it might be a way to cheer you up!"

"Yeah, you're right...it did..."

"Really?"

"Yeah...you gave me another reason to punch you!"

"Oi!"

Natsu sighed and sat back down on the chair. "So, he's alright then...that's good..." He smiled.

"Yeah...there is something I need to talk to you about Jellal though..." Natsu perked up at this.

"What?"

"I'm planning to have him join me, Eve and Alastor to help you fight against Zeref..." He told him.

"Oh I see...w-wait a minute! A-Alastor? Z-Zeref?" Natsu asked.

"Oh yeah...Alastor is working with us..." His teacher told him.

"Huh? You mean that guy is with you?" He nodded his head. "Then...that time...during my fight with him..."

"Yep, I asked him to go up against you...to see how strong you were..."

"You bastard! I should punch you again!" Natsu yelled at him again.

"Heh, go ahead, I'm more prepared now."

"But I'm not...mostly because you helped me back then..." Natsu told him.

"Hmph...right..."

"How do you know about Zeref?" His teacher stayed silent as he looked at him with a serious expression.

"Isn't it obvious? We are trying to stop him from getting revived. If he gets revived, then this world is going to meet it's end." He answered.

"But how did you know I was fighting against Zeref? What aren't you telling me?"

"I told you, I..."

"Don't lie! I saw you..." Natsu started.

"Huh? Saw me?"

"In a book...I saw a picture of you and Zeref, looking at each other as if you two were about to fight." His teacher stared at him, unfazed by his words.

"You must have been seeing things..." He responded.

"Don't give me th-"

"Natsu!" He stopped and turned around to look at Eve.

"It's best if you don't pry into that until the time is right." She told him as she walked over to him. "I may not know much about it either, but I still think it's best if you don't ask him about this until some time in the future."

"Fine, but I want to know about that and I won't stop until I know, but I can wait."

"Good...anything else you want to ask?" His teacher asked.

"Can I see Jellal?"

"Yeah, come on..." His teacher got up and walked over to Natsu, grabbed his shoulder, wrapped it around his neck and helped him toward the door. Eve walked right behind them, making sure Natsu didn't collapse. When they entered the room, Alastor was there.

"So, he's awake?" He said and Natsu looked at him.

"Yeah, I did." Alastor looked back as Natsu's teacher let hims it down on an empty chair in front of Jellal's body. Natsu looked down to see Jellal sleeping soundly. He let out a sigh of relief that he was alive. "That's a relief..."

"You see...anything else you want to ask?"

"Did you tell him about the night you saw him and that girl having..." Alastor was suddenly hit by a chair. "What the hell was that for!?" Alastor screamed at him.

"What was he talking about?" Eve asked the question she and Natsu had as they gave the two suspicious looks.

"Oh that, it's nothing...this guy is crazy...if you know what I'm saying, hahahahaha!" Natsu's teacher responded, laughing.

"What the hell is your pro-" He was kicked in the stomach by Natsu's teacher.

"Would you just shut up or I won't remove that curse!" He whispered toward him.

"Damn you..." Alastor growled at him.

"Anyway, what else did you want to ask?"

"Who is this Sekrom guy?"

"Sekrom..." His teacher paused again as he sat down on the chair he threw at Alastor. "...back when Zeref was using his black magic to wreak havoc, he had followers..."

"Followers?"

"They were a group of very powerful, but evil wizards and witches that used their special abilities or powers given to them by Zeref to kill and destroy everything. What I'm about to tell you next is something that you can either believe or not, but it is the truth. However, this is something that you won't find in any history book because it was removed by the Magic Council and the King a long time ago."

"W-What is it?"

"The War."

"A war? There was such a thing?"

"Yes...it was a very brutal war that has been erased. The Magic Council cast a spell that is now forbidden that erased everyone's memories of the war. That is why no one remembers it, except for some people. Just talking about it is against the law and knowing about it can lead to imprisonment or death." He continued as Natsu's eyes widened at this new information.

"Hold on a minute...was the war that bad?"

"It wasn't that the war was bad, but the real reason why they erased everyone's memories is because of the things the Magic Council did to fight against Zeref and let's just say that none of those things were moral. They not only used the power of Etherion to fight against him, but they also used it to kill innocent people."

"W-What?"

"When confronted about it, they responded by saying that if they didn't fire it, Zeref would have killed thousands more...but eventually their actions on using Etherion became too suspicious and many people started to question the Magic Council. It was then that they decided to erase everyone's memories and no one ever asked about it again. It was also around the time when they decided to make the law on using Etherion."

"But...to erase so many people's memories...how was that even possible?"

"That spell...it was a spell that was inhaled by everyone through the air. It was kind of like an airborne virus and everyone inhaled it. It's been forbidden now because of that reason." He explained.

"Okay...this is a little too much to process...but I still don't know who this Sekrom is."

"Sekrom was one of these evil wizards that followed Zeref. He was called General Sekrom in the war and he was one of his strongest warriors. However, the reason for that was because of his ability that he was given by Zeref himself."

"Is it these pet thing you were talking about?"

"Yes, Zeref gave Sekrom the power to create these horrible creatures with a very specific type of ability that was feared during the war. They were called, Darkstalkers."

"What was it?"

"The power to easily become someone else."

"Huh? I don't understand."

"To put it simply, these monsters of his are able to enter anyone's body and become that person. They will be able to copy everything of that person, the way they talk, their memories and their magic."

"Ah...but wouldn't anyone know if they were imposters?"

"That's the thing, they wouldn't." Natsu's eyes widened. "The thing about these monsters is that they copy everyone so perfectly that no one can tell if they're imposters or not."

"Wait a minute, you said Sekrom fought in the war, but wasn't that like a long time ago? How is he still alive?"

"When Zeref supposedly died, his followers disappeared. No one knows what happened tot hem, but I think what happened to Zeref, happened to them. Seeing as how you are fighting Zeref, it's safe to assume that Zeref brought him back." He replied. "However, from what I gathered, Sekrom's strength couldn't have possibly returned to full strength and thus was only able to recreate only a few of these Darkstalkers. There is also one more thing, these monsters cannot just control anybody. They are only able to control those with emotions and thoughts that are unstable."

"So, how exactly do I fight these things? If what you're saying is true, then my friends are in danger."

"The first thing we need to do is find out exactly how many of your friends have been taken over by these monsters. This is difficult because your friends think you are dead and thus everyone of them are unstable. Finding out who has been taken over would be difficult. If we know how many of the Darkstalkers he was able to create, then it can increase the chances of us finding out which ones of your friends have been taken over. There is also another way to find out. We just need to know one person that has been traumatized by your death to the extent that the monsters have no choice but to pick them to take over. Anyone come to mind, Natsu?"

"Yeah..." He glared at his teacher as he knew one person who would take his death the hardest.

"Well, that would make things easier. Now, let me explain to you how you can defeat these Darkstalkers, without hurting your friends. You will need these..."

Erza walked through the streets of Magnolia with a frown on her face. She would occasionally show a smile whenever someone called her to say good morning or how the festival was going. Despite how she was feeling at the moment, she didn't want to disappoint the townsfolk who were looking forward to the festival.

She still felt angry at the things Laxus said and for some reason, she couldn't keep it off of her mind. Was he right? Was she really the cause of Natsu's death? No matter how much anyone told her it wasn't, or how many times she told herself that, she just couldn't deny it. It was her fault. It just hurt her so much. Natsu was dead and it was her fault. She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. If only he listened to her and just left. If only he let her deal with her problem by herself. It then dawned on her that if she did, could she have been dead instead of Natsu. That thought made her wish it was her, but she knew thinking such thoughts was wrong beyond belief. Natsu knew what he going to go through when he told her to leave everything to him. Yet, it still made her feel worse because there was a possibility that she was the reason that Natsu was dead.

She still objected to hosting the festival, but she had to admit that what Mirajane said was right. Natsu would have wanted them to not stop the festival. Without Natsu there though, the festival wouldn't be the same and she knew everyone knew that.

"Erza-san!" Erza stopped and turned her head to see a middle age woman walking over to her.

"Ah, good morning." She greeted her with a fake smile that could have fooled almost anyone.

"Yes, good morning to you too. Is everyone at Fairy Tail working hard on this year's Harvest Festival?"

"Yes, everyone is." She replied.

"That's good. I'm really looking forward to this year and for what you all have planned for it."

"We'll make sure to not disappoint."

"I know you won't. Although, my husband keeps bragging about the Miss fairy Tail Pageant...honestly..." She pouted as Erza slightly chuckled.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure to keep it as clean as possible." Erza told her.

"Right, are you going to enter too?" Erza looked down and frowned. She honestly didn't want to do it after Natsu's death. However, there was a part of her that told her to do it so that it can cease the pain even if it is slightly.

"Yes." She eventually answered and the woman smiled.

"That's good, just make sure you don't steal my husband away." She laughed as Erza followed suit.

"Don't worry, I'm definitely sure that won't happen."

"Of course, well I got to be off. Good luck!" The woman waved her hand as Erza did the same. She smiled at the retreating woman's back and was surprised that such small talk could leave her laughing.

'I guess...I should enter after all...'

"Huh? You mean that Iron Dragon Slayer is a new member too?" Gray asked Juvia as she nodded her head.

"H-Hai, Gray-sama, Master invited him a couple of days ago and he accepted. Although, Juvia is not sure where he is at the moment." She responded.

"Oh well, it's not like I want to see him or anything." Gray responded as Lucy and Happy walked over to them.

"Hey Gray? What is this Miss Fairy Tail pageant thing about?" Lucy asked.

"Huh? Oh that, it's something Fairy Tail hosts every year at the Harvest Festival. Some of the girls participate for either the fun of it or for the money." He answered.

"Huh? Money?" Lucy perked up at the word money.

"Yeah...how much was it again?" He scratched his head trying to remember. "Oh well, I don't remember, but it's a lot so..."

"Hmmm, I wonder if I have a shot...I need money to pay for my rent..." Lucy thought about it.

"Well, if you do plan on participating you are probably going to go up against some strong opponents, unless Erza doesn't participate, which is probably unlikely..." He frowned.

"I see..." Lucy and Happy frowned as well. After a while, Lucy made up her mind. "You know what, I think I'll enter...it might take my mind off of you know what."

"Hmph, well then good luck." He said with a smile, which did not go unnoticed by Juvia.

"Juvia will also enter!" She suddenly said and they looked at her.

"You too?" Gray asked as she nodded her head.

"Hai, Gray-sama!" She then turned to Lucy. "Juvia won't lose to you...my rival in love!"

"R-Right...although I don't think you have to worry about that." Lucy sweat dropped.

"Oh, I think you two should hurry up and enter..." Gray told them and pointed toward the sign that said last entries. They saw that and hurried over to sign up. Gray sighed as Happy hopped onto the table. Gray looked at him and smiled, before petting him on the head. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah...I miss him..."

"Yeah...we all do...but like you and Mira said...he would want us to host the festival and not be sad about his death...that stupid fire breath."

Happy giggled and nodded his head. "Yeah..."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Gajeel turned his head as he looked at Levy, Jet and Droy.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy..." He told her as he looked badly bruised. "I think you should be worried about those two more." He pointed to Jet and Droy, who were also bruised, but not to the extent of Gajeel. Levy frowned as she looked at the Iron Dragon Slayer with concern.

"We're sorry..." Jet and Droy both said.

"Don't worry about it...it may look bad, but it doesn't feel like it..." He responded.

"But...why would Laxus attack us like that?" Levy asked.

"Didn't you hear him, he said it was because Phantom made the guild look weak and of course he would take his anger out on me." Gajeel explained.

"But, that was taking it too far and he tried attacking us three as well." Jet shouted.

"Yeah, I don't know why he did that, but...something is fishy about that guy...and I have a bad feeling..." Gajeel told them. "I'm heading back to the guild." He told them and just started walking off.

"Ah, hold up!" Levy called after him as she, Jet and Droy ran to catch up.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Max shouted into his microphone on the stage that was set up in the guild, which was packed full of people. "The Miss Fairy Tail Pageant is about to begin!" The crowed erupted into a roar.

"W-Wow...so many people..." Lucy looked out to the crowd from backstage.

"Well, it's to be expected..." Lucy jumped slightly at the voice from behind her and turned around to see Erza smiling at her.

"E-Erza! A-Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah...I'm doing fine...I see you are entering the pageant..."

"Y-Yeah...I thought it might be fun and help me get my mind off of you know what..." She frowned.

"I understand...that's probably the same reason why I'm participating as well..."

"Oh I see...WHAT!?" Lucy screamed.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Erza asked confused.

"N-No...nothing..." Lucy chuckled. 'Ah man...now I don't stand a chance...' She thought in disappointment. 'No...' She shook her head. 'I can't think like that! I can do it!' She put on a face filled with determination. Erza was confused at her movements, but smiled when she saw the look of determination on the young blond's face.

"Well, good luck, Lucy." She told her and then left.

"R-Right...you too."

"Our first contestant is the lovely, Miss Cana Alberona!" The crowd erupted when Cana walked onto the front of the stage, hitting a pose. She then activated her magic as cards whirled around her and with a bright light, she was now in a bikini and this made the crowd even more wilder.

"Oh boy..." Lucy sweat dropped at the huge reception Cana got. 'Looks like I have to go all out to win...'

The rest of the participants all went one by one until it was Lucy's turn.

"And finally! Our super rookie! Miss Lucy Hea-!"

"No! Don't say my last name!" She pushed Max aside as he fell on his butt. "Ah, I'm sorry..." She apologized. 'If people knew my dad was rich, then I wouldn't be able to get the money.' Max rubbed his butt and stood up.

"Alright then, give it up for Miss Lucy!" He corrected himself as Lucy walked toward the stage, keys in hand.

"Yosh! I'm going to dance with my Celestial Spirits, she told the crowd as they oooed and awed.

"Number Eight." Everyone made noises of confusion as the owner of the voice appeared on stage.

"Huh? But I'm not done..." Lucy pouted as she turned around to see who stopped her from showing off her skills.

"If you talk about a fairy, it's me. If you talk about beauty, it's me. That's right, it's all me. The champion is me, Evergreen! So, how about we end to contest right here." Evergreen told them as she posed on stage.

"W-What?" Lucy asked in shock.

"What? Evergreen?" Gray said.

"She's back?" Elfman added.

"Huh? But what about my money?" Lucy asked, but then got angry at Evergreen for interrupting her. "Hey, quit playing around! This contest revolves around my living expenses!"

"Lucy! Don't look in her eyes!" Gray suddenly shouted.

"Huh?" She asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry...did you say something little girl?" Evergreen told her and lifted her glasses. Lucy's eyes widened as she was suddenly turned to stone.

"What is that?"

"Stone?"

"Is this some sort of performance?"

"This is bad..." Max gritted his teeth. "Everyone run away!" He shouted and the crowd did just that as they started to escape from the guild.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Evergreen?" Makarov yelled.

"Doesn't a festival have a main show?" She said as she burned down the curtains behind to reveal every participant of the pageant to be turned to stone.

"What!?" Some of the guild members shouted in shock.

"She turned those backstage into stone!" Max shouted.

"Nee-chan!" Elfman shouted.

"They even got Erza!" Happy stated.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!?" Makarov shouted. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the stage.

"Oi, you Fairy Tail brats!" Suddenly, Laxus appeared in the form of lightning before turning to his original body. He was then approached by the rest of his team as Bixlow, Fried and Evergreen stood by his side. "The real festival is just about to begin!"

"Laxus!" Makarov growled in anger.

"Bixlow and Fried!" Gray stated the names of the other two mysterious members.

"Why don't we play a game, old geezer?" Laxus told his grandfather.

"Don't do something stupid, Laxus! We have to prepare for Fantasia! Turn them back to normal now!" Makarov ordered.

"Oh come on, old geezer...let's have some fun, after all, Fantasia is later tonight." He smirked. "If we hurry, we might get to see it with the people of this town." Suddenly, lightning appeared above Lucy.

"No! Don't do it!" Makarov yelled as the lightning bolt struck down, but missed Lucy and hit the stage next to her. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Laxus then put an arm over Lucy's shoulders.

"If you don't mind, I'll take these girls hostages." He told everyone as Makarov glared at him. "I'll destroy them one by one if any of you break the rules, like I said this is the main show." He told them.

"There are things that can't be taken as a joke, Laxus." Makarov told him.

"Of course, that's why I'm serious." He responded.

"Do not panic, all this is is a game..." Fried began.

"...to see who is Fairy Tail's strongest!" Bixlow finished as everyone's eyes widened.

"The rules are simple...the last survivor wins! Fairy Tail fight starts now!"

"You bastard...doing this after you know what has befallen our guild!" Makarov yelled.

"Hahahaha! Oh please...aren't you the same...having a festival right after Natsu's death...it's almost like your celebrating his death instead of honoring it!" Laxus laughed.

"You bastard!" Gray shouted in anger as he had just about enough of Laxus.

"No need to get so angry Gray, all you have to do is win and everything will return back to normal." Laxus told him.

"Exactly, once you win, then we'll turn all the girls back to normal." Evergreen added.

"There's four us and about a hundred of you...aaaahhhhhh! We are at a total disadvantage! Gyahahaha!" Bixlow laughed.

"The time limit is three hours." Evergreen told them. "If you cannot defeat us before time runs out, then these girls...will be turned to sand."

"Whaaaaat?"

"Are you serious?"

"You are taking this too far!"

"Laxus..." Makarov shook in disbelief.

"The battlefield covers all of Magnolia." Fried added. "The moment you find anyone, the battle begins."

"DON'T SCREW WITH ME!" Makarov erupted a she grew five times his size.

"Calm down, old geezer. Let's just enjoy this little entertainment." Laxus responded and lifted his finger, which then resulted in a flash of light that blinded everyone.

"So bright!"

"Let the battle of Fairy Tail begin!" Laxus voice echoed throughout the guild as he and the others disappeared.

"H-He's gone..."

"Playing hiding and seek like a coward!"

"That idiot..." Makarov muttered.

"Nghhhhh! I gotta save Nee-chan and the others!" Elfman roared his battle cry as he ran toward the exit.

"Damn these assholes!" The others followed suit.

"Capture Laxus!"

"Hell, I'm going to smash him to pieces!"

"How dare he look down on us!"

"Bisca..." Alzack muttered as he looked at her. "I'll save you no matter what!"

"Damn that brat!" Makarov ran along with the others. "I'll put him in his place!" He continued to run until he hit something hard. "Ow! What the hell is this!?"

"Gramps! What are you doing?" Gray asked.

"I'm not doing anything! I can't go any further! There is like an invisible wall here." He replied.

"What? There is now wall here!" Gray stated as he touched the air and nothing happened.

"Ngghhhh...but I can't get through!"

"What?" Gray tried pulling him through, but it was too no avail. Then, writing began to appear in the air. Gray noticed it. "What's that?"

"This is...Fried's enchantments...!?" Makarov asked.

"Enchantment?" Gray asked.

"A form of barrier." He replied. "Look."

Rule: Those above the age of 80, and stone statues, may not pass.

"What the hell is this magic? It's like some kid saying 'it's because I said so' and it's working!" Gray yelled in shock.

"It takes time to cast an enchantment like this and even thought it's pretty much useless in battle, it can be used to set up a trap." Makarov stated.

"So, it's because of this magic, you won't be able to get out?" Gray asked.

"It appears so, unless you defeat Fried, this barrier won't be removed." Gray clenched his fists.

"These bastards...doing this...after what happened to Natsu...I can't forgive them! Don;t worry Gramps, I'll handle this..." Gray told him.

"Wait!"

"I don't care if he's your grandson, Gramps. I'm going to defeat Laxus!" Gray told him before running off toward the town. Makarov watched him as he disappeared. A smirk then was placed on his face.

'Looks like everything is going according to plan, just like Zeref said...'

The battle to determines Fairy Tail's strongest waged on as the city of Magnolia became a battlefield, although unknown to many of the civilians. About an half an hour into the fight, out of all the members who participated, the numbers went down by 15. Unexpectedly, Gajeel was not able to participate because he couldn't get past the barrier for some strange reason.

"My, this is such a pity..." Makarov, Gajeel and Reedus, who stayed behind because he was scared of Laxus turned their heads to see Evergreen return as she stood on the stage.

"Evergreen!" Makarov yelled. "Stop this foolishness!"

"Sorry, Master...but I can't go against Laxus..." She told him. "To be honest, I wasn't planning on coming back, but I thought I take one of these hostages with me."

"What!?" Makarov yelled.

"Come on, Mirajane..." She said, ignoring Makarov and grabbed Mirajane's stone figure. She then suddenly disappeared.

"What the hell is she doing?" Makarov gritted his teeth. "Damn them!"

Evergreen floated across town, with Mirajane's body, with help of Friend changing his enchantment for her for a brief second, and was noticed by Elfman. "Evergreen! What do you think you're doing with Nee-chan!?"

"Oh? If you want to know, then come catch me!" She smirked as Elfman roared and ran after her.

"Nee-chan!"

The battle continued on and ten more guild members had fallen, including Gray who lost to Bixlow. Elfman managed to catch up to Evergreen, but unfortunately lost easily due to Evergreen's quick thinking and holding Mirajane hostage. During this time, however, Erza was able to somehow escape from Evergreen's spell.

"W-What?" Erza asked as she looked at her hands in shock.

"Erza!" Makarov yelled. "How are you?"

"I don't know..." She replied. "Maybe...it's just a guess, but it might be because of my fake eye." She told him.

"I see..." He understood. "Listen, I don't have time to explain, but..."

"I know...I heard everything..." She told him as she clenched her hands and stood up. "Don't worry Master! I'll deal with Laxus!"

"Yeah, but listen, we have a different problem now." Makarov told her. "Evergreen...she took Mirajane..."

"Yeah...I know...I was planning on heading to rescue her first and then dealing with Laxus...I won't let them do this to us...not after what happened to Natsu...this time...this I will make sure to protect all my friends!" Erza stated.

Makarov nodded his head as Reedus smiled. "Alright! Go for it, Erza! You're our only hope."

"I understand, Master!" With that, she rushed off. Makarov looked at her and made a slight smirk.

'Now then...this is where the fun begins...'

Erza jumped from rooftop to rooftop as she saw the destruction this game caused. 'Damn you Laxus...doing this after Natsu's...I won't forgive you!' She continued to jump until she finally found Evergreen. Oddly though, there was no sight of Mirajane. "Evergreen!" She screamed as she landed in front of her.

"Oh my...looks like you escaped my enchantment...Erza..." She greeted the scarlet knight, with a fan in front of her mouth. "I'm curious...how did you do it?"

"Never mind that! Where is Mira!?" She demanded.

"Mira?" She said as if she was confused. "Oh...why don't you ask her yourself."

"W-What?" Erza asked, but didn't realize the presence of someone behind her before it was too late. She was barely able to turn as she was struck rather hard in the gut. She was smashed into the fountain in the town square and broke it, before sliding to a stop on the ground. "Uggghhh..." Erza groaned in pain as she tried lifting her head after feeling as if she was hit by a truck. Her eyes widened when she saw who her assailant was. "M-Mira..."

In front of her stood Mirajane, but unlike the sweet and nice version of her, it was the demon take over form of hers: Stan Soul. "Erza..."

"M-Mira...your powers...they're back...but how..." Erza asked in shock. However, Mirajane did not care for small talk as she grabbed Erza's throat, lifting her up and smashing her against another building. Erza screamed in pain as she spat out blood. Mirajane then let go of her and followed her attack by whipping her tail and sending her tot he ground hard.

Erza didn't understand. Why was Mirajane attacking her? Shouldn't she be helping her attack Evergreen? "Erza..." The scarlet knight heard her name as she opened her eyes to see Mirajane standing next to her, glaring down.

"Mira...why...why are you attacking me? We should work together and defeat-" She didn't get to finish as Mirajane tried to slash Erza, but she quickly dodged out of the way. She dropped to a knee and glared at her. "Mira! Calm down!"

"Shut up!" She yelled and charged at her with a flap of her wings. Erza was shocked at the speed and didn't have time to dodge as her throat was once again grabbed and smashed into another building. Erza screamed in pain again as Mirajane's hand clenched around her through viciously.

"M-Mira..." Erza managed to croak out as she was losing air.

"It's your fault..." Erza's eyes widened at her words.

"W-What?"

"It's your fault...Natsu's dead because of you..." Erza's eyes widened in horror as she saw Natsu's scarf around Mirajane's neck.

"No...it wasn't..." She tried talking some sense into her former rival.

"Liar!" Mirajane roared.

"Nee-chan...what are you doing?" Both woman turned their heads to see Elfman leaning against a building, looking at his sister in shock.

"Elfman..." Erza groaned.

"This doesn't concern you, Elfman..." His sister told him.

"Like hell it doesn't!" He yelled. "Why are you attacking Erza!?"

"Because it's her fault!" She screamed in response. "It's her fault that Natsu is dead...it's her fault..." She said that last part almost as if she was crying. Erza was in shock. Why as she acting like this? Did she and Natsu have some sort of special bond neither she or anyone else know about?

"Your delusional, Nee-chan!" Elfman tried to reason with her. "It wasn't Erza's fault!"

"Shut up! It's her fault and she's going to pay!" Mirajane yelled back as Elfman was completely stunned by her actions.

"But, she didn't..."

"Your right..." Elfman and Mirajane looked at Erza as she had her eyes closed. Mirajane then felt something wet on her hand and saw that it was the scarlet knight's tears.

"Erza..." Elfman looked at her in shock.

"Natsu's dead because of me...it was me who was supposed to die...not Natsu..." 'What am I saying?' "If it wasn't for me, Natsu would have still be alive and I would have been dead. It's all my fault." 'Why am I saying this?'

"No! It wasn't your fault Erza! I don't know what happened, but I know for sure that you didn't kill him." Elfman tried to reason with her.

"No...it is my fault...I brought so much pain to everyone that it's just making me feel worse and worse just thinking about it." She continued as Mirajane continued to glare at her. "You have every right to be angry with me, Mira...I'm so sorry..."

"Your sorry? Sorry won't bring him back to life!" Mirajane yelled in response.

"I know...I know nothing I say or do will bring him back to life...but I'm really sorry...I am the worst type of person there is...I couldn't even solve my own problems and because of that...Natsu is dead..."

"Erza..." Elfman muttered in shock.

"You have every right to hit me. I will take everything you have to offer to quell your anger, Mira. It's the least I could do." She cried as she said those words. Mirajane stared at her.

"Fine then!" Mirajane shouted and pulled back her hand.

"No, Nee-chan!" Elfman tried to get to his sister as her hand slowly heading to Erza. Erza closed her eyes as she was prepared to take whatever punishment Mira was going to give her. She waited, but nothing happened. She was confused. "No...way..." She heard Elfman say and then she started opening her eyes. When she caught a glimpse of pink, she immediately opened her eyes and they widened in shock as the man she thought was dead was now standing in between her and Mirajane, holding Mirajane's wrist.

"N-N-Natsu..." Erza mouthed out. He didn't say anything. All she could see was his head down, and hair covering his eyes. Instead of lifting his head, he suddenly turned around to face Mirajane.

"You bastard! Get out of her body!" He screamed and then with punched Mirajane in the gut. 'Sorry, Mira...' He apologized for hitting her. Erza and Elfman watched as a bright light suddenly shined behind Mirajane and then next thing they saw was a black monster come out of her body and onto the ground, crying out as if he was in pain. Mirajane returned her body to normal as Natsu caught her before she fell tot he ground. He put his arm around her shoulders and leaned her against his chest as he looked down at her face. Erza slid down to the ground and just stared in shock at Natsu's back. The Darkstalker continued to cry out in pain. Natsu frowned at Mirajane, but blinked when he suddenly saw her start to open her eyes.

Mirajane only managed to open them halfway, but when she saw Natsu's smiling face, she felt happiness fill her chest. "N-Natsu...is that you...?" She asked.

"Yeah...it's me..." She giggled slightly as she raised her hand to touch his cheek. When she felt his warm skin against her hand, she knew he was back. He was alive and that made her extremely happy.

"Your late..." She whispered.

"I know...I'm sorry..." She smiled and her cheeks became a rosy color before she lost consciousness. Natsu frowned at this and then lifted his head to stare at the Darkstalker a she was no longer screaming in pain. (Picture the Darkstalker as the Alien from Aliens, but completely made of darkness)

"Wryaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" The Darkstalker roared as he swayed side to side.

"Natsu...how are you..." He heard Erza behind him.

"Erza...there is something I need to talk to you about...but right now...there is a big problem...once this is all over, we'll talk and I'll tell you everything that happened in the tower and what happened after...including Jellal." Erza's eyes widened. He then stood up, carrying Mirajane in his arms. He looked over at Elfman. "Hey Elfman, I need you to take your sister so that I can defeat this disgusting thing." Elfman was frozen for a moment, before he nodded his head and ran over to him. Natsu handed Elfman's sister to him. Elfman took her into his arms, looked down at her, eye's widened at her tears before looking at Natsu.

He smiled at him. "Natsu..."

"Don't worry...she's going to be okay..." He reassured him and then turned to face the Darkstalker. "Alright, you disgusting piece of trash!" Natsu pounded his fists together. "Let's go!" He ignited his hands and then disappeared. The Darkstalker searched the area for the disappearing Dragon Slayer, but saw that he was no where to be found. A shadow then appeared from above and it looked up. "Take this!" Natsu clutched both of his flaming hands together and smashed the Darkstalker's head to the ground, cracking the ground beneath it.

"Wryaaaahhhh!" The monster screamed in pain as it lifted it's head and took steps back, feeling dizzy.

"Not done!" Natsu shouted and increased the flame in one of his hands. "Fire Dragon's Fist!" He punched the Darkstalker in the face. "And this!" He charged once again and initiated several different blows before getting into position for his final attack as the Darkstalker was now in the air. "Too bad for you, you are going to be my warm up...Crimson Lotus..." Erza's and Elfman's eyes widened as Natsu's flames turned green. "...Exploding Flame Blade...of Etherion!" Green blades of fire connected with the Darkstalker as each one exploded upon contact, leaving behind a huge explosion that burn the monster into ash.

Anyone who was remaining in the contest looked at the green flame and their eyes widened in shock. They all had the same feeling and knew exactly who's flames they belonged to. Makarov witnessed the flames and gritted his teeth without letting Gajeel or Reedus see him. 'Damn him...he's back...Zeref was right...Natsu Dragneel is still alive...and he's found a way to defeat my creations!' Hen then smirked. 'Too bad, the fun is only getting started...'

To Be Continued...
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- 24
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Time is the Path to Strength