Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

  Another morning at the Fairy Tail Guildhall, and as usual, the place was as lively as ever, everyone drinking, eating, or just hanging out in general, but some were already trying to find themselves a job to do. What's more, after about 3 days of rest from her last job with Gray, Haru had finally recovered from her injuries and was back to work in no time at all, something that her brother was very happy about, as were Gray, Happy, and Lucy, as well. Haru was also excited to get back to work herself, especially because she missed being out of the action.

  As Haru and Blue Fang approached the request board, the former saw Lucy standing there, trying to pick what job to do, as well as Nab... being indecisive, as usual.

  "Hi, Lucy!" Haru greeted.

  "Haru!" Lucy exclaimed as she hugged her. "It's so good to see you up and about, again! How are you feeling?"

  "Way better, now," Haru replied. "Now that I'm back up to scratch, I can't wait to get back to work. Right, Blue Fang?"

  Blue Fang barked and licked her face, causing her to laugh as she stroked his neck.

  "Welcome back, Haru!" Mirajane called to Haru, who smiled at her.

  "Thanks, Mira!" Haru called back before she noticed someone missing from the bar counter. "Huh? Hey, where's the Master?"

  "Huh?" Lucy muttered before she looked over at the counter where the little old man would usually sit. "Oh, yeah! Isn't Master Makarov usually right there?"

  "Oh, he's at another one of the league meetings," replied Mirajane. "He won't be back for a while."

  "Oh, jeez, is it that time again, already?" Haru asked in surprise.

  "Wait, what league meeting?" Lucy asked in puzzlement.

  "It's when the masters of the regional guilds gather to make their reports," Mirajane replied. "It's a little different from the Magic Council, though, so I can see why you'd be confused."

  Then, with the help of Reedus Jonah the Pict Wizard, Mira drew up a very complex-looking chart depicting the Government, the Magic Council, the Regional Guild League, and the guilds themselves. She explained how at the very top of the magic world were the Government as well as the ten members of the Magic Council, whose sole purpose is promote public safety and order within the magic world, as well as pass judgment on wizards who have committed crimes. Beneath the Council was the Regional League of Guild Masters, three of them, in fact. Their job was to communicate the decisions of the Council, as well as keep open paths of communication to guilds of other regions. They oversee local wizards, such as the Fairy Tail Guild.

  "Ha!" Haru laughed. "It's just an excuse for all those old geezers to gather together and get drunk."

  "Haha!" Cana guffawed after taking a swig of her beer barrel. "You said it, Haru!"

  "Haru!" Mirajane scolded.

  "Well, it's true!" Haru argued.

  "Haru, you know that things would fall apart without legal guilds," Mirajane chided.

  "Why?" Lucy asked. "Why is it so important?"

  "Because if the connections between guilds aren't handled properly," Mirajane started, "then that means-"

  "THE GUYS IN BLACK SHOW UP!!!" Natsu suddenly shouted with a scary leer in his eyes and his hands ablaze, causing Lucy to shriek as she jumped into Haru's arms. "HAHAHA!! Oh, man, did you see the look on her face?! Priceless!!"

  "Aye!" Happy agreed.

  "What the hell?!" Lucy questioned as she smacked Natsu's arm. "What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack, you jerk?!"

  "Oh, relax," Haru said. "Natsu doesn't mean any harm. He's just playing around."

  'The way a boy teases a girl when he likes her,' she added, mentally.

  "It's no laughing matter, though," Mirajane pointed out. "The dark ones that Natsu is talking about actually exist. They're a guild that isn't a part of any league. We call them Dark Guilds."

  "Yeah, Gray and I ran into one, remember?" asked Haru. "They're no joke, really."

  "Yeah, they can be pretty scary," Natsu agreed.

  "Aye," Happy nodded.

  "Well, then, I'm sure they'll come around hoping to recruit Natsu into their hijinks," Lucy quipping.

  "Ah, whatevs," Natsu shrugged. "Anyway, how about you pick us a job, Lucy?"

  "Aye, we picked one, last time," Happy began, "so it's your turn now!"

  "No way!" Lucy shouted. "Our partnership is dissolved!"

  "What are you talkin' about?" Natsu asked.

  "You didn't really want me!" Lucy argued. "You just needed me because I was blond! If it weren't for that, you could have been anyone else!"

  "Wait, what do you mean?" Haru asked while Blue Fang tilted his head, curiously. "Did this have something to do with the job you took while you were with Natsu and Happy?"

  "I prefer not to talk about it, really," Lucy said, remembering the utter humiliation she felt at being insulted by that pig, Duke Everlue.

  "It's not because you're blond!" Natsu spoke up. "We picked ya 'cuz you're nice!"

  "Aww, that's so sweet!" Haru said while Lucy rolled her eyes... although she did blush a little bit at the comment.

  "Don't go wasting your time with that pink-haired loser," Gray said, suddenly, causing Natsu to look up and glare at him. "If you want, we can form a team together."

  "Gray, you're in your skivvies, again," Haru said, causing the Ice Wizard to yelp in shock.

  "What the hell?!" Gray questioned.

  "Why don't you ever notice it by now, ya perv?" Natsu asked, causing Gray to get in his face and grind his forehead up against his, an intense glare in his eyes.

  "Did you just call me a perv, Dragonbreath?!"

  "So what if I did?! What are you gonna do about it, Ice Princess?!"

  "Flame-for-brains!!"

  "Snowflake!!"

  It didn't take very long before the boys were going at it, tussling and brawling with each other as they threw insults and punches at each other while rolling around on the floor.

  "Oh, for goodness sake," Haru muttered in annoyance while Blue Fang seemed to groan and slap a paw over his face as if he was embarrassed at the sight of the two boys scuffling.

  "Hey, Haru, how about you and I form a team together?" Lucy asked with a smile creasing her face. "We do get along pretty well, don't you think?"

  "Oh, Lucy, that's nice," Haru replied, "but I'd rather be in a team with my brother if that's okay with you. He and I just go way back, you know? I mean... maybe not WAY, way back, but you know what I mean!"

  "Well, perhaps you and I could form a team, Lucy," Loke offered with that usual suave charm of his. "And may I say... you look dazzling beyond compare. If I took my shades, I'd more than likely be blinded by your beauty."

  "Oh, for the love of Mavis, here comes the same spiel he tried to pull on me..." Haru groaned, but then, Loke froze as he spotted Lucy's Celestial Gate Keys hooked up to her belt. The moment that the blonde girl revealed to him that she was indeed a Celestial Spirit Wizard, Loke turned and bolted out the door.

  "I'm afraid our relationship won't work out! I'm sorry!!" he cried out.

  "What is his problem?" asked Lucy.

  "Don't let it get to you," Mirajane assured. "I think Loke had a falling out with a Celestial Spirit Wizard once and that's why he gets so jumpy around them."

  "Come to think of it," Haru began, "I think Loke used to be part of another guild before he- OOF!!" She didn't get to finish when Natsu and Gray ended up barreling into her during their brawl.

  "FLAME BREATH!!" Gray shouted as he pulled on Natsu's lip.

  "ICE STREAKER!!" Natsu yelled as he tweaked Gray's nose.

  "ALL RIGHT, THAT DOES IT!!" Haru snapped. "NOW YOU'VE UNLEASHED THE BEAST!!!"

  Before long, she jumped into the brawl, too, all three of them forming a huge cloud of dust as they wrestled with each other with Natsu and Gray even shooting off fire and ice attacks respectively and Haru just went to plain old fisticuffs...

  CHOMP!!

  "OW!! SIS, MY ASS!!"

  ...With the occasional biting.

  "And here I was, thinking she was actually a little more levelheaded," Lucy muttered with a sweatdrop while Mirajane giggled.

  "WE GOT BAD NEWS!!!"

  At that cry, everyone looked up to see Loke burst back into the guildhall... but for some reason, he looked pale and there was sweat dripping down his face. He looked as if he had seen a demon from the bowels of Hell, itself!

  "It's Erza... she's on her way here!!"

  Almost instantly, everybody was in a frenzied panic, running around and screaming as if the end of the world was nigh. Blue Fang whimpered as he ran and hid under one of the tables... which actually did not help to hide him, considering his size. Even Natsu and Gray looked as if they were about to soil themselves!

  The only ones who weren't panicking were Mirajane, who had that usual sweet smile on her face as if all was right with the world, and Haru, who quickly pushed Natsu and Gray aside as a broad grin appeared on her features.

  "Erza's back?!" she asked, excitedly, and as soon as she said this, in walked this young woman with long, scarlet hair... clad in a suit of armor as she held aloft a gigantic bejewel horn in her right hand, which she held over her head with ease. The moment she entered, the whole room went completely still.

  "Wow...!" Lucy whispered in awe. "She's really pretty!"

  "Yeah, that's Erza Scarlet," Mirajane replied. "She's the second strongest female wizard here in Fairy Tail."

  "Wait... the second strongest?" asked Lucy. "Then who's the first?"

  "Oh, that would be-" Mirajane started.

  "Erza, you're home!" Haru exclaimed as she stood up and ran over to the armored lass, who smiled as she placed the horn down on the floor.

  "It's good to see you, too, Haru," Erza said as the Beast Wizard threw her arms around her in an embrace, which she returned.

  "Wow," Lucy said. "I haven't seen Haru that excited since the day I met her."

  "Aye!" Happy chirped. "Erza is like Haru's big sister, so she's always happy to see her!"

  "Now then," Erza began as she let Haru go, "has anyone Master Makarov."

  "Oh, he's at one of those stuffy meetings of his, again," said Haru before she noticed the giant horn that the armored woman had brought back, causing her to gasp in amazement. "Whoa, what is this?!"

  "It's a horn from the monster that I slew," Erza replied. "The locals were so grateful that they decorated and let me bring it home as a souvenir."

  "Uh... it's pretty big, Erza," said a random male guild member, which caused Erza to turn and glare at him. "Err, not that it's a problem or anything!!"

  "Good," Erza said before she sternly crossed her arms. "Now then... I heard that Fairy Tail has been causing nothing but trouble again. Master Makarov may not care about these things, but I certainly do. Cana! You need to start controlling your drinking!"

  "Pfft!!" Cana nearly spat out her booze and dropped her beer barrel.

  "Vijeeter! Take the dancing outside!"

  Vijeeter Ecor the Dance Wizard froze in mid-dance.

  "Wakaba! Get rid of that filthy habit!"

  Wakaba groaned as he pulled his pipe out of his mouth to try and put it out.

  "Nab! I thought I'd find you dawdling in front of the request board, as usual. Just a pick a job, already!!"

  "Ugh..." Nab groaned, dejectedly, and soon, Erza was pretty much just tearing into everyone about their bad habits, leaving them in a depressed state.

  "And let's not forget you, Haru," Erza said as she pinched Haru by the cheek and pulled on it, causing her to let out a painful whimper mixed with a nervous laugh. "What's this I'm hearing about you destroying a village? For the love of Mavis, you're as bad as your brother with that!"

  "It was only a few houses...!" Haru squeaked. "It's not as bad as it sounds!"

  Erza gave an exasperated sigh before she let the Beast Wizard go, causing her to rub her stinging cheek while muttering "Ouch".

  "Sheesh, she really tears into everyone, huh?" Lucy asked.

  "Aye," Happy replied. "You might say that Erza is the disciplinary committee in the guild... even though she's the only member."

  "By the way, Haru," Erza began, "where is your brother? And Gray? I need to speak with them."

  "They're over there," Haru replied as she pointed at Natsu and Gray... who both had these ridiculous forced grins as they hooked their arms over each other's shoulders and held hands, sweating literal buckets.

  "Heya, Erza!" Gray greeted. "Don't mind us! We're just hangin' out like best pals should! Right, Natsu, ol' buddy?"

  "Aye, ol' pal!" Natsu replied.

  "Why is Natsu acting like Happy?!" Lucy questioned in comical disbelief.

  "Is that right?" Erza asked. "Well, normally, you two 'best buddies' are locking horns whenever I'm not around... but it's nice to see you two getting along."

  "Well, maybe we're not best buddies every few minutes," Gray answered, "but still! We can get along! Right, Natsu?"

  "Aye," Natsu squeaked.

  "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Lucy screamed. "WHY IS NATSU ACTING LIKE THIS?!!"

  "It's because a long time ago, he challenged Erza to a fight and she kicked his butt," Haru explained.

  "HARU!!!" Natsu complained.

  "And then she caught Gray without his clothes on, so she beat him up really bad for that one," Haru continued.

  "OH, COME ON, REALLY?!" Gray questioned.

  "And let's not forget Loke!" Haru added. "He tried to flirt with Erza once and she beat him within an inch of his life."

  "Since when am I part of the conversation?!" Loke asked. "Don't go dragging me into this, Haru!!"

  "Well, Natsu, Gray," Erza said, "I'm glad you two are being such good friends... because I need a favor from you two."

  "Huh?" Natsu and Gray muttered in confusion while Erza's expression turned a bit grim.

  "While I was out on a job," Erza began, "I heard something rather disturbing..."

  "Disturbing how?" Haru asked, a bit nervous.

  "I'll explain the details later," Erza said. "I was going to ask for a second opinion from the Master, but seeing as he's not here and this must be addressed quickly, I must make the decision in his stead." She then looked at Natsu and Gray, who both went as straight and rigid as poles. "Natsu, Gray... I need your help. You'll come with me, won't you?"

  3... 2... 1...

  "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!" everyone in the guildhall yelled.

  "...Oh, boy..." Haru muttered while Blue Fang whined, worriedly.

Chapter Text

  The following day at Magnolia Station...

  "AAAAAAAARRGH!! I hate this! Teaming up with you is the worst idea, EVER!!"

  "You took the words right outta my mouth, Dragonbreath! Erza made a huge mistake, asking you to come along!!"

  "You guys, cut it out! You're making a scene!"

  "Aye!"

  "I just don't understand why I'M here!"

  Lucy gave an exasperated sigh while she sat on a nearby bench, holding Apollo in her arms, the spirit puppy whimpering as he watched the unfolding scene of Natsu and Gray scuffling as they argued with each other... and accidentally pulling several other patrons at the station into their brawl.

  "Why don't you just go with Erza?!" asked Natsu as he ground his forehead against Gray's. "I don't even wanna go!!"

  "Fine by me!!" Gray spat. "That way, I can watch her skin you alive when we get back!!"

  "Will you guys stop?!" Haru shouted. "For real!! You're acting like babies!!"

  Blue Fang whimpered as he lowered his head and shrunk back, not wanting to be part of the conflict while Happy just casually nibbled on a raw fish before he looked up at Lucy.

  "Hey, Lucy," said Happy. "How come you're here?"

  "I only came because Mirajane asked me to come!" Lucy replied. "She said I was supposed to be a 'mediator' for Natsu and Gray or something... but how in the hell do I mediate that?!" She pointed at Natsu and Gray as they kept arguing.

  "Why do you carry a blanket in your backpack all the damn time?!" asked Gray.

  "Why else?!" Natsu asked. "It's because I need to sleep somewhere, Einstein!"

  As the two continued argued, a mischievous grin creased Haru's features.

  "Hey, Lucy," she said. "You wanna see something funny?"

  "Uh... I guess so," replied Lucy, causing Haru to snicker before she turned to Natsu and Gray.

  "Oh, look! Erza's here!" the green-haired Beast Wizard exclaimed, causing both the Dragon Slayer and the Ice-Make Wizard to freeze before they turned around, grinning nervously with their arms hooked around each other and jumping around like a pair of fools.

  "Oh, hey, Erza!" Gray exclaimed. "Look at us, bein' best friends!"

  "Aye, we're-" Natsu started, only to realize that the armored woman was not there. "W-what the-?!"

  "Hey!" Gray shouted as he glared at Haru, who was clutching her stomach as she laughed, and even Lucy, Happy, Apollo, and Blue Fang couldn't help but laugh, too.

  "You were right, Haru!" Lucy exclaimed. "That is funny!"

  "They fall for it, every time!" Haru added.

  "Dammit, Haru!" Gray cursed. "I'm already stressed enough!!"

  "That is NOT funny!" Natsu snapped. "What are you tryin' to do, gimme a heart attack?!"

  "Well, maybe if you two weren't arguing so much, I wouldn't trick you," Haru retorted.

  "Why'd YOU even come along, anyway?" Natsu asked, annoyed at his sister's earlier prank.

  "Hey, I missed out on being with you, last time," Haru argued. "I'm coming along, like it or not, Mister Man."

  Blue Fang barked and wagged his tail in agreement with his mistress while Natsu groaned with a roll of his eyes.

  "Sorry I'm late," a familiar voice called. "Were you waiting long?"

  "Oh, finally," Lucy said as she turned around. "Hey, Erza- HUH?!"

  To the Celestial Spirit Wizard's utter shock, Erza was pulling an entire cart filled to the top with luggage!

  "Hey, Erza!" Haru greeted, happily. "You made it just in time!"

  "Splendid," Erza replied.

  "Holy HELL, that's a lot of stuff!" Lucy exclaimed as she eyed Erza's baggage.

  "Hmm?" Erza hummed inquisitively. "I believe I saw you, yesterday... who are you, again?"

  "Huh?" Lucy muttered. "Oh, right!" She then bowed her head in greeting. "It's nice to meet you, Erza. I'm Lucy, and I just joined the Fairy Tail guild recently. Mirajane asked me to come along with you all on your journey."

  "I see," Erza replied with a friendly smile of her own. "It's very nice to meet you, Lucy. Always glad to have new recruits. I believe I heard about your exploits from the other guild members, by the way... how you took down a bodyguard gorilla in the Everlue Mansion, yes? I believe we could use someone like you."

  "Uh... actually, that was Natsu, not me," Lucy replied, wondering how in the world the truth about what happened got so misconstrued.

  "Regardless," Erza began, "this job may be a bit dangerous, but with your skills, I'm sure we can pull it off."

  "Wait, danger?!" Lucy repeated in shock. "W-what danger?!"

  "I'm going, too, right, Erza?" Haru asked.

  "Of course, Haru," Erza replied. "I could also use yours and Blue Fang's help, as well."

  "Hey, Erza!" Natsu called. "I'll go, too, but only on one condition."

  "Dude, shut up!" Gray cried, nervously.

  "And what would that be, Natsu?" Erza inquired, raising an eyebrow at him.

  "When we're done with this job and we get back, I want a rematch!" Natsu declared as he clenched his fist and grinned, showing his sharp fangs, which caused Lucy, Gray, Happy, Blue Fang, and Apollo to gasp in shock while Haru sighed.

  "Oh, boy, here we go..." she muttered.

  "Dude, are you crazy?!" Gray questioned. "Are you trying to die young or something?!"

  "Shut up!" Natsu barked. "I'm not how I used to be, before! This time, I'm gonna fight you and I'm gonna win!"

  "Natsu, why can't you just let what happened go and-" Haru started, only for Erza to give a smug chuckle.

  "I see," she said. "Very well, Natsu... I accept your challenge. I'll admit, you've grown a bit since the last time we fought... and I'm not quite sure if I can beat you this time, but nonetheless... I'm not one to back down."

  "What do you mean you're not sure you'll win?!" Natsu questioned. "You better not hold anything back, you hear me?!"

  "Not at all," Erza replied. "I'm just saying that I acknowledge that you've gotten stronger."

  "What is happening?" Lucy asked, growing even more confused.

  "Don't question it, Lucy," Haru answered. "Trust me, it'll just save you the headache."

  "What about you, Gray?" asked Erza as she turned to the Ice-Make Wizard. "Do you want to try and challenge me, as well?"

  "Hell to the freakin' no!" Gray cried. "If Natsu wants to die by your hand, let him!"

  "Oh, yeah!" Natsu exclaimed before he raised his head to the sky, fire flaring around his head. "I'm all fired up, now!! NOTHING CAN STOP ME!!!"

~3 minutes later~

  "Natsu? Are you okay?" Haru asked as she sat in the train compartment with the others, Lucy sitting with Apollo and Erza on one side, and her sitting with Natsu, Happy, and Gray on the other, and Blue Fang lying down on the floor (how he was even able to fit with his size, no one could tell). As for Natsu, he was sitting with his arms wrapped around his churning stomach, looking green in the face, dry heaving and moaning. Basically, the poor Dragon Slayer looked half-dead.

  "My belly's killin' me...!" the pink-haired boy groaned, prompting Haru to reach over and rub his back.

  "Easy, Big Brother," Haru eased. "It's okay, I gotcha."

  "I swear, you are totally pathetic, Natsu," Gray said. "One minute, you're picking a fight, the next minute, you're like this."

  "Hey, come on, he can't help himself," Haru replied before she looked over at her sickly older brother, who gagged and covered his mouth.

  "Poor thing," Lucy said. "It must not be easy for him when it comes to traveling, huh?"

  "Yeah, poor Natsu's a mess when it comes to vehicles," said Haru. "I'm actually trying to work on something that can cure his motion sickness, or at the very least, make it so it's not so tough on him."

  "Maybe he'd feel better if he had some fish!" said Happy as he held up a raw fish... but that only made Natsu gag as he covered his mouth and turn away.

  "Ohhh~!" he moaned. "Put it away, please!"

  "Happy!" Haru scolded.

  "Sorry!" Happy cried as he put the fish inside his knapsack while Natsu swallowed whatever bile was trying to force its way up his esophagus... and by now, he was practically whimpering as he cradled his stomach.

  "Make it stop...!" he whined.

  "I'll be right back," said Haru as she got up. "I'm gonna see if I can get Natsu a ginger ale or some crackers. It might help settle his stomach a little. Come on, Blue Fang!"

  Blue Fang soon pulled himself up from the floor and followed Haru out to the next train car.

  "I think it might be a while until she manages to find something," Erza said. "Natsu, come here."

  "Aye..." Natsu groaned while Lucy yelped, grabbed Apollo, who let out a surprised yelp of his own, and then went to take Haru's seat as the pink-haired teen stumbled over to Erza and sat down beside her.

  "Now just relax..." Erza said in a soothing tone. "Everything will be all right."

  "Aye..." Natsu whimpered... right before Erza socked him right in the stomach, and before long, he was strewn across her lap, out like a light.

  "There," Erza said, nonchalantly. "That should make the trip easier on him."

  'And here I was, thinking she was actually sane!' thought Lucy.

  "Hey, Erza," said Gray. "Now that we have a minute, maybe you can fill us on what's going on."

  "Ah, yes," Erza replied, her expression turning serious. "Listen carefully."

XXX

  Haru hummed as she and Blue Fang searched through the dining car of the train, where they saw many patrons eating several lavish meals like roasted chicken, pasta, grilled steaks, et cetera. As Haru looked around, she stopped near the snack cart at the end of the car, filled with things ranging from potato chips, salted peanuts, crackers, sodas, water, and other things. It even had things like cake and ice cream parfaits!

  "Let's see," Haru murmured as she looked through the cart. "Here are some crackers... and... oh, here's the ginger ale! Although maybe I should get two." She then looked at the other snacks on the cart. "Hmm... maybe I should bring the others something back, too." She then eyed the slice of strawberry cake on the cart. "Oh, yeah, Erza will like that! She loves strawberry cakes!"

  Blue Fang, meanwhile, was hungrily licking his chops as he watched the other patrons eat their meals. As Haru was busy getting snacks for the others, the Silver Wolf noticed one particular man dressed in a white jacket with a spiky topknot, who was helping himself to a sandwich and a bottle of wine. Blue Fang licked his lips once more as he eyed the sandwich in the man's hand, then noticed a few crumbs fall on the floor. Unable to resist, the wolf went over and began to lap up the crumbs... but as he did, he accidentally nudged the satchel at the man's feet. In doing so, he caused the satchel to fall over... and Blue Fang's eyes fell on this wooden object that was sticking out of it.

  The wolf tilted his head in curiosity before he sniffed it, then shook his head at the scent. He didn't know why, but there was something off about it... something ominous. Before the wolf could show Haru, though, he suddenly felt something swat his nose, causing him to let out a yelp as he stumbled back, but in doing so, he accidentally bumped into a waiter who was carrying a tray of wine glasses, which ended up falling on top of a tall and burly man that was eating some meat on the bone. As the liquor ended up splashing all over him, the brute growled before he grabbed the waiter, who whimpered in fear before he was slugged across the face, sending him flying across the dining car. As Haru stood up to bring the snacks back to the others, she shrieked before she ducked down, avoiding the waiter as he crashed into the wall behind her, and before long, the whole car was in a state of panic, people brawling and screaming and food flying all over the place.

  In all the commotion, the man stood up and walked out casually, taking his bag with him.

  "Nosy mongrel..." he muttered.

  Meanwhile, Haru and Blue were both hiding under a table as they tried to avoid the riot that they had no intention of starting.

  "Just our luck, huh, Blue Fang?" asked Haru, which caused the wolf to whimper in dismay... and that's when the train conductor finally came in.

  "Hey, now! What's going on here?!" he asked... and soon, all the patrons in the car pointed at Haru, who grinned sheepishly.

  "Hi...?" she squeaked.

~Sometime later~

  "We're so sorry, sir," Haru apologized with her head bowed and Blue Fang doing the same. "We're so, so, SO sorry."

  "You're lucky I'm only letting you off with a warning, this time," said the conductor, sternly. "I don't want any more trouble out of you, or else! Get me?!"

  "Yes, sir," Haru answered as she bowed her head again. "Sorry, sir. So sorry, sir."

  Blue Fang whimpered in agreement.

  "Good," the conductor said. "Now get back to your compartment!"

  With a sigh, Haru and Blue Fang both turned to walk out of the dining car, ashamed and embarrassed of their actions.

  "On top of all that," Haru began, "I didn't bring the others their snacks or Natsu's ginger ale. Oh, well... we've probably stopped by now, anyway."

  As Haru made it to the train car where the others were sitting, she found that not only was the train still moving... but she found her brother, lying on the floor, groaning as the same man in the white jacket from earlier stood over him, a smug grin on his face. At first, she didn't know what was going on... until she saw Natsu trying to stand up, wiping some blood from his nose and lip. As he tried to light his fist on fire, the lurching of the train caused him to gag again, which gave the man another opportunity to attack. Without even so much as raising his hand, the mysterious stranger punched Natsu in the face... using his own shadow!

  "GUH!!" Natsu cried as he fell down, once more, while the man cackled... but in doing so, he made one big mistake.

  "HEY!!" Haru shouted as she charged at the man. "YOU LEAVE MY BIG BROTHER ALONE!!!"

  "Huh?" the man muttered, only to grunt as the Beast Wizard slammed into him and pinned him against the door, then she began to start punching him across the face, over and over. While Haru was busy with him, Blue Fang ran over to help a shaky Natsu to his feet.

  "Natsu, are you okay?!" Haru asked as she glanced back at him.

  "Watch out!" Natsu shouted, causing Haru to turn around, only to get slugged in the face by the man's shadowy fist, causing her to stumble back. Thankfully, even with the way he was, Natsu was able to catch her.

  "Ugh... thanks, Natsu," Haru groaned while wiping her lip.

  "Stay focused on the enemy in front of you, like I taught ya, remember?" Natsu scolded, but then, the train came to a grinding stop, causing the three wizards and the wolf to yelp as they tumbled to the floor. As they did, something dropped out of the man's bag, causing Natsu and Haru to glance down at it: it looked like some of gnarled wooden flute... with a three-eyed skull on top.

  "A... a flute?" Haru asked.

 "You saw it...!" the man growled.

Chapter Text

  Natsu and Haru both glared at their opponent, the young man known as Kageyama, who glared at them while wiping his mouth of blood.

  "So you saw it, did you?" asked Kageyama. "Then you have both sentenced yourselves to death."

  "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Haru said as she stood alongside her brother. "You're seriously gonna kill us over a little flute? Although it is kinda weird-looking."

  "SHUT UP!!" Kageyama shouted as he sent his shadow at the two siblings, who jumped out of the way at the last second. As Natsu leapt into the air, he lit his right fist on fire before he slugged the Shadow Wizard right in the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

  "That's for that sluggin' you gave me, earlier!!" Natsu shouted.

  "Haha! Yeah!" Haru laughed. "That's the way to show him, Natsu!"

  Natsu smirked as he cracked his knuckles, preparing to deliver another beatdown... until the P.A. system came on.

  "Attention, passengers: the emergency stop that had been issued earlier was given out as an error. The train will continue as planned. We apologize for this inconvenience."

  Natsu, Haru, and Blue Fang all froze just as the train began to lurch forward, causing Natsu to gag as his motion sickness began to kick back in.

  "Not again...!" he moaned.

  "Quick, we gotta get off this thing!" cried Haru as she hurried to grab hers and Natsu's bags.

  "Hold it, you two little flies!!" shouted Kageyama. "You attacked a member of the Eisenwald Guild!! Don't think that it ends here!!"

  "Oh, yeah?!" Natsu asked. "Well, I'll be sure to remember your face, too!! You're gonna regret the day you insulted Fairy Tail-" His speech was interrupted with a gag as he felt the train rocking against the tracks.

  "Natsu, we gotta go!!" Haru shouted as she jumped onto Blue Fang's back, and Natsu hopped on not long after, but not without shooting one more glare at Kageyama.

  "Next time, we're settling this one-on-one!" he declared before Blue Fang climbed up on one of the seats and broke through the windows to the outside. In doing so, however, Natsu accidentally lost his grip and fell off the silver wolf with a scream.

  "Natsu!!" Haru cried as she looked back, but she saw that there was no need to go after her brother... because someone else managed to catch him.

  "AGH!! DAMMIT, FLAME-HEAD!!!"

  To Haru's relief, Erza, Lucy, Gray, and Happy arrived just in time riding on a Magic 4-Wheeler Car... with Gray and Natsu both lying on their ground, holding their foreheads.

  "You guys!" Haru exclaimed as she and Blue Fang ran over to them.

  "Haru!" Lucy called as she and Erza got out of the vehicle. "Are you, Blue Fang, and Natsu okay?"

  "Well, more or less," answered Haru.

  "Dude, what the hell are you trying to do, kill me?!" Gray asked as he glared at Natsu.

  "I'm suffering amnesia from the shock," Natsu answered. "Who are you, again? And why the hell do you stink?"

  "WHAT WAS THAT, YOU PUNK?!!" Gray questioned.

  "Natsu, are you all right?" asked Erza.

  "Erza, Happy, Lucy, you guys left me hangin', back there!!" Natsu spat. "How could you?!"

  "Forgive me," said Erza, looking sincerely sorry.

  "Yeah, sorry about that, Natsu," Lucy added.

  "Aye!" Happy piped up.

  "Funny how you remember them," Gray groused.

  "I'm glad that you're both all right," said Erza as she pulled the Dragneel Siblings into a hug... but in doing so, she slammed their heads against her chest plate.

  "OW!!" Natsu cried.

  "Ugh... Erza, your armor...!" Haru groaned.

  "Let go!!" Natsu shouted as he pulled himself out of Erza's "embrace". "And actually, I was NOT all right! I was attacked by some weirdo! If Haru hadn't shown up to help me, I would have been clobbered!"

  "Weirdo? What weirdo?" Gray asked.

  "He said his name is Kageyama," Haru began, "and he was from some guild called 'Eisenwald'. You ever heard of it?"

  "What?!" Lucy and Gray questioned in alarm while Erza's face contorted to one of seriousness.

  "Eisenwald?!" Erza repeated, angrily. "Are you sure that's what he said?!"

  "Uh... yeah...?" asked Natsu, only to get slapped across the face, which, due to the sheer force of it, sent him flying several feet!

  "AAH!!" Lucy shrieked in fright as she got out of the way.

  "OW!!! THAT HURT!!!" Natsu yelled as he held his bruised cheek.

  "Erza, what did you slap him like that for?!" Haru asked in shock.

  "The Eisenwald Guild is the exact people I've been hunting down!!" Erza shouted. "Weren't you two listening to me?!"

  "How could I listen?!" Natsu asked. "You knocked me out!!"

  "And Haru wasn't in the car with us!" Lucy pointed out.

  "...Oh, yes," Erza muttered. "Well, no matter!" She soon got in the driver's seat of the 4-Wheeler and attached the SE cuff to her wrist. "That man, he was on the train, yes? Then we have to go after him. Did you notice anything about him aside from what he looked like?"

  "Well, he can use Shadow Magic, for one thing," said Haru.

  "And he also had this weird flute with him," Natsu pointed out. "It looked kinda like a skull with three eyes."

  Upon hearing that, Lucy suddenly gasped as an uncomfortable chill crawled up her spine and she began to shake like a leaf in a wind storm.

  "What the hell does that mean?" Gray asked. "Is this guy into creepy macabre stuff or something?"

  "A... a flute with a three-eyed skull...?" she whispered.

  "What's wrong, Lucy?" asked Happy.

  "Maybe it's just my imagination," Lucy began, "but... if that flute is what I think it is, a lot of innocent people could be in grave danger!"

  The rest of the Fairy Tail wizards all glanced at each other, becoming just as alarmed as the Celestial Spirit Wizard was.

  "Lucy, what are you talking about?" asked Haru, worriedly. "Why would a flute put people in danger?"

  "That flute is called 'Lullaby'!!" Lucy cried. "It's the cursed spell song, also called Death Magic!!!"

  "What?!" Erza questioned.

  "Spell song?" Gray repeated in bewilderment.

  "Death Magic?!" Haru asked in shock.

  "...I still don't get it," Natsu muttered.

  Soon, as the group began to board the Magic 4-Wheeler, Lucy began to explain to them what this "Lullaby" was. Even though she had only read about it in books back when she was younger, she had read that it was one of the Forbidden Magics of the world. Erza also knew about the Forbidden Magic, knowing that using it can inflict a curse on one's target.

  However, Lucy explained that Lullaby was even worse than that.

  "Lullaby is a Demon Magic Instrument!" she answered. "If we don't hurry and get it away from the Eisenwald Guild, hundreds, thousands, even millions of people could die!!"

  Upon hearing that news, the group realized that they had no time to waste. Thus, once everyone was on board the 4-Wheeler, Erza took off at a speed that was even faster than Blue Fang... which was unfortunate for Natsu, who was sitting in the back with Haru as he tried to keep himself from puking up his breakfast.

  "Ohhh, why me...?!" Natsu moaned, sweat falling from his face and his breath coming out in a harsh wheeze.

  "You're just gonna have to bear with it, Natsu, I'm sorry!" Haru said as she tried to keep her brother calm, and meanwhile, Blue Fang was sitting in the car, sticking his head out the window since the vehicle was actually big enough for him to actually stand in.

  As they continued to ride to the next train station, the group began to overhear certain clues about Eisenwald's actions from nearby bystanders.

  "So, wait," said Lucy, "they hijacked a train?!"

  "That's what it sounds like to me!" Happy answered.

  "I could understand a horse-drawn carriage or a boat," said Lucy, "but a train?"

  "Aye!" Happy answered. "It's the only thing that can run on rails! The question is why would they steal one?"

  "It's all about speed," Gray answered from atop the 4-Wheeler since there was no more room... and he was stripping off his coat, for some reason. "These guys must be in a hurry to wherever they're going in order to do serious damage!"

  "Why are you stripping?!" asked Lucy. "In any case, we shouldn't be too worried! It sounds like the Royal Army is on its way to diffuse the situation, so it's only a matter of time before they're stopped... right?"

  "Lucy, I don't think the army can handle something like this," Haru replied. "Remember, Eisenwald, while a Dark Guild, is still a wizard's guild, nonetheless! Their magic might be too much for the Royal Army! That's why we have to get there as quick as we can, right, Erza?"

  "Exactly," Erza replied as she pushed forward on the steering shift, causing the Magic 4-Wheeler to speed up. "Hang on to your stomachs, everyone!!"

  "Too late for that...!" Natsu groaned before he gagged.

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Erza, slow down!!" Gray cried as the group made it into town with Erza literally tearing through the streets and people running and diving to get out of her path. "You're overloading the SE plug!!"

  "If Eisenwald plays that flute, too many innocent lives will be lost!!" Erza argued as she knocked over a crate full of apples. "Even a single note could kill someone!!"

  "I know that!" Gray answered. "Even so, we don't even know what they're after! We could be in for some trouble, here! If you drive too fast, you'll drain your magic power!!"

  "I don't care about that!!" Erza shouted. "If worse comes to worst, I'll fight them tooth and nail, if I have to!! And besides..." she narrowed her eyes. "I'm not worried... I have you all with me!"

  "Erza..." Haru whispered in awe but then gasped as she felt the car jolt from a bump, causing Natsu to groan as he held his stomach and covered his mouth.

  "Oh, god... I think I'm dying!!" he cried, and meanwhile, Happy seemed to be in deep contemplation.

  "What's up with you, Happy?" Lucy asked.

  "I dunno," Happy replied. "I feel like I was supposed to tell you something, Lucy, but now I forgot what it was."

  "Something like what?" Lucy inquired.

  "Like I said, I don't remember," Happy replied.

  "Well, can you try to remember?" Lucy asked with a bit of urgency. "You're starting to make me nervous here!"

  "Uhh... what was it?" asked Happy.

  "Oh, this is makin' me sick...!!" Natsu moaned.

  "...Oh! I think that's it!" Happy exclaimed.

  "What?!" Lucy questioned. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

  "Happy, remember the real thing!" Haru shouted, only to gasp as she saw her brother beginning to lean out the window. "Natsu, wait!!" She groaned as she grabbed him by the back of his vest while Blue Fang bit on the back of his kilt. "Are you crazy?! You're gonna fall out!!"

  "That's the idea!!" Natsu cried.

  "Lucy, help me!!" Haru urged, prompting Lucy to rush over and grab the Dragon Slayer.

  "Come on, Natsu, get back in here!" Lucy shouted as she pulled Natsu back in. "We don't have time for this!"

  "Uh... what was it...?" Happy muttered to himself. "Lucy... weird... weirdo...? Fishy... yummy... Lucy... weird...?"

  "Who are you calling 'weird', you stupid cat?!" Lucy questioned, just as she, Haru, and Blue Fang finally managed to pull Natsu back in, but the boy was still feeling nauseous, groaning with his arms over his belly.

  "Just kill me, someone...!!" he cried.

  "Lucy, I have an idea!" Haru said. "Lay Natsu across the seat and put his head on your lap!"

  "Okay, I- wait, what?!" Lucy questioned. "But-"

  "Just do it!" Haru urged.

  "Okay, okay!" Lucy replied as she gently sprawled Natsu out on the backseat and placed his head on her lap, causing him to moan uncomfortably. "N-Now what do I do?"

  "Rub his belly, it'll help calm him down!" answered Haru, and Lucy was about to ask, but upon seeing the Beast Wizard's stern expression, she decided it would be best not to before she began to run her hand up and down Natsu's abdominal muscles, which elicited a soft, pleasant sigh as he felt his stomach begin to unclench. As Lucy did so... she couldn't help blushing just a little bit as she felt his chiseled abdomen, and she also found herself stroking her fingers through his spiky, pink hair... which felt surprisingly soft.

  As Lucy continued her treatment, Natsu gave a comfortable sigh as he stopped knitting his brow, causing Haru to sigh in relief.

  "Good, he's relaxed," she said. "Good work, Lucy! Who'd have thought that you were actually a living cure for motion sickness, huh?"

  "Uh... yeah," Lucy replied, still too focused on what she was doing to give Haru any eye contact.

  "Everyone, look alive!" Erza called. "We're nearing Oshibana Station!"

  Haru poked her head out the window and gasped upon seeing a plume of smoke rising into the air from the station, where a large crowd had gathered due to all the commotion. Soon, Erza hit the brakes, but because she was going so fast, she almost crashed into the building. Thankfully, she stopped just a few inches short of it, causing everyone to sigh in relief.

  "Sheesh... even that ride made me sick," Gray muttered.

  "Tell me about it," Lucy muttered.

  "Uh... Lucy?"

  Lucy froze before she glanced down at the Dragon Slayer in her lap and saw that he was now staring right back at her, his complexion no longer pale and his body no longer sweaty.

  "Uh... why are you rubbin' my belly and strokin' my head?" Natsu asked. "And why am I lyin' in your lap?"

  "AAH!!" Lucy shrieked as she pushed Natsu off, causing him to grunt in pain.

  "What the hell?!" Natsu questioned as he rubbed his head.

  "I-I'm so sorry!" Lucy sputtered. "Well, it's just... well... I-"

  "Come on, everyone, let's go!" Erza ordered as she pulled the SE plug off her wrist and jumped out of the driver's seat. "Move it!!"

  "You heard Erza!" Haru called as she got out of the back with Blue Fang and Happy. "Let's go, you guys!"

  Lucy, still trying to get over the awkwardness of what she was doing, hurriedly got out without a word while Natsu followed after her, confused and perhaps a bit irritated. Soon, the group of wizards managed to push their way past the crowd, and after a little... "convincing" from Erza, the station workers allowed them entrance into the building. Apparently, some royal guards went into the building, but had yet to come out... and when they got inside, they soon saw why.

  There were dead bodies, everywhere... some of having bled out, others impaled by their own weapons... but it was clear that they had fought to the bitter end. Still, the sight caused the blood in the Fairy Tail members' veins to turn to ice.

  "Oh... my god...!" Lucy whispered.

  "I thought I smelled blood," Natsu said while Haru gagged and covered her mouth.

  "Ugh... I feel sick...!" she groaned.

  "...These poor, brave soldiers," Erza said as she lowered her head and closed her eyes, both out of respect and mourning. "They were up against wizards from a Dark Guild... they didn't stand a chance."

  "...We gotta move," said Gray as they all walked in, steeling themselves for the battle ahead... but as they neared the ticket counter, they heard a dark chuckle coming from somewhere.

  "Well, well, well... it looks like we have some flies among us."

  The group looked up to see a large group of wizards standing in front of them... among them being Kageyama, who smirked as he stood among his allies, and sitting above them was a pale-skinned, sickly-looking man wearing a purple scarf, white hakama pants that were torn around the legs, a strange tattoo on his left pectoral, and holding a scythe in his arm.

  "Welcome... Fairy Tail," he said with a wicked grin.

  "Erigor...!!" Erza hissed as she clenched her fists.

Chapter Text

  The five Fairy Tail wizards, plus their cat and wolf, all glared at their enemies before them: the entire Eisenwald Guild, headed by Erigor, who smirked as he glowered down at the group of heroes menacingly while holding his scythe over his shoulders.

  "So these guys must be the Eisenwald Guild," Haru surmised while Blue Fang growled at her side, his fur bristling.

  "Look at them all," Lucy said, growing a bit nervous. "There has to be at least 20... maybe a few more."

  "I've been waiting for you... Fairy Tail," Erigor said with a wicked grin.

  "Erigor," Erza said with a hiss. "So finally, we meet."

  "Huh?" muttered a man with black hair and facial hair that looked like rat whiskers. "That red-haired chick in the armor... I think I've seen her before."

  "I get it now," said a large man with a fish-like face and no nose. "She's the one who figured out our plot."

  "You damn flies!!" shouted Kageyama, who had bandages around his ears for some reason. "Because of you, Erigor damn near sliced my ears off!"

  "Now, now, Kageyama," said a tall, slim man with a yellow jacket that had black stripes around the hood.

  "Erza, that's him!" Haru exclaimed as she pointed at Kageyama. "That's the guy who had the weird flute!"

  "Just what are you plotting?" asked Erza, her hair suddenly rising and falling as if she were surrounded by a powerful wind. "What I do to you lot depends on your answer."

  "Oh, not much," Erigor replied. "We're just playing a game, is all. You see, since we're out of work, we've got more time on our hands. Right, men?"

  The rest of the Eisenwald Guild started to burst into mocking laughter, causing the group to sneer at them.

  "And just what the hell is so damn funny?" Gray asked.

  "Yeah, 'cuz I ain't seein' the joke!" Natsu added.

  "You don't get it, yet?" asked Erigor before he suddenly began to float up into the air. "There's actually something very special about this train station."

  "Whoa! He's flying!" Lucy exclaimed.

  "He's using Wind Magic!" Happy added.

  "The station?" Erza asked. "What about it?"

  Erigor chuckled as he flew around the ceiling much like how a witch would fly on a broomstick, making mocking buzzing sounds as he floated toward the loudspeakers... and it didn't take very long for Erza to put two-and-two together, causing her to grit her teeth in both anger and horror.

  "Don't tell me," she said, "you plan on broadcasting Lullaby?!"

  "No way!!" Lucy cried.

  "What was that?!" Gray questioned.

  "Oh, no...!" Haru whispered while Erigor and the rest of the Eisenwald Guild cackled.

  "I'd say there's more than several hundred... no, several thousand fools gathered outside the station!" Erigor proclaimed. "And if I play Lullaby loud enough, the sweet melody of death could spread throughout the entire town!!"

  "You're talking about indiscriminate mass murder!!" Erza shouted.

  "Oh, no, I wouldn't call it 'murder'!" Erigor refuted. "This is more... a purge, if you will. A purge of people who don't realize that others' rights have been stolen away! They tout their own rights and only work to preserve their petty way of life. I'm purging this world of those fools! It's a sin to live without knowing how unfair this world we live in truly is, and I, the Grim Reaper, will merit out punishment!! Namely... death!!"

  "And you think that'll give you back your right to work?!" Lucy questioned. "You brought this on yourselves, you know!!"

  "You think we care, little girl?" asked Erigor. "We're not here to regain our right to work. We're here to claim our right to rule! When we're in charge, we'll wipe our hands of the past and take absolute control of the future!!"

  "You guys are insane," Lucy said, glaring at the Eisenwald Guild Leader in defiance.

  "Call us what you will," Kageyama began as he put his hand to the ground, casting his shadow forward, "but we are going to usher in a new era!!" As he said this, a giant shadowy hand formed in front of Lucy, who gasped as she shielded herself... but then, before the hand could grab her, Natsu suddenly appeared in front of Lucy in the blink of an eye, set aflame to his hands and severed the shadowy with a fierce glare in his eyes.

  "You, again...!!" Kageyama hissed, hatefully.

  "N-Natsu...!" Lucy whispered in awe as he stood before her, not taking his eyes off his opponent.

  "Luce... you all right?" Natsu asked.

  "Y-yeah," Lucy replied. "Thanks."

  'Luce...?' she thought, bewilderment.

  "Good going, bro!" Haru exclaimed.

  "I meant what I said, buddy," Natsu said with a confident smirk. "It's payback time for that walloping you gave me!"

  "They're all yours, men," said Erigor as he hovered above them. "Show these flies the dark power of Eisenwald!" With that, he soon flew off, smashing right through a window!

  "Erigor!!" Erza shouted as she attempted to chase after him. "You won't escape from us!!"

  "Dammit!" Gray cursed. "He's gone into the other block! Now what do we do?!"

  "Natsu, Gray!" Erza shouted. "Hurry and get after him! I'm sure with the two of you working together, even Erigor is no match for you!!"

  Natsu and Gray glared at each other, looking none too pleased about having to team up... but then, WHA-PASH!! They yelped as Lucy suddenly cracked her whip against the floor in front of them, causing them to embrace each other in fright.

  "GET GOING!!!" Lucy shouted with a heated glare, causing the two to run off.

  "HA!!" Haru laughed. "Nice one, Lucy!"

  "Hey, two of them just ran away!" said one of the Eisenwald members.

  "Are they seriously trying to go after Master Erigor?!" asked another.

  "Just leave them to me," said the hooded wizard, Rayule, as held up his hand, causing these black bands around his fingers, which suddenly extended before they grabbed onto the stair rails and pulled him up. "I'll stop them both and be right back in no time!"

  "I'll go with you, Rayule!" Kageyama exclaimed as he put his hand to the floor. "I've got a score to settle with that pink-haired punk!" With that, his own shadow engulfed him and he disappeared.

  "Haru! Lucy!" Erza called out as she glared at the rest of the Eisenwald Guild. "You two, help me clear out the rest of them!"

  "Got it, Erza!" Haru replied as she stood beside the armored wizard while Lucy gulped nervously, but nonetheless, she steeled her nerves and gripped the handle of her whip, ready to fight.

  "Rayule and Kageyama just left us here with these chicks!" said the rat-whiskered man, Byard. "I don't understand! Playing with these girls looks like way more fun!"

  "They're doing this for the sake of the mission," said the rotund wizard, Karacka. "That's a lot more important than what you like and what you don't like!"

  "Once we deal with them," Erza began, "we'll chase after Erigor, too."

  "Got it!" Lucy and Haru exclaimed while Blue Fang growled.

  "Heh," Byard grinned. "And what can three little girls and mutt do against us? Although I gotta say, you ladies do look pretty cute."

  "Yeah!" agreed one of the Eisenwald mooks. "It'd be a shame to kill them!"

  "I got an idea!" spoke a second. "What do you say instead of killing them, we take them prisoner and sell them off as slaves!"

  The word 'slaves' seemed to cause Erza to tense a little, which Haru noticed out of the corner of her eye, but then she turned her focus back to the Eisenwald Guild.

  "Wait, I got a better idea!" declared a third. "Let's force them to take off their clothes and do a lap dance for us!!"

  "Excuse me?!" Lucy questioned in anger.

  "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this," Haru growled.

  "You pigs," Erza growled as she held up her hand, causing a red magic circle to appear, and soon after, a broadsword appeared in her hand. "If you insult the Fairy Tail Guild, one more time, I promise you're going to regret it!!"

  "Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed. "Is that a sword?!"

  "Yeah! A magic sword!" Haru replied.

  "So she has a sword, so what?!" asked one of the Eisenwald members as he and several others summoned swords of their own. "We've got swords, too, you know! Let's cut off that armor and see what she's got under there, boys!!"

  The men soon charged at Erza, who glared at them before she lunged forward, and with one fell swing, she cut them all down, causing Lucy to gape in awe.

  "That's... amazing!!" she said.

  "That's Erza for ya!" Haru replied as Erza practically leaped and spun around in the air while cutting down her foes, almost as if she was doing some sort of dance. When some more wizards attempted to hit her with some Projectile Magic, to their shock, her sword disappeared, replaced by a long spear, and, using its long reach, she swung it at her foes, taking them down with ease, and after that, she summoned not one, but two swords into her hands as she continued to mow down the Eisenwald members like they were nothing, followed by a huge battle ax!

  "What kind of magic is that?!" Lucy asked.

  "That's Requip Magic!" answered Haru.

  "Aye!" Happy added. "Magical weapons are a lot like how you summon your Celestial Spirits, Lucy! They're stocked in another dimension from which Erza summons them! To change out one weapon for another is called Requip Magic!"

  As the blue cat said this, Erza soon summoned a huge claymore to her side, which she quickly used to cut down several more thugs.

  "That's... so cool!" Lucy exclaimed in amazement.

  "If you think that's cool," Haru began, "wait until you see what happens next!"

  "Aye!" Happy agreed with this almost sinister look in his eyes, again. "This is where Erza's magic really shines!"

  "Wha...?" Lucy muttered before she turned to watch Erza, who glared at the Eisenwald mooks and still finding that there were still several standing.

  "So there are still a lot of you left, eh?" she asked. "Very well... I'll take you all down in one shot!" Soon after this declaration... her armor disappeared, leaving Erza's naked body enveloped in a golden light... which, of course, left the mooks drooling like a bunch of baboons.

  "What's she doing?" Lucy asked. "Is it some sort of seduction attack?!"

  "Not quite," Haru grinned as the light around Erza began to disappear, revealing her now wearing silver armor around her body with her cleavage and her midriff being the only things left exposed. The silver itself had a feather-like design from the shoulder plates to the waist plates, as well as a neck-guard and a tiara around her forehead that held tiny wings, and there two pairs of larger metal wings adorning her back.

  What stood out the most, however, was that she not only held two swords in her hands, but multiple swords surrounded her, as well, moving in a circle.

  "Whoa...!" Lucy whispered in utter awe at Erza's transformation while Haru grinned.

  "The standard wizard-swordsmanship only requips weapons while fighting," Haru began, "but Erza took hers a step further. She can not only requip weapons, but she also can requip magic armor to enhance her abilities! It's called Requip: Knight Style!"

  "Wait... Erza...?" Karacka muttered. "But... that can't be!"

  "Heaven's Wheel Armor..." Erza muttered as her swords began to spin around her at a rapid speed. "CIRCLE SWORD!!"

  Like a buzzsaw, the swords swung around Erza in a circular motion, cutting down the remaining Eisenwald wizards, who screamed as they all fell to the ground in bloodied heaps.

  "You bitch!!" shouted Byard as he charged at Erza with a glowing aura around his fist. "Now you're gonna face me!!"

  "Wait, Byard!!" Karacka cried. "Don't do it!! That woman is the second strongest woman in the Fairy Tail Guild!!"

  "Huh?!" Byard asked.

  "That's right," Haru grinned. "They call Erza... the Fairy Queen, Titania!"

  Before Byard could even so much as blink, Erza cut him down with her swords in no time flat, causing him to tumble along the ground before he hit the wall, out cold. By now, Karacka looked utterly horrified that one of his comrades had been taken down in one hit like that while Lucy stared in complete and utter amazement.

  "That... was... AWESOME!!" Lucy exclaimed.

  "Yeah... but I wish she saved a few of them for us," said Haru in mild disappointment before she noticed Karacka fleeing the room. "What the-?! Hey!! That blowfish guy is getting away!!"

  "Haru! Lucy! Quickly!" Erza called. "Go after him! He's probably going to wherever Erigor is!"

  "Right!" Lucy replied before she noticed that Erza seemed to be a bit out of breath and was swaying, too. "Hey... are you okay? You look a bit dizzy there."

  "I'm fine," Erza assured. "Just hurry and go."

  "Erza..." Haru whispered in concern.

  'She pushed herself too hard... using up most of her magic on the Magic 4-Wheeler really took a lot out of her.'

  "Lucy, Happy, let's go!" Haru called as she jumped onto Blue Fang's back. "We gotta track down that blowfish!"

  "Coming!" Lucy replied as Haru hoisted her up while Happy clung to Blue Fang's tail, and soon, the silver wolf took off running after Karacka. As they did, the former took a quick look over her shoulder at the Eisenwald wizards that had been defeated.

  "Hey," Lucy spoke up. "Those guys back there... they're not dead, right?"

  "Who, them?" Haru asked. "Nah. Erza could have easily cut them all in half if she wanted!"

  "Well then... why didn't she?" asked Lucy.

  "Look, they may be criminals," Haru began, "but we're not like them. We're not the types to kill our enemies just because we have clashing ideals."

  Lucy's eyes went wide while the Beast Wizard smiled at her, but then, her smile quickly fell as she, Lucy, Happy, and Blue Fang all arrived in a room where there was this huge locomotive, as well as other train parts.

  "This must be where they take the trains for repairs and such," said Haru while Blue Fang sniffed around for him.

  "Where'd he go?" Lucy asked as she looked around. "This room isn't that big and he's pretty heavy. There's no way he got away that fast!"

  "He has to be hiding somewhere," Happy said as he looked around, as well. "Where could he be?"

  All of a sudden, Blue Fang's ears perked up and he snapped his head to the left with a ferocious growl, causing Haru to look in the same direction before she let out a gasp.

  "LUCY, LOOK OUT!!" Haru cried as she tackled the Celestial Spirit Wizard to the floor, causing her to let out a yell of surprise... but her surprise quickly turned to shock as a dagger suddenly flew through the air, narrowly grazing the very end of Haru's ponytail and snipping off a few hairs before it collided with the wall. That's when Haru spotted Karacka... whose upper half was sticking out of the floor!

  "There he is!" Lucy cried.

  "Why's his head sticking out of the ground?!" Happy asked.

  "Why you-!" Haru growled as she ran to kick the fat man in the face, only for him to phase right through the floor and disappear! "Huh?!"

  "Heheheheh..." Karacka was heard laughing. "You can't hit what you can't see."

  "Where are you?!" Lucy asked as she looked around. "Show yourself!!"

  "Watch out!!" Happy shouted as he pointed up to the ceiling, causing Lucy to gasp as she spotted Karacka phasing through it while holding another dagger, which he threw at the blonde girl, but she quickly dodged the knife as it was thrown at her before she tried to bring out her whip, but before she could do anything, he ended disappearing again. The girls both looked around, wondering where Karacka would end up appearing next, and even Blue Fang growled as his eyes darted about and Happy just whimpered nervously as he hovered over them.

  "This is creepy!" the cat cried. "Where is he?!"

  "He has to be around here, somewhere," said Lucy as she stood back to back against Haru, who growled as she had her fists up.

  "Look at you two little flies," said Karacka as he stuck his head out from a wall. "You two really think you can face off against me?"

  "HRAGH!!" Haru roared as she tried to punch Karacka, but he phased through the wall before she could hit him, but she did end up leaving a sizable dent in the wall, which caused her to grunt as she shook her hand. "Ow...!"

  "You sound pretty confident," Lucy said as she looked around. "Maybe you think that because Erza's not here and you can use your magic to hide away, you have a chance at beating us?"

  "I'm no fool," said Karacka. "I wouldn't dream of fighting Titania!"

  "Heh!" Haru smirked. "So you think we're not as dangerous as Erza is? Oh, you're in for a big surprise, blowfish." As she said this, she looked over at Blue Fang, whose ears were twitching and swiveling about.

  "You can't stop us," said Karacka. "Soon, Erigor's plan will come into fruition and we will take our rightful place as rulers of this era!"

  "Says you!" Haru shouted. "We're gonna put a stop to you whether you like it or not!"

  That's when Blue Fang's ears stopped twitching and he looked toward the right, right where Lucy was standing... and that's when Haru saw a familiar yellow magic circle appear.

  "Lucy! There!!" Haru shouted as she pointed at the wall, prompting Lucy to gasp before she twirled her whip, then just as Karacka appeared to grab her, she swung it around him like it was a lasso, which tightened around his fat body.

  "W-what the-?!" Karacka questioned as he tried to phase back through the wall, but Lucy kept a tight grip on him.

  "Gotcha," Lucy smirked before she pulled out one of her golden Gate Keys. "Open a door to the Gate of the Great Crab! CANCER!"

  Soon after, there was a flash of light, and this man with black hair and tanned skin appeared dressed in a blue shirt, black trousers, and a pair of white boots, and he also had on a pair of sunglasses. However, his most prominent features were the six grab legs growing out of his back and the two red cornrows on his head that resembled crab claws.

  "Hey, it's that crab again!" Happy exclaimed.

  "Hey, baby," he said while snipping a pair of scissors in each hand. "So what style is it, today?"

  "How about we give this guy a new look, Cancer?" asked Lucy before she swung the whip, pulling Karacka toward the crab-styled spirit, who swung his scissors like a pair of swords.

  "SNIP-SNIIIP!!" he exclaimed, and soon after... Karacka was left bald and his shirt was in shreds.

  "Haru! Comin' at ya!" Lucy called as she swung the rotund Phasing Wizard toward Haru, who smirked as she dropped down on all fours in an animalistic manner.

  "Feral Beast Style! WOLF TAIL ROUNDHOUSE!!"

  Raising her right leg in a circular arc, Haru kicked Karacka right in his noseless face, sending him crashing right through the wall.

  "Thanks for your help, Cancer," said Lucy.

  "Anytime, baby," said Cancer before he disappeared, headed back to the Celestial Realm.

  "WHOO-HOO!!" Haru cheered as she and Lucy embraced. "We did it, Lucy!"

  "We sure did, Haru!" Lucy exclaimed. "Man, this guy was a chump! These Eisenwald guys turned out to be all bark and no bite, huh?"

  "And you did good, too, Blue Fang!" Haru said as she pet the silver wolf on his head. "Great job, listening for him! Who's a good boy, huh?"

  Blue Fang barked before she licked the Beast Wizard on the face, causing her to laugh as she hugged his neck... but then, out of nowhere, they felt this huge tremor, causing them to yelp as they fell to their knees.

  "What in the world was that?!" asked Haru.

  "I don't know!" Lucy answered.

  "Maybe it's my tummy," Happy said as he put his paws over his belly. "I am kinda hungry."

  "That's way too loud to be your stomach, Happy," Haru countered.

  "Natsu's tummy, then?" Happy asked.

  "Natsu's not even in this room!" Haru rebuked. "And besides, even his stomach doesn't rumble so loudly that the ground would shake!"

  "Well, then, where did it come from?" Lucy asked... but then, they heard a familiar shout.

  "LUCY! HARU! HAPPY! BLUE FANG!! COME QUICKLY!!!"

  "Erza!!" Haru cried as the two girls, cat, and wolf all headed to where Erza was calling, and as they made their way back to her, they found Gray also standing with her... but that's when they saw something that made their blood run cold.

  "Oh... dear... Mavis...!" Haru whispered in shock.

  "W-what is that?!" Lucy asked in horror.

  "...A trap," Erza answered, grimly... as the group found themselves staring in front of a massive vortex of wind. "Erigor put it here to stop us... and then he left."

  "Wait, what?!" Haru questioned. "You mean he's not here?! What about his broadcast throughout town?!"

  "That was never his plan to start with," Gray answered. "It was a ruse." He turned to Haru with a grim stare. "Haru... Erigor was never after the townspeople... he's headed to Clover, where all those old guys are having their meeting!" His eyes narrowed while Haru's and Lucy's eyes went wide. "And that means... Gramps is in serious danger."

  "...No way...!" Haru whispered in horror.

Chapter Text

  "DAMMIT!!!"

  Natsu roared as he tried to punch his way through the Wind Barrier with his Fire Dragon Iron Fist, but the force was too powerful even for him, causing him to get thrown back. The others were trying to stop him from recklessly charging toward the barrier, but he wouldn't listen to reason. Haru whimpered as she held an unconscious Kageyama to her side, the man bleeding heavily from out his back.

  Earlier, as the others had found out about the Wind Barrier, they realized that the only one capable of dispelling it was Kageyama, who was able to actually dispel the magic that had sealed Lullaby in the first place. They just barely managed to stop Natsu from beating the Shadow Wizard unconscious and fill him in on what was happening, but when they went to force Kageyama to stop the spell, Karacka, who had regained consciousness and managed to slip away after Lucy and Haru defeated him, had delivered a fatal stab wound to the back, to Natsu's rage. He soundly defeated the fat Phasing Wizard by punching the wall where he was hiding, along with him. Now, with the Wind Barrier still whirling around the train station and Kageyama bleeding to death... they had no way of escaping.

  They were trapped... like flies.

  "I'M NOT LETTING IT END LIKE THIS!!" Natsu yelled as he kept trying to force his way through, but kept getting knocked back, getting more and more cut up the more he tried to get through.

  "Natsu, stop!" Haru cried. "It's not working! You can't force your way through!!"

  "Dude, stop!" Gray shouted. "Seriously!!"

  But the Dragon Slayer just wouldn't relent. He growled as he lit his fists on fire once more and charged at the Wind Barrier.

  "We... gotta get through!!" he shouted. "WE GOTTA SAVE GRAMPS!!!"

  "Natsu, please stop!!" Lucy urged. "You're only gonna tear yourself apart if you keep that up!!!"

  "I... don't... CARE!!!" Natsu yelled as he kept trying to force his way through the barrier... even as his forehead began to bleed.

  "STOP IT!!!" Lucy cried as she grabbed him and pulled him back, causing him to seethe with anger and frustration... but then, he gasped silently as he felt himself getting squeezed, lightly, causing him to glance back at the blonde girl as she held him tight. "I understand, Natsu... you're upset and you're frustrated because you feel like there's nothing else you can do... but getting yourself torn apart isn't gonna save the Master! Do you know how much that would break his heart?!"

  Natsu's eyes widened slightly before he forced himself to relax while Haru heaved a quiet sigh of relief, then looked over at Lucy, who kept holding her brother.

  'That girl... she sure is something,' she thought. 'Even I can't get Natsu to calm down like that.'

  "Well, now what do we do?" Erza asked. "Force won't work!"

  "...Wait a sec!" Natsu suddenly spoke as he turned and grabbed Lucy by her shoulders. "Lucy! Your spirit guys!"

  "W-what?" Lucy asked. "What about my Celestial Spirits?"

  "Remember, back with that Everlue guy?!" asked Natsu. "I was able to warp from one place to the Celestial Realm, right?!"

  "Well... yeah," Lucy replied, "but normal people can't go through the Celestial Realm or else they'll die! They can't breathe in there!"

  "Wait, when was this?" asked a bewildered Haru while Blue Fang tilted his head.

  "Must've been while we took the job with the smugglers," Gray replied.

  "And besides," Lucy began, "the Gate will only open in the place where the Celestial Spirit Wizard is, meaning that if you want to get out of here through the Celestial Realm, at the very least, you need a wizard outside the station if you want-"

  "Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah," Natsu muttered while picking his ear. "Just do it, already!"

  "Natsu, I'm trying to tell you that it can't be done!" shouted Lucy. "And another thing! Humans are forbidden to enter the Celestial Realm! It's a breach of contract! We only got lucky because it was Everlue's key!"

  "...Wait..." Happy spoke up, suddenly. "Everlue's... key...?" He then gasped as if a light switch had suddenly gone off in his head. "Lucy, I got it! I remember now!!"

  "Huh?" Lucy asked. "You remember what?"

  "Something I was trying to tell you, earlier today!" Happy replied as he pulled off his knapsack and searched inside, then pulled out... a Golden Gate Key with the Virgo symbol! "Ta-dah!"

  "Oh, my god!" Lucy exclaimed. "Happy, that's the Key of Virgo!! You didn't steal that, did you?!"

  "No, Virgo asked me to give it to you!" Happy replied.

  "Wait, who's Virgo?" asked Haru. "I'm confused!"

  "What are you two talking about over there?" Erza inquired. 

  "This isn't the time for idle chatter!" Gray added. "We're wasting time!"

  "Hold it!" Natsu exclaimed. "You mean the gorilla lady?!"

  "What gorilla?!" Haru questioned. "And who the hell is Virgo?!!"

  "QUIET!!!" Lucy shouted, causing everyone to stop. "Now, Happy, can you please explain to me what happened?"

  "Well, it's like this..." Happy said before he began to explain to Lucy how he had obtained Virgo's Key. After the nefarious Duke Everlue had been arrested, it resulted in Virgo's contract with him being rendered null. Knowing that Lucy was also a Celestial Spirit Wizard, she asked that she make a contract with her, instead.

  "I can't believe that thing wants a contract with me..." Lucy bemoaned, remembering the fat, gorilla-like maid with huge earlobes.

  "So, wait," Haru said, "Virgo is a Celestial Spirit... and a gorilla?"

  "That's right!" Natsu replied.

  "WRONG!!" Lucy countered. "Ugh... at any rate, while that is nice to hear, Happy, we don't have time for that! We have to put our heads together and think of a way out of here!"

  "But Lucy," Happy began, "isn't Virgo able to dig beneath the ground? I thought that maybe she could get us out of here by digging a tunnel!"

  Lucy gasped as the realization hit her.

  "Oh... my god...!" she whispered. "Happy, that's it! You're a genius!!"

  "Well, it's about time you said it," Happy said.

  "Wait, can this Virgo lady really do that?!" asked Gray.

  "Well, there's only one way to find out," Erza said. "Lucy, summon this 'Virgo', at once!"

  "But... I have to set up a contract with her before I can!" Lucy replied.

  "Lucy, we don't have the time!" Haru pointed out. "Just hurry! You can always work out a contract with her later, right?"

  "Well... since this is an emergency," said Lucy before she took the key from Happy, "I'm sure she won't mind." She then closed her eyes and held the key aloft while placing her hand on her heart as a magic circle appeared beneath her feet.

  "I call upon thee from the World of the Celestial Spirits! I beckon ye to my side, at once! Pass through the Gate!!"

  Soon after, a keyhole of light appeared before her.

  "Open the door to the Gate of the Maiden! VIRGO!!"

  There was a flash of light, forcing everyone to shield their eyes, and the earth shattered before a mysterious figure appeared before Lucy... but to her shock, it was not at all what she was expecting.

  It was a young, petite-looking woman with rosy pink hair and blue eyes, wearing a maid outfit and shackles around her wrists.

  "You summoned me, Mistress?" she asked.

  "What the what?!" Lucy asked.

  "...That's not a gorilla," Haru muttered, sounding somewhat disappointed.

  "Hey, did you lose weight?" Natsu asked.

  "Please forgive me for my prior actions," Virgo asked, seemingly ignoring the question.

  "She didn't just 'lose weight'!!" Lucy said, still in complete shock. "She's a totally different person, now!! What happened to you?!"

  "Ah, yes," Virgo acknowledged. "Perhaps I should explain. I am but a loyal servant to my Master or Mistress. Therefore, I take the form that pleases them most and will faithfully do my work without question."

  "Hey, she's kinda hot," Gray smirked.

  "Hmph... why does this not surprise me?" Erza asked. "Considering it's Lucy, after all..."

  "I didn't think you were into that, Lucy," Haru added. "Not that I'm judging or anything!"

  "Wait, what is that supposed to mean?!" Lucy questioned, her face turning red at their implications, but she quickly shook her head and turned to Virgo. "Virgo, listen, I know I'm supposed to set up a contract with you, but we don't have the time! Can we negotiate one, later?"

  "As you wish, Mistress," Virgo said.

  "And I'd prefer if you didn't call me Mistress," Lucy pointed out.

  "I see," Virgo replied before she eyed Lucy's whip. "Dominatrix, then?"

  "No, no, not that, either!" Lucy cried. "Look... just call me 'Lucy', okay? You're not my servant! As far as I'm concerned, you're my equal, just like all my Celestial Spirit friends... do you understand, Virgo?"

  "Very well, Lady Lucy," Virgo replied before bowing her head.

  "No, just... never mind, we'll work on it," Lucy muttered in resignation. "Do your stuff, Virgo!"

  "As you wish, Lady Lucy," Virgo replied before she leaped high into the air before taking a diving position toward the ground, and with little to no effort, she dug her way right through!

  "She did it!" Haru exclaimed as she looked inside the tunnel opening.

  "Well done, Lucy!" Erza praised as she pulled Lucy in for a hug... only to accidentally slam her face into her chest plate.

  "OOF!!" Lucy grunted. "Ugh... no problem, Erza... ouch...!"

  "Now's our chance!" Gray exclaimed. "Let's blow this pop stand!"

  "Right!" Natsu nodded. "Come on, sis, we're leavin'!"

  "Coming!" Haru called as she gently pulled Kageyama onto Blue Fang's back, making sure he didn't fall off.

  "Hey, what are you doin'?" Gray asked. "Did you forget? That guy's our enemy! Besides, we don't need him, now!"

  "And you suggest that we leave him to die?" asked Haru. "Not likely!"

  "Yeah, man, we're not animals!" Natsu pointed. "It just wouldn't feel right if he kicked the bucket after fighting me!"

  "I... I wasn't saying that we leave him to die!" Gray argued.

  "Worry about it, later!" Erza called as she jumped into the tunnel. "Let's go!"

  With that, the group all headed down the tunnel, being very careful not to jostle Kageyama, and before too long, they made it outside the train station. As they brought themselves up and out of the tunnel, Haru gently laid Kageyama on the ground.

  "Hey, can one of you tend to Kageyama?" asked Haru.

  "I can do it!" Lucy said as she raised her hand, trying to keep her skirt down from the wind with Virgo's help... even though the Celestial Spirit's underwear was showing (which caused Gray's nose to bleed). "I know some first aid!"

  "Good!" replied Haru before she climbed onto Blue Fang's back. "You can find a way to catch up to us, right?"

  "Where are you going?" Erza asked.

  "There's no way all of you can make it to Clover on foot!" Haru answered. "Natsu, Happy, Blue Fang, and I will go on ahead to Clover and warn Master Makarov and the other Guild Masters there!"

  "Sis, come on!" Natsu called while Happy carried him in there. "Time's a-wastin'!"

  Soon, the Dragneel Siblings took off with Happy carrying Natsu at full speed and Blue Fang running as fast as he possibly could.

  "Are you sure it's okay for them to go off like that?" asked Lucy as she cleaned out and stitched up Kageyama's wounds.

  "Ugh... it... doesn't matter," the Shadow Wizard said with a smirk. "Master Erigor is too far ahead. You'll never be able to catch up with him at this rate. We... we've won."

  Lucy sneered before she returned to stitching up Kageyama's injury, causing him to grunt in pain.

  "W... what are you doing?" he asked.

  "Just shut up and let me do this!" Lucy argued. "Look, just because Erigor's far ahead, that doesn't mean you've won yet... so I wouldn't get so confident." She paused. "And besides... why would you still wanna support him if he doesn't even care about you?"

  Kageyama's eyes went wide just as Lucy finished stitching him up, then wrapped bandages around his waist.

  "There," she said. "That should do it." She then turned to the horizon where Natsu and Haru left.

  "...Be careful, you guys..."

XXX

  Blue Fang panted as he ran as fast as he possibly could along the train tracks while Haru clung to his collar. Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy flew overhead, the blue cat's wings seeming invisible as he flapped them faster than a hummingbird's wings. As Blue Fang ran, Haru spotted this tiny speck in the air... one that was slowly beginning to grow bigger.

  "Natsu!" Haru called. "There he is! That's Erigor!!"

  "I see him!!" Natsu called back before he set both feet ablaze, boosting his flight speed before he lifted them up and kicked the Wind Wizard to the tracks! "Haha!! Bull's eye!!"

  "Nice goin', bro!" Haru cheered as Erigor landed on the ground with a thud, then turned and glared at the Dragon Slayer and Beast Wizard.

  "Ugh..." Happy groaned before his wings finally disappeared. "I can't... fly... anymore..."

  "Happy!" Haru cried as she caught the blue cat in her arms. "Are you okay?!"

  "Aye..." Happy moaned.

  "You... you cretins...!!" Erigor snarled. "Just what do you think you're doing here?!"

  "What's it look like?" Natsu asked with a cocky grin while lighting his fists on fire. "I'm here to kick your sorry ass, ya windbag!"

  "You rest right here, Happy," said Haru as she gently laid Happy down where he wouldn't be in the way. "Natsu, Blue Fang and I are going on ahead!"

  "Oh, no, you're not!!" Erigor shouted as he swung his scythe at Haru, who shrieked as she tried to brace herself, but then Natsu jumped in the way and grabbed the scythe by its blade, causing him to grunt as he felt his palms getting sliced.

  "Natsu!" Haru cried.

  "Sis, just go!" Natsu urged. "I'll hold him off! Get to Gramps!!"

  Haru nodded before she jumped onto Blue Fang's back and the wolf took off running, but as he dashed off, Haru glanced back at her brother with a look of worry.

  'Don't die, Natsu...'

Chapter Text

  "Come on, Blue Fang, don't stop!" Haru urged as she clung to Blue Fang's collar, the silver wolf galloping as fast as his legs could carry him. By now, the sun was already starting to dip beyond the mountains, indicating that night would be falling soon. Even so, Haru wouldn't give up. She had to get to Clover before it was too late.

  She just hoped that Natsu was all right since she left him and Happy behind to hold Erigor off, not to mention Lucy, Erza, and Gray, as well, and especially Kageyame since he was still wounded. It would certainly leave a bad taste in her mouth if he died after she left him with the others.

  As Blue Fang, Haru gasped as she caught sight of several buildings coming into view, causing her to gasp as she realized it was Clover Town, and sure enough, the building where the Guild Masters were having their conference was in sight!

  "Look, Blue Fang!" Haru exclaimed. "We made it!!"

  Blue Fang barked excitedly as he kept running... but as the Beast Wizard and her wolf got closer to town, Haru could have sworn she heard something coming from behind her. It sounded like the roar of an engine, causing her to gasp as she glanced over her shoulder, and that's when she spotted the shape of a Magic 4-Wheeler.

  "Oh! It must be Erza!" Haru exclaimed. "I knew she'd managed to..." She trailed off as the vehicle got closer... and that's when she gasped in horror as she realized that Erza wasn't in the driver's seat.

  It was Kageyama... with Lullaby in his hand!

  "K-Kageyama-" Haru started, only for the Shadow Wizard to ram into her and Blue Fang at full speed, causing them both to roll along the ground as they crashed.

  "Hahahaha!!" Kageyama laughed. "See you later, fly!!"

  "Hey!!" Haru shouted as she rushed over to Blue Fang, who groaned as he lied on the ground in a daze. "Blue Fang, come on! Get up! We gotta hurry and get to Master Makarov!! Come on!!"

  Though dazed, Blue Fang shook his head and ran toward the conference building with Haru on his back, running as fast as he could to catch up to Kageyama. As they drew closer to the 4-Wheeler he was driving, Haru growled as she jumped off Blue Fang's back and tackled the Shadow Wizard, causing the SE plug to detach from his wrist as they both rolled along the ground. As they struggled against each other, Haru tried to wrestle Lullaby from Kageyama's grip, but even while he was injured and after speeding on the magic vehicle, he wouldn't let go so easily.

  "You... ungrateful bastard...!!" Haru growled as she kept trying to pull Lullaby out of Kageyama's grasp. "Is this how you thank us after we save your life?!"

  "Let go!!" Kageyama shouted as he pushed his hand against Haru's face. "I will do what has to be done!! Eisenwald's mission will come to pass, do you hear me?!"

  "Why are you still trying to complete what those bastards started, anyway?!" asked Haru. "Those guys tried to kill you, remember?!!"

  Hearing that caused Kageyama to tense up as he remembered getting stabbed by Karacka... but even then, he growled as he kept trying to pull Lullaby away from Haru.

  "Sh-shut up!!" he shouted. "You know nothing, you brat!!"

  "What's going on here?!"

  Haru gasped as she turned to see none other than Makarov standing behind her.

  "M-Master Makarov!" she exclaimed.

  "Haru?" Makarov asked. "What are you doing here?" His expression suddenly turned nervous as sweat dripped down his face. "Wait... where's your brother? And Erza and Gray, for that matter?"

  "Huh?" Haru muttered. "Well, they're... no, wait! Not the time! Master, listen to me! This guy is here-"

  "To play a song for you!" Kageyama exclaimed as he finally pushed Haru off, taking advantage of her letting down her guard. "If... you would be so kind, sir."

  "No!" Haru cried as she hurried to Makarov's side, along with Blue Fang. "Master, don't listen to him! He's here to-"

  "Shouldn't you go to a hospital first, boy?" Makarov asked as he eyed Kageyama's bandages.

  "I... I would," Kageyama replied, "except they won't let me play in the hospital." He then held up Lullaby, preparing to play it. "Please, sir... if you wouldn't mind."

  "That's a creepy-looking flute there," Makarov noted.

  "Master, run!" Haru urged. "That's not just any flute! That's-"

  "Just one song," Makarov interrupted while holding up one finger. "I'm in a hurry, you know."

  "O-of course..." Kageyama said as he gave Haru a smug grin, to her horror.

  "Master! Cover your ears!!" Haru cried as she covered her own, and Blue Fang soon did the same, bracing themselves for the Demon Flute's deadly music... and yet, there was no sound.

  'Did... did he do it, yet?' thought Haru as she opened her eyes... only to see Kageyama trembling as he held Lullaby in his hands, sweat beading down his face... and yet, Makarov just stood there, squinting at him.

  "Well?" he asked. "On with it, boy! Aren't you going to play me a song?"

  "K... Kageyama...?" Haru asked while Kageyama kept struggling... and that's when Makarov began to speak.

  "Nothing will change, you know," he said, causing Kageyama to look at him. "Those who are weak will always be weak... but that's not necessarily a bad thing, at least that's what I figure. It's human nature to be weak, after all, is it not? But that's also why we have things such as the Guilds, why they're given a purpose... and why we have friends and allies."

  Kageyama gasped silently while Haru stared at Makarov in awe.

  "Master..." she whispered.

  "When we're surrounded by friends, allies, and even our family," Makarov continued, "it makes us see the brighter side of the future that we all desire to see and experience. Yes, we may be clumsy and might stumble into walls, now and then... but so long as things such as hope and faith exist, we can pick ourselves back up and move forward. That's where we can draw our innermost strength."

  By now... Kageyama looked as if he was about to break down in tears while Makarov gave him a grin.

  "Which means... you don't need that flute, anymore," he surmised, "now do you?"

  Before he knew it, Kageyama dropped Lullaby, then fell to his knees, his expression a mixture of grief, sadness, and shame as he realized that Makarov had seen right through him.

  "I... I give up," he whispered. "You win."

  Haru blinked before she smiled at Kageyama while Makarov chuckled, and even Blue Fang panted happily while wagging his tail.

  "SIS~!!"

  "Master Makarov!!"

  Haru, Blue Fang, and Makarov all turned around to see Natsu (who was missing his vest for some reason), Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Happy approaching them, all of them happy to see that their Guild Master was all right... but Makarov looked horrified, particularly at seeing Natsu, Gray, and Erza.

  "GAH!!" he gasped. "WHAT ARE YOU THREE DOING HERE?!!"

  "Oh, Master!" Erza exclaimed as she pulled Makarov into a hug, accidentally slamming his head against her chest plate. "Your speech was so moving! I almost broke into tears!"

  "Way to go, Gramps!" Natsu exclaimed before he turned to Haru and pulled her into a headlock, giving her a playful noogie. "And you, too, Haru! You were awesome, sis!"

  "Ow! Natsu!" Haru cried. "Let go!"

  "Well, that solves that problem," Gray said with a toothy smirk.

  "Hey," said Lucy as she went over to Kageyama, who raised his head up to look at her. "I think it's time you went to see a doctor, don't you?"

  "...Yeah," Kageyama replied before he looked away. "I'm... I'm sorry..."

  "...I don't know if it makes you feel any better," Lucy began, "but if Karacka really wanted to kill you, he would have aimed a little higher than your hip, you know?" She then smiled. "So maybe... he still considers you a friend, after all, don't you think?"

  Kageyama's eyes went wide... and then he swallowed thickly, trying to choke down his tears.

  "Karacka..." he whispered.

  "Well, I don't know about anybody else," Haru began while stretching her arms, "but I am exhausted."

  "Yeah, and I'm starvin'," Natsu agreed while rubbing his empty stomach. "I can't wait to go home and fill my belly with some flame-broiled steaks!"

  "Aye, and some raw fish for me!" Happy agreed.

  "And I cannot wait to feed upon your souls...!"

  "Yeah, I-" Natsu started, only to freeze as he realized that an unfamiliar voice was speaking. "Wait, who said that?"

  "Wasn't me," Gray answered.

  "Don't look at me," Happy chimed in.

  "You wizards... are nothing but cowards..."

  That's when all eyes turned around... and saw that the voice was coming from Lullaby, which had an ominous fog seeping out of the skull!

  "I am through waiting!!" the instrument declared, causing everyone to gasp in shock.

  "Uh... tell me I'm not the only one hearing this!" Haru exclaimed.

  "The flute... it spoke!" Lucy cried.

  "And there's a weird fog coming out of it, too!" Happy cried, just as the fog began to take the shape of an extremely tall figure with a wooden body and branches in the shape of large horns, as well as large holes in its arms, legs, and torso.

  "Prepare to meet your DOOM!!!" Lullaby exclaimed with an evil laugh while everyone gaped in shock and horror at what they were seeing.

  "What in the name of Mavis is that?!" Erza questioned.

  "A MONSTER!!!" cried Lucy, Haru, and Happy.

  "What in the hell...?!" Kageyama questioned. "Erigor didn't tell me anything about this!!"

  "Oh, dear!" exclaimed the Guild Master of the Blue Pegasus Guild, Master Bob, sweating nervously in spite of his smile. "This doesn't look good!"

  "That's... that's a demon of the Book of Zeref!!" cried the Guild Master of Quatro Cerberus, Goldmine.

  "I can wait no longer..." Lullaby growled. "I am so hungry that I cannot stand it! Your souls will be an excellent meal!!"

  "Wait, souls?!" Natsu asked. "Do they taste good or something?!"

  "How the hell should I know, you idiot?!" Gray questioned.

  "I... I don't understand," Lucy said, shakily. "How could a flute hide away such a vicious monster?!"

  "Lullaby itself IS the monster, young lass!" Goldmine answered. "In other words, it is Demon Magic... the very magic that Zeref created!!"

  "Demon Magic..." whispered Erza.

  "Hold it," Haru spoke up. "'Zeref' as in... that ancient Dark Wizard?!"

  "That's the only Zeref I know!" Gray answered.

  "Indeed!" Bob replied, still smiling despite his worry. "Zeref the Dark Wizard was the evilest wizard in the history of magic! Who'd have thought that his dark legacy from centuries ago would come to haunt us now in our time? How frightening!"

  "You don't look very worried, Master Bob!" Haru exclaimed.

  "Now then... whose soul shall I eat first?" asked Lullaby as he glowered down at the group. "Or maybe... I will just devour you all, right here!!"

  With that, Lullaby opened its mouth and let out this unearthly screech, forcing the Guild Masters to cover their ears, cowering in fear... all except for Makarov, Bob, and Goldmine, to Lucy's amazement. What's more, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Haru, and Blue Fang all stood, unflinchingly at the monster.

  "They're... they're not afraid...!" Lucy whispered in awe.

  "Well, kids!" Makarov called with a grin. "Now's your time to shine!"

  "You got it, Gramps!" Natsu smirked back.

  "Ready?" Erza asked as she drew two swords.

  "Let's do this!" Gray exclaimed.

  "Time to unleash the beast, Blue Fang!" Haru declared while Blue Fang growled in agreement, and with that, they all charged into battle!

  "Requip: HEAVEN'S WHEEL ARMOR!!"

  In a flash of light, Erza was soon donned in her Heaven's Wheel Armor and sliced right through Lullaby's right leg, and meanwhile, Natsu roared as he ran up on Lullaby's left arm and set his own foot ablaze.

  "FIRE DRAGON TALON!!!"

  Spinning his leg in an arc, he kicked the monster right in the face, causing it to stumble back, and meanwhile, Haru ran up on Lullaby's other arm while placing her hand on Blue Fang's chest.

  "Beast Spirit: SOUL LINK!!"

  With that quick synchronization of their spirits, Haru soon entered her more powered-up state as she and Blue Fang both charged in, the former reeling her fist back while the latter opened his jaws.

  "FERAL BEAST DOUBLE FANG BLOW!!!"

  With Blue Fang's jaw strength combined with the power of Haru's strengthened punch, Lullaby roared as its jaw was completely cracked.

  "YOU PESTS!!!" Lullaby shouted before it fired multiple fireballs at the Dragneel Siblings, who quickly jumped out of the way, but now, the Guild Masters were all in the line of fire... or so it seemed.

  "Gray!!" Makarov called out.

  "Got it, Gramps!" Gray exclaimed as he stood in the path of the fireballs while holding his hands together. "Ice-Make: SHIELD!!"

  Soon, he conjured up a massive shield of ice... while also taking off his shirt and jacket, for some reason.

  "And now... LANCE!!" Gray shouted as he fired off multiple ice lances at Lullaby, the projectiles piercing multiple holes in its wooden body. "Erza, go!!"

  "Requip: BLACK WING ARMOR!!!"

  Once again, Erza changed into a different form of armor, this one being completely black in color with silver trimmings and a pair of huge bat-like wings. Just like with her Heaven's Wheel Armor, this armor also left little to the imagination, revealing Erza's cleavage and midriff, as well as her thighs (much to the attraction of the other Guild Masters). As Erza went in for the attack, Natsu managed to eat the fireballs that Lullaby had spewed out of its mouth before swallowing the flames and giving a belch.

  "Ahh... now I got a fire in my belly!" he exclaimed before lighting both his fists on fire. "The flames of my right hand... and the flame in my left! Put 'em together... and this is what ya get!!" Soon, he raised his hands up, conjuring a giant fireball.

  "FIRE DRAGON... BRILLIANT FLAAAAAME!!!"

  In a massive explosion, the fireball struck Lullaby while Erza cut through its throat, Haru and Blue Fang both punched through its shoulders, and Gray's Ice Lances continued to pierce holes into its body. Lucy gaped in awe as she watched the five of them... but then she gasped as she realized that she was caught up in watching.

  "What am I doing?!" she asked. "I have to help, too!"

  Suddenly, there was a flash of light from her key pouch, and suddenly, Apollo appeared in front of the Celestial Spirit Wizard, growling at Lullaby, who, even after taking all those attacks, was still standing!

  "IMPUDENT FOOLS!!!" it roared furiously as it glared down at the group. "I'LL DEVOUR YOU ALL!!!"

  "AAAAAH!!" one of the Guild Masters screamed in horror. "THIS IS IT!!! WE'RE DOOMED!!!"

  "Apollo, wait!" Lucy cried. "What are you-"

  Before Lucy could do anything, the symbol of Canis Minor began to flow on Apollo's forehead, followed by these glowing blue lights gathering into the puppy's mouth, which he closed for a few seconds before his cheeks began to inflate... and then, as he opened his tiny jaws... a massive beam of light burst forth from him, completely obliterating Lullaby's entire left side, causing everyone to gape in shock... but none of them were more shocked than Lucy, whose jaw was gaping open and her eyes were wider than saucers.

  "...Oooookay, I did not know that he could do THAT!" she exclaimed.

  "A puppy... that shoots laser beams?" Natsu asked. "That is... SO COOL!!"

  "Jeez, Lucy, you are just full of surprises!" Haru exclaimed as she put her hand on the Celestial Spirit Wizard's shoulder.

  "Very impressive, Lucy," Erza grinned.

  "Uh... what can I say?" Lucy asked with a sheepish chuckle. "I got a lot of them."

  At that moment, Apollo whimpered as he collapsed to the ground, causing Lucy to gasp as she ran up and held the poor exhausted pup, who quickly disappeared in her arms.

  "Hey, where'd the little guy go?" asked Gray.

  "He must have gone back to the Celestial Spirit Realm to rest," said Lucy. "I guess that laser took up a lot of his energy."

  "Urrrgh..." Lullaby groaned as it began to collapse, itself. "In... conceivable...!!" Soon, it fell to the ground... right on top of the conference building, completely destroying it, and yet, despite that, Makarov just laughed proudly at the ones he called his children while Kageyama and the Guild Masters stared in amazement.

  "Unreal...!" one of the masters whispered. "They destroyed a demon of Zeref... like it was nothing!"

  "Behold," Makarov began as Natsu and the others all stood proudly, "the strongest team in Fairy Tail!"

  "Haha! Hell yeah, we are!" Natsu shouted as he and Haru high-fived.

  "Whoo-hoo!! Haru hollered.

  "Aye!" Happy cheered.

  "Wow..." Kageyama whispered. "These guys... are amazing!"

  "Oh, yes, they are, cutie!" Bob exclaimed as he pulled the Shadow Wizard into his arms. "We better get you to a doctor, am I right~?"

  "GAH!!" cried Kageyama.

  "Well, it seems we owe Fairy Tail a great debt," said Goldmine.

  "Well, you can start by cookin' up a big dinner!" Natsu exclaimed, only for Erza to nudge him in the side. "Ow! Hey!"

  "Seeing you all safe is reward enough," said Erza.

  "Hahahahahaha!!" Makarov laughed. "They certainly are amazing, aren't they?!" However... his laughter was cut short as he realized what just happened: the conference hall was completely destroyed!

  "Uh... oh, dear," Erza muttered. "It seems we overdid it, again."

  "Ah, crap..." Natsu cursed under his breath.

  "What do we do?" Lucy asked, nervously.

  "Look, as long as we don't say anything about it and sneak off quietly, we're off the hook," Gray muttered.

  "Yeah, I like that plan," Haru agreed before they all turned to sneak away... until someone yelled out...

  "HEY!! SOMEONE STOP THEM!!! THEY DESTROYED THE CONFERENCE HALL!!!"

  "Change of plans!" Makarov shouted. "RUN FOR THE HILLS!!"

  "GREAT IDEA!!!" Natsu cried before they all ran off as fast as they could while the Guild Masters chased after them, yelling all kinds of angry things.

  "YOU VANDALS!!!"

  "MAKAROV, DON'T EXPECT TO EVER COME BACK TO OUR MEETINGS, AGAIN!!!"

  "YOU FAIRY TAIL WIZARDS ARE NOTHING BUT DELINQUENTS!!!"

  But as the Guild Masters chased the Fairy Tail Gang out of town... Lullaby slowly began to crumble away into dust... making one final utterance.

  "E... N... D..."

Chapter Text

  "Well, this is a fine mess, isn't it?" asked Haru as she walked along with the others with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

  As of right now, the group of Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Haru, Happy, Blue Fang, and Master Makarov were all standing in the middle of a rocky landscape that was lined with fissures. This was Web Valley, a place hidden within Clover Canyon. Even the most experienced explorers got lost in this labyrinthian landscape, leaving nothing but their bones.

  Two days after the incident with Lullaby, the group had made their way here in an attempt to escape from the angry mob of Guild Masters after the conference hall had been destroyed... but now, they found themselves hopelessly lost.

  "Seriously, Happy," Lucy began, "I can't believe you got us lost, again! We've been walking since forever-and-a-half and we still haven't gotten back to Magnolia, yet!!"

  "What do you mean, 'again'?" asked Happy, indignantly. "This is the first time I've ever gotten us lost! Cut me a little slack, Lucy!"

  "Well, let's also try to make it the last time, please," Haru agreed, but then, the group tensed as they heard this audible roar, causing them to turn to Natsu, who had his hand over his growling stomach.

  "Ugh..." Natsu groaned. "Man, I want some food~!"

  "We all do," Gray retorted. "Talking about it just makes us hungrier!"

  "I can't help it if I'm hungry, jerk!!" Natsu barked as he got in the Ice-Make Wizard's face.

  "No, but you can stop running your mouth, can't you?!" Gray questioned as he butted heads with the Dragon Slayer.

  "LISTEN UP!!" Makarov shouted in a stern voice before he quickly withered. "We need some foooood..."

  "YEAH, WE KNOW!!" Natsu and Gray yelled while Blue Fang whined pitifully, the wolf's stomach also rumbling.

  "Aww, Blue Fang," Haru cooed as she gave him a sympathetic pat on the head. "You're hungry, too, huh, boy?"

  "Enough!" Erza called out, sternly... only for her stomach to bellow with a hungry rumble, as well, and this actually sounded louder than Natsu's stomach, much to everyone's surprise.

  "Your stomach's trying to tell ya somethin', isn't it?" Natsu asked.

  "No, it's not," Erza replied, still trying to retain her dignity. "You're hearing things."

  "Yeah, real convincing, Erza," Gray replied.

  "Sheesh, and I thought Natsu's stomach growled really loud when he was hungry," Haru muttered, then all of a sudden, Happy let out a joyful cry as he spotted something flying around in the canyon: it was a school of fish... with wings! And they were talking!

  "I can fly!"

  "You can fly!"

  "Can you fly?"

  "Are those... Winged Fish?" asked Haru.

  "Aye!!" Happy cried. "They're a legendary delicacy... and SUPER yummy from what I hear!!"

  "Uh... actually, Happy," Haru began, "that's not really-"

  "A legendary delicacy?" Gray asked, interrupting her train of thought.

  "Winged Fish, huh?" Erza inquired.

  "Sounds good to me!" Natsu exclaimed with drool dripping out of his mouth and his stomach growling along with Gray's, Erza's, Blue Fang's, and Makarov's.

  "Well done, Happy!" Makarov exclaimed as he put his hand on the little cat's shoulder. "You make this old man very proud!"

  "Guys, enough with the growling stomachs!" Lucy scolded... only for her own stomach to start rumbling, too, which prompted Gray to give a smug smirk.

  "You were saying?" he asked while Lucy only side-eyed him while muttering "Shut up".

  "Guys, wait a minute!" Haru called. "About the Winged Fish-"

  "Keep your shirt on, sis!" Natsu interjected as he held up a fishing pole. "We'll be sure to catch one for ya!"

  "That's not what I mean!" Haru shouted. "Listen to me, already!"

  Alas, everyone else was too hungry to listen to the Beast Wizard, for they were all sitting over the edge of the valley with fishing rods in hand. It seemed that Winged Fish were even harder to catch than regular fish, considering the fact that... well, they had wings and they were flying around, screaming. Happy was actually getting ready to give up until Lucy attempted to encourage him... and yet, somehow, he misinterpreted her words as being mean.

  "I was only trying to help you!" Lucy cried.

  "Leave him alone," Haru muttered.

  Eventually, they did manage to catch one fish, but all the others flew away in fear. Despite this setback, Natsu cooked it using his flaming breath before he held it out to Happy, insisting that he eat it. Though the blue cat was concerned about the others, Gray said that it was much too small to split evenly between them and Makarov urged him to eat it before they changed their minds. So, Happy went ahead and cheerfully ate the fish... in spite of everyone trying so hard to fight their own hunger.

  However, the moment Happy finished it all, he retched in disgust.

  "GROSS!!" he cried.

  "It was really that bad?!" Lucy questioned.

  "I was trying to tell you!" Haru spoke. "Winged Fish aren't as good as people say they are! I should know since I ate one back when I was living in the forest!"

  "Ya know, ya could have said something sooner, sis," Natsu deadpanned.

  "I TRIED TO TELL YOU!!!" Haru barked.

  Soon, the group was seen walking along the path, dejected from their lack of food.

  "I hate to say it, but..." Natsu murmured.

  "All that fishin'..." Gray groaned.

  "Made me hungrier..." Makarov groused as they all kept walking... but then, all of a sudden, they stumbled upon the open square of a village!

  "A village!" Erza exclaimed with relief.

  "Houses!" Gray pointed out.

  "And where there's a village," Happy began, "there must be...!"

  "FOOOOOOOOD!!!" Natsu cheered as the group happily ran into the village... but stopped as they realized that the streets were totally empty. No sounds of villagers gossiping, no pets barking or chirping... just the sound of the howling wind.

  "There's no one here," said Gray.

  "It sure is quiet out here, isn't it?" asked Lucy.

  "It's like a ghost town," Haru said as she hugged herself, shivering nervously. "Where do you think everybody is?"

  "Maybe they're taking an afternoon nap or somethin'," Natsu suggested before he cupped his hands around his mouth. "HEY!! ANYBODY HERE?!!"

  "WE'RE STARVING LIKE CRAZY OUT HERE!!!" Happy shouted. "SOMEBODY COOK US SOME DINNER!!!"

  "Wow, Happy," Lucy deadpanned, "ever heard the word 'please'?"

  "You really think that everyone is taking an afternoon nap?" asked Gray, skeptically.

  "Either that or they all got drunk and passed out," Makarov mused.

  "I think that only happens back at the guild, Master," said Lucy, incredulously.

  "Hmm-hmm..." Makarov chuckled. "We do love our spirits, don't we?"

  Natsu winced as he felt his stomach beginning to grumble noisily, complaining about its current state of esurience.

  "Aww, I know," he said as he rubbed his belly. "You're hungry, aren't ya?"

  "Seriously, Natsu?" Haru asked, incredulously. "You're talking to your stomach?"

  "Well, it's talkin' to me!" Natsu rebuked before his nose twitched, having caught a scent of something... something delicious. With a grin, he soon dashed off, leaving the others behind.

  "Hey, where are you going?!" Haru called after her brother.

  "You guys can hang out here all day if you want but I'm gonna find a kitchen to raid!!" Natsu called back.

  "Shame on you for even thinking about robbing this place, Natsu!!" Gray shouted, although he was grinning as he ran ahead of him.

  "You guys aren't doing any of that while I'm here!!" Haru shouted as she ran after them.

  "You're just mad I thought of it first!!" Natsu argued as they all stopped in front of a house, and soon, the Dragon Slayer started to bang on the door. "Hey, is anyone home?!"

  There was no answer, causing Natsu to moan in frustration as he kept pounding his fists against the door.

  "Come on, give us somethin' to eat!" he whined. "We're dyin', here!"

  Suddenly, the door opened... and yet, as Natsu, Haru, and Gray looked inside, they found that the whole house was empty. The only thing there was an empty table with a plateful of freshly baked bread.

  "There's no one here, either?" asked Haru.

  "Where could they be?" Gray asked.

  "Who cares? There's food!" Natsu exclaimed as he picked up a loaf of bread and sniffed it. "Oh, good, it still smells fresh!" He opened his mouth to take a bite. "Open wide~!"

  "Not so fast," Erza spoke up as she entered, causing Natsu to freeze.

  "Oh, come on!" he complained. "What is it now?! I'm hungry!"

  "Something's not right about this," Erza said.

  "She's right," agreed Gray. "Who would leave a table full of food just sittin' here like this?"

  "Not to mention if someone cooked this, then where are they?" asked Haru.

  "How the hell should I know?" Natsu asked as he and Happy held a loaf of bread, too. "Anyway, ready to dig in, Happy?"

  "Aye!" Happy agreed.

  "Through the teeth and past the gums, look out belly, 'cuz here it comes!" Natsu declared before he opened his mouth to eat.

  "Natsu!!" Erza shouted, causing him to yelp in fright.

  "Y-yes, ma'am!" he cried.

  "We need to investigate the village, first," said Erza. "We held out this long, we can hold out a little more-"

  GWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRBLE!!!

  "Uh... I think your stomach is telling a different story, Erza," Lucy pointed out.

  "Indeed," Makarov concurred. "So which one do we listen to."

  "Haru, you're the best at foraging," Erza said, despite her stomach still grumbling loudly. "Take Natsu, Gray, Blue Fang, Lucy, and Happy and go scour the forest for mushrooms or anything that looks edible, and don't eat any of the food in the village, understand? While you're doing that, Master and I will investigate this place!"

  "Yes, ma'am!" Haru saluted.

  "Wait... mushrooms?" Lucy questioned.

  "Come on, guys!" Haru called as she headed out. "Foraging Squad, let's go!"

  "Sounds good to me," Gray said as he followed Haru out, along with Happy... but Natsu was the only one who remained behind, staring longingly at the bread.

  "Natsu..." Erza said in a warning tone.

  "Just... just one loaf of bread?" Natsu asked, whining pathetically. "Please, Erza?"

  "No," Erza answered, firmly.

  "Just a bite, then?" asked Natsu.

  "No!" Erza replied, remaining firm.

  "An itty-bitty, teeny-tiny lick?" asked Natsu, only for Erza to point her sword at his face. "AAH!! I'M GOIN'!!!"

  With that, he soon ran off to catch up with his sister and the rest of the Foraging Squad. It didn't take them very long to find a forest that surrounded the village, but so far, they didn't find anything edible. All the while, Lucy was wondering why Erza would want them to search for mushrooms in the first place.

  Eventually, though, the group did manage to find many mushrooms growing in the forest... all of them different shapes and colors, and even though he was complaining about it earlier, even Natsu proclaimed that they looked appetizing.

  Then again, since no one had in about 2 days now, anything would look appetizing.

  "But why mushrooms of all things?" Lucy asked.

  "Come on, Lucy, it's so obvious," said Happy. "Natsu's gonna eat a poisonous mushroom and then something weird will happen to him! You know the cliché, right?"

  "Well, lucky for you guys that I'm here," Haru said as she looked around. "Due to living out in the forest as a kid, I can tell the difference between a good, edible mushroom and one that could leave you on the toilet for days."

  "Too much information, Haru," Lucy grimaced.

  "Now, Natsu," said Haru, "I know you're starving, right now, but whatever you do, do not pick any mushrooms until I've made sure they're absolutely safe-" She trailed off as she began to hear munching sounds, causing a deadpan expression to appear on her face. "You're not listening, are you?"

  "You say somethin', sis?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at her, his cheeks stuffed to bursting with mushrooms.

  "Ugh..." Haru groaned in irritation while Blue Fang slapped a paw over his muzzle, sharing his partner's sentiment. Eventually, Gray started getting on the act, as well, just picking and eating whatever random mushroom he saw with Happy commentating on the build-up of a "gag" of some sort. Eventually, though, as Natsu kept eating, he suddenly began to gag and grab at his throat.

  "AAH!!" Haru shrieked as she grabbed her brother and began to slap her hand against his back. "Natsu, spit the mushrooms out! Quick!!"

  "Oh, no!" Lucy cried. "Is Natsu in danger?!"

  POP! All of a sudden, a pink mushroom with yellow polka dots popped out of the top of Natsu's head!

  "BWAH!!" he gasped. "That was scary!"

  "YOUR HEAD IS WHAT'S SCARY!!!" Lucy and Haru shouted.

  "This is why I was saying to let me check them, first!" Haru said. "But noooo! No one wants to listen to the expert!"

  "What are you talkin' about?" asked Natsu.

  "I was hoping that he'd turn purple..." Happy bemoaned, dejectedly.

  "Uh... that's what you were HOPING for?!" Lucy questioned.

  "Hey, what are you guys all worked up about?" asked Gray as he stood beside Natsu... with a blue, flat mushroom growing out of his head, as well.

  "Just... take a look at each other, okay?" asked Lucy, unable to handle how exasperated she was, right now, and as Natsu and Gray both took a glance at each other, they screamed as they saw the mushrooms growing out of their respective heads.

  "HAHAHA!! THERE'S A MUSHROOM ON YOUR HEAD!!!"

  "OH, YEAH?! WELL, I BET YOURS IS BIGGER THAN MINE!!! I WISH YOU COULD SEE YOURSELF, YOU LOOK SO DUMB!!!"

  "NOT AS DUMB AS YOU DO!!!"

  "Would you two cut it out?!" Haru questioned.

  "Seriously, this could be really bad!" Lucy cried. "Who cares how you look?!"

  As for Happy and Blue Fang, they were both staring down at some mushrooms themselves... and drooling a bit, at that.

  "Hey, Droopy Eyes," Natsu said with a scowl. "What the hell are you laughin' at, huh?!"

  "Me?!" Gray asked. "What are YOU laughin' at, Shroom-head?!"

  Soon, the two boys began to fight each other, throwing insults back and forth as they tussled.

  "YOU CAN FIGHT LATER!!" Lucy shouted. "WORRY ABOUT THE MUSHROOMS FIRST!!!"

  "I've pretty much given up at this rate," Haru deadpanned. "Come on, Lucy, you, Blue Fang, Happy, and I will- AAH!!"

  To her horror, both Happy and Blue Fang had also taken a bite out of some mushrooms... and they both had multi-colored fungi growing out of their heads.

  "Are we seriously the only sane ones around here?!" asked Lucy.

  "Apparently, we are," Haru groaned.

  "I guess that just happens to everybody who eats these things, huh?" Gray mused.

  "Maybe they just like the look!" Natsu surmised.

  "Who knows?" Gray asked. "Maybe it'll be a fashion statement when we get back to Magnolia."

  "I'd rather it not be one, thank you," said Haru.

  While Blue Fang didn't seem to mind the mushroom growing out of his crown, Happy took one look at his... and started crying.

  "It's not as funny this time!!" he cried while Lucy just gaped in disbelief.

  "Were you TRYING to be funny?!" asked the Celestial Spirit Wizard.

  "Just let it go, Lucy," Haru said before she turned to Natsu... and gasped. "Uh... Natsu? Is it me, or has that mushroom gotten bigger?!"

  "Huh?" Natsu muttered before he looked up and saw that the mushroom growing out of his scalp had indeed doubled in size.

  "Not fair!" Happy whined. "How come Natsu gets all the good gags?!"

  Suddenly, the air was filled with a ferocious growl, causing the group to gasp as they looked up.

  "Uh... do you guys hear that?" asked Lucy, worriedly.

  "Probably my stomach, again!" Natsu answered as he placed his hands over his belly. "Those mushrooms didn't fill me up at all!"

  "That's way too loud to be your stomach, Natsu!" Haru rebuked.

  "It's coming from the village," Gray said as he turned to the direction of the village... but then, out of nowhere, the mushroom growing out of his head suddenly fell off, and Natsu's soon did the same, and Blue Fang's too!

  "Yay! The mushrooms are gone!" Happy cheered.

  "I wouldn't be so sure, Happy," Lucy replied as she pointed at the mushroom growing out of the little cat's head. "Yours is still going strong."

  "AAH!!" Happy cried.

  "Come on, let's go!" Haru exclaimed as they all turned to run. "Erza and Master Makarov may be in danger!!"

  "Erza! Gramps!" Natsu called as they all ran back to the town.

  "Hey, no fair!!" Happy shouted, the mushroom still growing on his head. "It's not funny when the joke's on me!!"

  "Maybe next time, don't eat weird mushrooms, then!" Haru shouted back as they kept running and eventually made it back to the village, only to find that the ground was glowing red. Not only that, but the houses, lamp posts, and even the ground itself were beginning to twitch and writhe around... almost as if they were alive!

  "Uh... what's going on?!" Lucy asked.

  "Everyone, stay alert!" Erza called out.

  "No... this can't be...!" Makarov whispered.

  "It's time to rumble, Gramps," said a now topless Gray as he put his hands together, preparing to use his Ice-Make Magic.

  "No, wait!" Makarov cried. "We need to get to higher ground! There's something I have to check!!"

  "What?!" Haru asked. "Why?!"

  "Just follow me!" Makarov answered before he ran off.

  "You heard the Master!" Erza called as they all ran after him. "Everyone, let's go, and stay close!"

  "Right!" the others replied as they ran out and climbed up to the top of a cliff that overlooked the village... but as they reached the top, they all saw that the buildings and lamps had turned into hideous monsters!

  "Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed. "Looks like we made it out just in time!"

  "Now I understand," said Erza. "It was a Magic Circle in the ground, wasn't it?"

  "Wait, what now?!" asked Haru.

  "While you were gone, Erza and I were investigating the village and found odd lines carved into the ground," Makarov answered. "It was actually a giant Magic Circle, all along, and this circle is used for a type of magic that was banned many years ago: a form of Sealing Magic that is known as 'Alive'!!"

  "So... what does it do?" asked Lucy.

  "See for yourself, Lucy," Makarov replied. "It's exactly what it looks like! It has the ability to turn inanimate objects into living creatures!"

  "So... the villagers...?" asked Haru, although she seemed to be dreading the answer.

  "It seems that the villagers cast this spell," Makarov confirmed with a grim expression, "and they were devoured by the very creatures they brought to life!"

 "But why would they use magic that's been banned?!" Lucy questioned.

  "It's obvious, isn't it?" Erza asked. "This village... was home to a Dark Guild!"

  "What?!" asked Lucy.

  "No way!" Natsu exclaimed.

  "While we were investigating," Erza continued, "I came across a collection of magic tools and items, tucked away in a shed. Upon closer inspection, I realized that they were tools used to practice dark magic."

  "Knowing how reckless and irresponsible Dark Guilds can be," Makarov began, "they were probably thinking up some crazy plan, only to end up getting burned in the process... BUT!!" He then grinned. "There's one thing we should be thankful for!"

  "And that would be?" Natsu inquired.

  "This particular Dark Guild's mischief brought these creatures to life," said Makarov, "and living creatures can be turned into... FOOD!!"

  "Wait, what?" Lucy asked.

  "Actually... he does have a point!" Haru said, and meanwhile, Natsu and Gray both had rather menacing-looking grins, which only creeped Lucy out further. Even Blue Fang had a rather crazed grin on his muzzle, his fangs bare and his jaws dripping with saliva.

  "Wait! Are you guys seriously considering eating those things?!" Lucy questioned... and she soon got her answer when all their stomachs started roaring in response. "Yeah... I should have known."

  Soon, without another thought and too hungry to think about anything else, the group charged at the horde of monsters. Haru, using her Feral Beast Fist move, "tenderized" the flesh of one of the beasts while Natsu roasted it with several Fire Dragon Iron Fist attacks. Gray, meanwhile, was making himself some "monster-cicles" by freezing them with his Ice-Make: Fishnet spell, and as for Erza, she had requipped into a chef's outfit, complete with a set of knives to butcher the monsters. Blue Fang was wrestling with a large monster and biting its throat with all his strength while Happy was... fighting with a chair.

  "WAAH!! HELP ME!!" Happy cried as the chair was trying to buck him off like a wild bronco.

  Soon, all the monsters were defeated... meaning there was only one thing left to do.

  "Time to eat!" Natsu exclaimed as he pulled off a monster's tentacle and took a bite, followed Erza, Lucy, Haru, and Gray... but then the moment they all took a bite, they all gagged.

  "GROSS!!!" they shouted.

  "Ugh... yeah, that was a bad idea," Haru groaned while wiping her mouth. "Blegh! Even dirt tastes better than this!"

  "What the hell, Gramps?!" Natsu questioned. "We can't eat this crap!!"

  The only one who wasn't complaining about the taste of the monsters was Blue Fang, who was ripping off bite after bite of the monster that he killed... and he seemed to be enjoying it, too!

  "How can he eat that?!" asked Lucy.

  "Blue Fang's a wolf!" Natsu retorted. "Wolves eat anything if they're desperate enough!"

  "Hey, what about me?!" Happy yelled while waving his paws up and down. "How come nobody helped me when I was being attacked by that chair monster?!"

  "Oh, hey, your mushroom fell off!" Gray pointed out.

  "I don't care about the stupid mushroom, anymore!" Happy spat. "I'm asking why you didn't help me! How could you be so mean?! I thought we were friends!!"

  "We are friends!" Natsu replied.

  "You were just goofing off, right?" asked Gray, to Happy's shock.

  "Well, now what do we do?" asked Erza. "I'd rather starve than eat any more of those things."

  "I guess that's what we get for eating a bunch of monsters," said Gray.

  "Man, this sucks!" Natsu whined as his stomach began growling again. "And all that barbecuin' I did made me hungrier than ever~!"

  "I'm sure we can find something to eat around here as long as-" Haru started, only to gasp as she saw a monster appear behind Happy, who was still in his comically stunned state. "HAPPY, BEHIND YOU!!"

  "Huh?" Happy muttered, only to turn around and shriek upon seeing the monster about to swallow him whole.

  "FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!!!"

  Without any prompting, Natsu punched the monster with a blazing fist while Haru jumped in and grabbed Happy, taking him out of harm's way.

  "You okay, Happy?" asked the Beast Wizard.

  "Haru... I knew you cared~!" Happy sobbed.

  "Uh... guys?" asked Lucy as she saw that they were surrounded by monsters from all around. "I think we made these things angry by trying to eat their buddies!"

  "Man, these things are nasty," Gray noted.

  "In more ways than one," said Erza.

  "Haru, quick!" Lucy urged. "Sing them a song or something! Maybe you can get these things to calm down!"

  "I can't!" Haru replied. "My Beast Magic only works on animals, not monsters! If anything, I might make things worse if I sing to them!"

  "You've gotta be kidding!!" Lucy cried.

  "Then we'll have to fight our way outta this!!" Natsu shouted as he lit both his hands on fire. "I'm gonna blow these things away!! FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!!" He slammed his fists into several monsters, charring them thoroughly.

  "Ice-Make: WALL!!" Gray shouted as he conjured up a wall of ice, freezing the monsters in their tracks, and meanwhile, Erza had requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and sliced through a few more of them with her dual swords.

  "I might not be able to use my songs," Haru began, "but Blue Fang and I can do more than just sing! Beast Siren: HOWL!!" Taking a deep breath, Haru and Blue Fang both unleashed a powerful sound wave that sounded like a long howl, pushing the monsters back and causing rocks to fall on top of them.

  "I can help, too!" Lucy exclaimed as she held up Taurus' Key. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! TAURUS!!"

  Soon enough, Taurus appeared before her, brandishing his giant ax... and drooling over the blonde girl with hearts in his eyes.

  "You're lookin' smooooth as always, Miss Luuuucy~!" he mooed.

  "Not now, Taurus!!" Lucy shouted as she used her whip to tie a monster's mouth shut. "Less passion and more bashin'!!"

  "She loves my mooooves!!" Taurus lowed as he leaped into the air and slammed the blade of his ax into the ground, sending several more monsters flying while also chopping them up... but it seemed that the more monsters the group defeated, even more came to take their place!

  "Man, they just keep comin'!" Natsu complained, and that's when they saw another flesh of dark red light, causing the group to look down and see another Magic Circle appear beneath the monsters!

  "Another one?!" asked Gray.

  "Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Natsu shouted.

  "Oh, wow, it's so pretty!" Happy exclaimed.

  "There's nothing pretty about this!!" Lucy shouted, but then, all of a sudden, the monsters started to sink into the ground... which began to tremble and crack.

  "Uh... Erza?!" Haru asked, worriedly. "What do we do?!"

  "RUN FOR IT!!" Erza shouted, but it was too late, for the ground soon gave out beneath them, causing them to plummet toward the Magic Circle!

  'Is this... how it ends?!' thought Haru.

XXX

  A little while later, while the sun was still high... it was soon revealed that somehow, the group had managed to escape from their harrowing experience and were walking along the path, once again.

  "Uuuuggh..." Natsu moaned as he held his stomach. "Man, I'm starving... like for real...!"

  "I can't walk another step, you guys!" Happy whined as he floated along in front of them.

  "Well, it's a good thing you have wings unlike the rest of us, you show off!" Gray spat.

  "Uh... I still don't know what happened," Lucy said, confused.

  "Yeah, me neither," said Haru as she walked alongside Blue Fang while carrying her backpack, "but at least we're okay... right?"

  "...Master?" Erza asked.

  "Yes?" Makarov answered.

  "I'm... still not satisfied with your answer," said Erza.

  A brief flashback showed that the monsters were in fact the lost villagers who used the Magic Circle to cast the forbidden spells, but they never suspected that they would be taken over by the very creatures they created. After a scolding from Makarov, they vowed never to use such dangerous magic, ever again. Natsu asked how the unsealing was even done, but the old man told him not to overthink it. Lucy, however, was a bit disgusted that Blue Fang actually ate the flesh of one of the monsters.

  "When we fought the monsters," said Erza, "it seemed to activate some sort of self-destruct spell within the Magic Circle... and that's when you came in." She glanced down at Makarov, who didn't even look at her. Somehow, you managed to dispel the Magic Circle, saving us and the villagers... but how did you do it?"

  "I'll tell you about it, someday," Makarov replied. "What matters now is-"

  Suddenly, Natsu collapsed on the ground, his stomach rumbling loud enough to startle everyone.

  "Urrgh... this is it...!" he groaned. "The end of the road! We're gonna starve out here! So many things left undone... I never got to find Igneel~!"

  "Oh, Natsu~!" Haru called. "Look what I have!"

  "Huh?" Natsu murmured as he looked over his shoulder, only to gasp as he saw Haru holding a bag full of bread, apples, and even some dried meat!

  "Ta-dah!" Haru exclaimed.

  "FOOD!!!" everyone cheered as they ran to grab something from the bag.

  "Whoa, easy!" Haru cried. "One at a time!"

  "Haru, where did you get this?!" asked Lucy, excited to finally see some real food for once.

  "The villagers gave it to me as thanks for helping them out!" Haru answered as she fed Blue Fang a piece of dried meat from the bag.

  "Oh, sis, you're a lifesaver~!!" Natsu cried comical tears of joy as he hugged his sister, who laughed as she hugged him back with one arm, and soon after, Natsu began to stuff his mouth as much food as he possibly could.

  "Well done, Haru," Erza said as she ate an apple.

  "Oh, yeah, that hits the spot," Gray said as he ate a piece of dried meat.

  "I feel at least 20 years younger, now!" Makarov exclaimed.

  "It's not fish," Happy said while eating some bread, "but I'm so hungry, I don't even care! Even bread tastes yummy!"

  "And that's not all!" Haru added. "One of the villagers said that if we just keep heading down the main road, we'll reach Magnolia before sundown!"

  "Ha! Bring it on!!" Natsu exclaimed. "Now that I got some food in my belly, I feel like I could run all day!!"

  "In that case," Haru began, "last one to Magnolia's a rotten egg!" With that, she ran on ahead, causing the others to run after her, laughing and cheering the whole way.