So... yeah. It's been a long time, hasn't it?

Ok, I suck at coming up with excuses for why it's taking so long to write this out, so lets just say I've finally gotten a LOT of free time on my hand so it made it really easy to come back and get this chapter finished off.

Anyways, enjoy, I hope that this chapter will be worth the wait. Oh yeah, also if you haven't seen or read this portion of Fairy Tail you'll want to read the manga chapters or watch the episodes since the events Naruto doesn't directly participate in are missing. Mostly because I hate rehashing stuff, it's literally just copying and pasting and where's the creativity in that?

"Dammit, of course the boss can't create enough clones to cover his own ass, that would be too easy!" Was the general consensus of the half dozen clones racing down the streets of the royal city in an attempt to reinforce the Boss and Mira. And since they had neutralized the nearest battalion of soldiers all of them were caught unaware when a massive cannonball exploded in their midst, a lone survivor skidding along the road for several feet. 'Son of a... what just hit us?' The clone's jumbled thoughts were cut off when a massive hand grabbed him from behind, pulled him into a dark alley way and threw him against a wall. "Son of a bitch, you almost popped me you...you... ooooooh. Uhhh, hello, Elfman...well shit."

Elfman glowered at the shorter man while his hand encircled his neck. The furious mage raised his free hand and showed his captive audience his weapon of choice, a massive war hammer, for a moment before he slammed the weapon into the wall. The clone swallowed loudly at the mage's furious expression and focused on the large hole beside his head for a moment before he turned and faced Elfman's furious glare again. "I only have one question for you. WHERE ARE MY SISTERS?"

Chapter 18

Floating Island Over the Royal City

"Now listen here, Cat," Gajeel said with a cocky grin. "The first thing you need to learn as my partner is that you never, EVER raise a sword against me... UNLESS YOU'RE READY TO LOSE IT! HAAAAAAA!" Gajeel flexed his upraised arms and heaved, the blade trapped between the crossed appendages shattering as if it were made of glass. The Iron Dragon Slayer's maniacal grin never faltered as he used the lacrima as a springboard and leaped into the air, the hovering Exceed's eyes widening when Gajeel appeared over his head and threw a powerful punch, the heavy blow sending the division commander streaking towards the floating island. Gajeel let out a crazed laugh while a silver sigil appeared in the air below him, his expression growing more manic as he aimed his spell at his falling opponent. "Tetsuryū no Hōkō!"

Pantherlily roared in pain as shards of metal bit deeply into his flesh, the powerful whorl of magic sending the Exceed commander crashing into the island floating below. Gajeel released a final crazed laugh as he landed in a crouch, a large cloud of dust and debris spreading out from Lily's point of impact. But the Dragon Slayer's jubilation was cut short when Pantherlily exited the dust cloud and flew towards him with a similar crazed look. Lily roared loudly as he threw a punch that connected with Gajeel's jaw, forcing the the Fairy Tail mage back several steps, but Gajeel recovered almost instantly and responded with a uppercut that nearly took Lily's head off. Both Exceed and Dragon Slayer took a moment to appraise the other when a deafening explosion rocked the floating island. "What the hell is going on now?!" Gajeel said angrily, his arms pinwheeling wildly as he struggled to keep his balance on the floating island as it began to slowly move towards Extalia. "We're moving!"

Pantherlily's features twisting into a teeth baring smirk, his eyes focusing on the long chain now connected to the island. "You're too late, the Dragon Chain has been connected. You've lost, Earthlander, and there's nothing that you can do..." Pantherlily's words trailed off at the sight of a dozen glowing chains arching through the air, the brilliant constructs rapidly weaving around the Dragon Chain before they grew taut, slowing the island's progress to a crawl. "What?! IMPOSSIBLE!"

Both Gajeel and Happy shared a grin before turning towards their slack jawed opponent. "Uh huh... I get the feeling that your king never considered just how much of a pain in the ass one of my guild mates can be. Perhaps you've met him? He's about yea high," Gajeel said cheekily, his hand raising up to just below his nose. "He's also got whiskers on his cheeks and blond hair..." Gajeel's voice trailed off at Pantherlily's expression grew thunderous, the Dragon Slayer's manic grin reappearing in an instant. "Oh hoh, so you have met him! I feel for ya, Cat, I really do. Naruto's an... 'acquired' taste. Don't feel bad, you're not the only one that's underestimated that yellow haired bastard."

"Well, shit. Hey Mira, your brother is in town and he's REALLY pissed off at me right now."

Mira took a deep breath and caressed her rifle's trigger, a dense mass of compressed air flattening a trio of advancing knights. "If we survive this then I'll calm him down, for now let's just focus on surviving."

"Dammit, where the hell is Baa-chan when you really need her?" Naruto said as he felt his chakra chains begin to flex into the intense strain.

"Baa-chan? Do I really want to know who or want a 'Baa-chan' is?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder and aimed a strained grin at the crouching barmaid. "The woman I call Baa-chan is the strongest person I know. She's have no issue at all holding this chain back and she'd most likely pull that damned island out of the sky just for shits and giggles."

Mira made a non committal noise, her finger tightening on the trigger as she watched the quartet of clones wade into the mass of soldiers in front of her. Mira took a moment to take a deep breath, her eyes slowly scanning massive room and the dozens of soldiers it contained. "We're in trouble... aren't we?"

"Not really, I've been in way worse trouble before." Naruto said calmly, his relaxed response belied the the angry gaze he focused on the mass of chains in front of him. 'Dammit, I can't stop this thing! Luckily my own chains have got some give to them, but if this keeps up we're going to have a problem... why the hell didn't I learn Baa-Chan's super strength technique when I had the chance?!'

'Uhhhh, lack of fine chakra control?' Kurama responded distractedly.

'AND WHO'S FAULT IS THAT, HUH?'

'I'm sorry,' Kurama replied angrily. "I thought you wanted me to break this seal so that you and your mate could get back home. But if you'd rather rehash the past then keep talking.' Kurama waited in silence for several moment before letting out a soft growl. "I thought so. Now shut up and let me work in peace.'

Naruto let out a frustrated growl and looked over his shoulder, his eyes landing on a large group of soldiers escorting their king from the room. 'Like freaking rats in a sinking ship... oh BALLS.' Naruto's eyes widened in panic when a squad of soldier's entered the room with some kind of wheeled artillery. "Shit! CANNON!" Three of the clones instantly reacted to the original's shout and disengaged from their opponents, the grim faced constructs appearing between the advancing troops and their creator while the fourth raced towards the mobile weapon. Each member of the trio slammed a hand into the ground and three stone walls rose up, covering both Mira and their creator in case their comrade failed to make it in time.

"That's not good..." Naruto said softly. Moments later the blond's words were proven true when a sphere of concentrated Eternano tore through the charging clone and continued on through the barriers, the chakra infused stone disintegrating as if it were nothing more then kindling. One of the remaining clones launched himself towards the oncoming projectile and thrust his arm forward, the Rasengan in it's hand destabilizing the Eternano and causing a massive explosion that instantly consumed the chakra construct and sent Mira flying towards the wall. Another clone appeared behind Mira, halting the barmaid's uncontrolled tumble while the last construct flung a pair of explosive wrapped kunai at the cannon. Both blades sunk deeply in the magical weapon and instantly exploded, a lucky throw having pierce the cannon's power source. For a moment the only sounds were the moans of the wounded and the crackle of swiftly dying flames, when a soft slow clapping replaced them both. Both remaining clones appeared between the soldiers and their comrades, their eyes hardening as Knightwalker stepped through the crowd.

"Bravo, Naruto, bravo. But you're fighting much more defensively then before, it's almost as if..." Knightwalker's voice trailed off for a moment before she let loose a throaty chuckle. "I see. Even the most powerful of predator's can be defeated if they've been hobbled. It must be taking an awful large amount of energy to hold back the Dragon chain like that, energy that you'd normally use to make these fascinating clones of yours." Naruto silently glared over his shoulder at the smug redhead. "What, no witty comeback? No sarcastic remarks on how you're going to 'beat us'? I'm disappointed, but then I always knew that you'd lose. It was just a matter of time." Turning to her subordinates, Erza gave them an evil grin and gestured towards the lone pair of clones. "Swarm them. Once they're gone we can kill the girl... no. On second thought, capture the girl. As much as I'd enjoy killing another Fairy, I'm sure we can find a use for her before we need to dispose of her."

The remaining men let loose a roar of approval at their commander's words and charged, their magic infused weaponry glowing brightly as they prepared to unleash hell upon their enemies. Naruto's clones started running through hand seals but the tide of soldiers washed over them and interrupted their techniques, both clones vanishing under a mass of bodies that bore them to the ground.

'KURAMA...'

'Not yet.'

"Dammit, dammit, dammit..." Naruto swallowed loudly and turned away from the advancing troops, his expression growing remorseful once his eyes met Mira's. "I'm sorry about this. I'll distract them while you run..."

"In your dreams, Naruto!" Mira growled angrily while she slapped a hand against the side of her rifle. "Fairy Tail never leaves a man behind, even if he's from another world!" Bracing the weapon tightly against her shoulder, Mira took a deep breath and unleashed a full powered blast at the oncoming horde. Amid the screams of pain and terror Mira took the chance to look over her shoulder and glare at the stuck blonde. "Just shut up and keep fighting. You don't get to quit, ever! You got that?"

Naruto could only blink in surprise at the barmaid's furious tone, his gaze turning towards the last place he'd seen Erza. Dozen's of crumpled bodies lay scattered across the room, but as the dust cloud that filled the room began to dissipate a a brightly glowing row of magical shields were revealed. Naruto's expression soured at the triumphant smirk Erza wore as she thrust her Ten Commandants towards him. "Shieldsmen, ADVANCE! Cover your comrades until we're too close for these fools to retaliate!"

Mira let out a frustrated grunt and fired once more, but all the powerful shot did was force the advancing line of shields back several steps, a loss that was quickly regained as they continued to move forward. But just then a large shadow fell from the open roof and landed in front of the advancing soldiers. A rage filled cry echoed through the room and stopped the soldiers in their tracks, some of them focusing on the massive war hammer clutched in Elfman's large hands as it slammed into the ground, while the rest stared at the man's furious expression. "STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

For several moments no one made a sound except for a lone shield wielding soldier that appeared to be shaking in fear, but the twitching soldier soon let out a roar of laughter. "Really? Did you really think you could stop us with the 'Loser of Fairy Tail'?" The lone soldier said while he confidently strode forward, his shoulders shaking in mirth while Elfman's furious expression grew even more sour. "I've heard about how much of a coward and a screw up you are, Elfman! Do you really think that someone like you could stop us?"

Elfman stared at the chuckling soldier for several moment in silence when his expression hardened. The furious mage took three massive steps forward and used his greater height to reach over the guards shield, his massive hand clamping down on the back of the now terrified solder's neck. Everyone stared in surprise at the sight of the terrified soldier's useless struggles against the larger man's iron grip for several moments before Elfman effortlessly lifted the gibbering soldier off the ground and glared at the terrified man through the greenish glow of his shield. "It's true I screw up jobs, but it's too bad for all of you that I can't afford to screw up when it comes to family! RAAAGH!"

The terrified soldier gibbered madly as Elfman wound up and hurled him towards his comrades, the soldier's in the airborne man's path raising their shields in defense against the impromptu missile. But just then a lanky man appeared behind the row of shields, his upraised leg smashing several unsuspecting soldiers into the ground before he disappeared from sight. The living missile flew through the newly opened gap and sent a dozen of his comrades flying before he rolled to a stop at Erza's feet. "Hmph, well said, Elfman," Jet said smugly as he came to a halt beside his fellow mage. "It looks like our lectures have finally broke through that thick skull of yours."

Several soldier's recoiled in fear, the line of shields wavering at the appearance of a third of the feared Team Shadow Gear. "I-i-i-it's Jet!"

"Oh please, Jet's the least of your worries. After all," Droy said menacingly while he leaped from the rooftop towards the petrified soldiers and the opening his partner had created. Sunlight glinted off the multiple spikes that adorned his weapon of choice, the massive club primed and waiting to crush the armored men where they stood. "WE COME AS A PAIR! HAAAAA!

Several soldier screamed in terror and tried to close the gap in their barrier when a large steel sphere effortlessly smashed through the glowing shields, the heavy projectile smashing the magical barrier in it's path while also bowling over any soldier caught in it's path. The soldiers not currently fighting the two mages looked upwards and began to gibber madly at the sight of a short woman crouching on the lip of the ceiling, a smoking cannon resting on her slim shoulder. "Ooooh, did you forget about little ol'me? I may not be the brawn of Team Shadow Gear, but I'm definitely the brains! Kick the army's ass, boys!"

But before Jet and Droy could follow their leader's orders a pair of furious roars from within the army halted them in their tracks. The raucous bellowing was soon followed by a large number of airborne soldiers, revealing the clones that had previously been overrun. One of the clones turned his glare on the nearest soldier, the terrified man skittering behind his fellows in an instant, while his twin pulled out a kunai and began to chuckle darkly. "What the hell," The first clone said angrily, his clenched fist raised threateningly towards the nearest soldiers. "A DOG PILE!? That's it! We're done being nice about this!"

While the trio of Fairy Tail mages joined the remaining clones, Naruto gave Edo-Levy a withering glare. "Wait a minute, you used that big-ass cannon to shoot my clones earlier, didn't you?

"Well we thought that you'd kidnapped Mira and Lisanna, so we're even! Now shut up, I'm trying to aim here!" Levy growled out between blasts from her cannon.

Meanwhile...

"UWOOOOOOOOOH!" Natsu pushed with all his might against the advancing island, his arms trembling as he felt the floating island inch ever closer towards Extalia. Despite the fact that the two islands were beginning to break apart, none of the Earthlander's could even contemplate giving up on their comrades trapped within the lacrima. And above it all floated Pantherlily, his eyes widening in surprise at the mages dogged determination to prevent the impending disaster.

"It's too little, too late! Your blond friend may have slowed our progress, but it was inevitable that he would fail..."

The appearance of a white streak of light crashing into the lacrima had the massive Exceed pausing in mid sentence when it revealed a furiously pushing Charla, a loud growl passing her lips as she pushed against the slowly approaching landmass. "I WILL NOT GIVE UP! EVEN IF YOU TELL ME IT'S USELESS I'LL STILL DO WHAT IT TAKES TO PROTECT FAIRY TAIL AND EXTERIA!"

Lily scoffed at the cat's exclamation, but his doubt soon turned to surprise at the appearance of a multitude of winged cats streaking towards the floating islands. "Impossible..."

What appeared to be the entire population of Extalia was bearing down on the oncoming island, each of them bracing against the edge of their home and pushing with all their might against the oncoming disaster. Lily had no words for the sight before him, his eyes scanning through the multitude of his people fighting to protect their homes. A series of panicked shouting tore the soldier's gaze from the sight, Lily's eyes focusing on a exceed with a single wing as she plummeted towards the ground.

Growling in frustration, Lily dove towards the falling Shagotte and scooped her up in his arms. Lily flapped his wings several times and returned to his place over the islands, his expression unreadable as he stared at the scene in silence. Shagotte placed a small paw on the warrior's arm and finally broke the silence. "Lily..."

"My Queen. Have you finally decided to stop lying to yourself?"

Shagotte's face fell for a moment before she responded. "Lily... I'm sorry, I..."

Lily let out a soft sigh and shook his head. "Because I have. No matter how much I despise it," Lily said shakily, tears trailing down his cheeks with every word he spoke. "Extalia is still my home. I could have stopped this, but now it's too late..."

"It's never too late, Lily. You just need the right piece of the puzzle to solve the problem and I've found it." Both Exceed's wore expressions of surprise as a a masked man and a white haired girl riding atop a huge falcon appeared just below them. Before they could response to the mystery man's words a beam of light appeared in the heavens and struck the lacrima, the powerful energies snapping both sets of chains in an instant. The entire island was bathed in the brilliant energy for several moments before a concussive blast sent everyone flying, several of the Exceed diving in and snatching the mages up before they plunged to their deaths.

The island was covered in a dense cloud of smoke, that rapidly dissipated and revealed that the lacrima had disappeared. Mystogan let out a self satisfied sigh. "Mission accomplished..." Mystogan said happily, that is until he saw Naruto's severed chakra chains soaring through the air towards the royal palace. "Oh shit."

Several moments earlier...

'Kit, I just thought of something that's a little alarming.'

'You're not supposed to think of unnerving things, Furball,' Naruto replied testily while he did is best to prevent his arms from popping out of their sockets while the others protected his back. 'You're supposed to be fixing the damned seal! Now stop wasting time and finish...'

'You're pulling on a massive chakra construct attached to the Dragon Chain, a construct that will last for how long after you end the technique? 20 seconds?'

'And who's fault is that?' Naruto heaved on the chains and took the chance to glance over his shoulder to check up on the others.

'Yes, yes, yes, your chakra control is pathetic because no one wanted to teach you...'

'Not that, you poor excuse for a throw rug! I'm talking about the fact that my parents were dead, because of you I might add, and Mom was the only one that could teach me how to use'em! So in all honesty I think I did pretty well for myself!'

'Oh sweet kami, you're like a broken record, you killed my parents, everyone treated me like shit,blah blah blah... but enough of your incessant whining, have you thought about what would happen if the chains broke while your still pulling on them?

The snide response that Naruto was preparing to defend himself died in an instant when Kurama's words managed to penetrate his growing ire. "SHIT!" Naruto's panic grew by leaps and bounds when he started to feel a bit of slack in the chains he was holding. The shinobi spun towards the combatants, ignored the burning muscles in his arms, and swept his arm in their direction. "GET CLEAR! WE'VE GOT INCOMING!"

For a brief moment there was a lull in the melee, but the next moment it was gone and everyone ignored the panicking blonde. Naruto let out a frustrated growl and spun around once more, his eyes widening in panic as he watched several kilometer's of chakra chains falling towards the palace. "Well, that worked about as well as I thought it would." Naruto couldn't help but be reminded of the sound of an avalanche as the mass of solid energy drew closer, his knees bending in preparation as a newly summoned clone helped him form the largest Rasengan he could in the time remaining before impact. "HAAAA!"

Naruto thrust his hand forward while his free hand grasped his right wrist, bracing his tortured muscles for the impending impact. Any normal person would have been sent rocketing across the chamber, but the blond's chakra coated feet merely skidded across the floor for several seconds before he came to a halt. Apparently the shrill, grinding sound of the disintegrating chains had caught everyone's attention and caused a lull in the fighting, if the screams of panic and fear amid the sound of the crumbling palace were any indication. "Oh, now y'all paying attention," Naruto yelled sarcastically over the thunderous din. "Nah, nah, go back to fighting! It's only a big ass energy chain that'll crush us like bugs, it's nothing important!"

After several moments the immense pressure against the Cho Odama Rasengan suddenly vanished, prompting the panting blond to release the technique. Naruto let out a tired whistle at the sight of the partially destroyed palace and the few remains of his chain as they faded away "Glad I don't... need to fix this... later."

'Well, that's one good thing about being in a parallel world... WATCH OUT!'

"You bastard! EXPLOSION!"

Naruto was flung through the air towards the Dragon Cannon, his limp body crashing into the spent weapon before he fell to the ground. Naruto managed to turn his head towards his attacker, the furious glare Erza Knightwalker was sending him prompting the shinobi to let loose a pain filled chuckle. "Ow."

Erza chest heaved angrily as she stared at the blond, her features twisting into a thunderous scowl. "My men, the palace... I'll kill you for this."

Naruto sighed in resignation, his muscles still burning from the gauntlet he'd put himself through, but this time it was joined by the familiar sensation of his healing factor. "Gimme a couple of minutes... and I'll be more that happy to kick your ass from one side of the city to the next... Knightwalker."

Erza's eyes narrowed at his words when her head began turning to and fro in search of something. Turning her attention back to the prone shinobi, Erza pointed her Ten Commandments at a nearby pile of rubble. "You care for her, don't you?"

Naruto tilted his head in the indicated direction and winced at the half buried and unconscious Mirajane and Levy. "Would it matter if I said no? " Erza smirked at the still blond and slowly approached the slumped pair. Placing his hands on the ground, Naruto tried to push himself up when a searing line of fire raced down his spine. 'Sweet Kami, that burns! Fuzzy, fix me, NOW!'

'30 seconds, and stop rushing me! If you rush a miracle you get shitty miracles, spinal injuries are a tricky business. If I fix it wrong then you're walking funny for the rest of your life.'

'Then I walk funny, get me moving RIGHT NOW!' Naruto mentally screamed, his hands clawing at the ground as Erza slowly advanced on the unconscious pair.

'No can do, despite what they look like they aren't your Mira or Levy," Kurama said calmly while his container could literally feel his spine regrowing. 'So you're well being comes before there's, I'm sorry.'

Erza paused for a moment once she reached her destination, her Ten Commandants glowing brightly for a moment before returning to it's original, pronged shape. "Hmm, Mirajane... I thought I'd killed her sister, you know? Threw her off a cliff right in front of her siblings. I still don't know how she survived the fall..."

Naruto's eyes widened when redhead's gloating was interrupted by a furious howl, followed by Elfman leaping into the air with his war hammer raised towards the heavens. Erza scoffed at the gesture, her spear spinning lightly In her hands as she impaled the airborne man, her expression growing joyful as she watched the mage's lifeblood spilling out at her feet. That was the moment Mira began to stir, her slowly opening eyes landing on the sight of her spitted sibling. Elfman?

"Yes, its only fitting that you get to see him just before he dies." Erza said coldly before she flung the dying man across the rubble strewn chamber. Naruto felt something snap inside of him as he watched Erza raise he spear again, a familiar strength flowing through his limbs followed by a veil of crimson energy washing over him.

'That did it, kick her fucking ass kit!' That was the only prompt the blond needed before he moved, his blurring form slamming into Erza and sending the redhead crashing through a far off wall. Naruto nearly chased after his quarry when a pained gasp from Elfman broke through the haze of anger, his chakra cloak fading away as he knelt beside the wounded man and pressed his hands against the gaping wound. "Dammit, Elfman, don't you dare die on me!

"W-w-we both kn-know that its t-t-to late for me,". Elf,an said shakily, his hands reaching out and weakly grasping the blondes shirt. "You n-n-need to pro-protect my sis-sisters..."

Naruto placed his hands over Elfman's and gave them a firm squeeze. "I will. Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to either of them, just rest now. You've earned it."

Elfman chuckled weakly as his eyelids slid closed, his final breath passing his lips with a soft rattling sound. Naruto bit his lower lip while he gently laid the larger man on the ground, tears slowly wending their way down his cheeks.

"E-Elfman?" Naruto looked over his shoulder, Mira's wide eyed gaze sending a stabbing pain through his heart. "No... no no no no no! ELFMAN!" Mira's hands clawed at the debris that pinned her down, the frantic woman ignoring the blood dripping from her fingers as she tried to free herself. Naruto quickly stood and grasped Mira's shoulders gently, her eyes locking onto his own while her tears continued to fall.

"Mira, I'm so sorry. He's... he's gone." Mira's resolve broke and she wrapped her arms around the blond's torso, Naruto's own arms wrapping around the grieving woman as she sobbed in anguish. Naruto did his best to comfort the grieving woman but his eyes turned towards the spot where he ad flung Knightwalker, an angry scowl forming at the sight of an empty crater. A soft groan from Levy was soon followed by several grunts from Jet and Droy, the trio of mages taking a moment after they'd dug themselves out to look at their deceased comrade.

"Dammit, all those times we told you to man up and you choose to do it now?" Jet stated angrily, his hand swiping at the corners of his eyes.

Droy remained silent, the shaking of his shoulders clearly communicating the level of his grief. Levy pulled Mira into her arms and held her, prompting the grieving woman to wrap her arms around her friend. Naruto rose to his feet and turned to Jet. "You two need to get them out of her right now," Naruto said while motioning towards the girls. "If you can bring the body with you then great, otherwise we'll need to leave it."

Jet and Droy glared darkly at the blond, their hands twitching as they reached for the seemingly calm man. "THE FUCK..."

Neither of them we're able to finished their sentence before Naruto grabbed their shirts and lifted them into the air, his eyes glowing a brilliant scarlet. "The living come first! Get clear with Elfman if you can, otherwise his sacrifice will have been for nothing!"

"He's right." Everyone paused at the soft words Mira uttered, her disheveled hair hiding the pain filled expression she wore. "Elfman wouldn't want us to sacrifice ourselves to save his corpse."

"And don't worry," Naruto said softly. "I'm going to make sure that red haired bitch pays for this."

Meanwhile...

Everyone in the air felt the shockwave from Naruto's Cho Odama Rasengan, the powerful concussive blast sending a large number of Exceed tumbling through the air. Mystogan gritting his teeth and shielded his face with his free arm while he rode out the shockwave, while Shagotte's councilors relived Lily of his burden and protectively huddled around their queen. After several moments the sky was still once more, allowing the Exceed and the mages a moment to celebrate their victory.

"WE DID IT! Mystogan," Natsu happily yelled. "Is everyone ok now?"

Mystogan nodded as he pulled his turban and mask off. "Yes, when they passed through the Anima they would have been returned to their natural forms. They probably have no idea that they even left Earthland..."

"Prince Jellal?" Jellal smiled fondly at the massive exceed.

"Yes, Lily, it's me. I'm glad we were able to save your country and kin."

Lily's grin grew as he remembered the day when he'd saved the youth, that is until a blast of concentrated energy tore through of his stomach. "GUOAHHHH!"

Everyone froze in that moment and watched as Lily began to fall towards the ground "Someone please save him!" Shagotte cried out. A pair of Exceed streaked towards the ground while the rest were frozen by the sight of dozen's of soldiers mounted on Legions and their scowling leader, Erza Knightwalker.

"SCARLET! You're next!"

Erza Scarlet studied her double for a moment and ignored the wheezing of the Exceed currently holding her aloft. But before she could respond Jellal thrust out his arm in her path. "You dare to raise your weapon against the Prince of Edolas and his comrades, Erza Knightwalker?"

"Hehehehe... you're no son of mine, not anymore." An amplified voice called out, causing everyone to search for the location of the speaker. "For seven years you've foiled my plans, and now you dare to show yourself once again? You sold your country out, traitor."

"Dammit, show yourself!" Natsu shouted.

"Your Anima operation has failed, father. There's no longer a reason to fight."

"Reason? Reason?! Standing against the rightful king is all the reason I need to slaughter you all!" The amplified voice proclaimed, the sound of heavy footsteps following this latest declaration. "If you stand against me, Jellal, I'll gladly wipe you out along with these interlopers." A massive shape appeared from the nearby forest, it's the steel shrouded shape glinting under the light of the sun as it passed through the thinning trees. "Yes, the more I think about it the better it sounds. Without you we can continue with our current plans regarding the Anima and we can make an everlasting supply of magic for our kingdom! Nothing is impossible for a king, my word is absolute!"

Every exceed gasped at the sight of the bipedal armor that exited the forest, but Shagotte was the one to put a name to the fearful device. "Dorma... Anim... you can't..."

"Can't?" The crazed king shouted, the dragon shaped armor craning it's head skyward. "I am a King, my word is the law! My power, indisputable! There is nothing beyond me, you false God! Capture the Exceed, my soldiers, and kill the rest!"

"YOU HEARD THE KING, CAPTURE EVERY SINGLE EXCEED THAT REMAINS, LET NONE ESCAPE!" Every Exceed panicked at Knightwalker's words and dove towards the nearby forest in hopes of escaping the approaching soldiers. Each soldier brandished a portable version of the Magicalize cannon, the powerful beams of energy transforming any Exceed caught withing their blasts into a cat shaped lacrima.

Erza Scarlet rose to her feet and stared at her counterpart, her fist clenching angrily at the chaos surrounding her. "Lucy," Erza said softly. "Protect the Exceed from the royal army. I'll handle Knightwalker."

"Sorry, Erza, but she's mine. Protect the cats." Erza took a deep breath and relaxed as she sensed a familiar presence join her on the Legion, a smirk appearing as she stared at her double.

"You always steal my fun, Naruto." Erza said in disappointment. "Lucy, you heard him, lets go protect the Exceed."

Lucy nodded dumbly but refused to move as she stared at her fellow blond. "Naruto, you're glowing... and did your whisker marks get bigger?"

Naruto chuckled at the questions before he gently placed a glowing hand on the surprised teen's head. "I'll tell you all about it later, but for now you have a job to do. Oi, you three!" Naruto said while he gestured towards the airborne Dragon Slayers. "It looks like we've got a dragon for you all to kill! Or should I take care of it instead and let Erza handle her twin?"

"DAMMIT, NARUTO! STOP HOGGING ALL THE FIGHTS!" Natsu roared angrily.

"Keh, damned showoff keeps all the good one's to himself. This is what we were trained to do so leave it to us, you blond bastard." Gajeel replied.

"I-I may not be as strong as the others, but I'm a Dragon Slayer too! We can beat it!" Wendy declared.

"Hooo, even the little one has some spunk to her. Alright then, you three get the dragon while I get Knightwalker. Sorry Erza, looks like you get to protect the Exceed."

"Rats."

Naruto stepped off of the Legion and floated in mid air, streamers of chakra arcing off of the glowing shinobi as he stared at his target. "Though I doubt it'll be a long fight. Mystogan, you've still got work to do, so get to it. Lisanna, go meet up with the rest of Fairy Tail, your sister needs you right now."

"Naruto-nii, what do you mean by that?"

Naruto turned towards the worried teen and flashed her a sad look. "Mira will explain everything, now get going. I have some payback to deliver."

"AS IF I'D LET ANY OF YOU LEAVE!" The Dragon Knight fired a powerful blast of energy into the sky, but Naruto placed himself in the path of the beam, his hand stretching out towards the ground. "Hahahah! Die, you insect!" Naruto's resolve never wavered as the beam of energy swallowed him up, eliciting cries of panic from his guild mates. "Now for the rest of... huh?" Faust said in confusion, the beam of magical energy parting around Naruto's glowing hand and missing the airborne mages. "But, but that's impossible!"

"I make the impossible possible, you shitty excuse for a king! Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy! Destroy this poor excuse of a dragon!"

"YOSH! I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed, his fire coated fist slamming into into the back of the Dorma Anim's neck as he fell from the sky.

"Gi hi hi hi." Gajeel laughed evilly while he landed on the ground, his arm changing into an iron club and thrusting up into the armored beasts neck, rocking the armored Knight back on it's heels.

"I-I'll do my best!" Wendy shouted in mid air, her arms spread wide as she sucked down a prodigious amount of air. "TENRYU NO HOKO!" The powerful roar sent the Dragon armor skidding back, it's operator searching frantically for whomever was suicidal enough to dare attack him. The three Dragon Slayers stood defiantly before the furious King, their expressions promising untold pain and anguish.

Naruto turned away from the unfolding battle and stared at the scowling Knightwalker, her Legion hovering in mid air directly in front of him. "I would have expected you to try and run, Knightwalker. I'm all out of mercy after what you did."

Knightwalker scoffed at the blond and pointed her spear towards him, the enchanted weapon changing into Mel Force. "Mercy is something you'll be begging me for all too soon, NarutUGH!" Knightwalker's arrogant proclamation was interrupted when Naruto reappeared beside her, his open hand palming the redhead's face for a moment before he flung her towards a nearby island. Naruto watched his foe crash into the floating landmass for a moment before he reappeared before her again, his expression never wavering as he gave the ruined city that surrounded them a cursory glance.

"Hmmm, I seriously doubt that, Knightwalker. There's something very important that you should know." Naruto said calmly as Knightwalker stood on unsteady feet. "The others are very reluctant to take a person's life, while on the other hand I'm more than willing to do so if there's a good enough reason for it." Naruto said simply before backhanding the shaky woman into a nearby building, the dilapidated structure collapsing on top of Knightwalker moments after she slammed into it. "How many have you killed over the years, Knightwalker? Hundred? Thousands?" Naruto calmly asked as he approached the pile of rubble and thrust a glowing hand into the rubble, pulling Knightwalker from the destroyed edifice.

"A-all that and more, because m-my King commanded it." Erza answered weakly, blood pooling at her feet from the multitude of wounds crisscrossing her battered body. "All I d-did was for him, and I would do it a-again in a heartbeat."

"I know you would," Naruto said calmly, a Rasengan appearing in the palm of his free hand. "Because I know you, Erza. Despite the fact that you're from another dimension, I know that you put your whole being into whichever cause you believe in. That's why I'm sorry about this." Naruto thrust the Rasengan into Erza's stomach, catapulting the soldier through multiple buildings until she finally came to a halt near the edge of the island. Naruto appeared before Erza again and watched her struggle to her feet using her Ten Commandments. The variable weapon glowed brightly for a moment, revealing an embellished spearhead with a single blade at it's center.

"T-this is the Holy Spear, Revalt. A single blow can shake the heavens themselves, so I wonder what it would do to you?"

Naruto chuckled darkly as he raised his right arm skyward, a Rasenshuriken forming in an instant. "Really, it can shake the heavens? That's almost as impressive as a story I heard as a young boy about a nine tailed demon fox that could destroy mountains or cause tsunamis with a mere flick of a tail. I may not have nine tails to work with right now,"

'I can fix that really quick, brat.'

Naruto ignored his partner's words and continued on. "But let's see which is stronger, your weapon or the power I hold."

Knightwalker's eyes widened at the blond's implication, her body shifting into a stance that would allow her to attack at a moment's notice. "Wha... what are you?"

Naruto shook his head while the Rasenshuriken emitted a high pitched buzz. "Just a simple man that's looking to protect the ones he loves." The blond's legs flexed explosively, catapulting him towards his foe. Knightwalker responded in kind, a scream tearing from her throat as she thrust her spear towards it's target. When both attacks met the world turned white for a moment before the island was vaporized, the forces that held the floating landmass together shattering under the immense outpouring of destructive energy.

Knightwalker knew that she was dying the moment that she fell towards the ground, her vision fading in and out every few moments. But just before she hit the ground a pair of arms wrapped around her battered body, giving the dying woman a chance to look at the face of her killer one last time as he held her close.

Naruto hadn't escaped her final blow unscathed, the right side of his previously unblemished face was covered in a multitude of horrific of burns stretching from chin to forehead. Erza felt a small sliver of pride grow in her chest at the ghastly wound, confident that every time he saw the scars he'd remember the woman that he'd killed. But her pride soon turned to ashes in her mouth as she watched the wounds swiftly heal, every trace of her handiwork vanishing until there was nothing left but smooth, unbroken skin. Using the last of her strength Erza grabbed the blond's shirt and spat out a single word, a word that brought an pained expression to the blond's lips as he watched Erza Knightwalker take her final breath.

Naruto placed the corpse on the ground, his hands flashing through several hand signs before he placed a single glowing hand beside the body. Streamers of earth surrounded the corpse and pulled it far underneath the ground and within moments there wasn't a single trace of who was buried there. The silent shinobi rose to his feet and turned towards the nearby capital, his enhanced senses easily located the person he was looking for out of the tens of thousands of inhabitants within the city's walls. Sparing a final glance at the resting place of Erza Knightwalker, Naruto disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Some time later...

Lisanna fought back the tears that threatened to fall at the news of her brother's death. Even if he wasn't from her original world she still cared for him greatly, her heart reaching out to her devastated sister who continued sobbing while they held each other close. The remainder of the guild surrounded the grieving sisters, each of them lamenting the loss of a comrade as well as the loss of their magic, when a flash of golden light appeared in their midst, revealing a somber looking Naruto. The glowing blond laid a comforting hand on Lisanna's shoulder, the crying teen looking at him with a question in her tear filled eyes.

"It's been taken care of."

Lisanna swiped at the tears gathering the corner's of her eyes and gave the blond a watery smile. "Thank you. Knowing that she'll never hurt anyone else like this is..." Naruto silenced the teen with a soft squeeze of his hand and stood up, his eyes taking in the sad expressions surrounding him.

"We need to get ready to leave. Time to say your goodbye's, kiddo."

"Wait," Lisanna said sharply, her head turning to and fro in search of something. "Where are Natsu and the others?"

Naruto let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Yeah, about Natsu..."

Earlier...

Naruto appeared at Mystogan's side in a flash of light, his sudden appearance sending Panther Lily skidding back in preparation for an attack. "Whoa there, Cat," Naruto said quickly, his hands held out in a gesture of peace. "Relax. I'm just here to check up on Mystogan and the others. How's the plan coming along, Mystogan?"

Mystogan let out a resigned sigh and gestured towards a nearby rooftop. "Well the magic is on it's way to Earthland but as for the rest of it... well, just look over there and tell me what you think is happening."

Naruto blinked slowly for a moment and looked towards the indicated building, his eye twitching at the sight of a maniacally laughing Natsu, the rambunctious Dragon's Slayer's signature fire spreading across multiple buildings in the area while he continued to scream at the top of his lungs "I am the great Demon King, Dragneel!"

"Dammit, Natsu..."

"... he's currently occupied," Naruto said simply while he pulled out several items from his hip pouch. "But he'll make it back with the others. Now stop wasting time, we don't have very long."

Lisanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously "We don't have long before what?"

"Think for a minute," Naruto said distractedly while he swiftly traced out a large number of symbols on a scrap of paper. "The Anima pulls magic from our world and converts it into lacrima because that's the natural state of magic in this world. Mystogan reversed it and it turned that lacrima back into whatever it was back home. So what do you think will happen to anything with a internal magic system that's living in Edolas?"

Lisanna's eyes widened in shock and she grabbed Naruto's sleeve tightly. "Wait, you mean we're going to get pulled back to Earthland?!"

"Nope, you're getting pulled back to Earthland," Naruto said happily before he pulled one of Lisanna's gloves off and slapped the piece of paper he'd been using on her bare skin, the characters that made up the seal coming to life and wrapping around the slender appendage. "I'll be hitching a ride with you. All you'll need to do is get a bit of blood on the seal and it will spit me out on it's own, simple as that."

"DAMMIT, THIS HAD BETTER COME OFF!" Lisanna cried out while she waved her tattooed arm in front of the grinning blond's face.

"Relax, it'll fade after a few days. Now I think you have some goodbye's to say." Lisanna gave a tear filled nod and pulled Mira back into her arms, the shorter teen whispering a few words in her sister's ear. Mira nodded jerkily and gently pushed her sister towards her fellow guild members, tears still streaming down her cheeks as she watched her sister's double say farewell to her friends.

Naruto gently placed a hand on Mira's shoulder and pulled her towards him, his arms wrapping around the crying woman and comforting her as best he could in the time that remained. "I'm sorry, I never should have brought either of you with me..."

"Shut up... just shut up, Naruto." Mira said harshly, her arms tightening around the taller blond. "You couldn't have known that this would have happened and you didn't kill Elfman so don't you dare blame yourself."

Naruto relaxed in the familiar embrace and watched Lisanna bid a tearful farewell to Levy and Juvia, both of whom refused to let go of the shorter girl. But just then Lisanna began to glow, a golden light covering her from head to toe. Naruto approached the glowing girl and took hold of her hand just as she began to float towards the heavens, his own glow slowly fading away. "It looks like it's time to go." Naruto looked behind him and watched Mira give him a sad wave goodbye, his heart nearly breaking at her forlorn expression.

"Dammit.. Lisanna, this is gonna feel... weird." Naruto waited till the teen gave him a nod before he placed a hand on the seal and activated it. The blond took a moment to reflect on the fact that this was the first time he'd tried using this particular seal to 'smuggle' himself somewhere, but his rumination was cut short by a powerful tugging from somewhere around his stomach. The entire process was distracting enough that the shinobi didn't even feel a pair of slender arms wrap around his waist until it was too late. "OH SH...!"

That's a good spot to stop. I know that Edo-Fairy Tail was known as a guild full of people that would run rather than fight, but I couldn't resist using team Shadow Gear and giving them a badass reputation, it just felt right.

It's kinda sad that Elfman had to die, but it's all part of what needed to happen for my plans that I made way back when I started this fic. And for those of you that are thinking that I'm doing this just so that Naruto can have two Mira's at once, it isn't like that. No, really, just read the next chapter and you'll see what happens.

On a positive note for fans of this tale, I'll keep working on this story rather then switching over to my other project so hopefully the wait will not be as long for the next chapter